DIARY – KEMPTON PARK
RACING PLUS CHASE DAY
SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2013
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I Choc and
Midnight Sail return to the Winners’ Enclosure having won
the Handicap Chase Almost unbelieveably, it had
been six weeks since my last visit to the races; Kempton Park on Lanzarote
Hurdle Day in fact. Today would be my
fifth visit of the season to Kempton Park; not much variety so far this term,
which had included one visit to Stratford, one to Cheltenham, one to Ascot
and two to Newbury in addition to the Sunbury track. In recent weeks I’d been
thwarted by the weather and Choc’s schedule.
He had been due to ride at Haydock Park on 19 January as opposed to
Ascot but all fixtures were abandoned due to snow in any case. The following week, initially Choc was
expected to ride at Doncaster but that fixture was lost and he rode just once
at Cheltenham instead. The most
annoying change of plan was the abandonment of the hurdles races on the
Sandown card on 02 February, which resulted in Choc re-routing to Ffos Las to
instead ride in the Welsh Champion Hurdle.
I’d expected him to be at
Newbury for Super Saturday on 09 February, but he rode just one horse
(Araldur who finished 4th) before heading off for three rides at Warwick,
where he had two winners and a 4th.
I’d hoped for a trip to the Berkshire track and an after-races visit
to my friend Denise in Caversham but I have a rule of not attending the races
if Choc has just a single ride; he needs at least two. It’s because there’s a lot of preparation,
along with time to be spent writing a diary about my excursion! And I don’t have bottomless coffers, so
must spend my racing funds wisely ... which means getting good value for my ‘Chocolate’ money! And the previous Saturday, Choc
had been to Wincanton to ride Raya Star in the Kingwell Hurdle; Alan King had
no runners at Ascot, although he did have a number at Haydock Park. So, as you can imagine, I was very pleased
to learn that Choc would be at Kempton Park for five riding engagements on
this particular day, all for his retained yard. And the ground, having been protected by
covers in the run-up to the fixture, was described as ‘Good’ ... a very rare commodity this winter! The weather had been mild, with
temperatures up to eleven degrees the previous weekend; then winter decided
to take another swipe! With bitterly
cold winds blowing in from the east, temperatures had dropped to just above
freezing for the past few days, it feeling even colder due to wind chill
factor. Snow flurries were forecast
for Saturday in the London area. So it
was time to wrap up very warm. With this in mind, I wore a
thermal vest, a long-sleeved thermal vest, a long sleeved t-shirt, my black
ribbon-tie jumper, black frill-edged cardigan, new purple fleece, purple
cardigan and black gillet fleece. I
had hoped to substitute a couple of layers for my heavyweight Cotton Traders
fleece but, having put on weight in recent months, I found it was too bulky
under my black faux sheepskin jacket; although it did still fasten up. I wore woollen tights, treggings and my
long black handkerchief hem skirt.
Then socks and my engineer boots.
A hat? I now store four hats in my car, today I
would wear my Dappy hat in order to keep my ears warm; the perils of having
short hair nowadays. But I’d not wear
it before I’d spoken with Choc, as I had a mission to carry out following a
request received through this website.
I’ve worn hats before when I’ve conversed with him, but a Dappy hat is
one hat too far!!! Gates opened at 11:30, which
meant I should leave home at 10:30.
However, on the way I planned to visit my local M & S superstore
in order to purchase two or three packs of 40 denier tights. They are triple-packs in black, grey and
purple. I love the purple ones but
only had one unworn pair at home so needed to restock ahead of Cheltenham ...
I’m not expecting it to be warm! I’m
always frozen at the Festival despite wearing many layers. Having thought I’d prepared
everything for Saturday, I awoke at 06:45 realising I needed to re-write my ‘mission’ note to Choc, the original
having been printed in preparation for my aborted trip to Newbury’s Super
Saturday fixture. I logged on, updated
the note, printed it out then encountered a problem with the black printer
cartridge. Very annoying, as I’d
replaced it only a few weeks ago and expected it to last for around a
year. Admittedly it wasn’t a genuine
HP cartridge, but nor was the previous one and that had been fine. I didn’t fancy setting out on a
shopping trip the next day, Sunday, so instead I checked that my local Argos
store had a cartridge in stock, reserved it online and would collect it
enroute. It was 07:50 by the time I’d
showered and washed and dried my hair.
