DIARY – NEWBURY – HENNESSY GOLD CUP
SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2015
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Smad Place and jockey Wayne Hutchinson pose for
photographs following
their victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup This would be my 8th consecutive
Hennessy Gold Cup – I’d seen Madison du Berlais win in 2008, Denman win his
second in 2009, Diamond Harry in 2010, Carruthers in 2011, Bobs Worth in
2012, Triolo D’Alene in 2013, and Many Clouds in 2014. Who’s turn would it be this year? The photo above is a bit of a give away! It would also be my second
consecutive day at Newbury, having attended the previous day in the hope of
seeing Choc ... but he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps I’d be luckier in my Choc quest today,
with Ned Stark being one of two Alan King runners in the Hennessy Gold
Cup. Gates opening time was 10:00; so
I set my alarm for 05:30 with the hope of departing from home by 08:15. This meant that I should arrive at the
racecourse by 09:45. In the event, I
woke at 05:00 ... with a headache; I’d been tossing and turning all night,
and just knew I’d have a headache having been stuck on the road for extended
periods the previous day. It was
wholly or partly due to the arthritis in my neck and, possibly, dehydration
was also a factor. I made myself a cup
of tea, and even put on a wooley hat for half an hour! And it actually did the trick because, by
the time I went into the shower, my headache had more or less disappeared. After
showering, washing and drying my hair, I ate a breakfast of two croissants
before applying my make-up. My outfit
today was two thermal vest t-shirts – purple and plum, a teal heatgen polo
neck t-shirt, a bright blue BHS v-neck sweater, purple fleece, black gillet,
grey tights, burgundy pull-on jeggings, dark grey double-frill tweed skirt,
Hotter Danville flint-coloured ankle boots, socks, black faux sheepskin coat,
long striped wristwarmers, horse-design black/white cowl, purple
and mauve M & S fabric scarf, plus capacious burgundy/brown/pink Next
handbag. I love my new Hotter boots;
the heel is just the right height for striding out around the
racecourse. Although dampness
initially marks the leather, they do dry out very quickly. Having looked out of the window earlier, I had a
feeling I’d find frost on the car so, when I first ventured out to place my
coat upon the back seat some while prior to departure, I had to scrape the
windows thereof. There were blobs of
frozen water on the roof too, resultant from the rain the previous
evening. I wiped the windows again
just prior to leaving, at 08:18. Being a Saturday and quiet on the roads, I
travelled around the ring-road to join London Road and headed down to the
London Colney roundabout. I then drove down the dual carriageway to
join the M25 anticlockwise carriageway at junction 22. Traffic was travelling smoothly on the
motorway as I journeyed around to junction 15 ahead of joining the westbound
carriageway of the M4. Today I was
actually on the lookout for the view of Windsor Castle and I spotted it! The Queen’s residence can be seen to the
right-hand side as you travel over the Langley junction bridge; a little
further on, it is visible to the left of the road. Technically, it’s to the south of the road,
so it is to the left of the road, but ‘moves’
due to the curvature of the motorway at this point. There were no road-works or delays on the M4
today; although work is still being carried out to create a new bridge over
the carriageway prior to junction 11, Reading Central. Unlike yesterday, today I wasn’t in need of
a comfort break at the service station just prior to junction 12; I had
travelled on and off behind a red car full of passengers for much of my time
upon the M4, the vehicle eventually headed into the motorway at the service
station. I headed up the slip-road at
the aforementioned junction 12, staying in the second lane in order to
overtake a slow moving M & S lorry in the inside lane. I then headed westwards along the A4, through the
30mph zone at Woolhampton, before driving through Thatcham with its many sets of traffic lights, and
turning left at a large roundabout and continuing down through two further
sets of traffic lights; at the second of which I turned left in Hambridge Road.
The road heads down over a couple of small bridges, spanning the
Kennet and the Lambourn rivers; they converge just
downstream. The next road feature is the roundabout where the
new racecourse bridge heads off over the main Great Western Railway; I took
this route, straight across to reach another roundabout located close to the
course’s home straight. There was a
sign instructing coaches to turn left to park, and for cars to turn
right. Having followed this request, I
was intending to park in the same grassed area as the previous day, but the
steward at the entrance asked if I was ‘staff’
and, when I replied no, he directed me to carry on around the right-hand
bend. I then took a left to head along
the road which runs along the back of the site, parallel to the railway line. To the left-hand side was a newly laid-out and tarmaced car park, occupying the space where I’d been
parking ever since my first trip to the racecourse in November 2008. There were many entry points, but the
majority were blocked by temporary metal posts. I headed along to the opening and was able
to park in a vacant space of my choice; although not within the area closest
to the racecourse buildings, which appeared to have been reserved for any
premier enclosure customers who didn’t wish to park in the centre of the
racecourse. I chose the front row of
two; the car park was probably at least three quarters empty. Lamp-posts had been installed too, to
provide illumination after dark. I’d seen just one magpie during my journey today;
poo! I saw
two yesterday, one early and one late, but it hadn’t brought me any
particular luck. Mind you, I don’t
need betting luck, as I rarely place a bet; just luck in travelling and luck
in seeing Choc ... and I certainly didn’t receive any of either the previous day! As it was only 09:45, I decided to eat two of the
cheese rolls I’d brought with me. A
large 4x4 had pulled into the space to my left but, after the occupants who
appeared to be racecourse workers had headed towards the entrance, one of
them returned to move the vehicle.
Presumably they needed or wanted to park elsewhere. I love the new car park, and hopefully will
always be able to park there if I arrive early enough, unlike on the previous
day. It would have saved getting my
car so muddy too; and it still hadn’t washed off despite the heavy rain of
the previous evening. Having eaten, I put on my coat and gloves and
headed along to the temporary marquee-style eastern entrance; my bag was
briefly checked by a security man standing at a table just prior to
this. I didn’t have to wait long
before the gates were opened and my pre-purchased ticket was scanned to allow
me entry. I bought a race-card, £3,
from the kiosk opposite the entrance before heading along the concourse to
the Dubai Duty Free Stand, entering the main doors to the rear of the
building before paying a visit to the little girls’ room. Heading back along the ground floor of the stand,
I was surprised to see a group of young women dressed as though they were
attending a summer fixture; maybe you don’t feel the cold once you’ve drunk
too much! Personally I’d rather be
warm and sober! I’d even seen a girl
on the concourse yesterday with bare legs and wearing sandals. I exited the building via the main rear doors,
and headed over to the Parade Ring, via the pathway to the right of the
betting office. I would remain there
until the horses left the paddock ahead of the first race. There was a brisk south-westerly breeze
again today, with the early morning sun giving way to cloud later in the
morning. As my bag was proving heavy,
I’d left my umbrella in my car, deciding instead to wear a black quilted hat
with grey fur trim; it was cold beside the Parade Ring, so I soon popped this
on. I seem to be getting to an age
where I don’t care what I look like either!!!
