PART II
DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL
GRAND OPENING DAY
THURSDAY 03 APRIL 2014
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Meister Eckhart is full of beans ahead of his run in
the final race of the day Click here to read my Grand Opening Day Diary Part I It
was soon time for the fourth race of the day; the Fox Hunters’ Chase for
amateur riders which is run over the Grand National fences. The start of the race was at the far end of
the home straight, with 2 fences to jump before The Chair. The
favourite for this race was one of the Irish representatives Mossey Joe, trained by Enda
Bolger, priced at 11-8. Last year’s
winner, 14-year-old Tartan Snow was back to have another attempt, this time
ridden by Mr Derek O’Connor; last year’s winning jockey Jamie Hamilton having
deserted him to ride the 11-year-old Pentiffic. The horses had reached the
starting area, taken a look at the first obstacle, and had their girths
checked prior to the race. There was an incident ahead of
the race when Brunswick Gold got rid of his jockey Mr Stuart Robinson and
promptly set off in the reverse direction along the turf to the outside of
the Grand National course, heading towards the Canal Turn. At some point he diverted and found himself
upon the tarmac road which runs to the inside of the track; initially
cantering and then trotting he evaded the attempts of a number of groundstaff
to catch him. In an effort to be reunited with
his errant mount, the jockey hitched a lift from another member of the
groundstaff on one of the small maintenance vehicles; they began by heading
out towards the Canal Turn too, only to realise that their quarry had in fact
gone far further, so they returned once more.
In fact Brunswick Gold was still upon the roadway, but to the other
side of the track and heading in the direction of the grandstands and
stables. Eventually he was caught
having slowed, and one of the outriders soon cantered up to collect the
escapee and lead him back to safety.
Not surprisingly the horse had been withdrawn from the race; his
adventures over for the day.
The
loose horse having been captured, the go-ahead was given and soon they were
off. Amazingly the race started less
than a minute behind schedule. The favourite
Mossey Joe and second favourite Warne were in the
front line as they jumped the first fence.
At the back of the field, the first casualty was Supreme Doc who
unseated his rider, Jamie Codd; the jockey still on
crouched down on hands and knees but help arriving as the horses headed
towards fence number two. (I’m
omitting the Miss or Mr prefixes which denote amateur status because every
rider taking part in this race is an amateur!) Warne
and Mossey Joe were disputing the lead as they
cleared fence number two, the latter towards the inside of the track. Showing up close behind were the
white-faced chestnut Harry Flashman, Island Life
and Richard’s Sundance. To the outside
of the field Pentiffic ploughed through the fence,
his nose touching the ground as he recovered but his jockey was unbalanced by
the error; he waivered to his left, and back to his right ... but he’d had
lost his right iron and after a few strides gravity claimed him! The
remaining nineteen headed to the chair, where Island Life who had already
lost ground from his prominent early position lost further with a slight
error. Dead Or Alive was well behind
the others at this early stage. The
field headed over the water-jump, around the bend and out into the country;
Warne and Mossey Joe still leading the way. Behind this duo was Earth Dream against the
rail, Harry Flashman, Boxer Georg and Richard’s
Sundance. As they crossed the Melling Road, Dead Or Alive was a long way behind the
field but still carried on. Warne
continued to lead the way under Sam Waley-Cohen, a
length behind was Mossey Joe. All the runners safely negotiated the first
two in the line of fences leading down to Becher’s
Brook. However, Boxer Georg had lost
his place completely having drifted back through the field and he had only
four or five horses behind him when he dived through the top of the
open-ditch and unseated Patrick Mullins.