I intermittently viewed The Morning Line whilst eating my breakfast
and applying my make-up. Having loaded
up my car I was ready to depart by 09:30.
Flakes of snow were still falling, having begun a couple of hours
previously, but fortunately they were no more than flurries with no chance of
settling. My route took me via the retail
park on the other side of the city to collect the dual pack of ink cartridges
(one black, one colour) from Argos before I then headed to the M & S
store, the latter being very close to Junction 20 of the M25. As always I couldn’t resist walking through
the aisles containing the Per Una range.
I then located the tights section and selected three triple-packs,
plus a pair of black ‘heart’ tights. Having paid for these, and with time in
hand, I decided to walk around the remainder of the women’s section of the
store, discovering that they still had thermal long-sleeved t-shirts in stock
– I purchased three more of these to add to my collection, one cerise and two
grey ones with tiny black birds printed upon them It was 10:30 when I set off to
join the M25 at the nearby junction.
My journey took me around the anti-clockwise carriageway to Junction
12, the M3. I headed towards London,
leaving at Junction 1 and taking the road towards Hampton Court. Having parked up in the free of charge
area, I ate a cheese roll and a hot cross bun I’d brought with me before
putting on my coat and boots and walking around the perimeter fence to reach
the main entrance. I purchased a ticket in the
foyer, £20 today. The tab was removed
by a steward as I passed through the doors and exited onto the concourse
where I bought a race-card for £2.50.
I also took a free copy of the Racing Plus, placing it in the bag I’d
brought with me today, in addition to my handbag. I then headed to the loo, before walking
down to the course-side rails to see if there was anything interesting going
on out upon the racecourse. The covers
had now been removed completely, the folded ones having still been visible
when I was sitting in my car. I soon returned to the main
concourse between the grandstand and the Parade Ring, where I sat upon one of
the benches to await the arrival of the runners prior to the first race. Flurries of snow still fell but I wasn’t
cold. RUK had set up their camera in
the Parade Ring, Stewart Machin and Dave Yates presenting today’s coverage,
the latter wearing his incongruous new Moncler jacket which was the hot topic
at Sandown Park a few weeks ago and continues to be so! It just doesn’t look right on a person of
his age!!! At 12:30 it was time for the In
The Spotlight tipster session, Lee ‘and
they’re off ... racing’ Mackenzie acting as host to William Hill’s Nick
Robson and Richard Thomas. They went
through their betting selections for the day, with the latter initially
favouring many of the Alan King runners! The snow flurries ceased at
13:00 and would not return, accept once briefly, later in the afternoon. It would soon be time for the first race of
the day, so I headed off to find a good vantage point to the far side of the
Parade Ring. Choc’s first ride of the
day was in the first race, aboard Midnight Sail, a 5-1 shot. I noticed that the horse still
had whiskers on his chin; I would have thought that these would have been
trimmed off! But perhaps Midnight Sail
is a Hippy at heart! Once the horses had departed
from the Parade Ring, I set off around the southern side of the grandstand to
find my usual vantage point beside the course-side rails. The starting gate for this race was in the far
corner of the track, the horses cantered down past the grandstand to take a
look at the final obstacle before heading back past the winning post and out
into the country to reach it.