Or at least not always! I have
three trilby hats, a fedora, an Australian bush-hat and a brown felt hat but,
as it was breezy, I didn’t want to risk them blowing away, because that would
be embarrassing! Today’s jockey autograph signing session began at
11:15 in the IJF tent on the Hennessy High Street; Sam Twiston-Davies
and Leighton Aspell doing the honours. There was a race-day preview in the Outside
Chance Bar within the Premier Enclosure, with Barry Geraghty
and AP McCoy. For everyone else,
Martin Kelly interviewed race-day connections within the Parade Ring. First was Saphir
Du Rheu’s owner Andy Stewart; he was worried that
the Hennessy Gold Cup would now be at the mercy of Smad
Place, now that the weights had risen following Coneygree’s
defection. He was also concerned that
his horse might be too young, at 6, but he had no worries about the going,
which was soft. The second person interviewed by Martin was
Warren Greatrex; he spoke about Cole Harden’s
participation in the Long Distance Hurdle, race 5. He explained that his charge had undergone
a second wind operation in September but was hopeful he’d run well today. However, he was very keen on his runner in
the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase, Aloomomo; he explained that the horse had been suffering
from ulcers but has shown much improved form since this issue was
resolved. Warren also mentioned that
his bumper winner on Thursday was the McNeill Family’s first success at
Newbury, their local racecourse; a very surprising fact since they’ve owned
many good horses over the years – including Walkon,
Grumeti and the ill-fated Mille Chief. Graham Bradley was the third guest; he won the
Hennessy Gold Cup in 1982 aboard subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bregawn and also aboard popular grey Suny
Bay in 1997. Brad mentioned Houblon Des Obeaux, Smad Place, Bobs Worth, Ned Stark, If In Doubt and First
Lieutenant; but his personal choice today was Saphir
Du Rheu.
Oliver Sherwood was also interviewed, having won
the race last year with subsequent Grand National winner Many Clouds; he
explained that his Hennessy winner would head to Aintree the following
weekend for a Listed Chase, having bypassed this year’s renewal of the
Newbury event. Oliver’s choice to win
was Smad Place.
RUK’s Lydia Hislop and
Jonathan Neesom were presenting from Newbury today;
also Dave Nevison reporting from the betting ring,
I’m not at all keen on the latter. As
for Channel 4 racing, I saw Nick Luck, AP McCoy and Rishi
Persad, the latter carrying a satchel and paper
notes as he headed across the Parade Ring to the C4 trailer. The off time of the first race
was 12:15 and the favourite was the Evan Williams-trained Tea In Transvaal,
ridden by Paul Moloney; price 11-8.
Alan King had a runner in this race, Lady Persephone ridden by Wayne
Hutchinson. The
starting gate for this event was in the home straight, close to the 2-furlong
mark, with just over one full circuit to be completed and one hurdle to be
negotiated twice during the race.
And
then they were off. The fillies and
mares were led away by Tea in Transvaal, from the larger Ruby Rambler, Fortunata Fashions, Hope’s Wishes to the outside, with
Lady Persephone to the inside, Irish raider Colla
Pier and, bringing up the rear, the sole chestnut Very Extravagant. Alan King’s runner was brown, the other
five being bays. The runners cleared
the first flight without bother and headed up past the grandstands and
winning post with one circuit to go. At
the head of affairs, the Evan Williams runner was enjoying herself ears
pricked, as they set off around the top turn and into the back straight. Very Extravagant, at the rear of the field,
was less fluent than the others at the second flight. Fortunata
Fashions had already begun to drift back through the field, as Noel Fehily’s mount continued detached from the others, not
aided by her lack of fluency at every obstacle. Fortunata Fashions landed
on all fours over the fourth flight.
Meanwhile Tea In Transvaal continued to lead the way, with a two
length advantage over her nearest rival, Ruby Rambler. Lady Persephone disputed third position
with Hope’s Wishes as they jumped the next, before heading into the far
turn. Fortunata
Fashions now began to lose touch with the leading group and had been
overtaken by Very Extravagant before they entered the home straight. At this point, Hope’s Wishes received
reminders. Meanwhile
Tea In Transvaal continued to lead, from Ruby Rambler, with Colla Pier easing her way up the inside of Lady Persphone as Hope’s Wishes dropped away. The leader took off a little earlier than
expected at the third last flight, but made the distance and remained
ahead. The Irish raider, however, was
waiting in her slipstream and still travelling very easily. Ruby Rambler was now receiving slaps down
her neck from Leighton Aspell, as was Lady
Persephone which was now adrift of the leading group. Further back, Very Extravagant was staying
on and had now moved into fifth position. Tea
In Transvaal continued to lead over the penultimate flight, with Colla Pier switched to her right in order to begin her
challenge. But just when it looked
like the latter had got the measure of the long time leader, Evan Williams’
charge began to dig deep into her reserves and it was Colla
Pier which came under pressure instead.
So much so, that Paul Moloney was able to
extend his margin as he drove his mount to the line to win by 6 lengths. Ruby
Rambler, which had made an error when tiring two out, plugged on to complete
in 3rd, 15 lengths back. Very
Extravagant stayed on to pass beaten horses and claim 4th. Lady Persephone had weakened before two
out, tailing off to finished 17 lengths behind Noel Fehily’s
mount. Fortunata
Fashions completed in 6th, with Hope’s Wishes last of the seven.
