DIARY – NEWBURY – LADBROKES TROPHY HANDICAP CHASE
(FORMERLY THE HENNESSY GOLD CUP)
SATURDAY 01 DECEMBER 2018
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The winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy Sizing Tennessee trained by Colin Tizzard and ridden by Tom
Scudamore This was my
first National Hunt outing of the 2018/2019 season and my eleventh
consecutive visit to Newbury for the race-day featuring what is now known as
the Ladbrokes Trophy, formerly the Hennessy Gold Cup. Gate opening
time was 10:00, so I set my alarm clock for around 05:45 with the aim of
leaving home at 08:15. I took a
shower, washed and dried my hair, applied make-up and ate porridge for
breakfast; I’d drunk a full cup of tea when I’d first got up. As usual, if I’ve built into my schedule
plenty of ‘wiggle time’, I tend to
procrastinate; this being the case, I didn’t leave home until 08:28. The
autumn was mild and the weather changeable at this time; gales, rain, and
lots of drizzle were the order of the day leading up to 01 December. Today’s
outfit was a grey thermal T-shirt with a black birds print thereon, a violet
thermal T-shirt, a dark grey brushed cotton thermal T-shirt, a red ribbed
polo-neck sweater, a mauve BHS v-neck cardigan, lavender fleece,
charcoal-coloured fleece gilet, black jeggings with thermal tights underneath, dark grey double
frill-edged M & S skirt, alpaca design socks, black ‘Danville-style’ Hotter ankle boots, black and white horse-print
snood, plus a grey fleece snood with ladybird print thereon. I wore my black £20 BHS winter coat, and
chose to take my mauve Hotter ‘Defea’ handbag today. I also wore my mauve butterfly wing
earrings. I also took with me three
hats; two were trilby-style ones, both brown in colour, plus a wider brim
dark brown hat. My route took me around the ring-road
and down to the London Colney roundabout. I then drove along the bypass to join the
anticlockwise carriageway of the M25 at junction 22. There were no travel issues on the orbital
motorway as such, apart from the fact that it was pouring with rain and almost
a whiteout! At junction 15 I took the
slip-road onto the westbound carriageway of the M4; fortunately the rain
began to leave off as I drove westwards.
Road-works continued between Junctions 8 and 10, with a 50 mph speed
limit in place. I left the motorway at junction 12 and
headed down the A4; all very familiar territory and even more so the first
section, as this is part of the route I take to reach Noel Williams’ yard in Blewbury. There
were no hold-ups en route and I continued through the village of Woolhampton with its 30mph speed limit and onwards to Thatcham. The
majority of traffic lights were showing green, so my progress was swift. At the far end of Thatcham,
I turned left at the large roundabout and headed down Benham
Hill, then turned left again at the second set of traffic lights. I continued along Hambridge
Road to reach the roundabout just prior to the bridge over the railway which
leads into the racecourse precincts. I
continued over the bridge and turned right at the far side roundabout. According to the letter which accompanied
my tickets, as a Premier Enclosure customer, I was permitted to park in car
parks 1, 4 or 5; my preference being 4, as it has a tarmac surface! This being the case, I continued upon the
roadway, bearing right and then left, to latterly travel alongside the route
of the railway line. However,
a steward wasn’t keen to let me park within my chosen area, suggesting I try
car park 1, in the centre of the racecourse.
I told him I’d probably get lost, as the route to and from that one
was unfamiliar ... he gave in and let me pass! I’d have preferred parking in 5, if they
hadn’t let me into 4. I left my
parking docket ... which stated ‘1’
... on the dashboard. I arrived at 10:05. I’d taken 4 cheese rolls with me, so I ate
two of these before I set off for the eastern entrance. It was drizzling with rain, so I wore my
dark brown felt hat. There was a drugs
‘honesty box’ outside the entrance; a member of the security staff checked
the contents of my handbag. There was
also a sniffer dog. Jockey
Dave Crosse, who was currently on the injury sidelines, was acting as a
racecourse ambassador, welcoming the punters.
He said hello as I passed through the entrance doors. My ticket was scanned, and I subsequently
purchased a race-card from the kiosk beyond.
The old ‘Copper King’
building is no more, and the adjacent area now housed the tented Shopping
Village. I headed along the concourse,
before entering the Dubai Duty Free grandstand in order to visit the loo ...
despite having a premier enclosure badge,I tend to
frequent the grandstand enclosure area because it’s familiar! I
then headed outside, to the Parade Ring.
Finally, the planned changes to the paddock had been implemented. To the nearside the individual blocks of
stone steppings had been demolished, and the ground
built up to provide height for continuous steppings
to be installed overlooking the Parade Ring.
New individual blocks of steppings had been
constructed to the far side of the paddock.