Then they were off. The field was led away
by Milarrow, Midnight Sail close up to his outside,
Mickelson wider still; Storming Gale at the rear. Filbert, in
mid-field, blundered slightly at the first. The third fence is the first open-ditch and
Storming Gale cleared the obstacle more slowly than the others. AP
McCoy’s mount, Mickelson, made progress towards the lead only to jump the 4th
without fluency and drop back again. The runners proceeded around the first turn and
into the home straight, Milarrow continuing to lead
the way and Storming Gale still bringing up the rear. Heading up the
home straight on the first occasion, Midnight Sail drew alongside Milarrow and they jumped the next three fences in unison,
Choc’s mount taking a narrow advantage for a few
strides after the last of these before being re-joined by the Colin Tizzard runner. The field headed around the top turn and back out
into the country once again, no more than four lengths covering the entire
field as they headed towards the next obstacle. Midnight Sail led over
this fence and the next, the second open-ditch. Around the far turn, the Alan King runner and Milarrow disputed the lead from Mickelson, Lexicon Lad,
Storming Gale, Filbert, Triangular and Lucy’s Legend. AP urged his
mount forward to close up on the two leaders as they approached the first
obstacle in the back straight but again Mickelson fenced slowly and lost ground. Milarrow and
Midnight Sail continued to match strides at the head of affairs as the field
galloped towards the final bend, all runners jumping well; however,
Triangular and Lucy’s Legend were now losing touch with the others. Choc sent his mount on around the final turn,
Mickelson initially his nearest pursuer; this mantle taken over by Filbert as
they approached three out. It was then the turn of Lexicon Lad to make
his challenge as they cleared the penultimate fence. But Choc’s mount was
not for passing and still held a two lengths lead over his nearest pursuer at
the last and went on to win by this distance at the line. The
favourite, Milarrow, having been outpaced turning
for home, rallied to claim third place. Filbert, who had made an error
at the last, finished 4th. It was Choc’s 36th
winner of the season.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc and his winning mount arrive
back. It was then time to complete my ‘mission’; after which I would wear my
hat!!! As
soon as it became apparent that Choc was heading back to the Weighing Room I
set off to meet him at the point where he would exit the horse-walk and head
across the concourse to weigh in. I’d
already gained his agreement to the request to sign a wedding card on behalf
of someone’s best man, so I handed over the card together with the
instructions and a return envelope. However,
because I was concentrating on the task in hand, I’d not thought to greet him
with a kiss on the cheek, but on this occasion he actually proffered his
cheek for me to kiss. Isn’t that
lovely? I wished him luck for the
remainder of the afternoon as he headed back to the warmth of the Weighing
Room. I
recall walking back to the Parade Ring with a silly grin on my face! Choc’s mount in the
second race was the filly L’Unique, who’d won
during my last visit to Kempton Park in mid-January. The starting gate for this Juvenile Hurdle event
was at the far end of the home straight, the horses cantering down past the
stands to reach it. Choc had been the first to leave the Parade Ring
so, having walked fast, I arrived in the betting ring just in time to take a
photograph or two as he and L’Unique cantered by;
the photographs turned out surprisingly well, considering I had no time to prepare!
Then they were off. The field was led away
by the outsider Shadarpour, narrowly ahead of
Courtesy Call, L’Unique was on the inside, to her outer
Chris Pea Green together with Vasco Du Ronceray who
were both pulling hard, and to their outside was Irish Saint; Foster’s Road
brought up the rear. The runners headed up past the stands, around the
top turn and out into the country; the order was Shadarpour,
Courtesy Call, L’Unique, Chris Pea Green, Irish
Saint, Vasco Du Ronceray and Foster’s Road. Choc’s filly out-jumped the leader at the next flight and
took over at the head of affairs; she led over the next flight too. Heading around the far bend, Shadarpour
came to join L’Unique at the business end of the
field. These two were soon joined by Chris Pea Green and Courtesy
Call. By three out Shadarpour had begun to
lose ground as the other three went on. L’Unique, Chris
Pea Green and Courtesy Call disputed the lead around the final turn, Vasco Du
Ronceray close on their tails, with Irish Saint
behind these and appearing to be outpaced at this stage. Choc administered reminders to his mount
approaching two out, Courtesy Call and Vasco Du Ronceray
now going on and jumping the flight in unison, the latter soon taking the
lead. Ruby galvanised his mount to challenge as they headed towards the
last hurdle and was almost upsides the leader as they cleared it. It was then nip and tuck to the line, with Irish
Saint prevailing by half a length from Vasco Du Ronceray
at the line. L’Unique finished 8 lengths back
in third, with hurdling debutant, Courtesy Call in 4th.
As Choc had finished placed, I returned to the Parade
Ring before heading back once more to the course-side rails. This was because, following the second
race, the Jonjo O’Neill trained Festival stalwart, Albertas Run, and a unknown
companion horse underwent a pre-Cheltenham racecourse gallop. It was then time for the third race; no ride for
Choc in this one. Again the runners
cantered down past the grandstand to take a look at the final fence before
heading back past the winning post and along the side of the track to reach
the starting gate in the far corner.
