DIARY – CHELTENHAM
– SATURDAY 29 JANUARY 2011
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Choc
unsaddles Bakbenscher, having
finished 3rd in the Grade 3 Handicap Chase Today was my first
trip to Cheltenham since Festival Gold Cup Day last season. I’d taken the previous Wednesday as leave,
as I was still using up holiday from 2010, with perhaps the possibility of
visiting Huntingdon races. However, I
had set my heart on going to Cheltenham Trials Day and I couldn’t afford the
time to do both, as I already neglect more than I should to pursue my
hobby! So Cheltenham Trials Day it
would be. The weather, having
been mild for the past few weeks, grew colder towards the weekend; and
eventually a precautionary inspection would be called for 08:45 on Saturday
morning, with Cheltenham racecourse having already covered the ‘New Course’
to hopefully prevent abandonment.
I set my alarm for
05:30, showered, washed and dried my hair, applied make-up, ate breakfast (croissants
today), and was ready to go before I tuned into Channel 4’s ‘new look’ The Morning Line (Kim
Bailey was their guest), which began at 07:55. When interviewed prior to the inspection,
Simon Claisse Clerk of the Course thought that the chances of racing were 75%
in favour. Just before the end of the
programme, following the inspection, the verdict was an 80% chance, with a
further inspection called for 10:45. Damn. What should I do? My original thought had been that should
Cheltenham pass its initial inspection, then I would go; but if a further
inspection were to take place later in the morning, then by the time the ‘all clear’ was given, it would be too
late as I’d run out of time to reach the course before racing started. 80% ... was that good odds I asked
myself? Well, I was ‘packed’ and ready to go ... what did
I have to lose, apart from money spent on petrol? So a decision was made to attend. Just for the record,
my outfit today consisted of a long sleeved thermal vest, sleeve-less thermal
vest, black jumper, turquoise tunic, purple fleece, purple cardigan,
turquoise gilet, viridian outerwear fleece and long black faux sheepskin
coat. Plus grey treggings, with
turquoise woolley tights underneath, and my long brown lace-up boots together
with long socks. Evidently it is a
scientific fact that women feel the cold more than men. More And, today, I wore my Glamour
Red ‘Snowball’ scarf.
I thus set off from
home at 09:00, taking the quickest route rather than my preferred ‘scenic’ route via Aylesbury and
Bicester. My journey took me from
Junction 21A of the M25 around to the M40, which I reached at 09:30. I then headed westwards along the M40,
leaving at junction 8 and taking the bypass around Oxford. It was now 10:00. My route then continued along the A40,
across the Cotswolds to Cheltenham, the outskirts of which I reached just
before 11:00. Although I love to drive
this route across the Cotswolds when its daylight, I simply hate it after
dark as it is so difficult to see where you are going because the road is
just too busy to use undipped headlights for any length of time. There were traffic
holdups at the 5-way Ryeworth junction, and again where the A435 Cirencester
Road joins from the left. It’s one of
the things I’ve noticed in Cheltenham, many of their road junction traffic
signals have more than 2 phases, thus delaying journeys. I took my usual route to the course, turning
right into Hales Road, negotiating the ‘longabout’
and forward onto Priors Road. Raceday
traffic is then directed to turn right along Bouncers Lane; the
mini-roundabout at the far end is often busy due to the number of vehicles
coming from the direction of Prestbury High Street. Having safely
negotiated the junction, I headed along New Barn Lane, deciding to park in
the first car park on the right; although this is not advisable during the
Festival due to the number of coaches therein. There weren’t too many coaches today and,
as I was still early, I was directed to park in the second line of
vehicles. I then ate a brief snack
before setting off to buy a ticket. It transpired that
raceday tickets were being sold from a kiosk situated on the bridge above the
horsewalk tunnel; the underpass enables the racehorses to travel from the
stables to the saddling boxes in safety and without coming into contact with
the public. Having purchased my ticket
(£25 today), I entered the southern entrance of the Centaur building, went
through the turnstiles and onto the main concourse. And, yes, you’ve guessed it, I made a quick
diversion to the ladies loos, before heading to the kiosk to purchase a
racecard (£3). I then went to sit
beside the Parade Ring. Obviously Cheltenham
had passed its second inspection; however, Doncaster wasn’t so fortunate, as
the second day of their meeting had been abandoned. Evidently following Friday’s card, the
course workers had failed to get the covers back in position before temperatures
dropped; reportedly there being only 20 people to move the covers.