The Winners’ Enclosure had also been moved, to the south-western
corner of the paddock, and a permanent podium constructed too. N E W B U R Y was spelt out in large white
individual letters, on the grassed area, along the edge of the
concourse. The
RUK presenters, Lydia Hislop and Jonathan Neesom today, along with the lovely Tom Stanley as roving
reporter, occupied a raised permanent platform beside the main paddock
entrance; Racing UK would soon be rebranded Racing TV, having taken over the
broadcasting rights to Irish racing in addition to the homegrown
racing coverage. The ITV Racing team
occupied a small temporary enclosure within the main Parade Ring, within the
north-western sector thereof. I
had intended to wait beside the Parade Ring until the horses arrived therein
but, in the event, the drizzle became heavy so I retreated to the ground
floor of the Dubai Duty Free grandstand; I stood just inside the door which
faces towards the Berkshire Stand. At
one point, having got a little bored, I took a walk along to the Shopping
Village to ascertain the timings for the book signings at the Racing Post
stand ... although I didn’t act on it, not wanting to carry around a book or
books on a rainy day. George Baker was
signing his new book, as was Cornelius Lysaght and
Bob Champion to name but three. Although
still drizzling, the rain was lighter than before as I set off to the Parade
Ring ahead of the mares arriving therein in preparation for the first race,
off time 12:10. Tom Stanley and a
companion presenter were in the Parade Ring talking about the horses ... he
was looking a little bedraggled; later in the afternoon, during the TV
broadcast, he admitted that his feet were wet! Being a long-standing presenter, you’d have
thought he would’ve mastered the art of sensible dressing for winter
racing!!! It
continued to drizzle until around 13:45! The favourite for the first event was Posh Trish,
trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Harry Cobden; price 11-8. There was one runner of interest, namely Passing
Call, trained by Alan King and ridden by Wayne Hutchinson; she is a daughter
of the talented Call Me A Legend, who was also trained by Alan. Passing Call sported the silks of the Pitchall Stud Partnership, as did her mother when racing. Lust For Glory won the Best Turned-Out prize and
outsider Admiral’s Sunset was permitted to go to the start early. Once the horses had left the Parade Ring, I headed along the concourse
between the Dubai Duty Free and Berkshire stands, then turned right to enter
the Premier Enclosure. There were
spaces to be had beside the rails so I headed for one of these. 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.
As the race off-time approached, the runners
exited from the enclosure situated to the inside of the track; they were led
out by the favourite, thus showing intent to set the pace once the race had
begun. And then they were off, with Posh Trish leading
from Lust For Glory and Diamond Gait as the mares headed towards the first
flight. The gallop was steady and all five cleared this in their stride. Posh Trish continued to lead as the runners
headed up past the grandstands and winning post before heading around the top
bend and into the back straight for the one and only time. Harry Cobden’s mount cleared the second flight
well, as did the other four; Admiral’s Sunset remained at the rear of the
field and was three lengths adrift of the others. The mares continued their journey down the
back straight, in the drizzle; Diamond Gait jumped the next flight more
slowly than her rivals. Posh Trish remained at the head of affairs as
they negotiated the fourth obstacle, she was three lengths in advance of Lust
For Glory, followed by Diamond Gait to the outside of Passing Call, with the
outsider still detached slightly at the rear.
There were no issues at the following hurdle, after which Posh Trish
led the field into the far bend. The entire field was closely grouped as they
headed along the bottom of the course and into the home straight. Having straightened up, Harry Cobden began
to increase the pace; Lust For Glory continued to track her, as did Passing
Call and the outsider too, whereas David Bass brought Diamond Gait towards
the nearside rail. However, having
cleared three out, the latter headed back towards the main group once more. The favourite continued to lead as the runners
journeyed to the second last. Lust For
Glory had begun to launch her challenge now, and was only half a length down
as they crossed this one. Diamond Gait
and Passing Call jumped it in unison, no more than a length behind the Nicky
Henderson runner, with Admiral’s Sunset not far behind also; although the
latter jumped out to her left over this one. However, despite her jockey’s encouragement, Lust
For Glory couldn’t quite pick up the long-time leader as they galloped down
to the final flight; Passing Call was now a clear third, Diamond Gait and
Admiral’s Sunset having been outpaced.
The leaders jumped the final flight, after which Posh Trish extended
her lead once more, galloping all the way to the line to win by 3¼ lengths;
easing close home. Lust For Glory held on to the runner-up spot with
3½ lengths in hand over Passing Call.
Diamond Gait completed 2¾ lengths further away in 4th, with Admiral’s
Secret 5 lengths back in last place.
I set off on a route march back to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
horses arrive back. The ‘also-rans’ no longer return to the Parade
Ring; an area leading off the walkway has been created for the unplaced
horses. The
favourite for the second race was the Nicky Henderson-trained Santini, ridden by Nico de Boinville; price 11-8. Graeme McPherson had a runner in this race,
namely the tongue-less Skipthecuddles, ridden by
Adam Wedge, as stable-jockey Kielan Woods had gone
to Newcastle today to ride. With
the horses having exited onto the racecourse, I headed into the Premier
Enclosure once more. Again there was
room for me to stand beside the course-side rails. The starting gate for race two was part way down the back straight, with
two fences to negotiate prior to the far turn and then one full circuit of
the course having passed the grandstands.
Having exited the holding pen situated to the
outside of the track, the runners took one turn before heading back towards
the starting gate in an orderly fashion. And then they were off, with Le Breuil and Rocky’s Treasure
leading the way to the first fence; Mr Big Shot brought up the rear as they
all cleared it successfully. The seven
runners continued to the second which, again, they negotiated without
incident before heading into the far bend led by the Kim Bailey runner. The horses head slightly downhill on the approach
to the sometimes tricky cross-fence; it caused no serious issues on this
occasion, although in last position Mr Big Shot jumped it more slowly than
his rivals and lost ground as a result.
However, despite this, he was back on terms as they headed into the
home straight on the first occasion. The runners jumped the fourth fence well, led by Rocky’s Treasure, from Le Breuil
to his inside, Skipthecuddles, Kilbricken
Storm, Santini, This Is It and Mr Big Shot. The next fence was the first open-ditch; it
posed no problem to the competitors, who continued their journey up the home
straight to the sixth. Again there
were no jumping issues as they headed over this one. Le Breuil, chestnut
ears pricked, joined Rocky’s Treasure at the head
of affairs as the runners headed over the following fence; this would be the
final fence on the next circuit. Daryl
Jacob’s mount took a narrow advantage as they continued up past the
grandstands, all negotiating the water-jump successfully en route. Le Breuil continued to
lead as the field headed up around the top bend, from Rocky’s
Treasure, Santini, Skipthecuddles,
Kilbricken Storm, Mr Big Shot and This Is It. Having entered the back straight, David
Bass’ mount had to be ridden away from the first fence therein, having made a
slight error. However, having been
rousted along, Rocky’s Treasure took a narrow
advantage as they jumped the second open-ditch. Mr Big Shot jumped this one slowly and, as
a result, was now detached from the main body of the field. Meanwhile, the runners continued to the next
where, at the back of the main group, the favourite made an error. Le Breuil took a
narrow advantage as they cleared the next fence and continued to hold it as
all seven runners negotiated the final fence in the back straight without
mishap. Mr Big Shot continued in last
position as they headed into the far turn, with jockey Tom Scudamore pushing him along intermittently. Le Breuil had once more
been joined by Rocky’s Treasure as they cleared the
cross-fence for the second and final time.
