DIARY – SANDOWN PARK – SEASON FINALE
SATURDAY 26 APRIL 2014
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Sire De
Grugy wins the Grade 1 Celebration Chase to end an
exceptional season for the horse, jockey and trainer Today was to be possibly my
penultimate visit to the races ahead of the quiet summer jumping period; with
maybe the final one being a visit to Kempton Park on Early Spring Bank
Holiday Monday. Everything had been
planned, I’d even treated myself to a Premier Enclosure ticket purchased
online on Easter Sunday, there being a note on Sandown’s website to the
effect that tickets for this particular enclosure were now strictly
limited. I’d never visited the Premier
Enclosure at the track, despite having been to the racecourse on a number of
occasions in the past. And I’d have to
collect the ticket on the day, having left too little time for it to be
posted to me. Also this year, the
fixture would consist of solely jump racing, not a mixed card as in previous
years. And I didn’t mind in the
least!!! Easter weekend hadn’t gone to
plan however, I’d decided against a trip to the Lambourn
Open Day having failed to find anyone to go with on this occasion. Saturday had been a ‘family’ day. Sunday might
have been a trip to Towcester but for the weather
and, in the event, all four of Choc’s intended
rides had been non-runners due to problems with the ground; so I’d saved
myself a wasted trip. I was hoping
Choc might be at Huntingdon on Bank Holiday Monday, but no, he went to
Chepstow instead. Although not my choice, this
had enabled me to work on my website, with the uploading of my Aintree photos
completed and one diary too, namely for Kempton Park on 15 March. I’d even completed my Newbury diary for 22
March bar the proofing by close of play on Thursday, ahead of my proposed
visit to Sandown. And everything was going
swimmingly up until Friday evening; Choc had ridden a winner at Chepstow on
his first ride of the evening (his 37th of the season with just one more day
to go), I’d chosen the outfit I’d wear on Saturday, my handbag had been
packed and all I needed now was a good night’s sleep ahead of my day out. Then at around 20:15 in the evening
with Choc aboard his last ride of the day, Say When in the National Hunt
Maiden Hurdle at Chepstow, everything came crashing down, literally in the
case of my gorgeous jockey. His mount
was travelling downhill to the far bend when he stumbled and fell; the
incident wasn’t even visible within camera shot, all I knew was that he was
no longer with the field as they entered the home straight. The legs of a horse could be seen at the
top of the TV screen, cantering out towards the far rail but, again, it was
impossible to ascertain whether he had a jockey on board. The atmospheric conditions at the
racecourse added to the mystery; a thick mist lingered in the dip within the
centre of the track and, every now and then, it spread its fingers out onto
the course itself. As the runners
passed the winning post, Travelling Head Lad Matt Howells and the stable
lad/lass could be seen standing against the nearside rail; it seemed as
though they were unsure as to why there was no sign of Choc and his mount. I checked the ATR and Racing Post
post-race comments to see what had been reported. ATR stated ‘Mid-division, jumped slowly 3rd, mid-division when stumbled and fell
on bend before 4 out’. The Racing Post website commented ‘Held up, stumbled and fell after 4th.’ Anyway, for some unknown reason, I stayed
tuned to ATR after the race finished despite the broadcast now concentrating
on the American racing which is of little interest to me. Then, at around 21:10 the studio presenter
announced that Choc had been taken to Frenchay
Hospital for precautionary x-rays. Oh
no, Choc may have been injured
again. In a way, I’d not expected any injury
to happen before the end of September, and the reason doesn’t actually make
any logical sense; but there has been a pattern on the last three occasions
when he’s had a long spell on the sidelines.
When he injured his knee in July 2010 Choc returned to action in early
December that year only to break his arm a year and a few days later. He returned to action again in mid to late
February 2012 and spent a serious-injury free year until breaking his arm
again on 04 March 2013. He returned to
action again on 17 September last year, therefore it’s been only 7½ months
since he returned to the saddle on this occasion … but would he have been
back in action at around this time last year if it had coincided with a major
Festival rather than the beginning of the quieter summer period thus making
it just over a year again? Very
strange coincidences. What should I do? Go to Sandown or not go to Sandown? I decided that I’d get up at the intended
time, prepare as usual, watch Channel 4’s The Morning Line in case of news,
and then make my decision. I actually
went to bed thinking it was probably 60/40 against my going ... but not
before I’d demolished an entire Easter Egg!
At times like this one needs Chocolate in all senses of the
word!!! Thus I awoke before 07:00,
showered, washed and dried my hair, ate a breakfast of two croissants, and
tuned- in to The Morning Line whilst logged onto my laptop ... and there was
still no news of Choc or resultant jockey changes. So I made the decision at 09:10 to log off
and complete my preparations for a day at the races. My outfit today was three
thermal t-shirts – purple, pink and violet – I was still not ready to give up
my insulation despite it being late April.
I also wore my black frill-edged cardigan, mauve and black flowered
M&S skirt, purple fleece, purple tights, black Clarks wedges, pink/mauve
scarf. But no gillet or
wristwarmers. I had a last minute
dither regarding coat – bargain black BHS one - or mauve jacket; I chose the
latter because the pattern on my skirt was more visible! Plus my favourite Fired Creations earrings
and necklace. And burgundy/brown/pink
handbag because there’s so much room in it! I set off at 09:50; gates
opening time was 11:00. My route took
me to Junction 22 of the M25 and around the anticlockwise carriageway to the
A3, Junction 10. There were no
problems on the motorway, just a suggested speed limit of 60 approaching the
M4 junction. Heading towards London I
left the carriageway at the second turning and took a left along Copsem Lane
towards Esher. A couple of riders
taking their horses for a hack crossed the road at Arbrook Common, the
vehicles ahead of me stopping to permit their passage across the road. A group of cyclists caused a
slight holdup to vehicles as they travelled towards the traffic lights at the
Milbourne Lane junction. Having
overtaken these, I soon arrived at the A307 Portsmouth Road, lining up in the
middle lane in order to drive straight across once the lights turned to
green, and taking the right-hand lane to cross over Lammas Lane and enter
More Lane. It’s picturesque at this point, with a church and pub overlooking
a triangle of green, hidden away behind the main shopping area of the
Portsmouth Road. Travelling down the hill I soon arrived
at the entrance on my right leading to the free car parking area; I drove
across the track to enter the area within.
