MAY 2012
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Thursday 31 May
2012 |
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Two
runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Wetherby Sapphire
Moon (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (9 ran). Ffos Las 17:05 Consult (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 8th in the Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Just one
National Hunt fixture in the UK tomorrow, at Stratford. It’s Hunter Chase evening, so only 3 races
for professional jockeys and one runner of interest: 20:50
Tower (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap
Hurdle A number
of Barbury Castle inmates went to the sales this
week: Rivermouth was purchased for
£5,500 by Laura Mongan Dineur was purchased for
£12,000 by P Bowen Esq. Soleil D’Avril was purchased for £7,500 by Tim Easterby Sedano was purchased for
£5,500 by Neville Ender (a northern based point-to-point commentator
evidently) Tuscan
Gold was purchased for £30,000 by Laura Mongan Torphichen was purchased for
£44,000 by JP McManus’ racing manager, Frank Berry (the Million In Mind Partnership
always sell their horses at the end of the season) Alan King
purchased Henry San for £25,000 Here is
the link to the catalogue; I find it interesting to see the names of horses I
know changing hands. http://www.dbsauctions.com/catalogue.aspx?saleId=243&saletype=HIT I thought the weather was due to be okay this
coming weekend, although not as hot as recently. However, having seen the forecast for the
southeast it now appears that Saturday is to be dry, with rain on Sunday and
Monday and Tuesday! The weather will
improve on Wednesday. Typical. |
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Wednesday 30 May
2012 |
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Today one runner
of interest, at Newton Abbot: Mister Chancer (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Beginners’
Chase (4 ran). Two
runners of interest tomorrow: Wetherby 17:55
Sapphire Moon (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Ffos Las 17:05 Consult (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap Hurdle Martin Keighley wrote in today’s blog that
Monty’s Revenge burst a blood vessel yesterday, which accounted for his very
disappointing run at Huntingdon. |
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Tuesday 29 May
2012 |
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Four
runners of interest at Huntingdon
this
evening and this is how they fared: Yvonne
Evelyn (Alan King/Choc) was pulled up & Brimham
Boy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th in
the Handicap Chase (8 ran). Cool Steel
(Alan King/Choc) was pulled up & Monty’s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 8th in the Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). Tomorrow
just one runner of interest, at Newton Abbot: 14:30 Mister Chancer
(Alan King/Choc) – Beginners’ Chase |
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Monday 28 May
2012 |
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Four
runners of interest at Huntingdon
tomorrow
evening: 20:25
Yvonne Evelyn (Alan King/Choc) & Brimham Boy
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Handicap Chase 20:55 Cool Steel (Alan King/Choc) & Monty’s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Handicap
Hurdle |
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Sunday 27 May
2012 |
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One runner
of interest at Fakenham this afternoon: Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) fell in the Handicap Chase (10 ran). Grumeti was beaten a
short-head in a 1 mile 4 furlong Handicap at Goodwood
yesterday. No
National Hunt racing tomorrow. Choc and William
have spent a lovely weekend in Leicestershire with his parents; Choc’s uploaded a number of photographs on twitter too. http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/206781421115817984/photo/1 http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/206420339884957696/photo/1 http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/206664189790519296/photo/1 Choc has
been travelling down ‘memory lane’
today, as it was the Belvoir Hunt’s Open Day; he’s also uploaded a number of
related photos if you search for them. I went for a walk this morning, around 5 or 6
miles distance. It was so hot that my
fingers swelled up and felt like sausages; that’s the first time that’s
happened. Fortunately after I’d taken
a shower and rested for about an hour they returned to normal and I was able
to continue with my cross-stitch project once more. As there was nothing on TV of interest yesterday
evening, I finally watched the War Horse DVD.