The tailed-off Dead Or Alive was pulled up before reaching this fence. Sizing
America blundered at the eighth fence; now at the rear of the field were
Island Life and Keenan’s Future, ridden by the only two lady riders in the
race! Come on girls, don’t let the
side down! Warne had begun to put
distance between himself and his pursuers by the time he jumped the next, the
fence before Becher’s; his sole company the two
loose horses. The field was beginning
to string out now; all the horses negotiated the famous fence within
incident. In second place continued to
be Mossey Joe, followed by Earth Dream, Court Red
Handed, Fresh Air And Fun, Cottage Oak, Richard’s Sundance and Harry Flashman. Both
Richard’s Sundance and Fresh Air And Fun made errors at the Fionavon fence; with Will Biddick
losing the fight with gravity. Warne
continued to extend his lead as he approached and flew over the Canal Turn;
he was preceded by one of the loose horses (Supreme Doc). Some way back in the field, Orfeo Conti made an error at this fence. Having
cleared Valentine’s without incident, the leader did suffer a spot of bother
as the loose horse wandered in from the right and crossed his path on the
approach to the next fence, but got over safely. There was an error here by Cottage Oak, who
landed steeply and whose nose almost touched the turf as a result. Also from Himalayan Express against the
inside rail whose jockey almost went out the rear door; he held on grimly to
the horse’s reins and managed to survive.
Orfeo Conti also slightly blundered in the
latter’s wake. The
leader continued on to the next, the final open-ditch, which he cleared with
ease. Mossey
Joe continued to travel in second position, from Earth Dream, Cottage Oak,
Court Red Handed, Tartan Snow, Richard’s Sundance and Swallows Delight; these
were clear of the remainder. Warne
retained the advantage as he cleared the third last and headed across the Melling Road, pursued by Mossey
Joe and the improving teenager, Tartan Snow.
His nearest pursuer had closed to within a couple of lengths as they
headed around the final bend and faced up to the penultimate obstacle; the leader
jumped this upsides one of the loose horses (Pentiffic),
and Mossey Joe still hadn’t bridged the remaining
gap. Sam
Waley Cohen had actually let his mount take a
breather because, having cleared the last, he began to extend his advantage
once more. His main danger now, as he
approached the elbow, were the two loose horses, especially Pentiffic who wandered across his path and forced Sam to
switch towards the far rail to avoid further trouble. Having now got a clear run, Warne galloped
on to win by 13 lengths at the line.
Tartan Snow belying his years completed in 2nd, with Mossey Joe fading into 3rd and Earth Dream 4th. That
will teach Jamie Hamilton to desert last year’s winner Tartan Snow for a
younger model!!! His 100-1 victory
last year hadn’t been such a fluke after all.
Last to finish was the tailed-off Harry Flashman. My
vantage point can sometimes be an exciting place, during a race, with loose
horses arriving at the gallop and sometimes finding it hard to apply their
brakes! On this occasion, the infamous
number 15, Pentiffic galloped up to the gates
following the race, the on-foot ‘horse
wranglers’ quickly in attendance to catch hold of him. He had his reins trapped around one of his
forelegs, they struggled to unbuckle them but eventually succeeded and he was
led away to the stables. In some
instances during the Festival the wranglers strung a white tape across the
entrance to the pull up area once a loose horse had entered it to prevent the
animal escaping back onto the racecourse once corralled. It
was reported that all horses and all riders were fine following the race.
And
those which did not finish:
On this occasion I stayed at the
corner next to the walkway, still within the Earl of Derby Enclosure when the
gates were opened. As a pair of
mounted huntsmen preceded the winner as he returned, Sam Waley-Cohen
rode his mount directly into the walkway entrance, rather than go via the
walkway in front of the stands like the other placed horses. He entered first, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th
placed horses following behind him. NEWS FROM THE STEWARDS ROOM: The Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip
by Mr D. Skehan, the rider of MOSSEY JOE (IRE),
placed third, from the final fence. Having heard his evidence and viewed
recordings of the race, they found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he had used his whip above the permitted
level. They suspended Mr Skehan for 11 days, on
dates which will be notified to him by the British Horseracing Authority. The favourite for the following race was Claret
Cloak at 7-2. It was also now time for
Choc’s second ride of the day, aboard the Alan
King-trained Turn Over Sivola, who has been
suffering from a very bad bout of ‘seconditis’ all season; with five runs over fences
which resulting in four seconds and a third. The
starting gate for the next race was in the far corner of the track; the cross
fence being the first obstacle.
