DIARY
Cheltenham – Saturday 28 January 2012
Festival Trials Day
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Sunny Cheltenham, with Cleeve
Hill in the background Having
not been to the races since Boxing Day, and with the forecasters issuing
warnings of bad weather on the horizon, I decided to take a trip to
Cheltenham for their Festival Trials Day.
Choc was still on the sidelines having sustained a broken arm at
Hereford on 11 December; although he was due to see his surgeon on 02
February with the hope of returning to race riding in the very near
future. However, at this point in
time, Choc had already been riding out and schooling for a couple of
weeks. ‘Super-sub’
jockey, Wayne Hutchinson, had certainly been making hay whilst Choc was
absent. Having won Aintree’s Beecher
Chase aboard West End Rocker prior to Choc being injured, Wayne had subsequently
won the Ladbrokes Hurdle at Ascot aboard Raya Star; he followed this up with
a victory aboard Hold On Julio in a valuable Handicap Chase at Sandown Park
in early January; then he rode a double at Ascot which included the Grade 2
Limited Handicap Hurdle aboard Smad Place. With the Alan King yard in top form, there
had to be the possibility of more winners from today’s five runners – Grumeti, Bless The Wings, Araldur,
Secret Edge and Batonnier; although the latter two
were competing in the same race so Wayne Hutchinson would ride Batonnier. With
my recent weight gains, which I must put down to the ongoing breathing
problems I had experienced since May 2011, my choice of clothing to wear when
attending the races was diminishing.
Nearly all my skirts are now tight, and most of my trousers won’t do
up because of my huge stomach. I feel
like a beached whale. Arghhhhhhhhhhhh! As
I write this diary, my sinus operation is planned for 19 April; I can’t wait,
it will be wonderful to be able to breathe properly again. Hopefully I can then exercise more, and be
able to give up the endless peppermints and sweets I’m consuming to
counteract the ‘post nasal drip’. Yes, it’s as yucky as it sounds! Anyway,
I decided upon my long black handkerchief hem skirt which, fortunately, still
fitted me. A thermal vest, a long
sleeved thermal vest, cerise pink frilly edged cardigan, black frill edge
cardigan, purple fleece, burgundy cardigan, purple tights, ‘engineer’ boots, black faux sheepskin
jacket and wrist warmers. Plus my violet hand-knitted ‘Snowball’ scarf. Gates
opened at 11:00, so I needed to leave home between 08:30 and 09:00 to reach
the course around opening time. Having
woken at 06:45, I showered, washed and dried my hair, ate breakfast, applied
make-up, watched part of Channel 4’s The Morning Line, with special guest,
Tom Scudamore, before setting out at 08:40. Cheltenham had covered their course to
prevent against frost damage; in the event temperatures hadn’t dropped that
low. It was 4 degrees when I set off
from home; the temperature gauge in my car remained pretty stable throughout
my outbound and return journey. My
route took me to Junction 21A of the M25 and anti-clockwise to the M40; I
then headed along the westbound carriageway towards Oxford,
it was a little misty through the Chilterns.
After travelling around the Oxford bypass I took the A40 and headed
into the Cotswolds. The traffic moved
smoothly, apart from just west of Burford, when two
horseboxes slowed down the flow, travelling at around 40 mph. Luckily, after not too many miles, they
both turned off to the left, leaving the road clear. If they had been transporting racehorses
they would have travelled much faster!
I’m always amazed at how fast some boxes can travel, but I suppose
it’s because the horses have a leg at each corner making them far more
stable, unlike humans!!! The
remainder of the journey went smoothly; I recall there was a group of five
horse-riders on the road into Charlton Kings, so I slowed down to drive past
them. Strangely, there was another
horse and rider trotting out of Cheltenham, on the road just before the Six
Ways junction. I took my usual inbound
route to the course, turning right onto Hales Road, past the ‘longabout’
and along Bouncers Lane towards Prestbury. My journey then took me along Tatchley Lane and New Barn Lane, at the end of which I
took the Evesham Road and turned into the car park on the left. It would probably have been easier to go
straight across the roundabout outside the racecourse and into Swindon Lane
to enter the car park ... but I didn’t on this occasion. It was 10:50. Having
parked up, I put on my boots and coat and set off to the entrance, crossing
the very busy Evesham Road in the process.
To
ease congestion inside the Centaur building, the ticket kiosks were located
on the ‘bridge’ outside. I joined the back of the queue and, as I
was paying by credit card on this occasion (although I usually pay for my tickets
using cash), I was permitted to jump the queue, as the ‘credit card’ ticket vending window was far less busy. Having purchased a ticket I entered the
Centaur to go through the turnstiles and then headed down the concourse to
buy a race-card (£3); nipping to the ladies loo on the way. It
was bright and sunny in Cheltenham, although cold. After standing beside the Parade Ring for a
few minutes, I then walked through the passageway beneath the stands to reach
the course-side rails, where I remained for around half an hour, basking in
the sunshine and soaking up the atmosphere.