It was 10:50; I thought it took longer to reach Sandown Park, but
perhaps I was thinking of Wimbledon further up the A3! Anyway, I was early enough to find parking
availability on the tarmac area adjacent to the golf centre. Wicked.
The same had happened in December on Tingle Creek day. I always used to park in this area, during
my first few visits to Sandown Park; after which the situation changed and it
was then reserved for, perhaps, members rather than just any Tom, Dick or
Harry! And reassuring on a very damp
day when there might be the possibility of requiring a tractor to pull vehicles
out of the mud! I parked up, next to the grass
area, facing towards the grandstands.
I spent a few minutes in the car before setting off to the Premier
entrance; I wasn’t sure where I needed to go to collect my ticket. A steward at that entrance re-directed me
to my usual entrance opposite the grandstand enclosure, saying that they’d
indicate which route I needed to take to get to the main foyer. So I asked there, was instructed to cross
the track as usual and then head over to the left, out through the gates and
into the main car park. I purchased a race-card enroute. What a pulavar??? Having entered through the doors
to the main foyer I glanced around but could not see a ticket collection
point for the general public. A
further steward noticed that I looked lost and re-directed me out through the
doors again and around to the right, where three kiosks were being used as
collection points; the nearest was surnames O to Z ... that’s me! I showed my credit card and driving licence
as identification and the guy in the kiosk rummaged through to find my lonely
single ticket, housed within a window envelope, which he handed to me. I entered via the turnstile and
climbed a flight of steps to reach the area beside the Parade Ring. A young lady scanned my ticket, once I’d
opened up the envelope to find it inside.
I then walked anticlockwise around the perimeter of the paddock to
reach the concourse area to the front of the podium where the annual award
presentations would take place at 13:00, after the Parade of Champion
horses. The heather plants around the
Parade Ring were in bloom, pale pink, along with yellow/orange coloured
pansies. The tree between the Weighing
Room and the Parade Ring was also in bloom – it’s a horse chestnut tree – I
love them when the candle blossom is in bloom. Gina Bryce and Luke Harvey were
broadcasting on behalf of the racecourse today. And Anthony Kemp was doing the
announcements; as well as announcing the afternoon’s non-runners, he also
announced three jockey changes – namely aboard the three horses due to be
ridden by Choc. Noel Fehily would now
ride Saint Jerome, Jamie Moore would ride Midnight Appeal and Wayne
Hutchinson would transfer to L’Unique, the Alan-King trained Vendor now being
a non-runner in the same race. But he
did say that Choc would be back in action again soon. There was a lady collecting for
the local hospice; she admired my earrings, lovely colours she said. And at 11:55 I noticed Wayne heading along
the terrace above the Parade Ring and beside the horse-walk, he was returning
from walking the course; this was before the jockey change announcements were
made. Replays of past Whitbread Gold
Cups (the bet365 Chase in its former guise) were being shown on the big
screen overlooking the paddock; these included Arkle (1965), Mill House
(1967), Andy Pandy (1977), Diamond Edge (1981), Special Cargo (1984), Lean Ar
Aghaidh (1987), Desert Orchid (1988), Mr Frisk (1990), Docklands Express
(1991), Topsham Bay (1992), Life Of A Lord (1996), and Ad Hoc (2003). The Parade of Champions began at
12:50. This featured the recently
retired Big Bucks, Dynaste, Silviniaco Conti, Taquin De Seuil, My Tent Or
Yours, The New One, Triolo D’Alene, Tidal Bay and Pineau De Re. During the
parade it was announced that 13-year-old Tidal Bay had been retired too. I was particularly taken with Taquin De
Seuil, he’s a beautiful horse. This was followed by the end of
season awards. First up was the award for Jumps Horse of the Year as voted
for by the public and sponsored by the Racing Post. Not surprisingly, it went to Sire De Grugy;
he would have been my choice too, if the software on my laptop had permitted
me to vote! I tried twice and it
didn’t work on either occasion; the Preston family and friends were on hand
to accept the award. The Sandown Park
Special award went to Sire De Grugy’s trainer, Gary Moore. This season’s Champion
Conditional jockey was Gavin Sheehan who, evidently, all the girls are now
after! Clare Balding presented the
Champion Owner award to JP McManus.
Champion Trainer was Paul Nicholls, having wrestled the title back
from Nicky Henderson. Champion jockey
for the 19th successive season was AP McCoy, the award presented by Charlie
George, ex-Arsenal footballer (having an older brother who supports the club
I remember him well). AP is a big
Arsenal fan. AP carried his baby son,
Archie, onto the podium with him. A
group photograph was taken of AP with his wife Chanelle, daughter Eve and son
and the trophy. Finally all the award winners
mounted the podium ahead of a group photograph. Following this I walked a short distance
along the concourse to pass through the entrance to the Premier Enclosure,
walking around to my left to take up a vantage point above the Parade Ring ahead
of the horses arriving therein prior to the first race. There was an Alan King
representative in this race, namely Ronaldinho to be ridden by Wayne
Hutchinson. This was also the event in
which Saint Jerome was due to take part; with Noel Fehily deputising for the
injured Choc. The favourite was
Dolores Delightful, trained by Nick Williams and ridden by Richard Johnson;
starting price 5-1. The last of the runners having
passed me by on their way to the racecourse, I set off to follow the crowds
as they headed towards the spectating areas within the Premier
Enclosure. We headed downhill and
around the side of the main grandstand, to the left was a smaller grandstand
consisting of hospitality boxes. After
a fairly level area of tarmac between the two buildings and an adjacent
picnic table area set upon grass, the land dropped away to the course-side
rails. Few people actually ventured
onto the latter area so, as I have no objection to climbing hills, I decided
to make this my vantage point during today’s races. The owners and trainers viewing
point was located to the nearside end within the main grandstand but I think
they actually prefer to remain on or close to the tarmac area between the two
grandstands, affording them quick and easy access to their charges as they
return along the horsewalk. This is
because on a number of occasions I found myself following or passing by them
on my way back to the Winners’ Enclosure! The starting gate
for this race was at the far end of the home straight, with this and one full
circuit to travel.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Saint Jerome, whose front-running style is a feature, and had helped
him gain three hurdle victories this season; two of these having taken place
at Ludlow under Choc. He was followed
by Dispour, Stiff Upper Lip, Fitzwilly
and Baradari.