All seven competitors were still going, although This Is It and Mr Big
Shot had been out paced and were both detached; Kilbricken
Storm appeared to be in serious danger of losing touch too as they entered
the home straight. Rocky’s
Treasure and Le Breuil continued to lead, from Santini and Skipthecuddles as
they cleared four out. Colin Tizzard’s runner travelled four lengths behind these,
with Mr Big Shot and This Is It well in rear.
The final open-ditch was their next challenge, with the latter
blundering and unseating here. Meanwhile, Rocky’s
Treasure was making the best of his way home; to his inside Le Breuil was beginning to fade. Santini started
to lay down a challenge as the field headed over the penultimate fence. The Kim Bailey-trained runner continued to
battle bravely on the run to the final fence and held a half-length advantage
over the favourite as they jumped it. However, although Santini
was the slowest of the pair in the air, he soon came to join Rocky’s Treasure; the latter had been hanging to his
left, despite his jockey using the whip in his left hand. Subsequently Nico
de Boinville’s mount cleared away from his rivals
to win by 4 lengths at the line. Rocky’s Treasure finished as runner-up, 3¾ lengths ahead
of Le Breuil.
Skipthecuddles
came home in 4th position, 6 lengths further back. Mr Big Shot completed in 5th, with Kilbricken Storm last of those to finish. The latter had slipped badly at the final
fence and virtually fallen when disputing fourth place, hence his more
disappointing placed effort than expected.
Post race, he was also found to be lame in his left hind. The winner, Santini, is
Dusky Legend’s half-brother!
I
returned to the steppings above the Winners’ Enclosure
to see the horses arrive back. As the Peter O’Sullevan
Trust supports the retraining of racehorses, five well-known ex-racehorses – Annacotty, Sire De Grugy,
Melodic Rendezvous, Carruthers and Zarkandar, paraded in the Parade Ring, then on the racecourse
ahead of the next race, which is named in his honour. Annacotty
retired from racing last year and is being re-trained by Mrs Prowting’s Racing Manager, Hannah Bishop. Following some success in a range of RoR classes this season, the long-term aim is to compete
in open working hunter classes. Carruthers
is now 15 years old, and continues to live at the Bradstock’s
yard. He’s been drag hunting,
point-to-pointing and enjoys giving children rides around the school
too. He’s known as ‘The Boss’ at home. Melodic Rendezvous retired from racing last year
and now lives not far from his former trainer’s yard and spends his time as a
family horse; he also goes hunting. 12-year-old Sire De Grugy
was retired in December 2017 and lives at the yard of his former trainer Gary
Moore. During the summer he spent time
at the RoR yard at Palace House in Newmarket, where
he did some re-training. Jamie Moore’s
wife Lucie takes him out hacking with their
children and he’s turned out in a paddock with the family ponies Bubbles and
Cuddles. He was ridden today by Phoebe
Cruse who works at Gary’s yard. Having retired in February 2018, Zarkandar was gifted to Lucinda Sims and the long-term
aim is to do some hunting and showing classes. The 11-year-old is known as ‘Gino’ at home. The favourite for this race was the Philip
Hobbs-trained Kayf Adventure, ridden by Richard
Johnson; price 10-3. The Harry Fry-trained Behind Time was sporting
the Sir Peter O’Sullevan silks, the race having
been named in honour of the late TV commentator. The horse is owned by J P McManus and the
colours were gifted to him upon Peter’s death; thus JP had three runners in
this race – Behind Time, Brelan D’As and Kapcorse. As I’d done for the previous two races and would
do for all races today, once the horses had exited the Parade Ring, I headed
into the Premier Enclosure to view the event from beside the course-side
rails. 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.
The horses congregated within one of the
enclosure areas to the outside of the back straight ahead of this race. On Tour who is always held up during the
initial stages of a race, brought up the rear as the runners took a turn
before they headed out onto the chase track.