And
then they were off. The field was led
away by the Irish raider Arnaud.
Clearing the first fence the subsequent order was Sew On Target, Astracad, Anquetta, Sound
Investment, Anay Turge,
Kings Grey, Gus Macrae, Oiseau
De Nuit, Last Shot to the wide outside, Off The
Ground, Parsnip Pete, Turn Over Sivola against the
rail (where else?), Dare Me and Claret Cloak, with the diminutive Changing
The Guard at the rear. The
runners then headed around the bend and into the home straight on the first
occasion. There were no problems in
the jumping department at the next, nor the open-ditch, or the fourth fence
either. By the time the runners were
approaching the winning post with one circuit to go, the Dr Newland’s
representative was a few lengths adrift of the main body of the field. Heading
into the bend opposite the new grandstands, Arnaud still led, very narrowly
from Sew On Target, Astracad, Sound Investment and Anquetta. Turn
Over Sivola was held-up, four from the back. Tom Scudamore’s
mount took over at the head of affairs as they progressed around the turn and
headed into the back straight. Having
cleared the next fence, Arnaud and Astracad joined
the leader, the former soon taking over once more. Changing The Guard had now relegated Last
Shot to the back of the field. The
next obstacle is an open-ditch. Near
the rear of the field Dare Me blundered; branches of
spruce from the ‘apron’ now lay on
top of the birch. Last Shot received
reminders at this point. Astracad led over the fourth and final fence in the back
straight; in third position Parsnip Pete made an error but it didn’t stop his
momentum. Turn Over Sivola still had only four rivals behind him and, heading
into the final turn, was caught on heels as Sew On Target quickly dropped
back through the field. Up
front, the visored Astracad
led, from Parsnip Pete to the outside of Arnaud. Behind these were Kings Grey, Gus Macrae, Anquetta and Claret
Cloak. Having jumped the cross-fence,
which all the runners cleared without incident, Parsnip Pete loomed up on the
outside of the leader, ready to make a challenge. Choc had manoeuvred his mount away the
rails in order to make progress and but was still stuck behind Claret Cloak and
Anay Turge as they exited
the bend. As
the rail terminated and made space available Choc steered his mount to the
inside once more, initially aiming for a gap between Kings Grey and Claret
Cloak as they jumped three out. Parsnip Pete now led, from Astracad and Arnaud.
Nearing the final open-ditch, Turn Over Sivola
was switched to the inside of Kings Grey but that gap closed as they cleared
the jump; this left him still in sixth position as they headed across the
Grand National course and faced up to the final fence. Parsnip
Pete continued to gradually extend his lead over his rivals; Turn Over Sivola received a number of reminders (I counted eight)
before he rose over the last. Choc had
galvanised his mount into action however, because he was now in third
position a length behind Claret Cloak.
The horses began to reel in the leader but, despite both Choc’s and Noel Fehily’s best
efforts, they ran out of time; Parsnip Pete triumphed by 1½ lengths at the line.
Turn Over Sivola finished 2nd with Claret
Cloak a further 1½ lengths back in 3rd.
Astracad completed in 4th.
I returned to the steppings above the
Winners’ Enclosure for the first time today.
Turn Over Sivola must be one of the most
frustrating horses in training ... he’s run over fences six times now,
finishing second on five occasions, and third once! NEWS FROM
THE STEWARDS ROOM: The
Stewards held an enquiry into the running and riding of CHANGING THE GUARD,
ridden by Denis O’Regan and trained by Dr Richard
Newland, which was well behind in the early stages of the race before staying
on from two out under apparent tender handling, to finish eighth beaten 18 ½
lengths. They interviewed the rider and the trainer. They also heard
observations from the Handicapper. The rider stated that his instructions
were to make the running. However, he added that when the runners lined up
the gelding was reluctant to go forward and therefore he lost his position.
He further added that having got behind when trying to make ground in the
latter stages, CHANGING THE GUARD hung left handed and did not jump fluently.