I’m not sure whether I liked the film or not ... and I’m sure the
storyline was a little different from the book, but that always happens in a
screen adaption. |
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Friday 25 May
2012 |
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Just two
runners of interest at Towcester and this is how they fared: Both Typhon De Guye (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) & Dalavar
(Alan King/Choc) were non-runners in the NH Novices’ Hurdle Oyster
Hill (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 6th
but Buddy Love (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) won the Intermediate Open NH
Flat Race (7 ran). The pretty mare is
Martin’s 4th winner of the season; well
done to the team. No
National Hunt racing in the UK tomorrow; and just one runner of interest on
Sunday, at Fakenham: 15:30 Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) - Handicap Chase No plans for this weekend; although I haven’t watched
War Horse yet, nor have I re-started my cross-stitch project. And, having
watched the Channel 4 series about extreme hoarders, I think I may attack my
bulging clothes cupboards! |
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Thursday 24 May
2012 |
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There were
six runners of interest at Wetherby this afternoon, and this is how they fared: Junior
Jack (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 8th
in the Selling Hurdle (10 ran). Court In
Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd
in the Novices’ Chase (3 ran). Kings Bayonet
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Novices’ Hurdle (8 ran). Any
Currency (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) finished 6th in the Handicap Chase
(10 ran). Bold Tara
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th &
Counterparty (Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the Mares’ Maiden Hurdle (13
ran). Tomorrow
evening there are 4 runners of interest at Towcester: 17:55 Typhon De Guye (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) & Dalavar
(Alan King/Choc) – NH Novices’ Hurdle 20:55
Oyster Hill (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) &
Buddy Love (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Intermediate Open NH Flat Race Henrietta Knight has announced her retirement
from training; Mick Channon will take over the
majority of her horses. More |
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Wednesday 23 May
2012 |
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Two
runners of interest at Worcester this evening, and
this is how they fared: Wolf Moon
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 8th in the
Handicap Chase (15 ran). Rich Buddy
(Richard Phillips/Choc) was pulled up in the Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran). And just
when I thought tomorrow would be a quiet day, with just one National Hunt
fixture ‘up north’ at Wetherby, we have 6 runners of
interest!!! 14:45
Junior Jack (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) –
Selling Hurdle 15:20
Court In Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Novices’ Chase 15:55
Kings Bayonet (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:30 Any
Currency (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) – Handicap Chase 17:40 Bold
Tara (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) &
Counterparty (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Maiden Hurdle Choc’s locks are no more: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/205220420134256641/photo/1 I’m really
pleased that I have my own treasured lock of Choc’s
hair, from 2008, which I keep in a jewellery box. And yes, every now and then, I do open the
lid to take a look! And here
is the end result following his haircut: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/205227817665957888/photo/1 |
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Tuesday 22 May
2012 |
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Choc had
two riding engagements at Towcester and this is how he fared: Cold
Knight (Alan King) finished 7th in the Handicap Hurdle (12 ran). Midnight Sail (Alan King) finished 2nd in the
Novices’ Chase (4 ran). Tomorrow
there are a couple of runners of interest at Worcester: 18:50 Wolf
Moon (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap
Chase 20:20 Rich
Buddy (Richard Phillips/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle Here are
links to photos which Choc has posted on Twitter recently: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/202487447865659392/photo/1 https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/204875713667534848/photo/1 https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/204887300017111041/photo/1 And he’s
also re-tweeted one which Rhys Flint sent to him: https://twitter.com/rhys_flint/status/204250362364952576/photo/1 |
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Monday 21 May
2012 |
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One runner
of interest at Newton
Abbot this
afternoon: Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was pulled
up in the Handicap Chase (9 ran). AP McCoy
rode a four timer at the Devon course; one which he got in the Stewards’
Room, but he missed out by a short-head on a fifth victory too! More It looks like no-one
else is going to get their hands on the NH Jockeys’ Championship just yet ...
Tomorrow
evening, Choc has two riding engagements at Towcester: 19:45 Cold
Knight (Alan King) - Handicap Hurdle 20:15 Midnight Sail (Alan King) – Novices’ Chase It was a bit chilly today, but I went for a walk
at lunch time. May is an excellent
month to see flowering plants and shrubs in everyone’s gardens; and I just love
Horse Chestnut trees when they are in bloom.
