DIARY – HUNTINGDON – MONDAY 25 AUGUST 2008
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Choc was due to ride four horses at Huntingdon
today – Levera for his boss, Alan King, in the
first division of a Maiden Hurdle (3rd race) , Brimham Boy in the feature race (5th race), a Novices’
Chase, Croon in a Handicap Hurdle (6th race), and Domenico
in the last (7th race), again a Handicap Hurdle. As my car’s tank was just under half full, I
decided to fill up with petrol at Sainsburys early
this morning. I purchased a copy of the Racing Post (the last one on the
stand), later noticing it had an article inside regarding Alan King’s Owners’
Open Day, which Choc would have attended (although he was not pictured) and
giving details of Alan’s horses to follow during the coming season and their
possible engagements. Katchit, Voy
Por Ustedes and Blazing
Bailey were mentioned, plus a number of good novices. When I logged onto the
Racing Post website later in the morning there was also an electronic article
relating to My Way De Solzen appearing to be back
to his old self, having run disappointingly without explanation on a number
of occasions last season. Having arrived back home from filling up the car,
I showered and washed my hair, loaded my M & S bag with the left-over
goodies from Saturday’s excursion into my car and set off at 11:45 for
Huntingdon. The gates were due to open at 12:30 (two hours before the first
race, as is usual with race meetings). I drove to the A1M, joining the
motorway near Welwyn Garden City. The journey to Huntingdon is very
straightforward, A1M and A1, bearing off left at the Brampton Hut turning,
then right at the interchange roundabout.
Drive just a short distance along the A14 heading towards Huntingdon,
bearing off to the left, and take the second turning at the roundabout into
the course itself. The road bears left and past the horsebox parking area,
then right, then left (at which point the road becomes rutted gravel), then
straight along past the owners/trainers/ jockeys parking area until turning left
into a field to park. The cheaper picnic area parking is even further along
the gravel road. Having parked at around 12:45, I changed out of
my trainers which I wear to drive, and into my red sling-backs, then
proceeded to the entrance to pay my £15 entry fee, and purchase the official
Race Programme for £2.50. As the
horses wouldn’t be arriving in the Parade Ring until after 2:00 I had to
loiter for a long time in the area by the Tote Office. Whilst reading the programme I noticed
that Alan King and Choc Thornton were Top Trainer and Top Jockey
respectively, for the 2007/2008 season at Huntingdon. Whilst I was waiting,
the day’s non-runners were announced, and Brimham
Boy, Choc’s mount in the Novice Chase, was among
them. Choc now had three rides but, as
I’d only travelled around 50 miles to the racecourse, this was good value for
money! Eventually I walked around to the Parade Ring,
and positioned myself near the exit point to the Winners’ Enclosure. The
horses for the first race arrived in the ring, the jockeys came out from the
Weighing Room, mounted and set off down to the start. I went around to the
Grandstand to watch the race. There
was no big screen to view, but it was possible to see the entire racecourse
with the naked eye. The first race was a Conditional Jockeys’ Selling Hurdle,
which was won by Nayodabayo, ridden by David
England, in a photograph. I returned
to the unsaddling enclosure to see the winner and placed horses, and it was
announced that, after the auction of the winning horse, prizes would be
presented in the enclosure to last season’s Top Trainer and Top Jockey – Alan
and Choc! The starting bid for Nayodabayo was set
at £3,000 but, as no-one wished to buy him, he was led away. Before the race, No.8, Seattle Spy had been
withdrawn due to vet’s advice – it was apparent to me and others around me,
that the horse was slightly lame, and both the trainer and jockey were
concerned too. Unfortunately I had not positioned myself in a
very good place to take photos of Alan and Choc as they were presented with
their prizes, and
Choc took me by surprise because he seemed to appear from nowhere. Someone
behind me made a comment about Choc’s hair (or
rather lack of it), as did someone directly to Choc in the Winners’
Enclosure. Anyway, I managed to take three photos of Choc as he waited to go
up to the podium – though not of him or Alan with their trophies. After
leaving the podium, he walked back towards me – he was wearing just his
under-top which clung to his body, no body protector, plus his breeches and
boots of course. He broke into a trot