The trainer confirmed that he wanted CHANGING THE GUARD to make the running
and was disappointed that he had missed the break at the start. He added that
the gelding has a history of hanging left. Having heard their evidence and
viewed recordings of the race the Stewards noted their explanations. The
favourite for the penultimate race was Oscar Whisky at odds of 7-4. There was an Alan King representative in
this race, the JP McManus-owned Uxizandre, today
ridden by AP McCoy. Choc had ridden
the horse at the Cheltenham Festival and finished a close second to Taquin Du Seuil who had been partnered
by AP McCoy that day; Oscar Whisky had fallen at the first on that
occasion. Uxizandre
has to run left-handed, hence its visits to Cheltenham and Aintree; he also
likes to bowl along in front because when held-up he sulks and
disappoints! Ahead of the next race, the supervisor of the
Aintree on-foot ‘horse wranglers’ came
out to warn the gate stewards that Western Warhorse would be leaving the
Parade Ring early and the jockey might not mount until he got onto the
course. Evidently there was even a
possibility that the ‘crazy’ horse
might be led out via the gate leading from the cooling down area to the far
side of the Lord Sefton stand. They were advised to stand well back from
the railings if he was led out via the walkway. In the event, the handlers led Western Warhorse
out via the horse walkway, legging Tom Scudamore up
when he was close to the entrance.
However, the horse plunged forward, crashing against the open gates
which form the railings at this point in the proceedings, and then careered
into the end of the plastic rail which divides the walkway in front of the
stands from the pulling-up area and the course itself. In the process he dislodged Tom from his
back. However, trainer David Pipe hung
on to the horse and it didn’t get loose, the jockey was legged up again and
he set off to the start. The horse is
a maniac and a jockey must be too agreeing to ride him! Therefore having exited onto the racecourse, the
runners headed to the starting gate, which was at the beginning of the back
straight. Having reached the start,
Tom Scudamore kept his mount away from the other
four; they circled in an organised group lead by Uxizandre
heading around and around the small section of rail dividing the chase and
hurdles track at this point.
Then
they were off. Western Warhorse joined
the others and travelled almost upsides of Uxizandre;
the latter holding the inner as they headed towards the first fence. Tom’s mount took a keen hold and jumped
this obstacle in the lead. Oscar
Whiskey brought up the rear. The
initial obstacle cleared without incident, the horses travelled to the
second, with Western Warhorse gradually wandering across to the rail; AP
switched his mount to the outside shortly thereafter. The
David Pipe runner had established a three length lead as the runners headed
over the open-ditch; Oscar Whisky still help-up in rear. There were no problems as the field jumped
the fourth; they then headed around the top turn to jump the cross-fence, the
leader’s advantage reduced. Fox Appeal
hit the top of it. AP McCoy’s mount
kept close tabs on Western Warhorse as the leading duo drew a few lengths
clear of the remainder entering the home straight. Uxizandre jumped the next
ahead, wandering over to his left on the run to the open-ditch; it was now
Tom’s turn to switch his mount to the outside, where he wasn’t particularly
fluent. Dodging Bullets had now been
switched to the inner and disputed third place as they travelled to the fence
opposite the main stands. All the
runners cleared this fence well. The
horses then galloped down past the winning post and now had one circuit to
travel; Uxizandre held a one and a half length
advantage at this point and Oscar Whisky still narrowly brought up the
rear. The two leaders had set up a
lead of around seven or eight lengths by the time they negotiated the bend
and arrived at the first fence in the back straight. Fox Appeal, who was travelling in third
position, got a little close to this fence and pecked on landing. The
field travelled on to the next, where there were no noticeable jumping
errors, before heading to the open-ditch.
Again the horses took this in their stride; Uxizandre
and Western Warhorse disputing the lead, the other three were line across the
track disputing last place. Oscar
Whisky jumped to his right over the final fence in the back straight and was
relegated to sole last. The
leading duo were three of four lengths clear of the remainder, lead by
Dodging Bullets, as they entered the far turn. Uxizandre jumped
noticeably left over the cross-fence.