I set off on a route
march back to the Winners Enclosure to see the horses arrive back. The favourite for the next race
was Full Shift, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty;
price 7-2. No runners for Alan King in
this race, but one for Martin Keighley, namely Johnny Og ridden by Ian Popham. Once the horses had left the Parade
Ring I headed to the edge of the tarmaced area, three or four metres from the
course-side rails. The starting gate for this event
was part way down the home straight, with two fences to negotiate prior to
the water-jump and then one full circuit of the course.
And
then they were off. The runners were
line across the course as they headed to the first fence, with Arzal marginally the leader as they cleared it. Prominent were Balgarry,
Javert, Aso and Johnny Og. The sole grey,
For Two, was a little clumsy at the back of the field. Disputing
the lead over the second obstacle were Arzal, Javert and Johnny Og; in rear
was the favourite Full Shift, sporting the green and gold silks of JP
McManus. Javert
landed a little awkwardly over the water-jump. Having sorted themselves out, the order
heading into the top turn was Arzal, from Javert and Johnny Og disputing
second, followed by Balgarry, Rock On Rocky, Aso, Laser Hawk, For Two, Wadswick
Court and Full Shift. Entering
the back straight, Arzal got in a little close to
the fourth but he continued to hold the advantage, very narrowly from Johnny Og; again the grey made a small error. There were no mishaps at the first
open-ditch. The first casualty occurred
at the following fence when Wadswick Court, which
had already dropped to the rear of the field, clipped the top of the fence
and capsized on landing. The horse
rolled over due to momentum but fortunately Noel Fehily
was thrown clear of his flailing hooves.
Meanwhile
Arzal continued to lead, narrowly, from Johnny Og, Balgarry, Javert, and Aso; there was a
slight gap in the field to For Two, Laser Hawk, Rock On Rocky and Full
Shift. The nine remaining runners
cleared fence number seven without incident.
Javert had soon begun to drift back through
the field. The leader got in close to
the next, skewing slightly in the air, which enabled Martin Keighley’s runner
to take a narrow advantage as they headed into the far turn. Gavin Sheehan had this move covered
however, soon easing his mount up the inside of Johnny Og.
The
next obstacle was the cross-fence, which Johnny Og
hit hard and, as a result, was overtaken by both Balgarry
and Aso.
Just behind these, Javert sprawled on
landing and catapulted his jockey Sean Bowen over his right shoulder. It’s always been a tricky fence; For Two
hit it also. Meanwhile Arzal pressed on, Balgarry just
a length behind, followed by Johnny Og and Aso. Behind these
Laser Hawk and For Two. Both Rock On
Rocky and Full Shift had lost touch by this stage. Aso clobbered the first fence in the
home straight and shot jockey Aidan Coleman up his neck; fortunately he clung
on tightly and was soon back in the saddle.
Arzal continued to lead as the runners
headed over the final open-ditch, after which he continued to increase his
advantage over Balgarry, Aso,
Johnny Og, Laser Hawk and For Two. The leader was travelling so well that the
only thing standing between him and victory were two more plain fences. He
duly cleared them in his stride and jockey Gavin Sheehan was able to ease him
to a canter as the partnership approached the line; the winning distance 13
lengths. It was Aso
which claimed second, having been fortunate not to depart at the fourth
last. Although having made an error at
the penultimate fence, Laser Hawk stayed on well on the flat to collar Balgarry and claim 3rd prize. Johnny Og, having
run well, hit the last when tired and finished 5th. For Two completed in 6th, Rock On Rocky 7th
and Full Shift, never at the races, finished last.
I
returned to the steppings above the Parade Ring to
see the horses arrive back. The favourite for the next event was Abracadabra Sivola trained by Nick Williams and ridden by Richard
Johnson; price 9-2. Alan King had a
runner in this race, namely Midnight Prayer which was returning from a 364
day absence having last run in the 2014 Hennessy Gold Cup. The starting gate for this race was in the back
straight, with one fence to negotiate before the far bend; equating to
approximately one and three quarters circuits.
And
then they were off; with Abracadabra Sivola and Big
Casino leading the way to the first fence.
Nicky Henderson’s representative Ericht sprawled on landing over it
and catapulted Nico de Boinville
out of the saddle; O Maonlai was hampered as a
result. Having jumped out to his
right, Majala was already detached from the
others. Meanwhile the favourite led
the runners into the first turn, from Big Casino, Shangani,
Si C’Etait Vrai, Phone
Home, Aloomomo and Ceasar
Milan. The
second obstacle was the cross-fence, where Aloomomo
and Si C’Etait Vrai bumped
in mid-air; the latter being the more disadvantaged of the two. Shangani now held
a narrow advantage over Big Casino and Abracadabra Sivola
as they entered the home straight for the first time. One of the brace of greys, Morning Reggie,
departed at the next fence; he hit the top and skewed sideways as he landed,
giving Leighton Aspell absolutely no chance of
staying in the saddle. Fortunately
Midnight Prayer, who was travelling in his slip-stream, was able to avoid
both horse and jockey. The loose horse’s
gait looked a little odd, but I think he’d got his reins caught around one of
his forelegs; no damage done. There
were no casualties at the first open-ditch and, as they headed towards and
over the next, the rider-less Ericht squeezed through the front-runners to
join Shangani at the head of affairs. The horses continued their journey up the
home straight to fence number six, with Majala
continuing to bring up the rear.
Having all cleared this one without any noticeable errors, the runners
headed to the water-jump with Shangani continuing
to lead from Abracadabra Sivola, Big Casino, Phone
Home, Ceasar Milan, Aloomomo,
La Vaticane, Si C’Etait Vrai, Mosspark, Simply Wings,
Midnight Prayer, Loch Ba, O Maonlai
and Majala.
The Alan King runner landed in a bit of a heap over the water-jump and
was rousted away from it by his jockey, who also administered a reminder. The
remaining fourteen horses headed around the top bend and into the back
straight still led by Shangani. Meanwhile the loose Ericht galloped to the
inside of the rails before rejoining the track and shadowing the herd, whilst
bypassing to the nearside of the fences.