Soon it was time for the race to begin … the tape
went up but little happened initially as all but one of the jockeys had no
intention of leading off! The exception was Barry Geraghty
aboard Molotof, who I presume had agreed to lead
but his mount wasn’t at all keen on this idea! Molotof was led
in for a few strides by the Starter’s Assistant, after which he continued to
resist his jockey’s urgings. Barry finally administered a couple of
slaps on the horse’s backside with his whip and they were off, Grandioso
travelled in second position, then Peckhamecho and
Theatre Guide; Tour D’Argent bringing up the
rear. Peckhamecho ploughed
through the second fence and dropped to the rear of the field; the horse was
again slow at the 4th. Molotof held a clear
lead heading around the turn and into the home straight on the first
occasion. There was no change at the head of affairs travelling up
towards the ‘lollipop’; Peckhamecho made another error, this time at the middle
of the fences in the straight. Barry Geraghty’s mount
held a one length lead over this stable companion Tour D’Argent
around the top turn, the others close up too. The runners then headed
towards the far turn, clearing two fences en route. The order around
the far turn being Molotof, Tour D’Argent, Grandioso, Theatre Guide and Peckhamecho. Still little change in the order as the runners
travelled down the back straight, Theatre Guide taking third position prior
to the last fence therein, only to make an error and drop back to 4th once
more. The Nicky Henderson runners led into the final
straight, the others closing in on them. Tour D’Argent
made an error two out, Grandioso soon taking second position and then going
into the lead; Theatre Guide was also closing on the two leaders. However, when upsides Molotof
at the last, Theatre Guide fell, leaving the former to rally on the run-in
but unable to overhaul Grandioso, the latter winning by one length.
The green screens having been erected around the
prostrate Theatre Guide, I waited next to the Betting Ring in the hope that
the horse would soon rise. It took a
few minutes and, having been solely winded, the horse got to his feet and was
led back to the stables; he received a spontaneous round of loud applause
from the spectators who had remained to witness his fate. Having missed Grandioso and Co as they returned
to the Winners’ Enclosure, I returned to the far side of the Parade Ring in
preparation for Choc arriving ahead of the next race. Choc’s mount in
this event was Fair Trade, connections hoping for a better showing than on
previous hurdling efforts now that the ground had improved. The start of the next race was at the far end of
the home straight, the runners cantering down past the grandstands to reach
it. Of the five runners in this event, one held an entry in the Triumph
Hurdle (Lac Fontana), two in the Supreme Novices’ (Fair Trade and Black
Spirit) and the remaining (Forgotten Voice and Brick Red) in the County
Hurdle.
The horses came into line, in Indian file; then
they were off. They were led away by Brick Red, from Forgotten Voice,
Lac Fontana and Fair Trade, with Black Spirit bringing up the rear; the
latter put in an untidy leap at the second flight. There was no change to the order or the single
file progress as they rounded the top turn, Black Spirit now pulling slightly
whilst at the rear of the field. By the fourth flight, a gap had opened
up between the two leaders, Brick Red and Forgotten Voice, and the remainder
of the field. This soon closed again as the runners travelled around
the far turn. Brick Red continued to lead from Forgotten Voice,
Lac Fontana, Fair Trade and Black Spirit as they headed over the next two
flights, their jockeys ensuring they took closer order before stringing out
again when the pace increased leading into the final bend. Having entered the home straight, they grouped up
once more as they stretched across the course to make their respective
challenges. Approaching two out, all the pilots were animated, apart
from Barry Geraghty aboard Forgotten Voice. Brick Red held a slight advantage over this
flight, Forgotten Voice almost upsides. The remaining three runners
were neck and neck not far behind them. Barry rode his mount to take a
narrow lead over the final flight and then pulled away on the run-in to win
easily by 5 lengths at the line. The Venetia Williams trained long-time leader,
Brick Red, held on to 2nd by three quarters of a length from the fast
