DIARY – KEMPTON PARK
– FRIDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2011
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The ‘cute
one’ is signing an autograph I’d booked both
Thursday 10 February and Friday 11 February as leave, as I had to use up 1½
days’ holiday left over from 2010, the deadline being 28 February. I’d chosen these days as I knew there was a
fixture at Huntingdon on Thursday; and one at Kempton on Friday. A number of weeks ago, Choc had mentioned
in his Racing Post column that he would continue in his role as Kempton
Park’s 2010/2011 ‘Face of Jump Racing’
whenever his ‘day job’ permitted
... so I was hopeful that maybe he would be carrying out another of his Final
Furlong course-walks should he be at the track on this particular
Friday. I was due to attend
the Totesport meeting at Newbury on Saturday 12 February, for which I had a
pre-purchased ticket; and I knew I would not be able to cope with three
consecutive days at the races ... saving that ‘marathon’ for the Cheltenham Festival in March! So I had to make a choice between Kempton
Park and Huntingdon. As the first of
these days approached, it transpired that Choc had five decent rides at the
Cambridgeshire course but, as Bangor’s Friday fixture was abandoned due to flooding,
it became a certainty that Choc would be at Kempton Park, although his rides
were slightly sub-standard to those on the previous day. Any final waivering on my part was ‘put to bed’ when an email ‘circular’ arrived from the racecourse
stating that there would be an opportunity to go behind the scenes, go to the
start of a race and ... walk the final furlong. Hopefully that could only mean one thing,
Choc would be our guide for the latter.
So Kempton it would be ... although one of my mantras is ‘Never expect anything and you will never
be disappointed’! For the record, Choc
rode two winners, two runners-up and an ‘also
ran’ at Huntingdon, so it was a good day for him; although the weather
was wet and miserable, and water got into the lense of Racing UK’s camera and
it looked like the presenters were standing in a ‘fog’! Friday’s weather
wasn’t too bad, as it was dry in St Albans when I awoke. I set my alarm for 05:30, showered, washed
and dried my hair, ate breakfast, and applied my make-up. As Kempton’s gates weren’t due to open
until 11:30, I knew I didn’t need to leave home until around 10:30. My outfit today was
blue jeans, with woolly tights underneath; two thermal vests; purple sweater,
burgundy cardigan, purple fleece; black faux sheepskin jacket. And, finally, my Vivid Violet scarf had its
first ever outing. And, with a course walk in mind, my black ‘engineer’ boots. Having chosen a
pendant to wear, I decided upon a quick revamp – removing the organza ribbon
which was supplied with the item and replacing it with glass beads. Despite making the majority of my
jewellery, I have been tempted to purchase a number of one-off items from Chaotic Rainbow. I just can’t help myself, as I love
dichroic glass and the pendants are so unusual. Today’s pendant was ‘Purple Pool’ – which is shown in the ‘Sold’ gallery on the website. As 10:30 approached,
it was time to set off for Kempton Park.
I decided to join the M25 at Junction 19, Watford. Traffic was moving smoothly ... however it
took me a few minutes to realise that the road-widening has now been
completed between Junctions 19 and 18 on the anti-clockwise carriageway. The motorway was so clear up until Junction
17 that it was a pleasure to drive upon.
However, it had started to rain as I approached the M40 junction; so I
put my headlights on. Having taken the M3,
I arrived at Kempton Park at 11:15 and parked in the free car parking
area. As the gates weren’t due to open
until 11:30 I ate the cheese rolls I’d prepared – lunch – before setting off
to purchase a ticket at the main entrance.
However, I have to confess, I only realised I’d left my headlights on
when the alarm sounded as I got out of the car ... and, having made my way
towards the main entrance, I had to return to the car as I couldn’t remember
if I’d locked the car doors; but of course I had! I don’t think one gets forgetful with age,
I think it’s because everything is done automatically by that stage, so you
just don’t recall doing it! And I wore
my brimmed hat today too. As I walked around
to the main entrance, I noticed the ‘Choc
mobile’ parked in the car park. I
joined the queue to purchase a ticket, just £15 today. Today’s sponsors,
Betfair, were giving away free scarves with their logo on; but I didn’t take
one, as yellow is not a good colour for me to wear (and my least favourite)
and I had no intention of providing them with free advertising either! Although, of course, I love Choc’s
beautiful yellow hair! But there’s
always one exception to the rule! And
they were giving away Kempton Park pocket diaries; but I got one of those on
King George VI Chase day. I also picked up a
leaflet from the counter, advertising Choc’s Final Furlong course-walk; so
once I’d bought a race-card (£2.50) I went straight to the Racecourse Office
to sign up. And has always been the
case, I was the first person on the list!