There were no mishaps at the first in the line of five, although Loch Ba was a little slow over this one. Heading down towards the second open-ditch,
Gavin Sheehan aboard Aloomomo decided to remove his
first set of goggles. Having been
swallowed up by his rivals, although still in the front line, Shangani clobbered the fence and almost lost Aidan
Coleman over his head, as a result he dropped back through the field like a
stone; jumping out to his right, O’Maonlai stumbled
on landing. The
runners were stringing out as they continued their journey over the next,
which they all cleared safely.
Travelling just behind the leading group, Simply Wings hit the top of
the following fence and fell; having slithered along, rather than
somersaulted, he was soon on his feet and galloped after the others. However, having cheated gravity once, Aidan
Coleman’s time was up when his mount was hampered by this incident; Shangani was now out of the race too. Si C’Etait Vrai had been pulled up before the fence, and Majala was pulled up after it having gone lame. The
remaining ten runners headed down to the next, where Phone Home jumped out to
his right, and Loch Ba was, once again, slow at the
rear of the field. Big Casino led from
Abracadabra Sivola, La Vaticane,
Aloomomo, Ceasar Milan,
Phone Home, Mosspark, Midnight Prayer, O’Maonlai and Loch Ba. There were a few dodgy jumps at the
cross-fence, with the favourite getting into the bottom of it, also Phone
Home and Ceasar Milan, plus O’Maonlai
making errors. Heading
into the home straight, all bar one of the runners were now travelling in a
group once more, led by Big Casino.
Having cleared four out, Aloomomo challenged
and took the lead, with the grey La Vaticane now
his nearest pursuer as they jumped the final open-ditch. The tiring Phone Home took off too early,
caught a leg and rolled over on landing.
Gavin Sheehan’s mount continued to hold the advantage as they jumped
two out, from the grey, O Maonlai had progressed
into third place, with Big Casino endeavouring to hold off the challenge of
Midnight Prayer. Mosspark
began to rally as they headed to the final fence, hoping to steal fourth
prize too. Aloomomo was well in
command as he jumped the last, with solely the rider-less Ericht for company;
the latter continued on at the elbow and jumped the water. Meanwhile Gavin’s mount ran on strongly to
claim first prize by 9 lengths at the line.
O Maonlai stole 2nd by half a length, from
La Vaticane, and Midnight Prayer finished 4th, 10
lengths further back. Mosspark had to settle for 5th, having blundered away any
chance of a bigger prize at the last fence.
Big Casino completed in 6th, Abracadabra Sivola
in 7th, with Loch Ba last of the eight finishers. As
leading jockey for the Hennessy Festival, Gavin had been wearing an orange
armband during the race. However, it
had gradually slipped down his arm until it was caught around his wrist by
the time he reached the line. It was
at this point that he gave up with it and flicked the armband onto the
ground!
The
winner is part-owned by Ray Anderson Green, father of Verity Green who was
formerly married to Timmy Murphy (or at least I presume this to be the case
as she no longer uses the name Murphy).
She was also at the track to join in the celebrations. There
was a sad postscript, as Phone Home lost his life in the fall at the final open-ditch. They gave him every chance to recover and
rise, but to no avail; there was later an announcement to say that the next
race would be slightly delayed whilst they ‘cleared the course’. It
was at this point that I knew he hadn’t made it. RIP Phone Home. It
had been a promising return for Midnight Prayer, his aim now the Welsh Grand
National shortly after Christmas. He’d
been well-fancied for last year’s race but was withdrawn on the morning of
the event when Alan King wasn’t 100% happy with the horse’s legs; he is prone
to leg problems. The
favourite for the next race was Ma Filleule
trained, of course, by Nicky Henderson and ridden today by Nico de Boinville. The 2014 Topham
Chase winner had been plying her trade over hurdles so far this season, and
she was the sole grey in this race.
There was one chestnut, Laurium, the bay or
brown Royal Guardman, the remaining six were bay. The
starting gate for this race is located at the far end of the home straight,
with that and one full circuit to travel.
Then
they were off. With Royal Guardsman
taking a narrow advantage over Fitzwilly and Ma Filleule as they headed away from the starting gate; at
the rear of the field was the hooded Ibis Du Rheu,
a half brother to Saphir Du Rheu,
sporting the yellow and red silks of John Hales, and behind him Auenwirbel. All
nine runners cleared the first flight in their stride and continued their
journey up the home straight and over the next obstacle. Also hooded, Sir Ivan was pulling for his
head as he travelled in mid-field. Gavin
Sheehan aboard Royal Guardsman set a sensible pace at the head of affairs as
they progressed further up the straight and over the third flight. Ma Filleule and Fitzwilly disputed second, from Laurium,
Heath Hunter, Sir Ivan, Dubawi Island, Ibis Du Rheu and Auenwirbel. The runners headed up past the lollipop
with one more circuit to go, around the top turn and into the back straight. There
were four flights of hurdles in the back straight; the runners headed over
the first of these, with Laurium probably the least
tidy of the competitors. At the next
it was Fitzwilly and Auenwirbel
which were the least fluent. There
were no noticeable errors at the following flight and the runners headed on
down to flight number seven, the final one in the back straight, with Royal
Guardsman continuing to dictate the pace; it can be dangerous to let Gavin
Sheehan lead from the front, as he’s a dab hand at getting it just right! There
were no mishaps at the seventh, although Fitzwilly
jumped slightly out to his left and across Ma Filleule;
Sir Ivan had been relegated to last place, marginally, although he still
appeared to be travelling okay. Dubawi Island, two
from the back, received reminders from Aidan Coleman as they headed into the
far turn; Sir Ivan was given a slap down his neck, so perhaps he wasn’t
travelling quite so well after all. Dubawi Island continued to struggle and was in rear as
the runners entered the home straight.
Both he and Sir Ivan now detached.
Meanwhile,
Royal Guardsman continued to lead from Ma Filleule,
the cheek-pieced Fitzwilly, chestnut Laurium, the blinkered Heath Hunter, the nose-banded Auenwirbel and the hooded Ibis Du Rheu.