Bringing up the rear were Vodka Wells and Raven’s Tower. Having cleared the first two flights
without incident, the horses headed up past the winning post with one full
circuit to travel. The leader held a
three length advantage over his rivals and Fitzwilly
had drifted back noticeably through the field. Having
reached the top turn, Saint Jerome jinked away slightly from the rails as he
reached the covered roadway crossing; possibly he’d noticed the three ground
staff standing close by in the in-field.
The runners headed downhill towards the bend into the back
straight. The leader still held a
clear advantage over Dispour and Baradari who disputed second. These in turn were a few lengths clear of
the main body of the field; Fitzwilly had continued
to lose ground and was soon at the rear. The
horses cleared the third flight without incident; Baradari
made a mistake at the fourth, Raven’s Tower at the next. The runners then travelled across the
intersection with the chase track and headed towards the last flight in the
back straight. Saint Jerome pressed
on, continuing to lead from Dispour, Baradari, Dolores Delightful, Ronaldinho,
Keltus, Stiff Upper Lip, Sleepy Haven, Vodka Wells,
Stephen Hero, Raven’s Tower and Ballyglasheen; Fitzwilly was detached in rear. Heading
into the far turn, Saint Jerome held a three length advantage over his nearest
rivals, which remained Dispour, Baradari
and Dolores Delightful. However, having entered the home straight and begun
the gallop to the second last, there was a group of runners queuing up behind
him ready to make a challenge. As they
neared this flight, Dispour, Ronaldinho
and Keltus were almost upsides; Sleepy Haven and
Dolores Delightful in his slipstream, with Raven’s Tower to the inside. Saint
Jerome and Dispour jumped the flight in unison,
with AP’s mount beginning to assert on their run to the final obstacle;
although his mount did wander off a straight line and slightly into the path
of the long-time leader as the Champion Jockey gave his mount a right-handed
a crack with his whip. The runners
cleared the last, Dispour now with a couple of lengths
advantage; the closing Sleepy Haven was a little awkward here, losing a bit
of momentum. AP
drove his tiring mount up the hill and hung on to win by half a length from
the running-on Sleepy Haven. Saint
Jerome stayed on bravely to claim 3rd, with the grey Keltus
4th and Dolores Delightful 5th. Ronaldinho weakened on the run-in to finish 8th.
I did my usual route march back. This involved a climb up the grassy slope,
then uphill beside the horse-walk, across the pathway leading to the Parade
Ring, then a left turn and downhill to ‘amphitheatre’
surrounding the Winners’ Enclosure. Once the winner had been led back to the stables,
I headed back to the raised area above the Parade Ring in preparation for the
runners arriving ahead of the second race of the day. The favourite for this event was the Nicky
Henderson-trained Hunt Ball ridden by Barry Geraghty,
starting price 2-1. I was more clued up about moving the few short
metres from the rails above the Parade Ring to the rails beside the horse-walk
prior to the second race of the day and was therefore in time to see each of
the five runners pass by. The starting gate for the next race was in the
back straight, with six of the seven fences jumped therein; the horses
therefore turned left upon exiting the walkway to head to the start.
Then
they were off. Gullinbursti
and Rolling Aces jumped the first in unison; Hunt Ball disputing last place,
jumped the first slowly and lost a length on the field. Having clearing the initial obstacle, the
Emma Lavelle representative then went into a clear lead as they approached
the open-ditch; they all cleared this well.
The third fence was the water-jump, after which they headed towards
the first of the railway fences. The
leader put in a short-stride at the first of these, and was therefore less
than fluent. Having
cleared the next two railway fences, Rolling Aces was again travelling
upsides Gullinbursti and continued to do so as they
negotiated the far bend and headed towards the Pond fence; the latter jumped
into the lead once more. The runners
cleared the next and angled out towards the second open-ditch; the leader
giving this obstacle plenty of air as he jumped it. The
pace steady, the five runners were travelling well within themselves as they
passed the winning post with one circuit to go. Gullinbursti
still led, from Rolling Aces, with Hunt Ball, Menorah and Maggio
disputing last place. Having crossed
the roadway, the horses headed downhill, Aidan Coleman pressing on to make
the most of the momentum gained on this stretch of the track. All five successfully negotiated the
downhill fence, Menorah jumping upsides Rolling Aces as they cleared it. It
was time for Richard Johnson’s mount to continue his progress through the
small field; he flew the first in the back straight and was now travelling
upsides the leader’s quarters. Gullinbursti was less than fluent at the 12th, enabling
Menorah to gain ground in the air before the former went on again heading
towards the final open-ditch where Menorah again out-jumped his rival. Richard
Johnson bided his time as the field cleared the water-jump and travelled on
to reach the railway fences; he jumped into the lead at the first of these
and also met the following two on a good stride. All five having negotiated the last of the
obstacles in the back straight, Gullinbursti
received a reminder heading into the far turn. The leader pressed on, Aidan Coleman’s
mount continued in second position, with Hunt Ball third, Rolling Aces losing
touch in fourth and Maggio fifth. Barry
Geraghty took his mount wide on the approach to the
Pond fence, but he almost bumped into Gullinbursti
as they jumped it; ahead, the leader wasn’t particularly fluent at this
obstacle. However, Richard Johnson’s
mount continued to put distance between himself and his pursuers having
cleared two out; the jockey peering below his right arm to check on his
rivals. Aidan Coleman rousted his
mount to make another effort and had soon shaken off Hunt Ball once more. Menorah
popped over the last with ease, and galloped on up the hill towards the line;
his jockey checking first left, then right, to ensure there was no danger
before easing down just before the winning post; he won by 17 lengths! Gullinbursti
claimed 2nd, with Hunt Ball 3rd and Rolling Aces 4th.