Unfortunately the
seats around the Parade Ring are so low that the view across it is obscured
by the surrounding rails. So, when at
12:30 Choc came out of the Weighing Room to be interviewed, by a team of
people unknown to me (it wasn’t Racing UK), I almost missed him. However, I did glance across and although I
could only see the top of his head, I recognised his mannerism of running his
fingers through his hair! In order to get a
better view I had to leave my current position, and head around the top of
the steps above the Winners’ Enclosure.
Unfortunately it was a very brief interview, as by the time I’d got a
better view, he was signing autographs and having his photograph taken with a
number of punters nearby. He then
returned to the Weighing Room; and I’d missed the opportunity to take a
photograph for my website. Soon it was time for
the first race of the day; Alan King’s Smad Place not being able to take up
this opportunity to run due to a bad scope earlier in the week; this took a
lot of interest from this race. To preserve the
ground, all the runners in all the races would go directly to the start,
utilising the all-weather tracks, instead of cantering up in front of the
stands before heading down the course initially on the grass.
As
the starting gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight, the
horses turned left upon exiting the walkway and cantered down the all-weather
track to reach the start. Then
they were off. The field was led away Akula and, almost upsides, the very keen Third Intention;
these were tracked by Mark Twain, Indian Daudaie,
and Local Hero; in rear were the also keen Maoi
Chinn Tire and the grey Lapin Garou. As
the field progressed up the straight, Akula and
Third Intention shared the running, followed by Mark Twain, Indian Daudaie, Local Hero, Lapin Garou,
with Maoi Chinn Tire now relegated to the last
position. Akula remained in the lead down the side
of the track; Local Hero stepping through fifth flight. Having gone a steady gallop, the field was
still closely grouped as it reached the far end of the course, with Local
Hero now taking closer order following his error. The first horses to struggle were Mark
Twain and Lapin Garou. Third
Intention led the field into the final straight, from Akula,
Indian Daudaie and Local Hero. AP McCoy drove the latter up the inside and
took the final flight just ahead, but was slightly awkward at it; Third
Intention then finding a little more to retake the lead. However, AP was not to be denied and he
drove out his mount to win by 2 lengths on the line. Indian Daudaie
finished 3rd; Akula, having flattened the last,
finished 4th.
When
interviewed following the race, trainer Steve Gollings
said he hoped to run Local Hero in the Triumph Hurdle, and wanted AP McCoy to
ride the horse. Soon
it was time for Choc’s first ride of the day, which
would be aboard the Alan King trained Ravethebrave. I have to confess that, before today, I’d never
noticed Choc when he’s been waiting inside the Cheltenham Weighing Room for
his trainer to arrive, having weighed out; but today I did. But it might be because his colours for
this race were easily distinguishable, the body being bold red stripes on a
white background. Disappointingly,
Martin Keighley’s runner in this race, Ikorudo
Road, was a non-runner; in is blog his trainer described him as ‘footsore’ when explaining why he had
missed the race. However, the horse
did feature in the ‘What’s In a Name’
section of the race-card. His
namesake, Ikorudo Road, is situated in the Nigerian
state of Lagos in the south west of the African country. The 13-mile long road is infamous to all
Nigerians because of the traffic problems associated with the road, motorists
often taking two hours to complete the shortest of journeys during the
morning ‘rush hour’ which begins at
06:30 and lasts until mid-morning. Once
Choc was aboard his horse, I set off to find a position beside the
course-side rails. When Choc exited
the walkway, he initially missed the gap in the far rails, his horse
cantering a short distance up the course before turning and walking back to
find the start of the all-weather track around the top turn.