And then they were off, with Minella
On Line, Full Irish, Behind Time and Rocklander
leading the way to the first obstacle; On Tour was the back-marker. There were no serious issues at this fence
and Full Irish was at the head of affairs as the runners headed into the
first turn. The next obstacle was the
cross-fence and, once again, all of the 11 runners cleared it well. Full Irish continued to set the pace as they
entered the home straight on the first occasion, from Rocklander,
Minella On Line, Valhalla, Behind Time, Adrien Du Pont, Kayf Adventure,
The Bay Birch, Kapcorse, Brelan
D’As and On Tour. There were no
mishaps at the first fence therein and all eleven also cleared the subsequent
open-ditch without incident too. Having joined the Emma Lavelle-trained runner at
the previous obstacle, Rocklander held a very
narrow advantage as the horses cleared the fifth fence. The eleven-strong field continued their
journey up the home straight, jumping the following fence without incident
too; this would be the final obstacle on the next circuit. Minella
On Line, Full Irish and Rocklander remained at the
head of affairs as they galloped towards the water-jump for the one and only
time; at the rear of the field were The Bay Birch and On Tour. The smallest fence on the course presented
no problems for the experienced handicappers and they continued on their
journey around the top bend and into the back straight for the final
time. The field was quite closely
packed and none of the competitors were struggling at this stage. Minella
On Line and Full Irish jumped the first fence therein in unison whilst, in
mid-field, Valhalla and Behind Time were pushed away from the obstacle having
cleared it. The following fence was
another open-ditch, where Minella On Line took off
too early and blundered as a result; despite this, he retained a narrow
advantage over his rivals. Although
remaining in the front line, he didn’t jump the next one particularly well
either! They continued to the next, with Full Irish, Minella On Line and Adrien Du
Pont at the head of affairs; Valhalla made an error here, before subsequently
dropping to the back of the field. The
runners had soon reached the final fence in the back straight, where the
favourite Kayf Adventure made an error. Heading into the far turn, the leading
group consisted of Full Irish, Minella On Line, Rocklander and Adrien Du Pont; Kapcorse and Kayf Adventure
spear-headed the remainder of the field. Adrien
Du Pont continued to travel well as a number of his rivals began to show
signs of distress; in fact he jumped into the lead as they cleared the
cross-fence. However, jockey Harry
Cobden soon took a pull, which allowed Rocklander
to lead the field into the home straight.
Minella On Line had dropped swiftly back
through the field now and Full Irish would soon follow suit. The trailing Valhalla made an error four
out and was pulled up soon after. The third last was the final open-ditch, which Adrien Du Pont, Kapcorse and Rocklander jumped in unison, closely followed by Brelan D’As; also staying on was the mare The Bay
Birch. Having taken the lead, Kapcorse was almost joined by Brelan
D’As as they cleared two out; Rocklander continued
to battle on but Adrien Du Pont suddenly tired and
dropped back. On Tour was endeavouring
to stay on too. This left the JP McManus-owned horses, Kapcorse and Brelan D’As ahead
of their rivals as they headed towards the final fence; The Bay Birch now pursued
them, in third position. And it was
the former who having jumped it, stayed on strongly on the run-in to triumph
by 10 lengths at the line from his stable-companion Brelan
D’As. The Bay Birch completed a
further 1¼ lengths behind them, with Rocklander 10
lengths behind her. Kayf
Adventure was 5th, On Tour 6th and Adrien Du Pont,
also trained by Paul Nicholls, a disappointing 7th. Minella On Line,
Full Irish and Behind Time were all pulled up in the home straight having
tired. It was a winner for Bryony Frost.
I
returned to the steppings above the Parade Ring to
see the horses arrive back. The
joint-favourites for the next race were Champ, trained by Nicky Henderson and
ridden by Aidan Coleman and Speedo Boy trained by Ian Williams and ridden by
Tom O’Brien; price 9-2. One runner of interest in this race, namely Big
Chief Benny trained by Alan King and ridden by Wayne Hutchinson; the horse
was returning from injury following a break of 705 days. The
starting gate for this race was located at the far corner of the track, with
one and a half circuits to travel during the race.
And then they were off, running slightly downhill
along the bottom of the racecourse, led by Barters Hill with ears pricked, from
Le Musee and Speedo Boy; bringing up the rear was
Man Of Plenty. Having entered the home
straight on the first occasion, all fifteen runners negotiated the first
flight safely. The horses continued on their journey to the
second flight, with Barters Hill remaining at the head of affairs, from the
flashy chestnut Speedo Boy, and Le Musee. These were followed by Padleyourowncanoe,
Potters Story, Sussex Ranger, Champ, Vaziani, the
first ‘grey of the day’ Air Horse
One, Big Chief Benny, Boite, Golden Birthday, Sleep
Easy, Man Of Plenty and Who’s My Jockey.
The tightly-packed field jumped the obstacle without incident. The Ben Pauling runner continued to spearhead the
field as they galloped towards and over the third flight too, before heading
up past the winning post with one circuit now to travel. The horses swung around the top bend and,
having entered the back straight for the one and only time, Barters Hill
remained with a narrow advantage as they cleared the fourth hurdle;
travelling in the latter half of the field, Sussex Ranger hit this one. Having continued to the next, Barters Hill was
pushed into the hurdle and, subsequently lost his place quickly; Champ took
up the running at this point. By the
time the field had reached the sixth flight, David Bass’ mount had dropped to
at least ninth position. Big Chief
Benny was bringing up the rear at this stage. The JP McManus-owned runner remained at the head
of affairs as they headed to the final flight in the back straight. Barters Hill was now in last position and,
having just popped over this obstacle, was pulled up. Meanwhile, Champ led the now fourteen-strong
field into the far bend, from Le Musee, Golden
Birthday, Speedo Boy and Vaziani; Boite and Sleep Easy followed these, from Air Horse One, Padleyourowncanoe, Man Of Plenty, Sussex Ranger, Potters
Story, Who’s My Jockey and, finally, Big Chief Benny. Le Musee was
bumped along subsequently to hold his position as the field headed along the
side of the track. Champ continued to travel well as they entered
the home straight and he’d set up a clear advantage over his rivals as they
headed towards the third last flight; Sussex Ranger made an error at this one
when weakening. The horses continued upon the run to the
penultimate obstacle; all of the runners seemingly under pressure apart from
Champ and Speedo Boy. There were no
mishaps as the runners jumped it.
Although having been in trouble since before the home turn,
bottom-weight Le Musee continued to battle on and
retained second position behind Champ and ahead of Speedo Boy, on the long
run to the final flight. Meanwhile,
Man Of Plenty had progressed into fourth position but couldn’t get on terms
with the leading trio; Padleyourowncanoe and Vaziani headed the remainder. Champ was still in front as the leaders jumped
the last and, with his nearest rivals unable now to quicken, he kept on well
to win by 4½ lengths at the line.