Tuesday through Friday is supposed to be dry and warm so, hopefully,
I’ll be out and about during my lunch breaks.
|
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Sunday 20 May
2012 |
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Market Rasen: Compton
Blue (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 3rd & Ulys Du Charmil (Alan King/Choc) won
the Juvenile Maiden Hurdle (14 ran). Choc’s 2nd winner of the season. Soleil D’Arvil (Alan King/Choc) finished 10th in the Handicap
Hurdle [2 miles 5 furlongs] (11 ran). Suburban
Bay (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase (11 ran). Ulys Du Charmil is trainer Alan King’s 1000th winner too. Stratford: Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr
Nicky Slatter) finished 6th in the Handicap Hurdle
(14 ran). No riding
engagements for Choc at Newton Abbot tomorrow; but there
is one runner of interest: 16:20 Sky
Calling (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap
Chase According to the weather forecast, this week is
expected to be warm and sunny. That
will make a nice change. |
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Saturday 19 May
2012 |
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Four runners
of interest today and this is how they fared: Bangor On Dee: Saudi
Pearl (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the NH Maiden Hurdle (14 ran). Henry San
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 1 furlong] (8
ran). Uttoxeter: Midnight
Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Novices’ Hurdle (10
ran). One More
Cookie (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) was a
non-runner in the Mares’ Handicap Hurdle Five
runners of interest tomorrow: Market Rasen: 14:00
Compton Blue (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) & Ulys Du Charmil (Alan
King/Choc) – Juvenile Maiden Hurdle 15:00
Soleil D’Arvil (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle
[2 miles 5 furlongs] 15:30
Suburban Bay (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase Stratford: 15:50 Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr Nicky Slatter) – Handicap Hurdle I was
shocked to read that Cheltenham Festival winner, the very promising Brindisi Breeze was killed in a freak accident last
night. More That’s three winning
horses from the final day of this year’s Festival already gone –
Synchronised, Bellvano and now Brindisi
Breeze. Jockey Steven
Clements has been fighting a losing battle with his weight and has decided to
call it a day on his riding career. And mission accomplished ... I’ve completed my
outstanding Cheltenham diary. Click here to read. |
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Friday 18 May
2012 |
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Choc was
at Aintree this evening and this
is how he fared: Lidar (Alan King) finished
3rd in the Handicap Chase (6 ran). Torphichen (Alan King) finished 14th
in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4 furlongs] (17 ran). All That
Remains (Steve Gollings) was pulled up in the
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ furlong] (20 ran). Four
runners of interest tomorrow: Bangor On Dee: 14:05
Saudi Pearl (Alan King/Choc) – NH Maiden Hurdle 16:20
Henry San (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 1 furlong] Uttoxeter: 17:55
Midnight Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle 20:00 One
More Cookie (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) –
Mares’ Handicap Hurdle Choc will
be at Market Rasen on Sunday, more details
tomorrow. No specific plans for the weekend; but there are
always plenty of things to do at home.
And I’ve had the War Horse DVD for a couple of weeks but haven’t found
time to watch it yet, maybe tomorrow or Sunday. |
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Thursday 17 May
2012 |
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Three
runners of interest at Ludlow this evening, and
this is how they fared: Junior Jack (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) won the Conditional
Jockeys’ Selling Hurdle (8 ran). Martin’s 3rd
winner of the
season. Pilgrims
Lane (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 6th in
the Handicap Chase (15 ran). Tuscan
Gold (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Novices’ Hurdle (13 ran). Tomorrow
evening, Choc has 3 riding engagements at Aintree: 18:30 Lidar (Alan King) – Handicap Chase 19:05 Torphichen (Alan King) – Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4
furlongs] 20:15 All That Remains (Steve Gollings)
– Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ furlong] |
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Wednesday 16 May
2012 |
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Choc had two
riding engagements today at Fontwell Park and this is how he
fared: Jojabean (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Maiden Hurdle (8 ran). Sweet Irony (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the
Beginners’ Chase (5 ran). Three
runners of interest at Ludlow tomorrow evening: 17:30
Junior Jack (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) –
Conditional Jockeys’ Selling Hurdle 18:40
Pilgrims Lane (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase 20:15
Tuscan Gold (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle I like to be able to watch horse racing of an
evening but it does delay my daily blog entry because I’m waiting for the
results! It’s after 22:00 as I write
this blog and that’s because I’ve been watching the video tape of Choc’s Fontwell rides and also
races 5 to 7 on Day 1 of Cheltenham in preparation for my diary draft. I hope I don’t catch a cold, as both my mum and
my immediate manager at work have colds at the present time. It’s only 27 days since my sinus operation
and I don’t feel ready for one just yet!