The runners having passed the line, I route
marched back to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Menorah return, before
repositioning to the raised area above the Parade Ring. Then, once the horses
began their journey along the horse-walk, I transferred to the railings
opposite to get a close view of the horses as they passed by. The next race, the Celebration Chase, had been
upgraded to Grade 1 this year, from being a Grade 2 last year. The event starred Sire De Grugy, voted the Jump Racehorse of the Year. Australia Day and Claret Cloak were
non-runners and no surprise that Gary Moore’s charge was the 2-7 favourite to
win the event for the second year running.
The two mile starting gate is positioned at the
far end of the home straight, the horses cantering down past the grandstand
to reach it.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Special Tiara, to the inside almost upsides was the first-time hooded
Kauto Stone, Pepite Rose
travelled in third position, behind her French Opera, to his inside Lancetto and, on the inner, Sire De Grugy. The horses cleared the first two fences
without incident, the second of which is an open-ditch, before galloping up
past the crowded enclosures towards the winning post; just one circuit to go. Heading
up towards the top turn, Special Tiara held a three lengths lead over Kauto Stone and Pepite Rose who
disputed second position; three across the track in rear, from the inside
rail, were Sire De Grugy, Lancetto
and French Opera. Having negotiated
the covered roadway, the field headed downhill to the third fence; the leader
stuttered into it slightly, making the necessary adjustments to clear it
without problem. Turning the far
corner, Pepite Rose travelled up into second
position. The runners then began their
journey along the back straight. There
was no change in the order as the horses successfully negotiated the next
three fences with ease; the last of these three the second and final
open-ditch, which Sire De Grugy reached for
slightly. They then headed to the
water-jump, the favourite now in a clear fourth position; French Opera at the
rear of the field. The
runners soon reached the first of the railway fences; Pepite
Rose got a little too close to this one, with debris launched in her
wake. Kauto
Stone wasn’t fluent at the middle one.
The Irish raider continued to lead as the runners headed into the far
turn. Sire De Grugy
had travelled up to join Kauto Stone and Pepite Rose, the former to his inside, the latter to his
outside. Lancetto
was two or three lengths behind these and the elder statesman, French Opera,
was being ridden along a few lengths in rear.
Pepite Rose had drawn
level with Special Tiara as they jumped the Pond fence; Sire De Grugy almost upsides between them. Heading into the final bend, the mare and
the favourite moved ahead, disputing the lead as they approached two
out. Pepite
Rose took the lead due to a better jump at this fence, Sire De Grugy having got in a little too close. However, the latter soon asserted, as Aidan
Coleman gave his mount three cracks with his whip. The
Jump Horse of the Year was a length up clearing the last, although he did
jump slightly out to his left and into the path of Pepite
Rose. Jamie Moore rode his mount out
to the line, winning by 3¼ lengths, from Pepite
Rose. Special Tiara stayed on to claim
3rd prize, with Lancetto in 4th. French Opera completed in 5th with Kauto Stone in last place.
Jamie
Moore rode his mount down past the grandstand to accept the applause of
spectators before entering the horse-walk. On
this occasion, having walked part-way back to the Winners’ Enclosure, I
waited for Sire De Grugy to pass by before
completing the journey. As a result, I
was unable to reach my usual vantage point before the crowds of spectators
had closed in upon the area and I was left to take up a position a number of
metres back from the rails and closer to the runner-up and third placed
horses’ designated unsaddling areas. It
was now time for the feature event of the day, the bet365 Handicap Chase;
otherwise known as the Whitbread Gold Cup by all of us golden oldies!!! Alan King had two runners in this race, Godsmejudge to be ridden by Wayne Hutchinson and, as
mentioned earlier, Midnight Appeal to be ridden by Jamie Moore deputising for
Choc. There was one non-runner,
Twirling Magnet. There
were four 8-1 co-favourites for this event, Ardkilly
Witness representing the Grand National-winning trainer Dr Richard Newland,
Burton Port ridden by AP McCoy, Roalco De Farges ridden by Richard Johnson and Same Difference ridden
by Sam Twiston-Davies. It
began to spit with rain as the horses headed down the walkway to the
racecourse; so, not surprisingly, the lense of my
camera began to mist up. This is
beginning to become a bit of a problem ... I want a bridge camera! I’m currently mulling over whether to spend
my £150 PC World voucher on a new laptop or a bridge camera. Anyway,
it had turned into a proper April shower by the time I reached my vantage
point on the slope in front of the hospitality boxes. Having exited onto the racecourse and
arranged themselves in number order, apart from Bury Parade who’d gone to the
start early, the pre-race parade began.
I have to mention that it was a little pointless, as the horses broke
the line and began to canter down once they’d reached the area immediately in
front of me so they didn’t even get to the main grandstand before their pace
had increased! Fortunately
the rain soon eased, and a rainbow could be seen in the distance arcing over
the starting gate at the far end of the home straight!
The
horses wheeled into the start and they were off, spread wide across the
track. The hooded Bury Parade
consenting to start too; which he’d refused to do three runs ago! To the inside of the course, Opening
Batsman probably held the call as they headed to the first fence; also in the
front line at this stage were Ardkilly Witness,
Same Difference, Spring Heeled, Carruthers, Poungach, Godsmejudge and Houblon Des Obeaux. Having
cleared the first okay, the latter stumbled a few strides after it, ejecting
Aidan Coleman out over his left shoulder.