Aidan Coleman hadn’t needed to resort to any strong encouragement,
just a few minor taps and some whip waving after the last had been enough; he
was able to ease down towards the line. Le Musee held on gamely
to the runner-up spot and completed 2¾ lengths in front of Speedo Boy, with
Man Of Plenty a further 1¼ lengths away in 4th; Vaziani
finished 5th and Padleyourowncanoe 6th. Fourteen of the fifteen completed the
course, Barters Hill being the exception; it was soon announced that he was to
be retired, although still only 8 but having been plagued by injury since his
promising bumper and novice hurdling days.
Who’s My Jockey, which finished 12th, broke blood
vessels. It had not been the plan to go to the front that
early in the race, but it had worked today. Nicky Henderson said the winner
would return to novice company for the remainder of the season; possibly next
up would be the Challow Hurdle, just ahead of New
Year. This was indeed the case, and Champ won the Grade
1 Challow Hurdle in great style!!!
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure once more to see the horses arrive
back. The next race was the Intermediate Hurdle, a
limited handicap; the listed race is registered as the Gerry Feilden Hurdle.
The favourite for this race was Ballymoy,
trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and ridden by Daryl
Jacob; price 100-30. Alan King had a runner in this race, namely Lisp
ridden by Wayne Hutchison; he reminded me of Menace! The second ‘grey
of the day’, and competing in this race, was Gumball. 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.
The runners headed out onto the racecourse, with
Global Citizen and Whatmore leading their rivals
out and suggesting these two would be either prominent or making the running
today. The field approached the tape,
some jogging some walking, and then they were off, at the first time of
asking. Leading as they headed towards the first flight
were Global Citizen to the inside, Whatmore centre
and What’s Occurring to the stand-side; Lisp was held up in rear. All of the horses cleared the obstacle
well, with the Ben Pauling-trained runner taking a clear advantage under
David Bass. What’s Occurring settled
into second position, from Whatmore, Ballymoy, Gumball, Whatswrongwithyou,
Mont Des Avaloirs, Voodoo Doll and Lisp. With the pace strong, the field was well
strung out as they headed up past the winning post and around the top bend. Global Citizen continued to hold the advantage as
they headed to the second flight, with What’s Occurring a close-up second; Whatmore spearheaded the main group, around 7 lengths
behind the leading duo. Having skipped
over it, Global Citizen stretched his lead over the What’s Occurring, with Whatmore a little clumsy and pushed away from the flight. The runners continued to motor along the back
straight, where Gumball hit the third obstacle and Ballymoy
bunny-hopped it. The main body of the field
began to close upon the leading duo as they galloped to the fourth; there
were no mishaps here and they continued their journey to the final flight in
the back straight. Again there were no
jumping issues. Global Citizen continued to lead as they headed
into the far turn, from What’s Occurring and Whatmore;
the latter led the main group and they’d almost bridged the gap by this stage
of the race. Having reached the turn
into the home straight, David Bass let his mount stride on again and was two
or three lengths clear as the runners jumped three out. The leader was still travelling strongly as they
headed towards the penultimate flight; in contrast, a number of his rivals
were coming under pressure as they attempted to close the gap. Global Citizen cleared the hurdle well, as
did most of the leading contenders, whereas Ballymoy
bunny-hopped it. What’s Occurring hung
on in second position, initially, before being collared by both the improving
Mont Des Avaloirs and subsequently Lisp. Global Citizen still led at the last, although he
was now getting tired and began to wander after it for a few strides. The Paul Nicholls runner was soon pressing
the long-time leader, with Lisp closing the gap upon the leading duo
too. However, having got to Global Citizen’s
quarters by the time they reached the elbow, neither of his challengers were
able to get past; he held on to win by half a length at the line. Lisp, to his far side, claimed 2nd with Mont Des Avaloirs a short-head away to the nearside in 3rd. Ballymoy
completed in 4th, 4½ lengths away, with What’s Occurring 5th. All 9 completed, with Gumball finishing in
last position. The winning trainer admitted his charge ran too
freely today; he’d also missed a week of training, just a week ago, due to
banging himself. The ground was too
soft today also for this charge!
I
headed back to the Parade Ring area to see the horses return. The next race was formerly known as the Hennessy
Gold Cup. The race favourite was
Thomas Patrick, trained by Tom Lacey and ridden by
Richard Johnson; price 3-1. West
Approach won the Best Turned Out prize. It was the smallest field since 1996 when Coome Hill had won it.
There had originally been 14 declared, but the travel plans of the
Irish challenger Kemboy had to be abandoned due to
gales, and Go Conquer was withdrawn on the day of the race when the ground
went against him. There were a couple of runners of interest,
namely Dingo Dollar trained by Alan King and ridden by Wayne Hutchinson and
the admirable mare Ms Parfois. Dingo Dollar had undertaken a warm-up
outing over hurdles at Newbury 23 days previously; he’d finished 4th that
day. Having exited onto the racecourse, the runners
were organised into number order; apart from Ms Parfois
that is, who was excitable and led the parade, followed by Black Corton, etc.
Parade over, the runners doubled back on themselves to canter towards
the starting gate situated at the start of the back straight. Having taken a look at the first fence, the
competitors congregated upon the top bend in order to have their girths
checked. As the off-time approached,
the horses were sent away, jogging back in the direction of the grandstands
area; Allysson Monterg
and American the last ones to join the main group. The latter backed away from the others as
they turned to approach the tape; he subsequently re-joined them to the
outside of the pack.
