DIARY –
VISIT TO ROBIN DICKIN’S YARD AT GREAT ALNE
TO SEE ANTI COOL, DONTMINDDBOYS AND GALACTIC POWER
SATURDAY 08 JULY 2017
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Galactic Power |
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Useful Links: EPDS’ website: EPDS on twitter: https://twitter.com/EPDS_Racing EPDS on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPDSRacingSyndicate Robin Dickin Racing: http://www.robindickinracing.org.uk/ |
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Summertime had arrived again, with a number of
stable yard visits in the offing. The
first was scheduled for 01 July, to Graeme McPherson’s
operation near Stow-on-the-Wold, and a second one to Robin Dickin’s yard the following Saturday. However, a spanner was thrown in the works when I
contracted a stomach bug virus on 30 June and I was unable to attend the
visit to Graeme’s yard as booked. Graeme
currently trains Ami Desbois, Stynes,
Londonia and an unnamed mare (stable name Rabbit)
for EPDS. The bug lasted for six days but, by the following
Thursday I had finally recovered so was able to attend the visit to Robin’s
yard on Saturday 08 July. Robin trains
Galactic Power, Dontminddboys and Anti Cool for
EPDS Racing; Galactic Power is one of two horses which run for the EPDS Twitterati Racing Club and, as such, is ‘my horse’ as I’m one of the members
thereof. Robin is based in Warwickshire, at Great Alne near Alcester; a handful of miles to the northwest
of Stratford-Upon-Avon in fact. As I
still don’t have access to a satnav, I decided to
research the final stages of the route on Google maps. Thus, having driven the route visually on
screen, I knew the landmarks to look out for in order not to get lost along
the way. According to the directions,
it would take approximately one hour and 50 minutes to get there. With this in mind, I set my alarm for
around 05:00 on Saturday, with the aim of setting off at 07:15. I showered, washed and dried my hair before
eating a breakfast of two buttered slices of white toast, plus half a cup of
tea. My outfit today was a pair of M & S pink jeggings described as ‘raspberry’ on the label; a BHS black with white, pink and mauve
butterflies-design shirt, black BHS frill-edged cardigan, brown M & S Footglove ankle boots.
I also took my moccasins to change into for the drive home (although I
didn’t need them in the end), and M & S snow-boots just in case the
terrain was worse than expected as I’d not visited the yard before. I think I was slightly overcautious, as it
was early July and the weather had been particularly hot and dry in recent
days or even weeks! I also took a
raincoat just in case! I applied basic
makeup today – just a base, mascara and eyebrow pencil – and was soon ready to depart.
According to the clock in my car, it was 07:13
when I left home. I’m fully familiar with the route to Stratford
racecourse, so I headed out via my City Centre and along the A4147 to Hemel
Hempstead; I have to confess my mind was wandering as I drove but,
fortunately, I realised just in time that I’d entered a 40mph speed zone
patrolled by cameras! Having reached
the roundabout to the southern end of the town’s main industrial estate, I turned
left and continued along the dual carriageway past Jarman
Retail and Leisure Park and down the steep hill to reach the infamous ‘Magic Roundabout’. I then headed along Two Waters Road and
across the A4251 before heading up the hill to join the A41 bypass. I continued in a north-westerly direction upon
the aforementioned dual carriageway, passing through Boxmoor
– there were no Belted Galloway cattle in the bordering fields today – past Bourne
End, Berkhamsted, Tring and onwards to Aylesbury. I then headed around their ring-road, using
the northern option, in order to re-join the A41 heading out of town towards Waddesdon. It was
definitely a road-kill day, as a dead badger was lying in the middle of the
road just to the west of the railway bridge close to Aylesbury Vale Parkway
station. A little further along, a
bird of prey flew across the road and landed on the fence to the left-hand
side of the road. I’d hazard a guess
that it was a buzzard; it definitely wasn’t a red kite, and it was far too large
to be a kestrel. Anyway, I continued through Waddesdon
and onwards towards Bicester, passing through the
village of Kingswood en route. Having
missed the opportunity to overtake me on the brief section of dual
carriageway to the west of this village, I was passed by one or two vehicles
further along; I was in no particular hurry.
There were road-works on the approach to Bicester
and a further example of road-kill; on this occasion a dead muntjac in the middle of the road. I headed along the dual carriageway which runs beside
the Shopping Village before turning left at the far end and continuing down
the final section of the A41 to reach junction 9 of the M40. I then headed in a north-westerly direction
along the motorway, before leaving at Junction 15; the traffic had been
free-moving, apart from the odd occasion when a slow travelling lorry decided
to overtake a lorry travelling even slower!