Gavin Sheehan was winding up the pace as they headed over three out; Laurium began to improve his position, although driven by
his jockey. By contrast, Fitzwilly was already heading in the opposite direction
as they cleared this flight. Heading
to the second last, Royal Guardsman remained narrowly ahead, with Ma Filleule and Heath Hunter close on his heels. Laurium’s
challenge had been short-lived and he already appeared beaten when he hit the
top of the flight and his pilot Freddie Mitchell lost his fight with gravity;
unseated rider. Between the last two,
the grey mare got her head in front, but the long-time leader battled on to
her inside, with Heath Hunter also in close proximity and Ibis Du Rheu just behind these leading three; this group had now
pulled well clear of the remaining four runners. However,
Ma Filleule was unable to sustain her challenge
under Nico de Boinville
and the extremely game Royal Guardsman had wrestled back a very narrow
advantage as they cleared the last.
Heath Hunter began to tire and dropped back into fourth position,
whilst the Paul Nicholls representative continued to stalk the two leaders. Gavin’s mount found more on the run-in,
under a powerful drive, to gain a two lengths’ advantage over Ma Filluele. Having
beaten off most of the opposition, there was just one final challenger to now
overcome; Sam Twiston-Davies was galvanising his
mount for a final effort, and Ibis Du Rheu was
gaining ground with every single stride.
Would Royal Guardsman be able to fight him off? The
line approached ... would he hold on?
Would he? Would he? Yes!!!
The very game Royal Guardsman claimed the prize by a head. The third win of the day for Gavin Sheehan,
and the fifth of the Festival for him too.
A
victory for trainer Ali Stronge, her first winner
of the jumps season; she trains horses for EPDS Racing too, having had much
success on the flat with their Agent Gibbs during the summer just gone. But Agent Gibbs is leased and won’t be
going hurdling; I believe they wanted to buy the horse, but the owner said no
and the lease will run out in May.
When interviewed after the race, Ali said that Gavin had done a lot of
work with Agent Gibbs over the summer. Anyway,
back to the race in hand. Ma Filleule finished 2¼ lengths back in 3rd, with Health
Hunter 8 lengths behind in 4th. There
was then a big gap to Sir Ivan, 15 lengths in fact, with Fitzwilly
next, then Auenwirbel and Dubawi
Island last.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure once more to see the horses arrive
back. Being one of the EPDS syndicate
trainers, I would have the option to visit Ali Stronge’s
yard on an EPDS open day. The
favourite for the next race was Whisper, trained by Nicky Henderson and
ridden by Nico de Boinville;
price 6-4. This was despite the
current World Hurdle champion Cole Harden taking part in the race; Whisper
had beaten Gavin Sheehan’s mount at Aintree in April. The
starting gate for this race was half way down the back straight with two
flights to jump before the far turn; thus it took place over one and three
quarters circuits of the track.
Then
they were off. It was no surprise that
Cole Harden led the runners away; behind him were Whisper, then Aqalim to the inside and Deputy Dan to the outside, with Thistlecrack bringing up the rear. Both Aqalim and
Deputy Dan were sporting blinkers and a noseband. Cole Harden wore a tongue strap, despite recent
breathing operations. Surprisingly, to
think of Thistlecrack as the young pretender is
incorrect in this instance, as he was 7-years-old, along with Whisper and
Deputy Dan. Cole Harden was only six,
and Aqalim five!
There
were no problems at the first flight, although Whisper landed on all fours
over the second. The runners then
headed into the far turn, with Thistlecrack a
little keen and now sharing third with Aqalim and
Deputy Dan. Entering the home straight
on the first occasion, Cole Harden continued to cut out the pace, a couple of
lengths clear of Whisper; Deputy Dan progressed on the outside to jump the
next flight almost upsides the Nicky Henderson runner. They
continued to the fourth flight where, once more, Whisper bunny-hopped
it. The five horses headed to the
next, and over it, with Deputy Dan now in second position. Cole Harden retained the advantage as the
runners galloped up in front of the stands and past the winning post with one
circuit to go; his jockey Gavin Sheehan mindful to set a sensible pace in the
soft ground conditions. This being the
case, all the horses were travelling well within themselves as they headed
around the top bend and into the back straight once more. All
five runners negotiated the sixth flight with ease, the pace beginning to
gather as they continued their journey to the next. Having jumped it, Aidan Coleman was just
beginning to push Aqalim along at the rear of the
field in order that the gap between him and Thistlecrack
did not extend. Aidan was still
working hard at this task as the runners headed away from flight number
eight. Cole Harden and Deputy Dan
cleared the final flight in the back straight in unison, from Whisper, Thistlecrack and the pushed along Aqalim. The
runners then headed into the final turn, with Aidan resorting to a bad hander
for his mount as they did so. Further
into the bend, Nico de Boinville
began to niggle at the pennant-tailed Whisper too. In contrast, Thistlecrack
was travelling very smoothly under Tom Scudamore. Turning into the home straight, it was Cole
Harden’s turn to be pushed along, as Deputy Dan took a narrow advantage on
the run to the third last flight. The
latter had a one length advantage over his nearest rival as he cleared it. Both
Cole Harden and Whisper looked beaten as they headed down towards the second
last. However Thistlecrack
had soon moved smoothly through to track the leader. Deputy Dan remained a couple of lengths
ahead as they cleared the penultimate flight but, although now being ridden
along, Tom Scudamore’s mount continued to gain
ground and jumped into the lead at the final hurdle; now tired, Deputy Dan
blundered here. Thistlecrack then stayed on
up the run in to win by 6 lengths at the line. Cole Harden rallied after the last and was
closing upon Deputy Dan as they approached the line, as was Aqalim. But Deputy
Dan clung on to the runner-up position, with the World Hurdle holder just
half a length behind him in 3rd, and Aqalim a
further half length away in 4th.
Whisper crossed the line well behind the others, and was dismounted
soon after the finish.