But it still hadn’t reached the off-time, so the
jockeys were asked to take another turn before they approached the gate once
more. And then they were off, at the
first time of asking. The twelve-strong field was led away by The Young
Master to the inside of Elegant Escape, Beware The Bear, Ms Parfois and Thomas Patrick. Elegant Escape led narrowly as they crossed
the first fence. However, despite
looking full of beans as the runners had prepared ahead of start, American
was in last position and didn’t appear to be travelling even at this early
stage of the race. The second fence was the first open-ditch, where
Thomas Patrick landed narrowly in the lead and which The Young Master jumped
a bit low. Having cleared the fence,
American was already many lengths behind the others. Meanwhile the others continued towards the
third fence, with Dingo Dollar now disputing the lead with Thomas Patrick;
they were ahead of The Young Master and Elegant Escape. All of the runners cleared this obstacle
well, apart from American who got a little close to it. Thomas Patrick held a narrow advantage over Dingo
Dollar as they cleared the fourth fence, from Ms Parfois,
Elegant Escape, The Young Master, Sizing Tennessee, Allysson
Monterg, Black Corton,
Beware The Bear, Flying Angel, West Approach and American; the latter was
already well detached in rear. The
field moved on to number five, which The Young Master got a little bit close
to. Having cleared all of the fences
in the back straight, the runners continued into the far turn led by the
favourite Thomas Patrick, from the strongly travelling Dingo Dollar, then Ms Parfois. The next obstacle was the cross-fence, which
Thomas Patrick got a little bit close to; this permitted Dingo Dollar to pull
alongside him. Having entered the home
straight on the first occasion, Richard Johnson’s mount went on again and was
half a length up as he cleared the next, from Dingo Dollar, Ms Parfois and Sizing Tennessee. American was still going, but trailed the
field. The following fence was the second open-ditch;
they all jumped this well. The tightly-packed
field, apart from American, continued their journey up the home straight and
all cleared the next in their stride too.
With Thomas Patrick continuing to spearhead the runners, from Dingo
Dollar to his inside and Mr Parfois to his outer,
the runners headed towards and over next; Flying Angel made an error here. The following obstacle was the water-jump, after
which Aine O’Connor decided to pull up the
struggling American. Meanwhile the
remaining eleven continued up around the top bend, where The Young Master and
Allysson Monterg both
appeared a little short of room having bumped the white plastic railings. Having entered the back straight for the final
time, Thomas Patrick and Dingo Dollar jumped the first fence therein in
unison; to their outside, the strong-travelling Sizing Tennessee soon joined
them. The favourite was pushed along
on the approach to the open-ditch, with Richard Johnson seeing his take-off
stride well in advance. There were no
incidents at this fence and the leading trio continued clear of their rivals
as they headed to the next. Ms Parfois led the remainder, from West Approach, Elegant
Escape, Flying Angel and Black Corton; detached
were Beware The Bear, Allysson Monterg
and The Young Master. Having continued
to lose ground, the latter was pulled up after jumping this. Meanwhile, Thomas Patrick, Dingo Dollar and
Sizing Tennessee continued to cut out the running as they headed over the
fifteenth; however, the favourite was beginning to come under pressure as the
field approached the final fence in the back straight. Richard Johnson’s mount got a little close
to this one and, as a result, Dingo Dollar took over at the head of
affairs. Thus the Alan King representative led the
remaining ten runners into the far turn, from the pushed along Thomas
Patrick, followed by the well-travelling Sizing Tennessee, from Ms Parfois, West Approach and Elegant Escape; Black Corton led the remainder.
The leader got in close to the cross-fence but retained a narrow
advantage over Sizing Tennessee as they entered the turn leading into the
home straight. Thomas Patrick dropped back quickly now, as Ms Parfois moved into third position, from the improving
Elegant Escape, then West Approach; Beware The Bear was also staying on
now. Tom Scudamore’s
mount took a narrow lead on the approach to four out, although Dingo Dollar
out-jumped him here. Further back in
the field, Beware The Bear had to reach for this one. Three out was the final open-ditch, and Sizing
Tennessee had taken the lead once more as they cleared it. Dingo Dollar continued in runner-up
position as they headed towards two out, with Elegant Escape endeavouring to
get on terms with him. Meanwhile the
latter’s stable-mate was forging clear; so much so that, having jumped the
penultimate fence, Tom Scudamore had time to take a
leisurely look beneath his right arm in order to ascertain where his rivals
were! Tom needed to just flick his whip down his
mount’s shoulder as they galloped towards the final fence, with that now his
only danger; but he cleared it well.
Elegant Escape had just got the better of Dingo Dollar as they, too,
jumped the fence. Sizing Tennessee was
subsequently ridden out to the line, with his jockey giving him three or four
cracks with his whip just to make sure of victory; he won by 10 lengths. Elegant Escape came home in 2nd, seven lengths
ahead of Dingo Dollar, with Beware The Bear a further fifteen lengths behind
him in 4th. West Approach finished
5th, with Ms Parfois tiring to finish 6th, Allysson Monterg 7th, with last
of the finishers Flying Angel in 8th.
Thomas Patrick had been pulled up before 3 out and Black Corton before 2 out. Colin Tizzard had
trained the winner, the runner-up and the 5th-placed horse. Sizing Tennessee was the first 10-year-old to win
this race for 37 years! Having failed
to peg back his stable companion today, Elegant Approach would win the 2018
Welsh Grand National in late December! The winning jockey was surprised his mount had
won by so far, but he said you had to have fancied his chances on previous
form against Ms Parfois and on better terms with
her today too. He said his mount was a
bit awkward jumping one or two, and has his own way of doing things, but
always lands running! Joe Tizzard, son of trainer Colin, said Tom really fancied
his chances today and was getting more and more excited about his prospects
as the race approached!