The
start of this race was in the mid-course spur. Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Misstree Dancer, Diamond Brook and Pearlysteps. One of
the runners, between two others at the back of the field, was keen,
over-jumped at the first, and failed to get its undercarriage down in
time. The jockey fired over its head
and, tightly curled, somersaulted along the ground. It was Choc ... but fortunately both Ravethebrave and he were quickly to their feet. I
just couldn’t believe it; this was his fourth mishap in 5 days. But
back to the race, which had now lost much of its interest for me ... Around
the far turn Misstree Dancer led the way, followed
by Diamond Brook, Cootehill, Pearlysteps,
Vino Griego, Shakalakaboomboom, with The Giant Bolster in rear. At
the back of the field, Shakalakaboomboom wasn’t
fluent at the sixth; Vino Griego
hit the seventh fence. Heading away
from the stands with one circuit to go, the field was tightly grouped. The loose Ravethebrave,
having initially followed the field, ran up the straight and continued to the
line, the grandstand crowd jeering as he passed by. Alan King’s Travelling Head Lad Matt
Howells set off up the track to catch him.
By
the tenth fence, the first open ditch, The Giant Bolster was being ridden
along; however he did begin to make steady progress. Cootehill, who
had been sharing the lead with Misstree Dancer,
jumped the 12th obstacle slowly (second open ditch) and lost his place. Diamond Brook having hit both the 13th
fence, and the next, dropped out. Having
appeared to be badly outpaced as the field progressed down the hill, The
Giant Bolster, began to stay on. Misstree Dancer
still led narrowly from Vino Griego;
the latter pitching on landing over the third last. The mare led around the final turn, but Vino Griego went on when she
pecked at the penultimate fence. However,
having taken third position as the field approached the second last, The Giant Bolster came to challenge Vino Griego over the last, and
was driven out to win by 2¼ lengths. A
win for local trainer and ex-jockey David Bridgwater. The
landrover had stopped to pick Choc up and drove him
back to the infield emergency vehicle parking area, where he was dropped off
and he crossed the track to exit via the horse walk. I saw him approaching and, as I was nearby,
went across to enquire if he was okay.
Yes, fine. Not a good week I
said; he agreed. But I wished him
better luck for the remainder of the afternoon. To
put his bad week in prospective – he’d been unseated from Invictus
at Leicester on Tuesday having lost a stirrup iron when galloping between the
last two flights. He’d looked certain
to win at the time, and described it as one of the most embarrassing
incidents of his career. On Wednesday,
when riding Araldur, he’d been beaten a neck by a
66-1 shot at Huntingdon; and later in the afternoon received a one day
suspension for careless riding. He had
a fall on Thursday at Warwick; and another at Fontwell
on Friday, when Raya Star had also looked like winning. And Batonnier had run very disappointingly at Fontwell too. And
now Ravethebrave had fallen at the first.
I returned to the Parade Ring to await the horses
ahead of the next race. Once the runners started to exit the Paddock I
headed for the course-side rails, and was in time to see Choc and Bakbenscher exit the walkway, canter across the course to
reach the all-weather track around the top bend.
The
start of this race was in the mid-course spur. Then
they were off. The field was led away
by confirmed front runner Little Josh, today ridden by Paddy Brennan. Followed by Buffalo Bob, The Sawyer, and
Noland; at the back were the two greys, Chapoturgeon
and Bakbenscher.
Choc’s mount reached for the third fence,
going through the top of it. Choc went
to the buckle end of the reins and momentarily lost his balance; but
survived. Another scary moment! As
the field turned into the home straight for the first occasion, Little Josh
still led, followed by Buffalo Bob, Wishfull
Thinking, The Sawyer, Calgary Bay, and Noland. Although at the rear of the field as they
crossed the junction with the new course, Timmy Murphy glanced behind him,
his mount suddenly veering to the left and jumping the next close to the
inside rail. Going away from the
stands, Noland wasn’t travelling particularly well. Bakbenscher was
now three from the back of the field. Atouchbetweenacara
clouted the first fence down the side of the course, losing his hind-legs on
landing, making it impossible for Aidan Coleman to remain aboard. Soon Timmy Murphy began to encourage his
mount to take closer order; Chapoturgeon definitely
has a mind of his own, the commentator describing the horse as mercurial (ie. changeable and fickle). At
the top of the hill, 4 from home, Wishfull Thinking
had assumed the lead, from Calgary Bay, with Little Josh dropping back; Baksbenscher in 4th was a little awkward at this fence,
and Buffalo Bob made a more serious error. Around
the final bend, Wishfull Thinking led them in, from
Calgary Bay, Bakbenscher, Little Josh and Chapoturgeon; the former retaining the lead over the
last. Calgary Bay cleared the fence in
second; Choc’s mount skewed as he jumped the last,
stumbled, leaving his rider hanging onto his neck. However, my favourite jockey made a
miraculous recovery and had retained his third position to the line. Wishfull Thinking
having won by 3½ lengths from Calgary Bay.