However, I’ve booked an appointment on Friday
with my doctor as, although my operation went okay, I have what appears to be
a swollen vein in my wrist; it’s tender too.
The swelling starts a couple of inches above the site where the intravenous
drip was inserted; the vein runs across the ‘bump’ at the end of my ulna and, as it’s on the outside of my
wrist, I keep on knocking it against objects too, which doesn’t help either! |
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Tuesday 15 May
2012 |
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Wincanton Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Mares’
Novices’ Hurdle (10 ran). Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie
Huxley) finished 3rd in the Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Hereford Monturgeon (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd & R Craig (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 4th in the Novices’ Hurdle (10 ran). Court In Session (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) won the Novices’ Chase (5
ran). Pantxoa
(Alan King/Choc) was a non-runner. Brimham Boy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
won the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Monty’s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 3rd
in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Martin’s first and second
winners of
the new season. Well done to the team. Southwell Cold Knight (Alan King/Choc) was a non-runner in
the Handicap Hurdle. Tomorrow, runners
of interest at Fontwell Park: 14:40 Jojabean (Alan King/Choc) – Maiden Hurdle 15:10 Sweet Irony (Alan King/Choc) – Beginners’
Chase Court In Session, Brimham
Boy and Monty’s Revenge have entries too but, as they ran today, I presume
they won’t run again tomorrow. I’m still working on my Cheltenham Day 1 diary;
watching the tape and making notes regarding the races. I don’t believe I’ll be taking a trip to
the races for at least a fortnight, because the weekend ‘Choc’ fixtures are all too far away L; so I’ll have plenty of time to finish it off in
the meantime. But I must recommence my
cross stitch project as soon as the diary is finished. |
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Monday 14 May
2012 |
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Just one
result today, from Towcester: Ukrainian
Star (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 6th in
the Handicap Chase (8 ran). Runners of
interest tomorrow at all three NH fixtures: Wincanton 14:10 Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle 15:40 Rivermouth (Alan King/Charlie Huxley) – Handicap Hurdle Hereford 13:50 Monturgeon (Alan King/Choc) & R Craig (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Novices’ Hurdle 14:20
Court In Session (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
& Pantxoa (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Chase 16:20 Brimham Boy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
– Handicap Chase 16:50
Monty’s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Hurdle Southwell 19:40 Cold Knight (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap
Hurdle Yesterday, Choc tweeted that his mum thinks it’s
time he had a haircut ... so I guess he’ll be having his gorgeous locks
trimmed very soon! |
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Sunday 13 May
2012 |
|
Choc was
at Plumpton today ... and he rode a winner J Plumpton: The Mumper (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 3rd & Turn Over Sivola (Alan King/Choc) won
the Maiden Hurdle (8 ran). Choc’s 1st winner of the season. Patsy
Finnegan (Alan King/Peter Hatton) finished 4th in the Conditional Jockeys’
Handicap Hurdle (7 ran). Hollow
Penny (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (7
ran). Worcester: R Craig
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was a non-runner in
the NH Maiden Hurdle Just one
runner of interest tomorrow, at Towcester: 18:30
Ukrainian Star (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase * * *
* * * * *
As it is my mum’s birthday today, we went to
visit my younger brother and his family in Silsoe
for lunch. Afterwards, we took a trip
to the nearby Wrest Park, above. This
is a view of the house; in the foreground is my mum, my brother Neil and his
wife Karen. |
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Saturday 12 May