At the top of the junction slip-road I took the
second exit to head along a short section of dual carriageway to a smaller
roundabout where I turned left onto the A46.
I’d soon reached a third roundabout, where I took the right-hand ‘fork’ in order to continue upon the
Stratford Upon Avon bypass. The road
remained familiar, as I used to travel to Stratford racecourse via this route
before I discovered a more scenic option through Banbury and along the
A422. I’d also had previous experience of the left-hand
fork, the A439 which heads into Stratford itself; I’d diverted back into the
town on one occasion when, due to road-works, there had been a long tail-back
on the A46 dual carriageway leading down to Junction 15. Anyway, on this occasion I continued on the
bypass; it soon headed steeply downhill to a roundabout where it crossed the
A3400. I left the A46 at this point, taking the fourth
exit to head north-westwards upon the aforementioned A-road. This was the section of my route which I’d
driven visually on Google Maps. I knew
I had to continue upon the road until I saw a car dealership to the
right-hand side, next to a junction, and had passed under a railway bridge
shortly afterwards. I was seeking
Salter Lane. However, it was at this
point that my carefully laid plans went slightly awry; Salter Lane was closed
to traffic! There was a group of
kitted-out cyclists waiting to exit the junction despite this. Anyway, fortunately I had an alternative route
mapped out although I’d not driven it ‘in
vision’; just in case I missed my original turning! Therefore I continued along the A3400 until
I reached a village named Wootton Wawen. I turned
left, just before the Bulls Head pub, and continued down a residential lane
for a short distance before turning left again to head towards Great Alne and Alcester on the B4089. The road soon headed through Little Alne, at the far end of which I passed the lane where I
would have emerged had I been able to travel via my intended route. The road was winding in places, so it was
necessary to drive with care and not too much speed! The landmark I was looking for was a house
with Tudor-style timbering on the upper storey; I knew that the Park Lane
turning would be situated shortly afterwards, to the right of the road on a
slightly left-handed bend. Got it!
I turned right and headed along the residential road; a fork to the
right entered a newly constructed housing development of high value
homes. I needed to take the left-hand
fork ... but there was another hitch in my plans ... a large lorry was
completely blocking the thoroughfare and workman were levelling out the
delivered tarmac upon the driveway of a bungalow located to the left-hand
side of the lane. There were a couple of gentlemen walking their
dog, so I wound down the electric window to ask what I should do; they
suggested I park on the grass verge and walk to Hill Farm. It was just a couple of minutes away they
said. I pulled over; shortly
afterwards the lorry backed out thus opening the thoroughfare. A car which had been waiting to exit from
the Hill Farm direction drove through the space now created. Despite there also being a vehicle and trailer
parked a little further along the lane which reduced clearance, I managed to
squeeze through the gap, although shrubs in the garden of a neighbouring
property did scratch along the passenger side of my car. I continued along the lane, under
overhanging trees, until the public section of the lane terminated at the
entrance to the Hill Farm property. Having then turned right to head uphill, I had to
pull over to the left to allow another vehicle to pass on its way
downhill. The address given was that
of Hill Farm so, upon reaching a converted barn and stables, I turned right
and headed along the gravel drive; but there was no-one to be seen. However, I knew that Robin and his wife had
taken on the big house at Alne Park, at the far end
of the driveway, as a B & B. So I
turned around and, as I did so, three cars passed by on the roadway, all
heading towards the pillared entrance of the park itself. A number of racehorses had been turned out
in the field next to the drive too. I followed them and found a number of vehicles
parked in the driveway or upon the adjacent grass. I’d found my destination as a number of
fellow syndicate members, the Managing Director John, along with Robin Dickin were waiting for everyone to arrive. It was 09:25. There were, however, a number of
latecomers, all of whom had been delayed by the return of the tarmac lorry. I understand some had walked up, whilst
others had been given a lift from ‘base
camp’ to their final destination!
But it definitely wasn’t a two minute walk from there. Galactic Power and Dontminddboys
were currently undertaking their summer break; spending the evening and
overnight out in the field, whilst being brought in to their stables during
the heat of the day. However, Anti
Cool was in the process of returning to action following a tendon injury
which had occurred on 01 September last year; this being the case, he was
currently on light training duties. Four horses would be exercised for us to view,
namely the chestnut blaze-faced Storming Harry, bay Jackheath,
bay The Lion Man, and of course Anti Cool; he’s also a bay. Having warmed up whilst walking in a circle
upon the grass area adjacent to the main buildings, the four horses headed
off down the hill towards Hill Farm before entering the gallop and trotting
the distance thereof and returning to the area close where we were standing, near
to a large barn. They then repeated the exercise, at a faster
pace; apart from Anti Cool who was purposely detached from the other three
and followed at a collected canter.