Aidan had spent the least time of any of the jockeys in the saddle
prior to the race, walking beside his mount as it was led down the horse-walk
to the racecourse; presumably wishing to give his mount the best possible
chance prior to carrying top weight in the race. The plan had backfired. Stable-mate Summery Justice avoided the
prostrate jockey, although pilot Liam Treadwell did glance back to check upon
his colleague; Aidan was fine and walked away. The
runners headed towards the open-ditch which all the runners jumped okay;
Opening Batsman had the lead, from Spring Heeled, Carruthers
and Same Difference. Bringing up the
rear were Midnight Appeal and Summery Justice; Godsmejudge
travelled in eighth position, on the outside of the field. The horses travelled up past the winning
post, around the bend, crossed the covered roadway and headed downhill
towards the third fence. Opening
Batsman held a clear advantage of around four lengths over the field. The
runners cleared the fence without problem although Summery Justice was a
little slow in rear. The loose horse
bypassed the obstacle but rejoined the field before the inside rail
re-commenced to guide the runners around the corner and into the back
straight. Travelling on the outside of
the field, Restless Harry clobbered the first in the back straight and lost a
number of lengths. The leader fenced a
little slowly at the next, which allowed the field to close upon him. The loose horse continued to jump the
fences; he was at the rear of the field.
They
headed to the second open-ditch where, on the inside of the runners, Same
Difference made an error which caused him to drop back to worse than
mid-division. By the time they’d
reached the water-jump, Emperor’s Choice had become detached from the back of
the field; Opening Batsman continued to lead, from Carruthers,
Spring Heeled, Burton Port and Godsmejudge. They headed to the railway fences. There were no serious errors at any of
these, although Tom Scudamore’s mount continued to
jump slowly at the rear of the field. Travelling
around the far turn, both Hadrian’s Approach and Midnight Appeal had improved
their positions within the field.
Summery Justice made an error at the Pond fence. Turning into the home straight, Opening
Batsman held a clear lead from Carruthers, Spring
Heeled, Godsmejudge and Ardkilly
Witness. All the horses cleared the
next without problem; reins swinging, the loose Houblon
Des Obeaux nearly tripped himself as he continued
to chase the field. Jumping
the open-ditch, Godsmejudge skewed slightly in the
air with Wayne almost going out of the nearside door! Fortunately he recovered and soon continued
on an even keel once more. There was
no change at the head of affairs as the runners headed up past the winning
post with one circuit to go; Carruthers and Godsmejudge sharing second position from Spring Heeled
and Burton Port. Robbie Dunne pulled
up Rigadin De Beauchene
after the ditch; time for an early bath for that runner having lost
touch. Both Emperor’s Choice and Same
Difference gave up the ghost before the next too. So then there were fifteen to tackle the
final circuit. The
runners continued to the downhill fence, where both Bury Parade and Summery
Justice put in slow leaps at the rear of the field. The horses then negotiated the turn and
headed into the back straight. Opening
Batsman continued to lead from Burton Port, Carruthers
and Godsmejudge; with a slow jump at the next, the
leader was joined by AP’s mount. All
the runners cleared the following two fences safely, Nick Scholfield’s
mount continuing to nose ahead on the flat, with Burton Port gaining ground
in the air each time. The
field cleared the water-jump and headed to the railway fences for the final
time; where Burton Port disputed the lead with Opening Batsman. Close on their heels were Carruthers, Godsmejudge and Ardkilly Witness.
One of the greys, Rose Of The Moon, was at the back of the field; just
ahead of him, Poungach and Summery Justice. By the time they had cleared the last of
the railway fences, Roalco De Farges
had progressed into third position. The
field headed around the long sweeping bend at the end of the back straight; Ardkilly Witness, Godsmejudge
and Hadrian’s Approach were all being ridden along in fourth, fifth and sixth
respectively and received backhanders from their jockeys before they had
reached the Pond fence. Midnight Appeal travelled in eighth position and he,
too, received an encouraging smack from his jockey. Having tailed off, both Rose Of The Moon
and Bury Parade were pulled up before jumping this fence. Burton
Port assumed the lead as he jumped the Pond fence, Roalco
De Farges now his closest pursuer as Opening
Batsman began to fade. However, Barry Geraghty continued to roust his mount and closed upon the
leader. Staying on from the back of
the field, Restless Harry began to get into contention too. Hadrian’s Approach took over in second
place when a slow jump from Roalco De Farges stopped his momentum at the penultimate
fence. Barry’s mount was still one
length adrift as they cleared the final fence, with Restless Harry and Godsmejudge a further length back; Roalco
De Farges had faded into fifth position by this
point. It
was a long run to the line and, of course, uphill all the way. Hadrian’s Approach was driven out strongly
by his jockey to mount a challenge to the nearside and, despite the best
efforts of AP McCoy and rallying slightly as the line approached, the tired
Burton Port could find little more. He
went down by ¾ of a length at the line.
But, if it’s any consolation, his jockey stayed within the whip
strokes limit ... which wasn’t the case for the winning jockey! Following
Godsmejudge’s brave runner-up effort to defend his
Scottish National title just two weeks ago, and after a season when apart
from that and his first outing, his runs had been under par, Wayne’s mount
claimed 3rd place, a head in front of Restless Harry. Spring Heeled claimed 5th for Ireland, with
Summery Justice never nearer in 6th.
Midnight Appeal finished last of the 13 which completed. It
had been 25 years since Nicky Henderson had trained his one winner of this
race with Brown Windsor in 1989 and it was a first victory in the event for
Barry Geraghty.