2012 |
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There were
a number runners of interest today, and this is how they fared: Haydock Park (Mixed Card): Le Beau Bai (Richard Lee/Choc) finished 15th in the Long Distance
Handicap Hurdle (18 ran). Secret
Edge (Alan King/Peter Hatton) finished 11th in the Handicap Hurdle (Swinton Hurdle); the race was won by the favourite, the
Donald McCain Jnr trained Red Merlin (19 ran). Warwick: Teshali (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 4th in the Handicap
Hurdle (7 ran). Sapphire
Moon (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Mares’ Maiden Open NH Flat Race (11
ran). Ascot: Grumeti won the 1 mile 4
furlongs Handicap with Jimmy Fortune aboard (4 ran). Tomorrow,
there are four runners of interest: Plumpton: 14:10 The Mumper (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Turn Over Sivola (Alan King/Choc) – Maiden Hurdle 17:10
Hollow Penny (Alan King/Choc) – Standard Open NH Flat Race Worcester: 14:50 R
Craig (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – NH Maiden
Hurdle Choc
uploaded a lovely photograph of William on Twitter today ... he’s so cute,
just like his Daddy! http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/201175849792311296/photo/1 Dave
Crosse has posted a new blog on the Love The Races website in which he gives
an overview of last Saturday’s Jesters: Following a few days break, I’ve been working on
my outstanding diary today and I’m pleased to say it’s coming along very
nicely indeed! |
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Friday 11 May
2012 |
|
Here are
today’s results from Market Rasen: Ali Baba
(Alan King/Ciaran McKee) finished 6th in the
Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (11 ran). Bless The
Wings (Alan King/Wayne Hutchison) finished 5th in the Handicap Chase (15
ran). Dineur (Alan King/Choc)
finished 5th in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (8 ran). Whispering
Bob (Ian Williams/Choc) finished 4th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race Div I
(9 ran). Runners of
interest at Haydock Park (Mixed Card) tomorrow: 14:00 Le
Beau Bai (Richard Lee/Choc) – Long Distance
Handicap Hurdle 15:40
Secret Edge (Alan King/Peter Hatton) - Handicap Hurdle (Swinton
Hurdle). Jockey claims 7lbs. And at Warwick: 20:05 Teshali (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
– Handicap Hurdle 20:35
Sapphire Moon (Alan King/Choc) - Mares’ Maiden Open NH Flat Race And Grumeti is running on the flat at Ascot tomorrow, in the
1 mile 4 furlong Handicap at 17:40; Jimmy Fortune rides. Evidently he’s a bit of a ‘trencher’ so is having a couple of
runs on the flat before his summer holiday so as not to get too fat! Choc will
be at Plumpton on Sunday for two
rides; details tomorrow. No planned excursions to the races this weekend,
as it’s my mum’s birthday on Sunday and we have a prior engagement. |
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Thursday 10 May
2012 |
|
After a
very quiet week, there are a number of runners of interest at Market Rasen tomorrow: 13:55 Ali
Baba (Alan King/Ciaran McKee) - Novices’ Handicap
Hurdle 14:55
Bless The Wings (Alan King/Wayne Hutchison) – Handicap Chase 15:25 Dineur (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Handicap Chase ... the
horse’s chasing debut 16:35
Whispering Bob (Ian Williams/Choc) - Standard Open NH Flat Race Div I Hopefully
Choc will get off the mark for this season soon; he’s currently 0 from
4. Wayne
Hutchinson is 2 from 8! And,
following the meeting at Wincanton, AP McCoy has got his head in front for the
first time this season with 9 winners; from Aidan Coleman who has 8
victories. Today’s fixture at Kelso was lost to the weather. |
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Wednesday 09 May
2012 |
|
And it’s
still raining ... splish splosh
splish splosh. Racing
goes ahead at Wincanton and Kelso tomorrow, but Newton Abbot has been
abandoned. And no riding engagements
for Choc. L I
completed and uploaded my Cheltenham Day 2 diary late yesterday. Click here to read. Just one
more diary to write and then my website will be up-to-date once more. I think
I’ll take two or three days break now though, as I woke up with a headache at
03:30 this morning. When I woke again at
06:15 it was even worse! And I felt
quite nauseous before I set off for work.