Robin was taking no chances, just in case Anti Cool got too excited
and decided to race against the others.
Exercise session over, the horses were ridden in a circle, at a walk,
to warm down. The lass aboard Anti
Cool circle our group so that we could get a better look at him as he did so. The four horses were then returned to their
stables, having been hosed down on this warm July morning. We, meanwhile, headed to the patio area to
the far side of Alne House for drinks and
eats. Bucks Fizz was available but, as
I was driving, I stuck to orange juice.
There was also iced water or coffee if preferred. I also ate a croissant. Robin had installed a temporary pool for his
workers during the hot weather; also a smaller paddling pool for his
dog! Robin’s daughters compete in eventing and a dressage arena was laid out on the lawn to
the side of the house; this particular weekend they were competing at Barbury Castle. A
few weeks after this visit, daughter Harriet would ‘take on’ the former racehorse Custer Of The West; he’s owned by
Mrs Prowting and used to be in training with Alan
King. The flashy chestnut’s pet name
is Custard; he raced under rules eight times and retired in May 2013. Choc rode him a couple of times too. Dontminddboys
and Galactic Power had been brought in from the field and were led around to
the conservatory area for everyone to meet.
They both looked quite fit, despite being on their summer holidays;
they’d been groomed ahead of meeting their visitors. Robin explained that he doesn’t like his
horses to wind-down too much during their time off because, if they do, it
takes ages to get the weight off again and regain their former fitness. I took the opportunity to take numerous
photographs whilst the horses stood patiently beside the patio. They both have lovely natures; the pocket
rocket and the gentle giant. I also
noticed that Galactic Power’s forelegs had been bar-fired at some point in
the past; he was bred in Ireland. Robin was asked about Thomas Crapper; he is
recovering well following a fracture to a bone at the back of a knee, and a
subsequent operation to remove an associated chip of bone. The horse was due to be scanned again the
following week to see if the fracture had healed. On this date, it was unknown whether he’d
be able to race again. Evidently it
was an identical injury to that sustained by Wildehearted
Woman which ended her racing career.
The Skeltons’ yard is
adjacent to Alne Park and the former Paul Nicholls
assistant was in the process of acquiring more land in the area. The country house which Robin and his wife
currently ran as a B & B was to be sold by their landlord, so the trainer
would soon be moving back to Hill Farm itself and expanding the yard and
facilities located there. At this
point in time, his charges were split between the two locations, although
they were in very close proximity; just a walk away in fact. I also learnt that Graeme McPherson had purchased
more land recently, in order to expand his operation near
Stow-on-the-Wold. Robin recounted a few stories too and told us
about a recent visit to Ireland which he’d made in search of new horses. People began to drift away as midday approached;
I left a minute or two before noon.
One or two people had to cadge a lift from others in order to save
themselves the task of walking back down the hill to Great Alne, having left their vehicles close to the main road
due to the earlier obstruction caused by the tarmac lorry. I drove back down the driveway and out through
the brick pillars which denoted the entrance to Alne
Park. Two horses, one of which was a
grey, were being ridden down the driveway ahead of me, so I followed at a
safe distance, very slowly. They
peeled off towards the barns at Hill Farm, whilst I swung right-handed to
head down the hill and exit the property.
I continued down Park Lane, beneath the overhanging trees and had soon
reached the dwellings at the village end of the lane. The vehicle and trailer were no longer parked to
the left-hand side of the road and I glanced to my right as I drove past the
bungalow; the tarmac driveway was now complete, with no sign of any workmen
or the tarmac lorry which had earlier obstructed the route. I reached a T-junction shortly afterwards, the
B4089; it was decision time. Should I
turn left and return via my outbound route, or turn right in order to return
via Alcester? The latter also gave me
the option of heading back via Stratford and subsequently via the A422 to
Banbury, or via the even more scenic route through the Cotswolds upon the A44
through Moreton-In-Marsh and Chipping Norton. I turned right, because I’d decided the
very scenic route was the one for me, having missed out on an excursion to
the Cotswolds the previous Saturday.
Besides, I didn’t need to be home until mid-afternoon when I hoped to
watch the Wimbledon men’s singles matches on TV. The B4089 wound its way to Alcester and, although
fellow attendees had remarked upon the pretty village high street, I chose
the ‘through traffic’ route; it
headed via an industrial estate at the far end of which I briefly joined the
A435 to head in a southerly direction.