as he came nearer, returning to the Weighing Room via the jockeys Parade Ring
entrance rather than the Winners’ Enclosure exit. It was time for the second race, a steeplechase,
which was won by Urban Tiger, ridden by Robert Lucie
Butler. There was an incident when one of the two fallers , who had departed
early in the race and was trailing after the field, refused at the Open Ditch
immediately in front of the stands – making the crowd gasp as the horse
suddenly put on the brakes having realised it was a fence too far! Felix de
Giles had a nasty fall from Young Tot, and was stood down for the remainder
of the day. Again, I returned from the Grandstand to the Winners’ Enclosure,
to see the winner unsaddled and owner collect their complementary bottle of
champagne. Time for Choc’s first
ride of the afternoon. Levera, a talented flat
horse having won 5 times during his earlier career, trying hurdles for the
first time. Choc came into the
paddock, spoke to connections, and mounted. As he left the paddock, via the
long walk away to my right, and out of sight until nearing the course entry
point, I walked around to take up my position in the grandstand, in time to
see Choc canter down past me to the start. The race was uneventful and,
despite concerns that Choc’s mount might not get
the trip, having won flat races over 7 furlongs, he won well. I walked around to the Winners’ Enclosure
and stood just behind the 1st place sign to see him return. Alan spoke to a
couple of gentleman positioned to my direct right whom he knew – he said
something along the lines that the horse was expected to win and he would
have been disappointed if it had been otherwise. This was Choc’s
28th winner of the current season – my third ‘real-life’ view of him riding a
winner! Iffy at Stratford (18th) and
Southern Regent at Market Rasen (26th) being the
first two. Once he had spoken to the owners about the run, he disappeared
through the Enclosure exit and back to the Weighing Room. The fourth race was the second division of the
Maiden Hurdle, won by Proper ridden by Noel Fehily.
William Kennedy, who had shaved off Choc’s hair at
The Plough, took a tumble from Inwaan. The 5th race was the feature Novices’
Steeplechase, in which Choc no longer had a ride, Brimham
Boy having been announced as a non-runner before the start of the races. It
was won by Our Choice, making it a double for jockey, Noel Fehily. The finish was very close, having just held off
the challenge of the grey, Scots Dragoon, who was now ridden by Tony McCoy
replacing the injured Felix de Giles.
She’s Humble, who Choc had ridden on previous occasions, finished
third. Again time for Choc to ride, this time on Croon,
who was joint favourite with Goldan Jess (unplaced)
ridden by Tony McCoy. Not a good showing, unplaced, although he did finish
the race. Having returned to the paddock, I positioned myself further along
the ringside, so that I could see Choc as he returned to the Weighing Room,
having dismounted in the walled off unsaddling area set aside for the
unplaced runners. There was another incident during one of the
races, I’m not sure which, when a loose horse was intercepted by its lad as
it approached the course entry/exit point and, instead of being caught, it started
to run back down the course in the direction of the other runners – my
impression was that it was during one of Choc’s
races too. Time now for the 7th and final race of the day, Choc’s third ride, his mount being Domenico.
This time, once he was mounted, he actually rode around in front of me and
was probably the last to leave the paddock. Choc’s
horse was in contention as they jumped the final hurdle, him having held his
mount up near the rear of the field for most of the race. However, despite strong driving, he just
failed to get up to take third place. Once again, I went around to the
Winners’ Enclosure, standing on the raised viewing section behind the 4th
place sign. He was led around and into
position, unsaddled, spoke to the owners and walked across in front of the
podium to leave the enclosure via the exit point and I watched him as he
disappeared into the Weighing Room. My last view of Choc for today. The races over, I returned to my car, but for a
few minutes decided against joining the queuing traffic. As I was hungry I ate some pretzels, and
had a drink then, having wasted around 20 minutes, I finally joined the
gravel roadway where traffic, by now, was just intermittent. The queue was
held up slightly just before the horsebox park, when traffic joined from our
right but, apart from that, the drive home via the A1, from the A14 to
leaving it just after the Hatfield tunnel, was very good. I arrived home
almost on the dot of 19:30 as expected. |