Winning
trainer Colin Tizzard thought his charge might need
the run, so told Tom Scudamore to be mindful of
this; he was therefore very pleased with the ride and the result. He had envisaged this as a warm-up run for
Ascot’s Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle just before Christmas. Colin said Thistlecrack
is a huge horse now, a powerful machine and with room for improvement. The long term plan would now be the World
Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Novice chasing by Christmas had been an option if the top-class
hurdling plan had failed. I
headed back to the Parade Ring area to see the horses return. However, for the first time ever and
despite this being my 21st fixture visit to Newbury, I ventured over to the
far side of the Paddock, to the area overlooking the closed saddling
boxes. I was hoping for a close view
of Smad Place and Ned Stark ahead of the feature
race and of Choc too ... but I soon discovered that he wasn’t in attendance
again today. I was very disappointed. But
I am philosophical about it – I’d rather go and discover that he’s not been
at the races, than not go and find out later that he’s attended when I have
not. Besides, today, I had a ticket
for the event because since 2008 I’ve always attended the Hennessy Gold Cup regardless
of whether Choc has been riding or on the sidelines injured. It’s one of my ‘must attend’ days which includes the King George VI Chase on
Boxing Day, all four days of the Cheltenham Festival and as many days as
possible of the Aintree Grand National Festival too. And, going forward, I’m always keen to
attend Sandown’s Season Finale; now that it’s an all jumps card. Unfortunately,
having now discovered this vantage point overlooking both the closed saddling
boxes and the Parade Ring, it will soon be bulldozed to make way for the
newly landscaped Paddock as part of the re-development plans. The closed saddling boxes will be replaced
by hospitality pavilions. The
favourite for the feature event was Saphir Du Rheu, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies; price 9-2. As eluded to above, Alan King had two
runners, the grey Smad Place ridden by Wayne
Hutchinson, and Ned Stark owned by the Dunkley and Reilly Partnership and
ridden by Denis O’Regan, their retained
jockey. This was the second race of
the season for both horses, Smad Place having won a
Graduation Chase at Kempton Park 26 days previously, and Ned Stark having run
at Ascot on Halloween when he finished 6th.
Alan King admitted that he’d learnt his lesson from last year when he
had run both Smad Place and Midnight Prayer without
a warm-up race. There
were two withdrawals on the day of the race, due to the ground, namely Fox
Appeal and The Druids Nephew. The
starting gate for this race was at the beginning of the back straight, with
almost two circuits of the track to cover.
And
then they were off. Prominent heading
to the first were The Giant Bolster, Splash Of Ginge
and Smad Place; also Fingal
Bay, First Lieutenant and Ned Stark.
Travelling five from the back, The Young Master hit the fence and
unseated Sam Waley-Cohen; fortunately Urano and Theatre Guide managed to avoid the prostrate
jockey. Barry Geraghty
aboard If In Doubt glanced down at Sam; I wonder if he spoke to him? The
Giant Bolster led the runners down to the next fence; the first of the
open-ditches. The remaining fourteen
competitors cleared this without mishap.
Fingal Bay, under Richard Johnson, took a
narrow advantage heading down to the third, from The Giant Bolster, with Smad Place against the inside rail, Ned Stark, and to the
wide outside the favourite, Saphir Du Rheu. Behind these
were Splash Of Ginge, First Lieutenant, Houblon Des Obeaux, Benbens, Urano and Al Co;
Theatre Guide, If In Doubt and Bobs Worth brought up the rear. Theatre Guide was taking a little bit of
time to warm up over his fences. The
runners had soon cleared fences three to five in the back straight without
incident. Fingal
Bay led them into the far turn, from Smad Place and
The Giant Bolster disputing second, and Ned Stark matching strides with Saphir Du Rheu. The leading five had pulled three lengths
clear of Splash Of Ginge which led the remaining
group. The loose The Young Master
squeezed his way up between the grey and Tom Scudamore’s
mount; Wayne Hutchinson aboard the former glanced to his right to see who or
what was making this manoeuvre. A
number of yards further on, he had to check again to ensure the rider-less
horse would not interfere with his mount.
Fingal Bay continued
to hold the lead as the runners jumped the cross-fence, with Smad Place now a clear second, from The Giant Bolster, Saphir Du Rheu and Ned
Stark. The pace was strong for the
soft ground conditions and, as they entered the home straight to approach the
next fence, the loose horse swung across to his left in front of the leader,
with both Richard Johnson and Wayne Hutchinson having to take evasive
action. Smad
Place ran down the fence, to his right, in order to put himself right. But the jockey had soon straightened up his
mount and now continued to the nearside of the leader. All
of the runners jumped the second open-ditch without problem, after which
Wayne let his mount bound on into a marginal lead over Fingal
Bay. Travelling four lengths off the
pace were The Giant Bolster and Saphir Du Rheu, from Ned Stark, Splash Of Ginge,
Benbens, the two Irish raiders, namely First
Lieutenant and Urano, Theatre Guide, Houblon Des Obeaux, Al Co, Bobs
Worth and If In Doubt. Smad Place kept close company with Fingal
Bay as the field headed over the following two fences, after which Wayne let
him have his head and he cleared the water-jump with a three lengths
advantage. At the back of the field,
If In Doubt, sporting the green and gold silks of JP McManus, landed over the
obstacle with extreme awkwardness. Smad Place continued to bowl along at the
front of the field as they headed around the top bend and into the back
straight with one circuit completed.
The loose horse had found his way to the inside of the rails, but was
a number of lengths ahead of the piloted runners and of no danger once the
guiding rail had terminated. Heading
into the back straight, the light grey continued to hold a clear advantage
over Fingal Bay, The Giant Bolster, Saphir Du Rheu and Ned
Stark. The main body of the field was
three or four lengths behind the Dunkley & Reilly horse. Three
from the rear, Urano hit the next fence; he skewed
in the air before landing but survived.