The Paul Nicholls runner blundered here, with Sam Twiston-Davies
administering reminders to his mount as they turned into the home straight;
it was to no avail as Dodging Bullets continued to lose ground and found
himself at the back of the field approaching three out. The
runners cleared the third last without incident, Uxizandre
and Western Warhorse still holding a clear lead, the former receiving a
back-hander and a number of slaps down his neck on the run to the penultimate
fence. Tom Scudamore’s
mount was beginning to tire, his jockey gathered his reins and issued
encourage, also in the form of slaps down the neck, but soon to no avail as Uxizandre began to pull away from him. Oscar
Whisky was now staying on and passed Western Warhorse shortly after two out;
he had AP’s mount in his sights and had closed the deficit to two or three
lengths as they jumped the last.
However, try as he might, Uxizandre battled
on and held him at bay; the winning distance 1½ lengths
at the line. Compensation for his
narrow defeat in the Grade 1 event at the Cheltenham Festival. Western
Warhorse completed in third, 26 lengths back; he beat Fox Appeal by a
short-head. Dodging Bullets was 5
lengths adrift of these in last place.
The
following week it was announced that Western Warhorse had picked up a tendon
injury during the race and was likely to miss the 2014/2015 season as a
result.
More
Being an
Alan King winner I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure once more to see the
placed horses arrive back. NEWS FROM THE
STEWARDS ROOM: WHY THEY RAN BADLY Sam Twiston-Davies, the rider of DODGING BULLETS, unplaced,
reported that the gelding ran flat. However, I ensured I had returned to my favoured
vantage point before the horses began to exit the Parade Ring. Choc’s mount was
on its toes today, necessitating Travelling Head Lad Matt Howells to duck out
of the way as he proceeded towards the horse-walk exit point; thus I was
expecting a good run from the horse today.
The favourite for this race was Irish raider
Busty Brown at odds of 7-1. The
start of this race was half way down the home straight, with just over 2
circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The 22-strong field was
spread wide across the track as they headed towards the first flight. In the frontline from the inside was the
mare Utopie Des Bordes, Jetson, Carole’s Destrier,
Josies Orders, Seefood
and the grey Any Given Day. On this
occasion Choc wasn’t travelling against the rail, he was centre midfield
aboard top weight Meister Eckhart. Two
Rockers was towards the outside near the rear of the field; Wayne presumably
wishing to give him as good a view of his obstacles in light of his mishap at
the first at Ascot earlier in the season, when Choc had been aboard. At
the rear of the field, Riverside Theatre blundered at the first flight; Barry
Geraghty grimly hanging on to the reins in order to
regain his balance once more. Jetson was extremely keen; his head in the air as his
jockey restrained him heading down to the winning post on the first
occasion. The leaders were five wide
across the track ahead of the tightly packed field. Heading around the turn, Meister Eckhart
travelled in eighth position; Two Rockers just five from the back. Having
negotiated the bend the runners headed into the back straight, Utopie Des Bordes leading the
field towards the second flight; at the rear of the field was Crowning
Jewel. There were no significant
errors from any of the runners as they safely negotiated the three flights
therein. David Bass’ mount continued at the head of affairs as the field
headed into the far turn; Jetson now far more
settled travelling just behind the leader, from Josies
Orders, Return Spring, Any Given Day out wide, Big Easy, Carole’s Destrier, Seefood, Doctor
Harper and Meister Eckhart. The
field entered the home straight and jumped flight number five, where Crowning
Jewel made an error in rear of the pack.
The runners cleared the next hurdle; they’d now completed one circuit
of the track. And still there were no
major changes in the order as they jumped the next and headed down past the
winning post now with one circuit to go.