The Sawyer was 4th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back, unsaddle and
speak with connections. I
got the feeling that Choc was now resigned to the fact that his incident
packed week was continuing, and was just pleased to have survived during his
ride aboard Baksbenscher. And, still being a superstitious soul,
yesterday he’d thrown away the new breeches he’d been wearing all week in an
effort to improve his fortune! Having
taken a number of photographs when Choc was in the Winners’ Enclosure, I
realised that the memory card in my camera was almost full. So, once Choc had returned to the Weighing
Room, I headed for the front lawn, where I found a bench to sit upon, and
replaced it with the spare one I carry in case of emergencies. It was a little difficult, being fiddly,
and because my hands were cold. Later
in the afternoon I needed to swap the camera battery too, for the charged
spare I carry in my bag. I
remained on the lawn to wait for the horses to appear, which they did in due
course. The five competitors cantering
to a point halfway down the all-weather track before exiting onto the course.
The
start of this race was in the home straight, between the nearest two
steeplechase fences. Then
they were off. The field was led away
by the grey Neptune Collonges, ridden by AP McCoy,
from The Tother One, the favourite Punchestowns along the inside, then the enigmatic Tidal
Bay, and bringing up the rear Madison Du Berlais. Turning
down the side of the course on the first occasion, Neptune Collonges had a clear lead over the field; followed by a
group of three, with Madison Du Berlais a further
few lengths away at the back of the field.
The Tother One got close to the third
obstacle, the water jump. The
leading four runners closed up, Madison Du Berlais
still slightly trailing the group. Punchestown went into second from the 5th; retaining this
position but not fluent at the 8th.
Down the hill for the first time, Neptune Collonges
once more set up a clear led. Up
the home straight with one circuit to go, the order was still Neptune Collonges, Punchestowns, The Tother One, Tidal Bay and Madison Du Berlais;
Barry Geraghty taking his horse wide. As
the field again travelled down the side of the track, Tidal Bay’s jockey,
Brian Hughes, patted his mount’s neck and pulled its ear too, to keep him
sweet. Punchestowns
wasn’t fluent at the water (13th); Tidal Bay a little slow at the next; the
former also blundering at the 15th.
The Tother One made a slight error 4 out
when in third. As
they headed downhill for the final time, AP McCoy’s mount still held the
advantage, Punchestowns in second but he pecked 3
out. Finally, Tidal Bay decided it was
time to run on, and he went second approaching the penultimate fence. Neptune Collonges
cleared the last and headed for the line, his pursuer gaining all the time,
but the challenge was too late, and AP McCoy’s mount won by 1¼ length. Neptune
Collonges is owned by John Hales and his
daughter. Mr Hales, an entrepreneur
whose company, Golden Bear, produces toys (including the Teletubbies),
owned One Man, and Granit Jack; the former lost his life at Aintree late in
his career, the latter died at Cheltenham as a novice.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. It
was then time for Choc’s third ride of the
afternoon, aboard the Alan King trained Habbie
Simpson. Once the horses began exiting
the Parade Ring, I set off to find a vantage point beside the course-side
rails. The competitors headed across
the course and cantered up around the bend on the all-weather track.
The
start of this race was in the mid-course spur. Then
they were off, or rather sauntering!
The field was led away, reluctantly, by Bobs Worth and Backspin; Ohio
Gold soon grasping the initiative and taking up the running. Prominent were Drive Time, Brunswick Gold, Habbie Simpson and Rock On Ruby. Ohio
Gold flattened the third; Champion Court jinked slightly on the approach to
it. Drive Time had assumed a very
narrow lead by the fourth flight; the early leader now in second. Turning away from the stands with one
circuit to go, the field was closely grouped; the grey Rose Of The Moon
bringing up the rear. Leader,
Drive Time hit the fifth, and was headed by Backspin at the sixth when making
another mistake. Sivola
De Sivola flattened the seventh; Ohio Gold lost its
place when hitting the next. Around
the far turn, Champion Court ran unintentionally wide, pushing Bobs Worth to
the outside too. Backspin held the
lead as they travelled down the hill, Rock On Ruby flattened two out when
prominent, with Habbie Simpson just in behind. Drive Time was pulled up. Turning
in, Bobs Worth and Backspin disputed the lead, followed by Rock On Ruby and Habbie Simpson.