I then had just over an hour to kill before I was due to meet up with
the guide, Victoria, and thus rendezvous with Choc a few minutes later. So, as always, I
popped to the loo; then I went to sit on one of the seats in front of the
bank of TVs on the ground floor of the grandstand. I decided to write a few notes in my
notebook, recalling my day so far, and wondering why anyone would wish to bet upon the ‘virtual’ racing which was being shown
on a number of the screens! The only
advantage I could see with this type of racing is that no horse or rider would
get hurt in a fall!!! I was due to arrive
at Gate Q by 12:50; and rendezvous with Choc 10 minutes later. However, I was raring to go by 12:20 so
exited the grandstand and set off down the tarmac area, through the row of
bookies’ stands, and arrived at the gate.
And, when I’m waiting for things to happen, I start pacing! So, as my route took me onto the grass area
and back again, my boots started to get muddy. Oh well, they’d get a lot more muddy in a
few minutes! But at least they don’t
leak. Victoria arrived at
12:50; evidently I was one of just three people who’d signed up for Choc’s
Final Furlong walk today – very disappointing for Choc I’d imagine, although
it was a Friday. The others being a
guy who’d attended one of the other walks, probably on 01 November, as on
that occasion he’d mentioned something about the winning line; and a young
lad of 12 who wanted to be a jockey when he grew up. Victoria was concerned that the grass was
very wet following the early morning rain so, to protect us from getting our
feet too wet, she suggested we have a Questions and Answers session on-course
just outside Gate Q, rather than walk down to the furlong post and back
again. As Choc had 4 riding
engagements today, the first being in the second race of the day, he was
wearing his breeches and red-topped boots.
Seeing Choc walking down the course towards us, Victoria and I agreed
that Choc is always easy to spot during a race because of his red-topped boots! Today he was also wearing a waterproof
jacket supplied by his sponsors, Lycetts.
Choc shook hands with my companions, and he greeted me by name, asking
if I’d received in the post the thank you card from Meally regarding William’s
present. Yes, thank you, I had. And, of course, I was permitted to kiss him
on the cheek ... admittedly a little more lingering than usual!!! Oooooooohhhhhhhhh, he’s so lovely. And today’s
questions ... Choc had been
extremely embarrassed following his unseating from Invictus at Leicester a
couple of weeks ago; he said it was the first time anything like that had
happened to him; he was taught to race-ride with just his toes in the
stirrups. A similar fate befell a
jockey at Taunton recently too. I asked about his
first pony, Prince – what colour was he?
A painted pony ... Choc wasn’t sure which was piebald and which was
skewbald – he confirmed that Prince was black and white - a piebald. But he had him just a few months; and then he
was replaced by a grey. As the Totesport
Trophy was scheduled to be run the following day (although we now know the
fixture was abandoned in tragic circumstances), Choc said he’d chosen to ride
Walkon over Salden Licht because of loyalty to the owners; and he feared
Iolith as an ‘unexposed’
youngster. At this time, both Walkon
and Mille Chief would be aimed at the Champion Hurdle, and Choc believes that
Walkon could run into a place, but Mille Chief may just have the extra turn
of foot to win the race. Choc has no doubts
about Medermit being genuine; the refusal at Huntingdon was just a mysterious
‘blip’. Choc said that Voy Por Ustedes had refused
at a jump when schooling at home on a couple of occasions, but had never
shown any wish to do so on the racecourse. I asked how he felt
about Voy Por being transferred to Nicky Henderson’s yard; Choc said he was
devastated. As French- bred horses
tend to lose their form quicker than others as they get older, and the horse
has been such a good servant, he thinks he should be retired and not continue
under different tutorledge. Did he think that Kauto
Star would be able to come back to form for the Gold Cup? Yes, he did. The horse was primed to run on Boxing Day,
and the three week delay prior to the re-scheduled King George would have
made it difficult for the horse to reach its peak again. Besides, Paul Nicholls’ horses had been
under the weather in mid-January for whatever reason. Also, owner Clive Smith was still bullish
about his horse’s chances in the Gold Cup. Choc’s tips for
today – He ‘loves’ Patsy Finnegan,
although he’s not sure that the horse is quite as good as prior to his
injury. Sweet Irony has been
disappointing in his runs so far; but he was Choc’s bet of the day. Hopeful of a good run from Montbazon making
its debut in the bumper. He said that
Kings Troop, which would run in the Conditional Jockeys’ event, only just got
the 2 mile distance. I said that I’d
enjoyed the Ascot fixture best, of the ones I’d attended so far this year;
unusual, as the racing is quite remote from the spectators at the course.