It eased having taken a couple of paracetamol,
but was still in the background until lunchtime. It doesn’t help that I’ve been slaving over
a hot PC at work for the past couple of days, endeavouring the catch up with
the work following my recent absence.
And, foolishly, I’ve not been taking any breaks, not even a lunch
hour. And, non-smokers like myself,
work at least one hour and 40 minutes more each week than colleagues who do
smoke! There was a report in my local newspaper that
thieves stole cabling and everyone’s internet connection was lost in an area
close to where I live; some customers lost it for as long as a week! But the dates don’t coincide with the
problems I had last month ... but it just goes to show that people will steal
anything these days. I recall walking
along a stretch of the Ridgeway path and discovering that the safety railing
along the side of a footbridge over the A41 bypass had been nicked. Thieves also took the railings from a
footbridge over the North Orbital Road near London Colney. And I gather railway cabling is stolen on a
regular basis. |
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Tuesday 08 May
2012 |
|
Choc had
one riding engagement at Exeter and this is how he
fared: Flaming
Charlie (Alan King) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). No riding engagements for Choc tomorrow;
Stratford having been abandoned due to water-logging. Ffos
Las goes ahead, but I believe he may have been due to ride at the
Warwickshire course. |
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Monday 07 May
2012 |
|
One riding
engagement for Choc tomorrow, at Exeter: 18:55
Flaming Charlie (Alan King) – Handicap Hurdle I really
don’t enjoy May Day Bank Holiday; it always seems so pointless. The cold and miserable weather doesn’t encourage
one to venture out either. But I’ve kept busy most of this weekend and have
typed up the first complete draft of my Cheltenham Day 2 diary. |
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Sunday 06 May
2012 |
|
Did you
know that the first recognised English National
Steeplechase took place in 1830? It
was the forerunner of the Grand National.
The 4-mile St Alban’s Steeplechase was organised
by Thomas Coleman of St Albans, and was run from Bury Orchard, Harlington, in Bedfordshire to the Obelisk in Wrest Park,
Silsoe, also in Bedfordshire. The winner was
Captain Macdowall on "The Wonder", owned
by Lord Ranelagh, who won in a time of 16 minutes
and 25 seconds. Strangely, I live in St Albans and my younger brother and his family
live in Silsoe; my niece went to school in Harlington, and my nephew still does. Sam Thomas was gutted to be beaten to Da
Jesters ‘T-Spoon’ Award by Andrew Tinkler. However, Choc seems to have taken it in good heart and appears to be
pleased to have won the ‘Twitter Twat
of the Year’. http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/status/199123223101714432/photo/1 Jockey Dave Crosse, who organises Da Jesters, has promised news and photographs tomorrow;
once he’s recovered from his hangover! Florida Pearl has been put down aged 20 due to
illness. More Sadly the ex-Alan King trained Jubail, who
was currently trained by Donald McCain Jnr, lost
his life at Uttoxeter yesterday; he broke his off hind
when galloping/jumping, he didn’t fall.