As
with all of the races today, I returned to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure to see the winning and placed horses arrive back
– in this instance Sizing Tennessee, Elegant Escape, Dingo Dollar and Beware
The Bear. The favourite for the final race of the day was
the Philip Kirby-trained Lady Buttons, ridden by Adam Nicol;
price 5-2. The
starting gate for this event was half way down the home straight, with that
and one full circuit to travel.
The horses headed out onto the racecourse, with Bigmartre leading the main group. Doitforthevillage
and Rock On Rocky were detached from the main group, as was Lady Buttons,
with Shear Rock belatedly joining them as they headed back towards the
starting gate; craftily, jockey Jamie Moore joined the front of the group,
not the back! And then they were off, at the first time of
asking, with Dicosimo leading the way to the first
fence, from Bigmartre and Shear Rock; travelling
towards the inside, Baby King was a little awkward at this one. The ten competitors continued to the next
fence, which Baby King hit. With the field still intact, the horses headed up
towards the grandstands, the water-jump their next obstacle. Dicosimo flew
over this one, as did Shear Rock; they were clear of the others. Lady Buttons jumped it next, from Space
Oddity, Bigmartre and Top Gamble. However, Forest Bihan
jumped too big, didn’t get his landing gear out in time and came down,
falling into the path of Baby King in the process; the latter ended up with
his feet in the air. Fortunately Doitforthevillage nimbly sidestepped the melee. Rock On Rocky, travelling to the outside of
the incident, was not interfered with. The eight surviving runners continued on their
journey around the top bend, still led by Dicosimo. And the good news was that both of the
departed horses had got to their feet and had headed up to the racecourse
exit point, where they were caught. Andrew Tinkler, aboard
the leader, saw a nice stride as he rode him into the take off point of the first
fence in the back straight and cleared it well. Shear Rock continued in second position,
from Lady Buttons, Bigmartre, Space Oddity, Top
Gamble, Doitforthevillage and Rock On Rocky; the
mare had gained ground having put in a beautiful leap at it. The following fence was the first open-ditch; the
leaders jumped it well, whereas Bigmartre had to
reach for the fence and landed awkwardly as a result. To his outside, Space Oddity banked it,
with Top Gamble almost the meat in the error-strewn sandwich! Rock On Rocky, who was travelling in their
wake, also made a mistake. Harry
Bannister, aboard Bigmartre, called it a day at
this point; he steered his mount across in front of Top Gamble, Space Oddity
and Rock On Rocky before pulling up. The leading three were still travelling and
jumping well as they continued over the next fence. They were well clear of Doitforthevillage,
Top Gamble and Rock On Rocky; the latter put in a slightly sticky jump
here. However, Space Oddity blundered
so badly that he unseated his jockey and almost fell; his confidence appeared
to have been shot to pieces. He’d
fallen on his last racecourse outing too. Meanwhile the six remaining runners continued
towards and over the seventh obstacle.
There was no change at the head of affairs, with Dicosimo,
Shear Rock and Lady Buttons maintaining their advantage over the other
three. Having reached the final fence
in the back straight, Andrew Tinkler saw a stride
and booted his mount into it once more; at the rear of the field, Rocky On
Rocky didn’t jump it particularly well.
Top Gamble and Doitforthevillage had been
ridden to close the deficit as they headed into the far bend and they were
almost upsides the mare as they reached the cross-fence. However, Lady Buttons out-jumped both of
them, and shortly after the fence she scythed-through between Dicosimo and Shear Rock to briefly take the lead. Dicosimo
went on again as they headed around the home bend; it became apparent that the
leader’s brow-band was so loose that it flicked up and down as he galloped! Anyway, Andrew Tinkler’s
mount led until clearing four out, when Lady Buttons and Shear Rock took the
narrow advantage. The following
obstacle was the final open-ditch, which they all cleared well; the long-time
leader faded to dispute fourth position with Top Gamble as they headed to the
penultimate fence. Lady Buttons led over this one, from Shear Rock
and Doitforthevillage. The mare was travelling comfortably as they
headed down to the final obstacle, with her nearest rivals being ridden in an
endeavour to remain in touch with her.
They jumped the last well but, despite Shear Rock’s continued effort
to close the gap, Lady Buttons just needed to be pushed out on the run-in to
win by 2¼ lengths at the line; a comfortable win. Doitforthevillage
passed the line 10 lengths further back in 3rd, with Top Gamble another 7
lengths away in 4th position; Dicosimo was 3
lengths away in 5th, with Rock On Rocky coming home in his own time in last.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure for the final time today in order to see
the horses arrive back. Post-race presentations made, it was time for me
to head back to the car park to collect my car. I popped to the loo within the Dubai Duty
Free stand prior to departing; whilst queuing, a lady complimented me on my ‘ladybird’ snood. I love my new snood too, not only does it
keep me warm, but the fleece keeps any dampness at bay too, unlike wool! I subsequently
headed out through the door to the rear of the grandstand before exiting via
the eastern ticket hall. I crossed the
roadway via a pedestrian crossing, before continuing along the pathway which
runs to the back of the apartment blocks and turning left to enter the car
park in order to return to my car. I hung my damp coat over the back of the
passenger seat to dry off. I laid
other damp items along the back seat and placed my slightly muddy Hotter
boots in a Really Useful box. I had
been intending to eat the two remaining cheese rolls prior to departing for Caversham but, as the roadway outside the car park was
clear and darkness falling fast, I decided to set off immediately; it was
16:10. I didn’t think to put on my
night vision glasses at this point; besides, my night vision has improved a
little since its low point in 2016! Having joined the roadway outside the car park, I
headed back past the Fitness Centre. I
was held up briefly at the next corner, by a steward directing traffic as it
exited car park 5. I subsequently
continued to the roundabout, before turning left and travelling within the
queue of vehicles as it headed over the bridge across the railway line. Having reached the roundabout beyond, I continued
up the Hambridge Road in order to join the A4 at
the traffic light junction beyond; I turned right here, and continued up Benham Hill to another roundabout. I turned right again in order to travel
through Thatcham.