finishing juvenile, Lac Fontana. Once beaten, Choc had eased his mount
and finished 7 lengths back in 4th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc and his mount arrive
back. As the fourth placed horse is unsaddled
close to the far side of the Parade Ring, I headed immediately for this
particular spot. It
was then time for the feature event of the day, the Racing Plus Chase, its
previous incarnation being the Racing Post Chase; the first prize to the
winner was £43,580. Former dual
winner, the grey Nacarat, was returning for what
would be his swansong before retirement beckoned for this popular
12-year-old. Many
of the top stables were represented, the ‘big
guns’ doubly so; Paul Nicholls (Rolling Aces and What A Friend), Nicky
Henderson (Roberto Goldback and Quantitativeeasing),
and Philip Hobbs (Quinz and Duke Of Lucca). The other trainers with runners were Tom
George (Nacarat); Paul Nicholls’ former Assistant
Trainer, Harry Fry (Opening Batsman); Nigel Twiston-Davies
(Same Difference); Richard Lee (Hector’s Choice); Venetia Williams (Summery
Justice); Jonjo O’Neill (Mister Hyde); and David
Bridgwater (Wyck Hill). Owner
JP McManus was also at Kempton Park today, he had two representatives – Quantitativeeasing and the recently purchased race
favourite, Wyck Hill. Being the feature event of the afternoon, the
horses paraded in front of the stands before cantering down to view the final
fence. They then headed back past the spectators once more, in order to
reach the 3-mile starting gate which is situated at the beginning of the side
straight; the horses covering almost two complete circuits of the track
during the race. By
the time I’d taken photographs of the parading horses, having earlier changed
the battery in my camera, the second one was now running low on charge. Only four races completed and I had just
one more charged battery in reserve. I
would need to preserve it in order for my camera to last out until the end of
the day. It must be the age of the
batteries, as I’d charged all three within the past 24 hours.
The
horses gathered wide across the track and then they were off. The runners were led off by Same Difference, close up were Nacarat
to his inside, Wyck Hill to his outside, Rolling
Aces and Duke Of Lucca wider still.
The visored Mister Hyde clouted the first
fence and fell. The horse was
uninjured but jockey Maurice Linehan was later
reported to have suffered two broken vertebrae and a broken sternum. Same
Difference flew the next retaining his lead.
Heading around the far turn the order was Same Difference, from Nacarat, Wyck Hill, Rolling
Aces, Hector’s Choice, Quinz, Duke Of Lucca,
Roberto Goldback, Quantitativeeasing,
Summery Justice, Opening Batsman and What A Friend. Quinz took the lead as they cleared the
5th fence, which is the second open-ditch.
He continued to cut out the running as the horses travelled around the
long right-hand bend and entered the home straight on the first occasion;
What A Friend and Summery Justice bringing up the rear. Nacarat, travelling in
second position at the time, blundered at the middle fence of the three and
quickly lost his place. Quantitativeeasing, now in last but one, received a
reminder having cleared the next obstacle.
Heading around the top turn with one circuit to go, Quinz still led from Wyck Hill,
Same Difference, Opening Batsman who’d progressed
noticeably through the field, Rolling Aces, Hector’s Choice, Nacarat, Roberto Goldback, Duke
Of Lucca, Quantitativeeasing, What A Friend and
Summery Justice. AP
McCoy’s mount made an error at the first in the side straight and began to
drop back off the pace. Quinz led into the far turn; at the rear of the field, Quantitativeeasing and Summery Justice both received
reminders. Heading along the back
straight, Quinz was soon almost joined by the Ruby
Walsh ridden Rolling Aces, with Same Difference and Opening Batsman on their
coat-tails. By this stage Wyck Hill had weakened and began to lose touch with the
main group. Having
cleared the final open-ditch, just seven horses remained in contention; they
were Quinz, Opening Batsman, Rolling Aces, Hector’s
Choice, Same Difference, Roberto Goldback and Duke
Of Lucca. Both Sam Twiston-Davies’
and Barry Geraghty’s mounts were soon ridden
along. Quinz still held a slight advantage as
they cleared three out, with Rolling Aces to his outside, and Opening Batsman
to his inside. Hector’s Choice and
Duke Of Lucca close of their heels.