The steady three-mile pace meant that the runners remained closely
grouped. Utopie Des Bordes led the field around the bottom bend and into the
back straight once more; the pace now increased and the runners began to
string out, which meant the competitors got a better view of each
obstacle. Still no casualties at the
next or the following flight; although there were a few errant hooves as the
flight looked a little the worse for wear by the time the backmarker had
cleared it. They galloped across the
pathway and headed towards the final obstacle in the back straight. Having jumped his, Riverside Theatre found
himself second from last, with just Crowning Jewel behind him. The
runners headed into the far turn, and the mare continued to lead the way from
Jetson, Josies Orders,
Any Given Day, Carole’s Destrier, Meister Eckhart
and Seefood; Return Spring to the inside was now
being ridden along. Kaylif Aramis was making
headway towards the outside of the field; and ahead of him Doctor Harper more
so. Into the home straight they
headed, fanning out across the track as they approached and jumped three out;
and still Utopie Des Bordes
led the way but she was being hotly pursued by Jetson,
Doctor Harper and Meister Eckhart. The
leaders galloped on down to and cleared the penultimate flight; back in the
field, On The Bridge clipped the wing and two ‘spears’ of debris flew towards the infield. The main protagonists were to the far side
of the track, with Kaylif Aramis
under Sam Twiston-Davies choosing to make his
challenge down the near side; Choc also switched his mount to make his run
between Jetson and Kaylif
Aramis. Tom
Scudamore’s mount jumped into the lead at the last,
both he and Utopie Des Bordes
now wandering towards the nearside, the latter momentarily squeezing up
Meister Eckhart between herself and Kaylif Aramis. But Doctor
Harper kept on well and went on to win by 1¾ lengths
at the line. Kaylif
Aramis claimed 2nd with Meister Eckhart half a
length away in 3rd. Jetson completed in 4th and the long-time leader Utopie Des Bordes 5th. Two
Rockers completed in 14th. Of those
who had followed the early pace, Seefood finished
17th, Carol’s Destrier 18th, Return Spring 21st and
Any Given Day last. The favourite Busty Brown completed in 10th.
With Choc having finished in third place, I returned to the Winners’
Enclosure to see him arrive back. If you
are standing on the steppings below the Weighing
Room, the unsaddling positions for the placed horses, left to right as you
view them are, third, winner, second, fourth; this being the case, Choc rode
his mount into the farthest spot from the walkway entrance. He dismounted and unsaddled his mount, debriefed connections, removed
his helmet and then weighed out on the scales placed on the podium. Following this he headed back to the
Weighing Room. As is often the case, he was accosted by punters wishing for
an autograph and a photo opportunity; he is always happy to oblige. And, you’ve guessed it, finally he was
accosted by yours truly!!! I was stood
higher up the steppings, to his right as he climbed
back to the Weighing Room. Having
greeted him, I kissed him on the right cheek, he was stubbly again today; the
third time in a row! I also
commiserated with him about his second and thirditis, he said “Tell me about it”. I wished him “better luck tomorrow” as he departed for the Weighing Room. The final race of the day was
sponsored by the Dominican Republic, with an additional memento for the
winning jockey of rum and chocolates ... that’s a shame, Choc would have
loved the chocolate! And may have
liked the rum too for all I know! The Grand Opening Day gets a big
thumbs up from me; I enjoyed the atmosphere far more than the following two
days. The reason is because it’s
quieter, and true horseracing fans can enjoy the quality of the racing without
it being spoilt by some spectators. NEWS FROM THE STEWARDS ROOM: The Stewards held an
enquiry into the running and riding of CROWNING JEWEL, ridden by James Reveley and trained by Keith Reveley,
which finished sixteenth beaten 37¼ lengths. They interviewed the rider and
also heard observations from the Handicapper. The rider stated that his
instructions were to try a change of tactics from the gelding’s usual way of
being ridden and to settle him in. He added that he was happy with his
position in the early stages of the race but that CROWNING JEWEL failed to
pick up when asked for an effort in the home straight. He further added that
it was likely that the gelding would go chasing in future. Having heard his
evidence and viewed recordings of the race the Stewards noted his
explanations. WHY THEY RAN BADLY
There was just time to nip to the loo before heading along the
concourse, and walking across the racecourse to catch a bus to take me around
the perimeter roadway so that I could alight near the Melling
Road. I then returned to my car only
to find it was covered in blotchy dust; worse to the driver’s side being the
windward side of the car today.