The runners headed to the open-ditch; the leader reached with his
forelegs to jump the fence and cleared it well. Wayne let his mount have a bit of a
breather as they headed over the next, with Fingal
Bay, The Giant Bolster and Saphir Du Rheu closing up to within a couple of lengths of
him. Ned Stark travelled two or three
lengths behind them. The favourite,
the dark grey Saphir Du Rheu,
blundered badly at the next; further back in the field, Theatre Guide hit it
also and Urano was untidy too. Splash Of Ginge
and Bobs Worth both made errors at the final fence in the back straight and
Al Co and If In Doubt were beginning to tail off. The strong pace being set by Smad Place was beginning to take its toll. Entering
the final turn, Wayne glanced to his right to check on his rivals; Fingal Bay was travelling at his girth, with Saphir Du Rheu also in close
attendance. The Giant Bolster followed
these, from Ned Stark, First Lieutenant, Theatre Guide, Benbens,
Urano, Splash Of Ginge,
Bobs Worth and Houblon Des Obeaux. Having made a number of recent errors,
Splash Of Ginge hit the cross-fence and unseated
Jamie Bargary; the jockey was fortunate not to get
his left foot stuck in the iron. Meanwhile
Smad Place galloped around the home turn, hotly
pursued by a number of his rivals but he still had a length in hand over The
Giant Bolster and Fingal Bay as he jumped the
fourth last. By this point, Ned Stark
was beginning to show signs of tiredness and began to drop back. In rear, Al Co blundered at this fence and
was subsequently pulled up. And still Smad Place led as he cleared the open-ditch, although it
looked like a little bit more of an effort as he jumped high, skewed slightly
and landed more steeply than previously during the race. Heading
down to the penultimate fence, Fingal Bay, First Lieutenant
and Saphir Du Rheu were
all under extreme pressure as their pilots attempted to close the gap upon
the leader. But Smad
Place had got a second wind and began to draw away from them; narrowly at
first but, having cleared the fence, he began to stay on strongly as his
rivals began to flounder in his wake.
So much so, that he must have been eight to ten lengths clear as he
jumped the final obstacle; Fingal Bay blundered at
the last. It
was a joy to watch Smad Place bound up the run-in
towards the line, with his jockey saluting the crowd with his whip as he
crossed it. It was great for the horse
to finally win the big race he deserved, after so many good efforts in the
past. The winning margin was 12
lengths at the line. Theatre Guide
chased down First Lieutenant to pip him at the line by a neck for 2nd place; Fingal Bay was a further 9 lengths behind in 4th. Saphir Du Rheu finished 5th, Bobs Worth 6th, The Giant Bolster 7th,
Ned Stark 8th, Houblon Des Obeaux
9th, Benbens 10th and Urano
last of the finishers. If In Doubt ,
having lost touch, was pulled up at the 17th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the winning horse arrive back. In fact I set off on my route march before Smad Place had crossed the line such was my urgency to
get a good pitch on the steppings! The
favourite for the final race of the day was Stellar Notion, trained by Paul
Nicholls and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies; price
9-4, although the horse had been off the racecourse for 263 days. The
starting gate for this event was half way down the home straight, with that
and one full circuit to travel.
Then they were off. Prominent as they headed to the first fence
were Pearls Legend, Stellar Notion, Whispering Harry and Fairyinthewind. Pearls Legend led over it, with Owen Na
View last to rise. There were no
mishaps at the first and the field continued their journey up the home
straight and over the second, again without incident. So, heading up past the grandstands
towards the next, Pearls Legend continued to lead, from Stellar Notion,
Whispering Harry, Grey Gold to the inside, Lough Kent sporting the Sprinter Sacre silks, Fairyinthewind to
the outside, then Eastlake and Gardefort, between
these Mountain King, then Parsnip Pete and finally Owen Na View. The giant Stellar Notion jumped into the
lead as they headed over the water-jump. The runners then galloped up around
the top bend, with Fairyinthewind being bumped
along for a few strides on the outside of the field shortly before they
entered the back straight. The field
had soon arrived at the next fence, with Whispering Harry now the marginal
leader as they cleared it; back in the field, Mountain King hit this one,
with jockey Richard Johnson having to gather his ‘knitting’ as they headed towards the first of the
open-ditches. Whispering Harry continued to lead as
they jumped it; there were no noticeable errors at this obstacle. Pearls Legend joined the leader as they
negotiated the middle of the five fences in the back straight; once again
Mountain King made an error and was relegated to last position as a
result. Having lost the lead upon
entering the back straight, Stellar Notion jumped the next more slowly than
his rivals and was overtaken by a number of them. In contrast, Grey Gold had begun to improve
his position. One from rear, Owen Na
View was a little untidy at the next, which was the final obstacle in the
back straight. Whispering Harry and Pearls Legend
led the runners into the final bend, from Fairyinthewind
and Grey Gold, behind these were Lough Kent, Stellar Notion and Gardefort, Eastlake, Parsnip Pete, Mountain King and Owen
Na View; the field was still closely grouped.
Gardefort made an error at the cross-fence,
which slightly hampered Parsnip Pete travelling in his wake; Mountain King
made yet another mistake here. Pearls Legend, next to the inside
rail, led the runners into the home straight by a narrow margin. Grey Gold was now travelling at his girth,
with Whispering Harry just to the latter’s outside. Meanwhile, Eastlake had crept up the inside
around the home bend to be fourth, from Lough Kent and Fairyinthewind. It was Grey Gold which led over the first
in the home straight, from Whispering Harry and Pearls Legend. Having jumped this fence and now relegated
to last place, Aidan Coleman decided to pull Gardefort
up. Meanwhile, the leaders headed down to
three out, the final open-ditch. Grey
Gold was still marginally ahead of Whispering Harry as they cleared it, with
Pearls Legend remaining in third position.
They continued down towards the penultimate obstacle, the leader now a
length up as they cleared it despite carrying the burden of top weight
against the featherweight of his nearest pursuer. The 11 stone 12 pounds was beginning
to tell as he approached the final fence, with three lengths still covering
Whispering Harry, Pearls Legend, the error strewn Mountain King and also
Eastlake as all five successfully cleared it. In fact Whispering Harry took a length’s
lead after the last, as the other three pursuers found no extra. But Grey Gold would not succumb and he
fought back under a strong drive from Jamie Moore and it was soon neck and
neck as they passed the elbow, with Kerry Lee’s charge prevailing within the
final 100 yards to win by a length at the line. Pearls Legend completed in 3rd, 8
lengths back; Mountain King in 4th, Eastlake 5th, Owen Na View 6th and Fairyinthewind 7th and last of the finishers. Fairyinthewind,
ex-Alan King and currently trained by Brendan Powell, sustained a leg injury
during the race and was retired to stud.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses come back for the final
time today. As
for the statistics of the 3-day meeting – the winning-most trainer was Warren
Greatrex with 3 winners; Colin Tizzard
and Dan Skelton had two each. Paul
Nicholls had just one winner, as did Nicky Henderson; the order of the
universe is changing! But Alan King
won the feature race, the Hennessy Gold Cup, which you’d take above all the
others! Gavin
Sheehan romped away with the top jockey award, with 5 winners! Those riding more than one winner were Noel
Fehily, Richard Johnson, Harry Skelton and Tom Scudamore with 2 each.