Bobs Worth led over the last; Rock On Ruby coming to challenge between
Bobs Worth and Backspin. Barry Geraghty’s mount was driven out to hold Rock On Ruby by
2¼ lengths at the line. The latter’s
jockey, Harry Skelton, had lost his whip halfway up the run-in when swapping
it to his other hand; but it didn’t make a difference to the result. Habbie Simpson
overtook Backspin on the run-in; just holding AP’s rallying mount as they
approached the line.
Barry
Geraghty had purchased Bobs Worth as a foal and had
sold him on for a mere £20,000 I believe.
The owner appears to have got a bargain! I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc and Habbie
Simpson arrive back. He unsaddled and
spoke with connections before returning to the Weighing Room. It
was soon time for the penultimate race of the day. Choc would be riding Bensalem in this
event; the horse reverting to hurdles and returning to the racecourse after
an extended period due to illness.
Martin Keighley decided to withdraw Benbane
Head from the next race due to the tacky ground. Once
the competitors had left the Parade Ring I set off to find a vantage point
beside the rails. The horses cantered
across the straight, and up around the all-weather track to reach the
starting gate.
The
start of this race was at the beginning of side/back straight. Then
they were off. Fair Along set off at
the head of affairs, the horse having to be led in at the start; followed by Knockara Beau and Restless Harry. Kayf Aramis was wide on the course, as was Spirit River and
Cristal Bonus. Choc took an inside
line aboard Bensalem, mid-field; Sweet Seville and the greys, Arcalis and Grands Crus, were in rear, the latter extremely keen and soon
pulling his way up through the field. Kayf Aramis made an error at
the third flight. As
the field galloped down the hill for the first time, Kayf
Aramis and his companions still ran wide. Gwanako was on
the inside, along with Bensalem and Mobaasher. Into the straight, Sweet Seville was struggling
in rear and would be pulled up. As
they turned away from the stands with one circuit to go, Knockara
Beau had now assumed the lead, from Fair Along, then came Restless Harry, Gwanako, Hills of Aran, Bensalem, Spirit River, Kayf Aramis, and a still keen Grands Crus; the latter ‘weaving’ as his jockey Tom Scudamore tried to restrain him. Organisateur and
Cristal Bonus were now in rear. Choc
moved Bensalem off the rails as they travelled down the side of the
course. By the top of the hill, a group
of 8 horses had pulled away from the remaining runners; Knockara
Beau leading from Fair Along, Grands Crus travelling noticeably well, with Bensalem and
Restless Harry to the fore. Grands Crus cruised into the lead around the final turn, Knockara Beau in pursuit; Bensalem in third. The grey sailed over the last and went on
to win by 10 lengths from Knockara Beau. After his long absence due to illness, Choc’s mount began to tire as they approached the last,
losing third to Restless Harry and fourth place to Mobaasher
on the run-in; but a close 5th was a very encouraging run. The
winner sported the same colours as Madison Du Berlais. When interviewed after the race, trainer
David Pipe said that the change of tactics aboard Grands
Crus, whereby the horse no longer makes the
running, has certainly paid dividends in recent runs. He said the horse is very laid back in his
stable, and even on the way to the gallops but, once there, he’s a nightmare
as he’s so difficult to ‘hold’ and
he just bolts, Gerry Supple rides the horse at home. It
would be good if the horse could make a race of it with Big Buck’s at the
Festival in March; the runners-up in 2009 and 2010, Punchestowns
and Time For Rupert, have been talented but have also been sitting ducks for
Big Buck’s’ style of running.
Obviously Grands Crus
is a very talented ‘hold-up’ horse
too, and gets every inch of the 3 mile trip.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the placed horses arrive back. Soon
it was time for the final race of the day.