Another first for the jockey, who rode his first Irish Grand National
winner the previous Monday with Shutthefrontdoor
for Jonjo O’Neill.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back therein
before heading back to the area overlooking the Parade Ring ahead of the
fifth race. News from
the Stewards Room: The
Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Barry Geraghty, the rider of the winner, HADRIAN’S APPROACH
(IRE), from having jumped the second last. Having heard his evidence and
viewed recordings of the race, they found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part
2 in that he used his whip above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Geraghty for 9 days as follows: Saturday 10, Sunday 11,
Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, Thursday 15, Friday 16, Saturday 17 and
Sunday 18 May 2014. Under Rule (B)54 the Stewards also fined the rider £3150.
The
Alan King entry in the next race was Medinas; the favourite being Southfield
Theatre at 15-8. Another
race where the competitors turned left having exited onto the
racecourse. They then cantered up
around the top bend to reach the starting gate, with three hurdles to jump in
the back straight before the far turn.
Then
they were off; Southfield Theatre poaching a few lengths at the start. Medinas led the
small but select group, followed by Polly Peacham,
Clerk’s Choice and Clondaw Kaempfer. All the runners were hurdling well as they
cleared the first two flights, crossed the chase course intersection and
headed towards the final flight before the far bend; the mare jumped this
more fluently than her nearest rival, Clerk’s Choice. The
field galloped around the long sweeping bend and into the home straight; the
pennant-tailed Southfield Theatre lobbing along happily at the head of
affairs. Is it a throw-back to
racehorses’ Arab bloodlines or a counterbalance in this instance to a fairly
high head-carriage? Ears pricked, he
headed towards the next flight, where Polly Peacham
was the least fluent of the five; Clerk’s Choice was the least convincing at
the next. The
runners headed up in front of the grandstand and past the winning post with
one circuit to go; there was no change at the head of affairs. They continued up around the top bend,
crossed the covered roadway and headed downhill; the field stretching out as
they gained momentum towards right-handed corner. Into the back straight they turned, with
four flights ahead of them on this part of the track. The
pace had increased, Southfield Theatre with a three or four lengths advantage
over Clerk’s Choice and Medinas disputing second
position, Polly Peacham followed these, with Clondaw Kaempfer bringing up
the rear but only by a length. The
horses cleared the next flight in their stride; the leader less than fluent
at the next, his hind-legs momentarily breaking stride as he landed. The
field headed towards the final flight before the intersection, where both
Southfield Theatre and Polly Peacham made slight errors. The runners had bunched up as they
approached three out. There were no
problems at the flight; Wayne Hutchinson reorganising his reins as they
headed into the final turn with no more than three lengths covering the
field. They
entered the home straight, Southfield Theatre drifting across to the nearside
as they headed towards the penultimate flight; Wayne switching his mount when
trying to mount a challenge. It was
Clerk’s Choice who travelled almost upsides as they jumped the flight; Medinas’ challenge soon petered out. The leader, although still retaining a half
length advantage, began to drift back towards the centre line again as they
approached the last. They
jumped the last, Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount slightly
ahead, from Clerk’s Choice to the far side, and Polly Peacham
now mounting her challenge to the nearside having switched. It was nip and tuck up the run-in, the mare
continued to gain ground on the leader but, despite appearing to dislike
being slapped with a whip and the resultant tail swishing, he held on to win
by a short-head. Clerk’s Choice
claimed 3rd, with Clondaw Kaempfer
4th and Medinas fading to finish last of the
5. A
consolation prize for being narrowly beaten in the Pertemps
Final at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Having
climbed to the top of the grass embankment and begun my walk back to the
Winners’ Enclosure, Paul Nicholls crossed my path as he went to greet his
victorious charge. Having
seen the winning horse arrive back, I then returned to the area overlooking
the Parade Ring ahead of the penultimate race of the day. The
5-2 favourite for this event was Vesperal Dream,
trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies;
Sound Investment also represented the yard.
Trainer Nick Gifford, son of Josh who the race commemorated, had a
runner in the race too, Christopher Wren in the colours of JP McManus; the
horse had won on the flat at Windsor earlier in the month! Having
reached the end of the walkway, the horses turned left and cantered up around
the top bend to reach the starting gate; the first fence in this event was
the first of the railway fences.
Having taken photographs of all bar one of the competitors (namely
Massena), I headed down to today’s vantage point on the embankment beyond the
winning post.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Sound Investment and Foundation Man; in midfield Kitegen
and De Blacksmith bumped each other as they cleared the first fence. A bit of dust and debris rose from the
second fence as the runners cleared it, possibly caused by Sound Investment. Having cleared the last of the railway
fences, Foundation Man took the lead before Massena crept up his inside to
dispute it on the run to the Pond fence.
All the runners cleared this obstacle successfully. They
headed around the turn and into the home straight on the first occasion;
Christopher Wren and De Blacksmith brought up the rear, the latter the least
fluent of all the runners at the fences.
The horses continued up towards the grandstand enclosures, clearing a
plain fence and then the open ditch; Foundation Man and Massena continuing to
lead at a steady pace with the remainder of the field in close
attendance. The
runners headed past the winning post and up around the top turn, over the
covered roadway and headed downhill towards the next fence. Massena led the way, from Foundation Man; Ballincurrig and Sound Investment disputed third
position, Vesperal Dream came next, from Kitegen, Christopher Wren and De Blacksmith. Whereas the leader shortened his stride to
clear the fence, Foundation Man flew it.