Presentations over, I headed into the
Dubai Duty Free Stand to pay a visit to the ladies loo situated at the far
end of the ground floor. There was a
queue, out of the door, so I had to wait a few minutes for it to be my turn
to use one of the three tiny cubicles.
Why is there never enough room inside, so that you have to struggle to
close the door? I exited the stand via the door to
the back of the grandstand, at the end of the corridor which leads to the
loos and stairwells. I left via the
gates at the north-eastern corner of the site, next to the entrance marquee
and opposite the railway line. A
number of people were waiting in a queue for their taxi to arrive. I turned right and weaved my way around to
the pathway which runs along the side of the car park, adjacent to the
building site where a large crane was currently located. It was around 16:00. I’d soon found my car within the
well-lit car park; however, the roadway running parallel to the railway line
was choc-a-bloc with traffic, in both
directions. An equal number of
spectators were choosing to head in a westerly direction; this was despite
racecourse advice that the new bridge to the east of the site should be used
by those wishing to disperse to the east, north and west. I decided to sit in my car, eat the
two remaining cheese rolls and then wait until the traffic had cleared a
little; I waited, and waited, and waited.
Whilst waiting, I noticed David Bridgwater’s horsebox heading in the
direction of the bridge; The Giant Bolster’s head was visible through the
window of the box. David’s Wyck Hill Farm yard is located not far from
Stow-on-the-Wold. At 16:45 I decided it was time for me
to leave, as it was now possible to join the back of the eastbound queue, although
I did have to manoeuvre my way through the stationary westbound queue. I managed to get just beyond the first
corner without stopping, carefully avoiding a vehicle which was trying to
exit the health centre to the left. A
broadcast vehicle also squeezed past me whilst I was in the queue; and it
didn’t help that cars from the ‘grass’
car park were being given priority over those already on the roadway, despite
having to enter from the right-hand side of the road at the next corner. However, I’d soon reached the
roundabout, where I turned left to head over the bridge. Three panels of a temporary barrier had
fallen into the roadway at the beginning of the slope, so I drove around
these. The road surface was covered in
a film of wet mud and I was a little worried about traction, as the queue was
moving so slowly. A few minutes later
I’d reached the head of the queue, negotiated the roundabout and travelled up
the Hambridge Road to reach the traffic lights upon
the A4. I turned right, headed through
a second set of traffic lights to reach a large roundabout, where I turned
right once more in order to remain on the A4 to journey through Thatcham. I was being harried by another
vehicle as I drove back to the M4, so I was not surprised when it overtook me
on the dual carriageway after the Aldermaston turning. I’d reached the motorway by 17:15 and
headed along the eastbound carriageway to Reading East, junction 10. I then travelled down the A329(M) to rejoin
the A4 once more. I drove in an
easterly direction before taking Charvil Lane into Sonning village.
There’s a 20mph speed limit with speed bumps, starting at the
outskirts and leading into the village. I was first in the queue at the
traffic lights just prior to the single track road bridge; a line of lights
in the pavement to the left-hand side of the ancient bridge acting as a guide
to vehicles. The road passes over a
mill-stream and then a further stretch of the Thames before heading past The
French Horn to the right of the road, and arriving at a small roundabout
where a lane to the left leads to Sonning Eye. I continued along Playhatch
Road to reach another roundabout upon the A4155. I then turned left and headed into Caversham, arriving at my friend Denise’s house shortly
afterwards; the journey had taken an hour. Denise, her husband Terry and I
headed to Wetherspoons in Caversham
for an evening meal before returning to watch the second half of Strictly
Come Dancing. I’d also taken the
opportunity to deliver a Christmas card and gifts for Denise during this
visit. I left Den’s at 21:10, heading back
through Sonning and onto the eastbound carriageway
of the A4 once more, passing through Hare Hatch, Kiln Green and Knowl Hill, and past the lane which leads to Littlewick Green; the latter village has frequently
featured in Midsomer Murders. I drove to the outskirts of Maidenhead
before heading southwards along the A404(M); in the opposite direction to
that of the homeward journey the day before.
You have to make up the route as you go along, depending on the
prevailing road conditions! I’d soon reached the M4 eastbound
carriageway again and headed to the M25, joining the clockwise carriageway to
travel back to Hertfordshire. However,
it transpired that repairs were to be carried out on the M25 between
junctions 19 and 21 after 22:00; the workers’ vehicles were lined up upon the
bridge over the motorway at junction 18, the Chorleywood turning. Further on, workmen were already placing
cones across the carriageway and gantry signs were funnelling vehicles into
the inside lane. I decided to leave the motorway at
junction 19, because it was easier to return via the A405, than continue to
junction 20; a number of vehicles having continued upon the motorway’s inside
lane past the designated junction. I
drove past Leavesden and through Garston, stopping
at the traffic lights at the Horseshoe Lane junction before continuing under
the M1 to reach junction 21A of the M25.
I glanced down at the motorway as I drove over it, there were a handful
of vehicles travelling in the inside lane, presumably having remained on the
carriageway despite the imminent threat of closure. I continued past the Noke Hotel and down to the Park Street roundabout, before
heading to the London Colney roundabout and
home. I arrived back at around
22:30. Having unloaded my car, I
settled down in front of the TV to watch the racing highlights on RUK. However, before long, I began to feel
nauseous and had to rush upstairs to be sick down the loo. Sadly that wasn’t the end of it because,
having returned to the racing coverage, I began to feel sick once more and
didn’t even make it upstairs on the second occasion; I was sick in the
kitchen sink! I was sick twice more
late evening, on the final occasion I had to rush to the loo having gone to
bed!!! I presume I must have got food
poisoning from eating a chicken burger at Wetherspoons. I’m going to order a veggie-burger next
time ... Photos - Hennessy
Gold Cup Day 2015 – Races 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 Photos - Hennessy Gold Cup Day 2015 – Hennessy Gold Cup – Pre-race Photos - Hennessy Gold Cup Day 2015 – Hennessy Gold Cup – Post-race |
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