Choc would be riding Gilded Age, who was wearing first time blinkers;
presumably hoping to rejuvenate the horse to something like the form which
saw him finish 6th in last season’s Triumph Hurdle. As
the start of this race was at the far end of the home straight, the horses
turned left upon exiting the walkway and cantered down the all-weather track
to reach the start.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Cockney Trucker, followed by Tanks For That, Art Professor and Fushe Joe. Aather and Alarazi were
restrained; but the keen running Dream Esteem soon pulled his way up into
third. Choc was in 6th place when
clearing the second flight. Down
the side of the course; Tanks for That was travelling wide and held a narrow
lead, Aather also wide was impeded slightly when Alarazi jumped to the right at the fourth flight. Gilded Age was soon struggling, losing his
place after the fifth. Fushe Jo travelling mid-field was pulled up, but it
appeared to be solely unsoundness rather than something catastrophic. Over
the second last, the order was Dream Esteem, Art Professor, Tanks For That,
Eradicate, Cockney Trucker, Alarazi, Cunning Clarets,
Aather and Secret Dancer. Dream
Esteem and Art Professor contested the lead around the final bend; the latter
soon sent on. However, Alarazi came to challenge and briefly headed Art
Professor, but Aidan Coleman’s mount fought back and the decision at the line
was on the nod. Art Professor getting
the verdict by a short-head. Choc
had pulled up Gilded Age before the 6th.
Having seen the horses gallop by, I knew Choc’s
mount wasn’t with them, and in the distance I could see that one horse was leisurely
making its way back. The plastic rails
opposite the horse-walk were pushed back into their housing, and Choc was
directed towards the ensuing gap in the fence to begin his journey back to
the unsaddling area for unplaced horses.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure
to see the placed horses arrive back, whilst watching for Choc to return to
the Weighing Room. When it was time
for the prizes to be awarded, it was noticeable that winning jockey Aiden
Coleman was lame; was it as a result of his fall from Atouchbetweenacara
earlier in the afternoon, or due to the fact that Art Professor collided
briefly with the rail on the run-in? Having now had my final glimpse of
Choc, it was time to go home. I set
off up the concourse, and out through the main gates, turning left along the
pathway behind the stables to reach the car park. Vehicles were already queuing to
leave so, having stripped off my coat, outerwear fleece and gilet, and changed into my moccasins, I ate another brief
snack, and waited for the traffic to clear, which is did just after
17:00. As I drove out of the car park,
a number of horses which were entered in the sale that evening were being led
around the yard to my left. There were no traffic problems on the
road outside the course, and my route was clear until I reached Hales Road,
whereupon it took quite some time to reach the A40 due to the traffic queuing
to get through the traffic lights at the junction. And it doesn’t help that the traffic lights
are 3-phase! Traffic was also queued
back from the next set of traffic lights, where the Cirencester Road heads
off to the right. And, of course,
there was another tailback from the 5-phase traffic lights at the far end of
the parade of shops. However, as is always the case, once
through these junctions, the route through Charlton Kings and onwards towards
the Cotswolds escarpment is always clear.
It was now 17:30. I have to
admit that I did ‘lose touch’ with
the vehicles in front of me as I drove up the hill; however, I soon found
myself stuck behind a car travelling at a mere 45 mph! But at least it gave me tail lights to
follow, although two or three cars did decide to overtake, despite it being
impossible to see if there were vehicles coming from the opposite
direction. But I put that down to the
fact that research has shown that 1 in 6 drivers isn’t intelligent enough to
drive ... but, fortunately, it’s not me!
Anyway, I found myself behind this
slow moving car all the way to the dual carriageway which begins just to the
east of Burford.
Talking of Burford, one of our Sales
Managers originates from the town, but he now lives on Canvey Island. That’s a bit of a comedown, as I know where
I’d rather live! Having reached the dual carriageway I
set sail for home, very quickly leaving the slow car behind. My journey, once again, took me along the
Oxford bypass and onto the M40, followed by the M25. It was 19:20 by the time I reached the
outskirts of St Albans, and I decided to stop off to fill my car with petrol
at the filling station on the local retail park before completing my
journey. I arrived home at 19:30. Just time to update my daily blog and
upload and select the photos for my website before turning in for the
evening. |