|
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Saturday 05 May
2012 |
|
Today
there were a number of runners of interest but everyone seemed to be out of
luck: Uttoxeter: Out Of
Nothing (D Burchell/Choc) finished 4th in the
Maiden Hurdle (17 ran). Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr
Nicky Slatter) fell in the Handicap Hurdle [3
miles] (13 ran). Andhaar (Richard
Phillips/Choc) made a bad error at the third last when weakening and was
pulled up before the next in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4½ furlongs] (10
ran). Brimham Boy (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 2nd in the
Handicap Chase (6 ran). Meanwhile,
at Hexham: One More
Cookie (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd
in the Handicap Hurdle (6 ran). Manor
Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was a
non-runner in the Novices’ Hurdle The Wicked Kipper (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished last in the Standard Open NH Flat Race
(5 ran). No National Hunt racing tomorrow or Monday. L |
|
Friday 04 May
2012 |
|
Three runners
of interest today at Fontwell Park and this is how they
fared: Hindon Road (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) won the Maiden Hurdle (13 ran). Dunraven Prince (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Desert
Robe (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Standard Open NH Flat
Race (13 ran). Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest at Uttoxeter: 14:20 Out
Of Nothing (D Burchell/Choc) – Maiden Hurdle 15:35 Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Mr Nicky Slatter) – Handicap Hurdle [3 miles] 16:10 Andhaar (Richard Phillips/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle [2
miles 4½ furlongs] 16:45 Brimham Boy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
– Handicap Chase Meanwhile,
at Hexham: 19:40 One
More Cookie (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) – Handicap
Hurdle 20:10
Manor Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Novices’ Hurdle 20:40 The
Wicked Kipper (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Standard Open NH Flat Race The Jesters take place in Lambourn
tomorrow evening. More As mentioned
previously, Choc has a nomination as "Twitter Prat
of Da Year" so, hopefully, he WON’T win
it!!! I love reading Choc’s tweets! Here is a link
to Dave Crosse’s Love the Races blog, in which he lists the nominees for a
variety of awards: I returned to work today; although, technically,
it wasn’t a work day. As our reward
for winning our Head Office Award for Excellence for 2011, my department
visited Jean-Christophe Novelli’s Cookery Academy
at Tea Green near Luton. More Jean-Christophe demonstrated how to make a
caramel before creating a fruit basket; he also created a chocolate and fruit
dessert which we would eat after our main meal, which was belly of pork. We made some bread rolls, although the
dough was already created for us. We
also used a pasta machine to create ravioli.
Another task was to invent a salad dressing and, finally, we created
fondant roses. Can you
tell from my descriptions that cooking is not one of my more developed
skills? Unlike knitting, sewing,
cross-stitching and jewellery making! Nothing special planned for this weekend; not
even a shopping expedition. Since my
operation I’ve not had the urge to spend money, and my credit cards have
remained firmly in my wallet. And long
may it continue! |
|
Thursday 03 May
2012 |
|
Three
runners of interest tomorrow, at Fontwell Park; Choc missing these due to serving the second
day of his suspension. 17:15 Hindon Road (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Maiden Hurdle 19:15 Dunraven Prince (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap
Hurdle 20:15
Desert Robe (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Standard Open NH Flat Race The table
for this season’s National Hunt Championship is already up and running on the
PJA’s website. Aidan Coleman is
leading the way from ... AP McCoy!
Choc is currently on page 4, with £829 prize money won. http://www.thepja.co.uk/champ_jump.aspx Choc’s final column of the
season appeared in today’s issue of Horse and Hound. Despite
having two days in Punchestown that he’d rather
forget, having ended up on the floor both times, he has surprised himself by
concluding that the current UK whip rules are very workable; he found a
couple of races in Ireland uncomfortable to watch due to the jockeys’ use of
the whip. In
Ireland, jockeys can use their whip 12 times during a race; but there is a
great deal of discretion used in applying penalties to those who go over that
number. In Britain it currently stands
at 8 strikes; after that the stewards examine the ride and decide whether to
apply a penalty. He uses
the example of Grumeti when he won at the Aintree
Festival; Choc states that he used his stick 10 times after coming off the
bridle early during the race. He
received a warning but not a penalty.