The runners then headed into the back straight, where the same thing
happened at the next obstacle and AP’s mount took the lead. However,
Foundation Man took off a little too early at the next, lost a bit of
momentum and permitted Massena to draw alongside and soon take the lead once
more; at the back of the field De Blacksmith made an error. The horses then cleared the water-jump,
went through their starting point and arrived at the first of the railway
fences again. Heading over these, Ballincurrig came through to join the two leaders; AP
McCoy administering a couple of backhanders to his mount as they entered the
far turn. By
dint of holding the inside line Massena initially held the advantage, but as
they straightened up heading towards the Pond fence, both Ballincurrig
and Kitegen advanced to dispute the lead; although
the latter was a little untidy jumping the fence. Massena weakened very
quickly and found himself in last place entering the home straight. Ballincurrig, Kitegen, Sound Investment and Christopher Wren began to
put distance between themselves and the remaining runners having cleared the
penultimate fence. Heading
to the last it was Christopher Wren who began to close on the Dan Skelton
runner, and was just a length behind as they jumped the final obstacle. It was heads down for the jockeys as they
drove their respective mounts up the hill towards the line, the JP McManus
runner gaining with every stride and the horses converging as they did
so. Then, just as it seemed that Ballincurrig had no more to give, and with Christopher
Wren close upsides, he pulled out just enough to fight off the challenge,
prevailing by a neck at the line. Sound
Investment finished 3rd, with Kitegen 4th and De
Blacksmith never nearer in 5th.
On
this occasion it was time for me to keep pace with Jonjo
O’Neill as he strode back ahead of me, returning to greet his unplaced
charge, Foundation Man, in the area beneath the trees at the top of the
Parade Ring exit/entry path. Earlier
in the afternoon, it had been Marcus Armytage who
I’d followed back to the Winners’ Enclosure after one of the races. Having
seen the winning horse unsaddled within the Winners’ enclosure, I returned to
the area above the Parade Ring ahead of the runners arriving therein prior to
the final race of the day. There
were four non-runners in this event, including the Alan King second-string
Vendor, Wayne Hutchinson’s originally intended ride. This left him free to take the ride aboard
the top weight, the mare L’Unique, deputising for
Choc. The favourite for this event was
the Paul Nicholls representative Ceasar Milan,
ridden by Harry Derham, priced 4-1. Having
seen the horses pass by on their way down the horse-walk, I headed off to
take up my usual vantage point on the raised embankment beyond the winning
post. To
reach the starting gate, having turned right upon exiting onto the
racecourse, the horses cantered down past the grandstands beside the
nearside-side rail. They then turned
the corner just beyond the Pond, headed across the hurdles track and onto a
narrow, railed track across the centre of the racecourse. Cones marked out the route as they crossed
the flat sprint track, and again as they cantered across the golf course to
reach the back straight. The
competitors then turned left to reach the 2 miles 4 furlongs hurdles starting
gate. It
was soon time for the heavens to open once again; these April showers are
annoying!
Then they were off. The runners were led away by Ceasar Milan who had poached an easy lead at the
start. He held a few lengths advantage
over Phantom Prince, from L’Unique, Kaylif Aramis, Cash And Go,
Henryville, Vasco Du Ronceray, Leo Luna and the
grey Vaxalco.
The horses crossed the chase course intersection and then headed
without incident over the first flight of hurdles before entering the far
bend. The pace was steady as they journeyed around the
turn, the rain now in their faces, then they began their progress up the
straight; Ceasar Milan continued at the head of
affairs, with Vaxalco still at the rear of the
field. The leader’s ears were pricked
as they headed towards the second flight, which all the runners cleared with
assurance. No problems were
experienced by the runners as they hurdled over the next flight. The prevailing weather conditions on track were
rather unpleasant as the horses galloped up past the winning post and set out
on the final circuit; fortunately my umbrella was keeping me mainly dry as I
stood out in the open upon the embankment.
Having crossed the covered roadway, the runners
headed downhill. Sam Twiston-Davies took advantage of the momentum gained on
this part of the track to overtake those ahead of him and take up the
advantage as they headed around the bend and into the back straight; Vasco Du
Ronceray also took closer order at this time. The visibility was poor, but Kaylif
Aramis led over the next flight, from Ceasar Milan, Phantom Prince, Vasco Du Ronceray upsides L’Unique, Cash
And Go who was less than fluent, Henryville, Leo Luna and Vaxalco. Barry Geraghty’s
mount hit the next flight. About eight
lengths covered the field as they headed over the sixth flight and crossed
the chase course intersection once more.
It was still raining hard as they reached and jumped the next flight,
the final one in the back straight; Phantom Prince flattened one of its
panels. Heading around the final turn, the field was
still led by Kaylif Aramis
and Ceasar Milan; behind these travelled Phantom
Prince, from Vasco Du Ronceray, L’Unique,
Cash And Go, Henryville, Vaxalco and the bumped
along Leo Luna. The runners entered
the home straight and headed towards the penultimate flight; the first horse
beaten was Kaylif Aramis,
for he soon lost his place as both Phantom Prince to the near side and L’Unique to the far side, offered up their challenge to Ceasar Milan. Having cleared the flight Phantom Prince took the
lead, Wayne Hutchinson’s mount continuing to press him as they drew towards
the last. L’Unique
was just starting to prevail when Phantom Prince’s jumping let him down and
he capsized on landing over it. This
left the mare with a considerable lead over the pursuing Cash And Go and Ceasar Milan, the latter fortunately narrowly missed the
fallen horse as it rose to its feet, none the worse for the mishap. This left L’Unique to
stretch away from the field on the run-up to the line; her winning margin 8
lengths. Cash And Go claimed 2nd from Ceasar Milan and Vasco Du Ronceray. Having badly faded in the home straight, Kaylif Aramis was pulled up
before the last.