Rolling Aces took up the running on the gallop to the penultimate
fence, Opening Batsman hit this obstacle but it didn’t affect his momentum. Quinz had now
faded into third, with his stable companion in fourth. Ruby’s
mount retained a very narrow advantage over the last but Opening Batsman had
rallied and was driven to lead soon afterwards, going on to win by 2 lengths
at the line. Duke of Lucca completed
in 3rd, with long-time leader Quinz in 4th. It
later transpired that the disappointing favourite, Wyck
Hill, had required 7 stitches and 14 staples in a wound to one of his
hind-legs, although it was unclear at which stage of the race his injury had
occurred.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back. Paul Nicholls was quick to offer his
congratulations to the winning trainer, Harry Fry, giving his former
Assistant a hug! The winning syndicate
were very noisy owners, celebrating their horse’s triumph with vigour. Soon
it was time for the penultimate race of the day, in which Choc would be
riding the David Sewell owned Hollow Penny. The
starting gate for this race was in the far corner of the track, the runners
heading out of the walkway and immediately along the side straight to reach
it.
Soon
the runners were ready for the off.
The blinkered Hollo Ladies was led in behind
the others; jockey Paddy Brennan placed Lordofthehouse
in front of gathered horses but, having previously demonstrated antics at the
start, his mount baulked and veered off towards the outside of the
track. He received reminders due to
his reluctance, consenting then to join the others although now nearer last
than first. The
field had been led away by Natural Spring, from De Blacksmith and Brilliant Barca; Choc’s mount, Hollow
Penny, was close up on the inside; Quaddick Lake
and Gormanstown Cuckoo were at the rear of the
field. There
was no change at the head of affairs as the runners negotiated the right-hand
bend and headed up the home straight on the first occasion. The racing order was Natural Spring, De
Blacksmith, Brilliant Barca, Kaylif
Aramis, Hand On Bach, Phare
Isle, Hollow Penny, God Of The Kop, Hollo Ladies, Katkeau, Sail And Return, Baby Shine, Lordofthehouse,
Quaddick Lake and Gormanstown
Cuckoo. The
field headed up around the top turn and out into the country. Natural Spring wasn’t fluent over flights
five and six and was joined by De Blacksmith as they travelled towards the
far corner. Quaddick
Lake and Gormanstown Cuckoo remained at the rear of
the field. Heading along the back
straight the majority of runners were still travelling well, apart from the
latter who had now become detached. Natural
Spring asserted her advantage around the final bend, from De Blacksmith,
Brilliant Barca, Phare
Isle, Hand On Bach, Hollow Penny and God Of The Kop. The runners were stretched across the width
of the track as they approached two out.
Phare Isle was the first to lay down a
challenge to the long-time leader, with Kaylif Aramis and Katkeau also
appearing on the scene; Baby Shine began to stay on strongly too. Kaylif Aramis headed Natural Spring shortly after the last, with
Baby Shine and Katkeau still closing with every
stride. Baby Shine claimed the race by
a neck at the line from Katkeau, Kaylif Aramis a further neck
away in 3rd. Natural Spring completed
in 4th. Hollow
Penny had faded in the home straight, Choc easing him towards the line to
finish in 13th position. It
was winning trainer Lucy Wadham’s third victory
from three runners in this event during the past decade.
Although
Choc had been unplaced in this race, I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to
see the first four horses arrive back.
Soon
it was time for the final race of the day, in which Choc would ride debutant
Money For Nothing. The
starting gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight, the
runners cantering down past the stands to reach it.
Then
they were off; the Kim Bailey runner poaching a 10 lengths lead as the field
set off up the home straight on the first occasion. Orchard Boy was in second, and he soon held
a few lengths advantage over Stroke Of Genius, Beat That, Henryville, Carlton
Jack, Black Cow, Money For Nothing, Un Bleu A L’Aam,
Broughtons Star and Dougalstar. The
gap between Such A Legend and the other runners continued to grow as the
field headed around the top turn and out into the country; none of the
jockeys appeared concerned. The
leader showed no signs of weakening as he travelled around the far corner,
the commentator estimating that he was now a furlong ahead of his
rivals. Orchard Lad remained in second
position, holding possibly a 10 lengths advantage over the main body of the
field. It was only when they were
travelling along the back straight that the jockeys aboard the pursuers began
to realise that Such A Legend was not stopping and perhaps they should
attempt to close the yawning chasm! Around
the final turn the field was well strung out, Such A Legend still leading by
a wide margin, from Orchard Boy, Carlton Jack, Beat That, Henryville, Un Bleu
A L’Aam, Money For Nothing, Black Cow, Broughtons Star, Dougalstar and
Stroke Of Genius. The
long-time leader was beginning to get tired but the gap between him and the
Barry Geraghty ridden Beat That was not diminishing
quickly enough. The pursuers had run
out of time and distance, Such A Legend had 3¾ lengths in hand over the Nicky
Henderson trained runner at the line.