At the second roundabout I continued ahead, and was now travelling
down the A46. However, where the A46 became part of the Evesham
bypass, I encountered a long queue of traffic waiting to enter this section,
tailing back from a roundabout. This
was a result of traffic heading in from the right, from the direction of
Worcester; they had priority. Traffic
continued to be heavy upon the bypass but, fortunately, having negotiated one
further roundabout en route, I was able to turn left at the next one. I was now travelling on the A44 and following the
sign-posted route towards Oxford. In
fact the route from the Evesham bypass all the way home is already very
familiar, as it’s my chosen return route from Worcester racecourse! Anyway, I continued along this thoroughfare
which is the Broadway Village bypass and it soon began to ascend the very
steep Cotswold escarpment at the inappropriately named Fish Hill. Broadway Tower and Country Park are
situated to the right-hand side of the road at this point. The road continues to rise, but far less steeply
now, and soon passes the turning to Stow-on-the-Wold. I continued upon the A44 as it headed
through Bourton-on-the-Hill and onwards to Moreton-in-Marsh.
Upon entering the town, I turned left to head along the main street
briefly, before taking a right in order to remain on the A44. Further along there is a turning signposted for
the National Trust property of Chastleton House and,
after that, another right-hand turn, the A436 to Stow-on-the-Wold; I’d have
travelled that particular route the previous Saturday had I been able to
visit Graeme McPherson’s yard. I continued to Chipping Norton. There were temporary traffic lights
operating on the hill prior to the main High Street; the gas main
surroundings were being strengthened evidently. Having negotiated this obstacle, I continued through
the town and headed out thereof upon the ‘local
traffic’ route as I always do! An
impatient driver was following me as I kept to the speed limit through the
initial section and he sped by as soon as he was able. The junction at the far end is controlled
by traffic lights and they were on green as I reached it; I turned
right. This section of the A44 had
recently been resurfaced. Signs
warning of a lack of road markings and loose chippings adorned the verge; I
think it stated 14 miles of disruption. The chippings had already ‘settled’ so it was safe to drive at
around 50mph, as did the vehicles in front of me. On the outskirts of Enstone,
just around a left-hand bend, the B4030 bears off to the left; I took this
route. The slip-road in from the opposite
direction was a little chock-a-bloc, due to waiting vehicles one in one out,
but it didn’t affect my side of the road.
I headed through the outskirts of the village and onwards through Gagingwell and Middle Barton. I continued across the A4260 at Hopcrofts Holt, before heading down the hill to the
causeway adjacent to Rousham House; I had to wait
at the traffic lights prior to this crossing. I headed through Lower Heyford,
turned right shortly after a left-hand bend, and then continued through Caulcott before getting stuck behind a slow-moving farm
vehicle as the route approached Middleton Stoney. Fortunately the driver turned right at the
junction with the B430. I continued to
Bicester; there are 16 speed humps on the
residential road into town! At the far
end I turned right and was briefly held up by traffic entering the Bicester Shopping Village; there were ongoing road-works
at this junction and a number of houses appeared to be under construction to
the left-hand side of the road too. Anyway, I turned left and continued along the Bicester bypass and onwards towards Aylesbury, passing
through Kingswood and Waddesdon en route. Upon arrival in the Buckinghamshire town, I
headed around the northern section of their ring-road before rejoining the
A41; road-works continued on this section of the route. I then headed along the dual carriageway
of the main A41 bypass, past Tring, Berkhamsted and Bourne End. I exited at the Hemel Hempstead junction
and headed downhill and along Two Waters Road. The ‘Magic
Roundabout’ was far busier than on my outbound journey as it was now
early afternoon. Having negotiated
this novelty traffic island, I headed uphill along St Albans Road, taking the
roundabout ‘bypass’ route at the
entrance to Jarman Park; a vehicle ahead of me
decided to also take this route, despite being in the outside lane at the
time! I continued along St Albans Road, before turning
right at the Maylands Avenue roundabout in order to
head through Leverstock Green. Ensuring that I remained within the speed
limit to avoid being clocked by any of the speed cameras along the A4147, I
headed back to St Albans. I continued
around the ring-road, passing two ‘Smiley
Sids’ on the way; he smiled at me on both
occasions! I arrived home at 14:50 and had time in hand
before the show-court men’s singles matches commenced at Wimbledon. Djokovic was
playing his third round match today and his current coach was Andre
Agassi. |
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PHOTOS – Visit to Robin Dickin’s yard at Great Alne (Index) |