However, when winning aboard Lovcen, he used
his stick 13 times and the stewards didn’t say a thing. They used their discretion; the race was
over a mile further in distance, the horse not having travelled at any time
during it. Choc hit his mount in the
correct place and, on each occasion, gave him time to respond; hence the
sensible response. Choc says
in Britain you don’t tend to see horses unduly pressured for minor places
now; in contrast to Ireland. Choc’s personal highlights
of the season were his two Grade One winners at Aintree, and Invictus’ triumph in the Reynoldstown
Novices’ Chase at Ascot. He was
bitterly disappointed that the latter then picked up an injury. His
general highlights were the continuation of Big Buck’s supremacy in the
staying hurdle category and Kauto Star’s triumph in
the King George. He thought the Gold
Cup was a bit of an anticlimax. The
revelation of the season was jockey Lucy Alexander. Choc says she’s a very good rider; 38
winners being a great effort and the best ever by a woman. He sincerely wishes her luck and hopes she
can thrive against the top professionals. Not
surprisingly, Choc’s low point was when he broke
his arm at Hereford on 11 December. He
found his 9 weeks on the sidelines very frustrating; and, upon comeback, said
he’d be happy to make it to 50 winners and £500,000 prize-money before the
end of the season. As it
turned out, he rode 51 winners and earned his boss Alan King and their yard’s
owners £683,000 in prize-money. So it
was job done. Choc
believes he will have a fairly quiet summer, although he is hoping to ride as
much as possible by getting some spare outside rides. He says Alan King has very few summer
jumpers and prefers to have some Flat horses to run instead. The yard
will also have a bit of a clear out; it not being in their owners’ best
interest to retain horses who won’t win.
Choc is
hoping to spend lots of time with William this summer and he’s sure that, at
some point, his son will sit on a pony for the first time. Choc mentions
two events which he will be attending this summer. He is due to ride in a donkey derby at the Heythrop Hunt’s
Summer Fair on 17 June. Secondly,
he mentions the jockeys
versus event riders’ challenge taking place at the Barbury
Horse Trials held on the Barbury Castle estate
where Alan King trains. He says the challenge involves
rodeo bull-launching which appears to involve wearing air jackets and seeing
how long they can stay on a rodeo bull.
He asks for colleagues to volunteer.
And it’s in aid on the IJF and the Air Ambulance. And, as I
like to research these things just in case I decide to attend, here is the
link to the Barbury Horse Trials website: http://www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk/ The Heythrop Fair and Donkey Derby, taking place on 17 June,
involves 5 driven donkey races, jockeys, trainers, huntsmen and celebrities
have their own heats and compete for a place in the final. http://www.countryside-alliance.org.uk/ca/midlands-news/midlands-grass-e-route-april-2012#headline9 And
there’s another new photograph of William too: http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FNQtA6Ky6 As expected, I’ve completed my Aintree Ladies Day
diary; there are two instalments: I return to work tomorrow, followed by a 3-day
Bank Holiday weekend! But I still have
plenty of home-based tasks to do, with two Cheltenham diaries to write and my
cross stitch picture to complete. The
latter having not been touched since Choc returned from injury in February. |
|
Wednesday 02 May
2012 |
|
Two
runners of interest at Southwell today, and this is how they fared: Prince Du Seuil (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase
(5 ran). Bold Tara
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 3rd in the
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (6 ran). No runners of interest at Hereford tomorrow, despite Choc being suspended. I’ve very nearly finished my Aintree Ladies Day
Diary; again I’ve split it into two instalments, and hope to upload both of
these before I turn in tonight. |
|
Tuesday 01 May
2012 |
|
Two
runners of interest at Southwell tomorrow: 15:20
Prince Du Seuil (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 17:05 Bold
Tara (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) – Mares’
Novices’ Hurdle RUK
broadcast from Exeter for the first time today; and Nick Luck certainly
concentrated on interviewing as many trainers as he could find! There’s a fixture at Kelso tomorrow; they,
too, have changed broadcasters from ATR to RUK. Here is a
link to a report on the ATR website regarding the initial enquiry into the
death of two horses at this year’s Grand National. More Choc has
posted a lovely photograph on twitter of himself and William; they are like
two peas in a pod and very cute! http://twitter.com/#!/Choc_Thornton/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FHfVDAy3v Evidently there
was a really bad storm over Gloucestershire last night; it woke Choc but
William slept through without a murmur!
I heard distant rumbling at midnight, but it never materialised into
anything more in my area. Choc is
organising a team of jockeys to take part in an Eventers
vs. Jockeys rodeo bull riding competition at the Barbury
Castle International Horse Trials which take place on 30 June/1 July 2012. |