Unlike earlier in the day, I seemed to be caught by a red light at
every road junction! I continued along the A4, through Woolhampton and onwards to Junction 12 of the M4. It was my intention to break my return
journey with a visit to my friend Denise who lives in Caversham,
with my route taking me along the M4 to Junction 10, then up the A329(M) to
join the A4, before heading over the Thames at Sonning
and continuing along the road into Caversham. Had it been daylight, I might have continued into
Reading from Junction 12 but, now dark, I felt my sole option was to join the
motorway, and that’s despite a warning sign stating there was a long delay
thereon. The motorway was clear until
Junction 11, after which I came to a grinding halt, exacerbated by traffic
joining the M4 from the slip-road. I
was disheartened to see a message board stating 47 minutes to travel 15
miles! I eventually discovered the cause of the delay;
the motorway had been reduced to a single lane, the outside one, for just a
matter of a few hundred yards! The
blockage had cleared by the time I reached Junction 10. I left the motorway as planned, heading
along the A329(M) towards Reading; it was very dark along the unlit road, but
my eyesight was pretty good, fortunately! Having reached the A4 London Road, I turned right
to head in an easterly direction, travelling towards the village of Sonning. There are
three roads which lead into the village – Sonning
Lane, Pound Lane and Charvil Lane; I chose the
latter for, despite it being the longest route, it was the most familiar and
avoided the narrow Pearson Road where parked vehicles are always a
hazard. I continued through the
village, with its 20 mph speed limit, before heading over the ancient
single-lane bridge across the Thames.
Upon reaching Play Hatch, I turned left at the roundabout in order to
head into Caversham. I arrived at Den’s at 17:45; it had
taken me 95 minutes, when it should have taken around 50 minutes max ... and
as little as 40 minutes by a quicker route than mine! I hadn’t intended to stay too long but, in
the end, didn’t leave until around 20:45, having watched the quarter-final of
Strictly Come Dancing; actor Charles Venn was eliminated from the
competition, leaving Ashley Roberts, Faye Tozer,
Stacey Dooley, Lauren Steadman and Joe Sugg to
continue to the next round. My friend
also kindly fed and watered me!!! My
favoured route home from Den’s is via the M4, joining it at the Maidenhead
junction. However, as I was driving
down the dual carriageway between the A4 and M4, I saw a sign stating that
the eastbound carriageway was closed between two junctions along my intended
route ... so I decided to double-back on myself and head up the A404 to join
the M40 at High Wycombe instead! Mind
you, I did notice one or two drivers continue down the slip-road onto the
eastbound carriageway of the M4 ... so maybe the signing wasn’t correct. Did it state closed between J7 and J6? I don’t know; if so, I guess they would
have been able to travel between J8/9 and J7 before being forced to leave the
motorway. If
I’d left at junction 7, I might have ended up lost in Slough ... nooooooooooooo! I
used to be very familiar with the route, around Slough, having worked in
Bracknell for 15 months back in the 1990’s, but no longer. I used to travel via Ascot, Windsor, Slough,
Stoke Poges, Gerrards
Cross, Denham and Maple Cross, before joining the M25 at the latter. So do I need a satnav? Of course not, as I can always style it
out, one way or the other! My
re-route wasn’t ideal as I have a longstanding aversion to the main High
Wycombe junction on the M40, if joining the motorway, rather than leaving it
in order to head south along the A404... but it wasn’t that bad, especially
as it was 21:00 on a Saturday night; although I did go the long way around
the island, rather than via the strange ‘cut-through
the centre’ route, to reach the M40 slip-road! Having
joined the M40, I continued to the M25, before heading around the clockwise
carriageway to Junction 22 and retracing my route home. I arrived back at around 22:00. As
frequently happens when I get home late from the races, I didn’t turn in
until after midnight ... in fact it was 01:00 on Sunday morning when I went
to bed! I always feel obliged to
transfer my photos to my laptop, for safekeeping, and record a copy of the
racing highlights from Racing TV too, before turning in. When
I washed my Hotter boots thoroughly the following day, I discovered a broken
Phillips screw stuck in the bottom of one of the heels, and a stud earring
stuck in the sole of the other! I was
not amused, as they are my favourite boots.
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Notes from the
Stewards’ Room: Race 1 - 12:10pm Permission was given
for ADMIRAL'S SUNSET to go early to post. Race 2 - 12:45pm SANTINI wore earplugs,
which were removed at the start. Race 3 - 1:20pm Following the race
Harry Cobden reported that ADRIEN DU PONT (FR), which was pulled up, stopped
quickly. The Veterinary Officer reported that a post-race examination of the
gelding failed to reveal any abnormalities. Race 4 - 1:50pm Following the race the
Veterinary Officer reported that WHO'S MY JOCKEY (IRE), unplaced, was found
to have blood in its nostril. WHO'S MY JOCKEY (IRE) was routine tested. She
also reported that the winner, CHAMP (IRE) lost its right fore
shoe. David Bass reported that BARTERS HILL (IRE), which was pulled up,
stopped quickly. Race 5 - 2:25pm BALLYMOY (IRE) and
WHAT'S OCCURRING (IRE) wore earplugs, which were removed at the start. Race 6 - 3:00pm Permission was given
for MS PARFOIS (IRE) to go first in the parade. MS PARFOIS wore earplugs,
which were removed at the start. Race 7 - 3:35pm Permission was given
for DOITFORTHEVILLAGE (IRE) to wear a hood in the parade ring only. |
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PHOTOS – Ladbrokes Trophy Day (Index) |
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