Choc said it lacks atmosphere. Of
course I did add that I’d enjoyed his wins at Sandown too. I asked Choc if it
was more difficult to lose weight since his return from injury. He’s having a problem getting his weight
down below 10 stone 7 lbs ... its probably age related more than
anything. Last Saturday he had to do
10 stone 2 lbs at Sandown but it had almost ‘killed him’. Although not
affected by the weight loss when racing, he’d felt really rough on Saturday
evening. His wife Meally had cooked
dinner for him, and he’d taken just two mouthfuls and couldn’t eat any
more. The young lad in our
group asked about how Choc had become a jockey, and what were his suggestions
on getting started in the profession.
Choc explained about initially having an interest in point-to-pointing
and then deciding upon being a jockey from then on. It was all he ever wanted to do. Both Victoria and Choc believed that the
British Racing School only took kids from the age of 16; so suggested that
perhaps the boy should join his local pony club, he lives in London (Ealing I
think he said). Choc asked if he’d
ridden before; yes, he used to go horse-riding at a local riding school. When it was time for
the session to end, I wished Choc luck for his ride aboard Walkon at Newbury
the following day. With the very
disappointing numbers today, I wonder if the Final Furlong walks will
continue? I also wonder how many
people signed up for the other interactive activities of ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘a
trip to the start of a race’. I
guess I will soon find out, as my next trip to Kempton is scheduled for
Saturday 26 February – Racing Post Chase day.
The rain having left
off around an hour previously, the sun decided it was time to appear. Soon it was time for
the first race and, as mentioned earlier, Alan King had two runners in this event
– Kings Troop and Balerina. Once the horses had
left the Parade Ring I set off to find a good vantage point beside the
course-side rails. Today I didn’t go
through the ground floor of the grandstand, instead I went around the side of
it and up the steps to get there.
The
start of the race was at the far end of the home straight, with just over one
circuit to travel. The horses circled
at the start; Marodima stood alone near the tape,
his pilot eager to be at the head of affairs when the race began. However, one of the runners, Gunslinger,
dug in his heels; the Starter’s Assistant leading him in the join the others
as they trotted in a circle. But then
he dug his heels in once again. The
Assistant cracked the whip behind the horse but to no avail, and then took
hold of the reins, but the horse was still reluctant. In a final effort to get the horse moving,
the jockey jumped off and trotted him in; but before he’d reached the main
group of runners, they set off without him.
The jockey threw up his free hand in exasperation; however it later
transpired the horse had already been withdrawn. The
front-running Marodima set off in front, in second
was Domino Dancer, who clipped the top of the first flight. In rear were the favourite, According, who
also hit the first, and Zafranagar. Balerina was held
up near the rear and Kings Troop was restrained in mid-field. According
made another jumping error at the third and again at the fourth; and was
being driven along approaching the far corner of the track. Turning into the back straight, Marodima still led; close up were Salybia
Bay, King Brex and Park Lane. Cnoc Moy and Robain soon tailed off.
However, despite the initial jumping errors, According made good
ground on the outside of the field and soon took fourth position. Both Kings Troop and Balerina
made headway too. King
Brex took over 3 out and led the field into the
final bend; followed by Kings Troop, Salybia Bay, Balerina, Zafranagar, Screaming
Brave and Niceonefrankie. King
Brex led them into the home straight, from Kings
Troop and Balerina; According had quickly dropped
out. Three runners took the
penultimate flight in line, Kings Troop, Balerina
and Screaming Brave; the latter flattening the flight. Only just getting the two mile distance,
Kings Troop was the first to drop out, leaving Balerina
and Screaming Brave to fight it out. Despite
Balerina landing flat-footed over the last and her
jockey dropping one of the reins in the final 100 yards, she battled on
beside the stand-side rails to win by ¾ of a length on the line.
I
returned to the Parade Ring to see the horses arrive back in the Winners’
Enclosure. As the horses were being
unsaddled, there was a request on the tannoy for
Alan King, or his representative, to go to the Stewards’ Room, and off he
headed. They were enquiring into the
filly’s improvement in form. It
was now time for Choc’s first ride of the day,
aboard Patsy Finnegan. Once the horses
left the Parade Ring I set off for the course-side rails. Choc
cantered down past the stands in order for his mount to take a look at the
final obstacle before setting off to the start which, being in the far corner
of the track, meant that he cantered back up the course and around the top
turn to reach it.