Orchard Lad claimed 3rd at 20-1, with Un Bleu A L’Aam
in 4th. Money For Nothing finished
9th. A
33-1 winner under a very enterprising ride by Conditional Jockey Ed
Cookson. However, the horse did have
racecourse experience having finished 4th, 18 lengths behind the David Pipe
trained Doctor Harper who’d won his second bumper at Sandown Park the
previous day. When interviewed,
trainer Kim Bailey revealed that Ed hadn’t followed his riding instructions but
all’s well that ends well!
Although Choc had finished outside the first
four, I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive
back. One irate punter shouted his
displeasure, his anger aimed at Barry Geraghty,
presumably his pocket doing the talking.
Another, older spectator, spoke up to say
that Ed Cookson’s enterprising ride should be praised, rather than voicing
criticism at the losing jockeys. Nor
was it time for me to leave, as I had decided to watch the racecourse gallops
of a number of Nicky Henderson’s stable stars. There’s
never much information available regarding which horse is which and it was no
different today. Some guy asked me who
the horses were; I couldn’t enlighten him very much. However, there were far more horses than
expected, and included a number of Paul Nicholls-trained horses too. And two of Ben De Haan’s
inmates – Looks Like Slim and Native Gallery, the former with Choc
aboard! A lady called Kirsten Smith
tweeted to let me know which horses these were! I
know Ruby Walsh rode one of the Paul Nicholls horses, and another group was
reported to have consisted of Riverside Theatre, Kid Cassidy and Rolling
Star. However, it was possible to
identify Bobs Worth (because the ‘terrier’
sticks out his head when he gallops) with Barry Geraghty
aboard, Long Run with usual work rider Nico De Boinville, and Binocular ridden by AP McCoy. It seems I knew the identity of more
jockeys than horses! As
the bookmakers were now leaving the racecourse, I was able to slip out via
the entrance which leads directly into the free car parking area. Having returned to my vehicle, I ate a
second cheese roll and hot cross bun.
The temperature gauge registered zero degrees! I left the racecourse precincts at 17:40,
heading back past the racecourse’s main entrance, where a queue had formed
tailing back from the motorway junction.
It took a few minutes of stop, start, stop, start, before I was on my
way down the M3. I
joined the M25 clockwise carriageway, the traffic flowing freely throughout my
journey back to Junction 20. But I did have a surreal experience when driving
past the M1 junction; I overtook a flatbed lorry carrying a huge green
teapot, on the side of which was painted More Th>n. It later transpired that the company was
making an advert which would be filmed in St Albans City Centre the following
day, the teapot being one of the props.
At the time of writing, the advert was due to premier on TV on 18
March. I
don’t normally drop into my usual petrol station on a Saturday evening,
having once been witness to an argument between a gang of youths and the
staff therein on one such night.
However, as I didn’t wish to rise early the next day because it was
too cold to go out for a special trip, I decided to fill up my tank on this
occasion before completing my journey home.
I arrived back at 18:40. It
was bitterly cold as I drove my car underneath the carport and I was glad to
settle down inside a warm house.
Having eaten an evening ready-meal of Penne Mozzarella, followed by a
pudding bowl of trifle, I settled down to write my daily blog, uploading the
photographs onto my laptop and selecting the best ones for this website. And, following today’s problems, I ordered
two new re-chargeable batteries for my Olympus camera. By 23:30 I’d grown too tired to continue,
leaving the formatting of the pictures until the following morning. I
decided it was going to be a two water bottle kind of night, so I was roasty toasty when turning in!!! Choc
tweeted me the following day to thank me for the secret stash of Jelly Tots
for William and Peanut M & Ms for himself that I’d slipped into the ‘wedding card’ bag ... he’d just found
them! |