It was good to return to Cheltenham for the first time this season and
to reacquaint myself with the course.
I then returned to the Parade Ring, where I remained until the
competitors arrived ahead of the first race.
I
returned to the course-side rails in plenty of time to find a suitable vantage
point, and in preparation for the horses to canter up the all-weather track
before they headed back down to the start at the far end of the home
straight. Race 1
was the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial for Juveniles (4-year-olds) over a
distance of 2 miles and approximately one furlong. The Alan King runner in this race was Grumeti, owned by the McNeill Family and ridden by Wayne
Hutchison. Grumeti
had been purchased to replace the ill-fated Mille Chief, who had lost his
life in October after breaking a leg on the gallops. Just
6 runners, but a very exciting finish; with the Ruby Walsh ridden Pearl Swan
just getting the better of Grumeti by a short-head
at the line. I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back; I actually
followed the McNeills back through the passageway
under the stands, as they had been watching the race from the Owners and
Trainers area. However, the claxon
sounded ... a Stewards Enquiry was announced.
The longer we waited for the verdict, the more likely a revised result
seemed likely ... and, yes, it was finally announced that Grumeti
had been awarded the race! Max McNeill
appeared delighted; Alan King spoke briefly to the Paul Nicholls team to offer
his commiserations. From
the head-on camera it was very apparent that Ruby’s mount had drifted across
towards the stand-side rail and had bumped into Grumeti
in the process. With the narrowest of
margins between the two protagonists at the line, the Stewards had no option
but to reverse the result. They gave
Ruby a three day ban for careless riding too ... he was not happy. The
vanquished team disappeared from the Parade Ring and the McNeills
went to the podium to accept their prize. Before
the horses left the Parade Ring ahead of the next race, I headed down to the
course-side rails once more. Race 2
was a Novices’ Handicap Steeplechase over a distance of 2 miles and
approximately 5 furlongs. Alan King’s
runner in this event was Bless The Wings; 16 horses went to post. It
was a very eventful race, with three unseated jockeys and three fallers,
including Ruby Walsh’s mount, That’lldoboy. However, Bless The Wings jumped
immaculately and won by 2½ lengths. Sadly
Mr Chow, who completed in 9th place, struck into himself during the race and,
as the damage was severe, he was put down.
Once
again I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back
before returning to the course-side rails. Race 3
was the Grade 3 Murphy Group Handicap Steeplechase over a distance of 2 miles
and approximately 5 furlongs. Alan
King’s runner in this event was Araldur, the horse aboard
which Choc rode his 1000th career winner at Towcester
last March. The
David Bridgwater trained The Giant Bolster made all to win by 17 lengths; the
winning jockey being Tom Scudamore. The horse had finally got his act together
over fences, having failed to complete on a number of occasions in the
past. As
Araldur had finished in 6th place, there was no
need for me to return to the Winners’ Enclosure after the race. I therefore took this opportunity to cross
the racecourse to enjoy a different vantage point for the next event. The only other time that I ever cross over
to the area in the centre of the racecourse is during the Cross Country Chase
on Day 1 of the Festival. Race 4
was the Grade 2 Argento Steeplechase; a trial for
the Cheltenham Gold Cup over a distance of 3 miles and approximately 1½
furlongs. There were nine runners, the
Philip Hobbs representative, Captain Chris, cantering to the start a few
minutes after the other horses. The
Martin Keighley trained Any Currency was one of the competitors. The
race was won by Midnight Chase, having made all. The horse enjoys making the running and
loves Cheltenham too. Captain Chris
made a number of bad mistakes, jumping severely out to his right and was
pulled up before the 8th fence. Ruby Walsh
finished 2¾ lengths 2nd on the enigmatic Tidal Bay. Joint favourites Time For Rupert and
Diamond Harry finished 4th and 5th respectively; Any Currency completed in 7th. Having
been delayed by the return across the racecourse, with the public not being permitted
to cross when there are horses in the vicinity due to health and safety
issues, I didn’t make it to the Winners’ Enclosure on this occasion, but
returned to my vantage point beside the rails on the lawn in front of the
Royal Box. Race 5
was the Grade 2 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle race over a
distance of 2 miles and approximately 4½ furlongs. Alan King had two runners
in this race, Batonnier ridden by Wayne Hutchinson
and the 4-year-old Secret Edge, ridden by Charlie Huxley. Martin Keighley’s runner was Hard To
Swallow. Batonnier won by 3
lengths, Secret Edge finished 3rd and Hard to Swallow 4th. A treble on the day for Alan King and Wayne
Hutchinson ... poor Choc, he’d missed 3 more Saturday winners. I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back, and to
watch the horses in the Parade Ring ahead of the next race, in which Big
Buck’s was one of the 6 runners. There
was spontaneous applause as the Paul Nicholls trained star paraded around. I
returned to the course-side rails to watch the race. Race 6 was
the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle over a distance of
approximately 3 miles. Across
The Bay led the field away, with Restless Harry taking over 3 out. Dynaste was then
sent into the lead and it appeared as they turned into the home straight that
he might have stolen the race ... but, as usual, Ruby ‘stoked up’ Big Buck’s to challenge approaching the last and
galloped on to win by an easy 7 lengths.