Typical. That Sahara dust gets
everywhere. I ate the two remaining
cheese rolls before leaving the car park at 18:10. I wondered if it was quiet leaving the
racecourse because Bjorn Again were performing from 18:00 in the Equestrian
Centre and thus encouraging the younger racing fans to remain within the main
concourse area later into the evening. There was no queue encountered on my route up the drive or over the
Anchor Bridge. Having turned left,
Aintree Lane was also clear until a short distance before the 4-phase traffic
lights intersection with the Ormskirk Road. Having arrived at the junction after a
couple of signal changes, I turned right, drove past Asda
to reach the next set of traffic lights.
A further right turn, then through two more sets of lights, and a
final right turn took me onto the M57 motorway and I headed south. I left the motorway at the second junction, heading down the slip-road
to join the A580. I drove along the
dual carriageway, heading east towards the M6. The speed limit for much of the way is now
60mph. The route passes through
several sets of traffic lights together with one roundabout before the M6
junction is reached. Following that
it’s a second, smaller roundabout, before the Golborne
Premier Inn is spotted on the left hand side of the road. A left turn at the next set of traffic
lights takes me into an industrial estate, then a left at the roundabout and
left again into the car park of the hotel. Having parked up I sorted out my coat and jackets, placing my black
coat in the boot and putting on my mauve jacket to walk to reception. I wheeled my trolley case behind me, put my
handbag across my shoulders, another bag over my right shoulder and also
carried two other shopping sized bags; where are all the Sherpas
when you need them! Having struggled through the door to the
Reception I booked in for my two-day stay.
Room 33 this year, on the first floor I was told. Front or back I wondered; front overlooking
the main road and restaurant car park, or back overlooking where my car was
parked. Having headed through the
fire-door, I then pushed open the door to the stairwell, climbing the two
short flights of stairs to the first floor and through another fire-door into
the first floor corridor; I never use the lift in case it gets stuck with me
in it!!! Searching for the door number, it transpired 33
was the first room on the left through a final fire-door, overlooking the
restaurant, car park and A580, facing south.
I had to put down my bags in the corridor before unlocking the door
and struggling to get them all inside.
Phew, all done. Having arrived at the hotel at around 18:40, I
had over an hour to kill before I was due to head over to the restaurant for
my evening meal. I changed into my
blue jeggings and oversized blue cardigan, retaining
a couple of the thermal t-shirts and hoping I wouldn’t get too hot whilst
eating my meal. I spread out my next
two days clothing on one side of the bed, and my camera battery charger and
phone chargers on the table. I began
charging the first of two camera batteries I’d used today. I noticed a text message had arrived from my
friend Denise; she mentioned that her asthma was very bad at the moment ...
that Sahara dust again ... I understand it was causing havoc to those people
with existing breathing problems.
Having exchanged a few texts, promising to catch up in a telephone
call soon, I went down to the restaurant just before 20:00, as booked. Having checked in, I was offered a two-seater
table in the main restaurant thoroughfare; it was rather dark and dingy
though. I try to avoid that ‘old favourite’ of fish and chips, so
today I chose chicken topped with bacon and cheese, accompanied by a
side-salad. Dessert was a banoffee sundae; yummy.
I also drank two glasses of apple and mango J2O. The food was fine but, as the restaurant
was busy tonight, the service took 90 minutes, which was an excessive amount
of time. Having settled the bill, which was over £18, I
returned to my room at 21:30. Jockey
School on Channel 4 started at 22:00, although I dosed off mid-way through
having already got into bed! I then
awoke part way through the ‘How to win
the Grand National’ programme, also on Channel 4 ... I have a feeling
I’ve seen it before, last year? And I
went off to sleep again before the end of that programme too, waking up an
hour or so later to switch off the TV! Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Retraining of Racehorses Parade Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 1 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 2 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 3 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 4 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 5 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 6 Click here for photos – Aintree Festival Opening Day – Race 7 |
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