As
I arrived at the tarmac area just above the grass embankment immediately following
the race, Alan King and the winning horse’s connections were just ahead of me
receiving congratulations. Whilst the
trainer headed over to greet L’Unique on the
walkway, I turned left and headed back in the direction of the Winners’
Enclosure. I stopped part way through
my walk to take a photograph of Wayne and L’Unique
as they passed by, but I still arrived beside the Winners’ Enclosure in time
to see the victors return; it had been another route march by yours truly. The
mare having been unsaddled and memento photographs having been taken, Wayne
went to weigh in before he returned to join Alan and connections on the
podium for the prize presentations. And
I have to mention that I thought it was good that the races were won by seven
different stables; namely Donald McCain, Philip Hobbs, Gary Moore, Nicky
Henderson, Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton and Alan King. Racing
over, I headed back to the main foyer to join the queue for the ladies’ loo;
it stretched out through the door. I
probably queued for around 10 minutes; job done I headed through the double
doors dividing the foyer and the cafe area within the Surrey Hall; it was
very noisy, loud music blaring, as Toby Anstis was
hosting the after-party celebrations within it. I
headed across the hall and out of the nearest door which overlooked the
grandstand betting ring. As I walked
down the slope I rummaged for a coin to put into the collection bucket; a
lady was standing close to the racecourse crossing point. There were an additional couple of
collectors on the far side of the track too, when I reached it. I
turned left and walked along the driveway towards the car parking area,
although I had to resort to walking upon the grass for part of the way due to
a tailback of stationary vehicles.
Traffic was also gridlocked queuing to leave the tarmac area where my
car was parked. There was absolutely no point in even starting the engine
once I’d returned to my car. It was
time to eat the four cheese rolls I’d brought with me; four sounds a lot but
they were only small submarine rolls. With
the last race being at 17:30, I must have arrived back at my car before
18:00. Whilst I was waiting for the
queues to shorten, I checked my old ‘pay
as you go’ mobile phone – the one I use for phone calls and texting as
opposed to the smartphone I use solely for
twitter! There was a message from
fellow Choc fan Sally Meek relaying information regarding Choc’s
injury as reported by Clare Balding during Channel 4’s racing coverage. Oh dear, it didn’t sound good. Broken ribs, a bruised spinal cord and a
chipped C4 vertebra; he had been detained in Frenchay
Hospital in Bristol. I tweeted a
message to him. I
still needed to get home. So I waited
... and I waited ... and I waited. In
fact it was two or three minutes to seven before I switched on the engine; in
know this because there was a clock on the grandstand right in front of
me! I drove up the tarmac, turned
right and up the slope to cross the racecourse track. There were maybe half a dozen cars queued
ahead of me to join More Lane. A
steward was enquiring of drivers whether they wanted to turn left or right
upon reaching the road. The car in
front wanted to turn right, so was able to skip the queue. I told him that unfortunately I had to turn
left, because I needed to return to the M25. However,
it didn’t actually take that long to reach the one-way system, cross over
into the far lane, and then keep to the left as the lane divided upon
approach to the traffic lights upon the Portsmouth Road. Once these turned to green, I turned right,
manoeuvring around a parked taxi which obstructed the curb-side of the
lane. Why do drivers park to cause an
obstruction? I clearly remember having
the same problem at the same place the last time I visited Sandown Park! And you have to be careful swinging out
around it because there are two lanes of traffic heading in the same
direction. Anyway,
I then turned left and headed down to the traffic lights at the Milbourne Lane junction, retracing this morning’s route
back to the roundabout below the A3.
Having negotiated this, I drove up the slip-road, joined the main road
and headed south-westwards towards the M25.
Taking a further slip-road to reach the roundabout below the A3
flyover I turned right and joined the clockwise carriageway of the
motorway. There
were no problems on the M25, and my journey to Junction 22 went smoothly with
no hold-ups. And I have to say that it
was a pleasure to drive home before sunset! Having left the motorway, I travelled up the
London Colney bypass and into the London Road
heading home. I don’t know whether it
is superstition, but I like to retrace my steps when close to home, and today
was no different. I
arrived home just before 20:00; proof that, with no delays, it takes an hour
to reach Sandown Park and vice versa.
Supper was salad, with a baked potato with grated cheese upon it; the
heat melting the cheese. That’s a
mega-dose of cholesterol in the past couple of hours! It
was then time to log on to my laptop to update my blog, and check for any
news of Choc. ATR reported that he’d
suffered a broken rib, and damage to one of his vertebrae; a small chip on C4
(that’s the centre one in his neck).
The hospital would be keeping him in for a couple of days; he was
still on a spinal board according to Alan King when interviewed, and in a bit
of pain. No wonder he’d not tweeted
any messages since his mishap.
I
uploaded my Sandown photos too, and I recall feeling so tired that I actually
placed cushions on the floor and dozed off to sleep for a while before
finishing off my tasks, logging off and going to bed! Sunday
was spent compiling the 2013/2014 season statistics and updating my website
accordingly. Choc got a mention on
ATR’s Sunday Forum, in respect of currently injured jockeys. Racing journalist Alan Lee mentioned that
Alan King had told him that Choc has the highest pain threshold of anyone he
knows. At
tea-time, Choc tweeted to thank everyone for their kind messages and to say
he was now out of hospital and hoped to see a specialist the following day. Also
note to self; when visiting Sandown Park on the next occasion I will also
purchase a Premier ticket, as I rather liked today’s viewing options. And I noticed that I made a number of
appearances on the RUK coverage too, easily spotted because I was wearing my
mauve jacket! The
solely National hunt card, rather than mixed jump and flat racing had proved
very popular. Okay, so there was no
opportunity for an eighth race involving jump vs
flat jockeys riding against each other but the crowd was reported to be
almost 13,000 today, which was 2,000 more than last year; advanced ticket
sales were much greater too. On
the Monday following this fixture it was announced that Sam Twiston-Davies had been officially appointed as Paul
Nicholls’ first jockey for the 2014/2015 season, replacing Daryl Jacob who
was currently on the sidelines having been injured in a freak accident at the
Cheltenham Festival. The latter had
been offered the role of second jockey but had declined, preferring to go
freelance instead. There
was a sad postscript to the final race, with Kaylif
Aramis losing his life as a result of a freak
accident the following week; it was reported he broke his shoulder and had to
be put to sleep. L Click here for photos – Parade of Champions and End of Season Awards Click here for photos – Races 1 & 2 Click here for photos – Race 3 – Celebration Chase Click here for photos – Race 4 – bet365 Gold Cup Click here for photos – Race 5 & 6 Click here for photos – Race 7 – L’Unique wins |
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