Big Buck’s 15th consecutive win.
I
returned to the steps above the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive
back. The biggest crowd of the day had
gathered; there was much applause as Ruby and his mount entered the
Enclosure, and again as Big Buck’s was led back to the stables for a well
deserved rest. I
returned to the course-side rails for the final time today. Race 7
was a Handicap Hurdle race over a distance of 2 miles and approximately 1
furlong; 14 runners. The
race was won by the Tom George trained Module, ridden by Paddy Brennan. I
walked back to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back before
setting off to collect my car; spending a penny first, always a good idea, as
it would take over two hours to reach home. After crossing the Evesham Road, a group of lads
had a laugh and a joke with me; one of them admiring my violet scarf. He jokingly offered me £10 for it; I told
him I couldn’t part with it, as I’d knitted it myself. His retort was to offer me £100; yeah,
right! When I got back to my car I ate the cheese rolls
I’d brought with me; that would keep the wolf from the door during my long journey
back to Hertfordshire. I turned on the car engine and set off for home
at exactly 17:00. Having parked in the
field immediately adjacent to the one where I’m usually directed to park
during the Festival, I decided to turn right when I exited onto Swindon Lane
and travel down Tommy Taylors Lane to reach St Paul’s Road. However, there is one drawback when driving
along the latter thoroughfare ... parked cars make the road width too narrow
for cars to pass in both directions at the same time. Having eventually negotiated the obstacles,
I reached Clarence Square and the traffic lights on Portland Street/Evesham
Road. To avoid any traffic delays when trying to reach
the A40, I headed up Prestbury Road, turning right
at the roundabout to reach Pittville Circus, before
turning into Pittville Circus Road. A left turn onto Hewlett Road took me back
to the ‘longabout’
at the northern end of Hales Road. I
then headed up Harp Hill, where there’s a wonderful view over Cheltenham if you
gaze to the left, before turning right into Greenway Lane. There are two or three traffic calming ‘chicanes’ along this stretch,
priority being against me, presumably because vehicles travelling in the
opposite direction are travelling uphill.
As I turned the far corner, there were a number
of vehicles in the queue ahead of me at the Six Ways traffic lights. I didn’t get through the lights on their
first change, but with a second opportunity I turned left and set off up the
A40 into the Cotswolds. When driving
in the dark, I actually prefer to be the first vehicle in a line of traffic
as it’s far less mesmerising than being within a queue! I’ve nicknamed my car ‘Kumbeshwar’, as he likes to lead the
field! A couple of vehicles overtook
me as the road climbed up past the reservoir and again at the dual carriageway
section after the traffic lights; but after that I was able to travel at a
comfortable 60 mph at the front of the procession! Upon reaching the Stow / Cirencester Road, a
vehicle turned onto the road in front of me, so I followed that all the way
to Burford, in fact we caught up with the line of vehicles in front
of us. There’s a small stretch of road
before the roundabout at the western end of the dual carriageway; and then it
was onwards to Oxford. As I had plenty
of time, I didn’t burn up too much petrol by speeding along this stretch of
the road. I decided to travel around the Oxford bypass and
join the M40 eastbound carriageway.
The journey went smoothly until an information sign advised of long
delays between junctions 2 and 1; so upon reaching the Beaconsfield junction
I left the motorway and headed to Amersham (the nature of the road reminds me
of the A40 between Burford and Cheltenham), then on
to Chesham (where I was briefly delayed by traffic signals at a section of road
works) and Hemel Hempstead. It’s a
route filled with the hills and valleys of the Chilterns, and an area I know
very well from my days as a rambler.
With the threat of overnight frost, the gritting
lorries were out in force; unfortunately one of them sprayed my car as I drove
through Leverstock Green on the outskirts of Hemel
Hempstead. Not only did the noise of
the grit hitting the paintwork startle me, I was rather annoyed that they
might have damaged it too. Damn. I arrived home at 19:35, the return journey
having taken 2 hours and 35 minutes.
Time to upload the photographs and write a blog entry before turning
in for the night. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
... An excellent day at the races, but a shame that Choc
had missed three more Saturday winners.
But it was an expensive excursion, the car fuel had cost me £32, the
ticket £25, and the race-card £3; a total of £60. In the early hours, Choc tweeted that he couldn’t
sleep ... but by that time I was fast asleep, having logged off my laptop
before midnight. Having broken up with
his wife last summer, Choc had been looking after his son William for the
past few days; so I’m surprised that didn’t ensure that he got a good night’s
sleep! |