Soon
they were off. The field was led away
by Ballinteni, followed by the Barry Geraghty ridden Zazamix,
Sergeant Pink, the grey American Trilogy, and on the inside in rear Patsy
Finnegan. Barry’s
mount wasn’t fluent at the first, but took the lead after the second; Ballinteni nodded on landing over the third, the
open-ditch. Zazamix
led them into the straight on the first circuit, from Ballinteni,
Sergeant Pink, American Trilogy to his outside; Patsy Finnegan on the inner,
getting a little close to the fifth and slightly awkward at the seventh, but
without risk of falling. Past
the winning post with one circuit go, Ballenteni
led from Zazamix with ears pricked, American Trilogy
now in third. Sergeant Pink was slow
at the ninth and being scrubbed along as they approached the far turn. Barry
Geraghty’s mount held the lead as they galloped
down the back straight. American
Trilogy jumping noticeably out to his left at every fence. Patsy Finnegan hit the fourth last, when in
third position, losing some ground on Zazamix and
American Trilogy. Ballenteni
dropped back to be overtaken by Sergeant Pink. Choc
came to challenge the two leaders as they approached the penultimate obstacle,
but got too close, skewed and stumbled.
American Trilogy was soon in command of the race, cleared the last and
went on to win by 6 lengths. Choc
galvanised his mount after the final fence and caught Zazamix
close home.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
horses arrive back, and Choc return to the Weighing Room having unsaddled his
mount. Soon it was time for Choc’s
second ride of the day, his mount in this race would be Sweet Irony, who was
trying this longer trip for the first time; the horse was the race
favourite. Alan King had two other
runners in this race, Yukon Quest ridden by Wayne Hutchinson and The Laodicean ridden by Gerard Tumelty. Once Sweet Irony had left the Parade Ring I set
off to find a vantage point beside the course-side rails.
The
runners were called in and started some distance behind the tape for this
one. They were led away by Oscar Papa
and Ballyfoy.
The broad white face of Another Dimension could be seen pulling hard
on the outside of the field. Choc’s mount remained
held-up on the inside in rear as they turned into the home straight on the
first occasion. The order at this
stage was Oscar Papa, Ballyfoy, Cousin Maggie,
Yukon Quest, Another Dimension, The Laodicean, Abayaan, Rebel Rebellion and Sweet Irony. Oscar
Papa still led as they passed the post with one circuit to go, from Ballyfoy. Rebel
Rebellion had made noticeable progress into third, with Liam Treadwell taking
Oscar Papa wide as they travelled down the side of the course. Rebel Rebellion now disputing the lead to
the inside. Abayaan
and The Laodicean were in rear around the far bend. Oscar
Papa and Rebel Rebellion led them down the back straight, followed by Yukon
Quest. Another Dimension was going
well just in behind; Sweet Irony was now a lot closer and travelling well. Three
out, the leading two horses hadn’t changed; Another Dimension going well in
third, hit 3 out. As they exited the
final bend, a group of 3 had pulled away from the remainder: Rebel Rebellion,
Oscar Papa and Sweet Irony, but Choc’s mount hit
the penultimate flight and weakened. This
left Rebel Rebellion to go on from Oscar Papa between the last two flights,
coming up the stand-side rail and winning by 6 lengths at the line. Sweet Irony completed in 3rd, with Ballyfoy staying on in 4th. These four having pulled well clear of the
rest. Having
seen Sweet Irony run, I think part of the problem is that he doesn’t yet
settle in his races. Yukon Quest
finished 6th; The Laodicean last.
Again
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back and unsaddle. As
Choc didn’t have a ride in the next race, once the horses had exited the
Parade Ring I set off to find a vantage point in the stands.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Nobby Kivambo; Pikasso was prominent on the wide outside. Pere Blanc,
taking a keen hold, was up with the pace; as were Princely Hero, Star King
and Russian Epic. Among those in
mid-division were Smoking, and El Diego; at the back of the field were Peveril Pandora, Beau Colonel and Across The
Straits. Mossini,
also in rear, wasn’t fluent at the second. Leading
into the home straight on the first occasion was Nobby
Kivambo, from Chervonet,
Princely Hero, Pikasso, Star King, Russian Epic, Pere Blanc, Royal Kicks, Smoking, The Old Buccaneer, Peveril Pandora, Cloudy Wager; last were Mossini and Across The Straits. Beau Colonel wasn’t fluent at the last in
the straight. Heading
out into the country, Nobby Kivambo
still held the lead, from Chervonet and Pikasso, the latter steering a course on the wide
outside. Star King and Beau Colonel
were soon driven. In rear, Peveril Pandora made a mistake at the sixth. Star King and Beau Colonel having soon
tailed off, they were pulled up before the seventh. Initially
Nobby Kivambo led along
the back straight, with Pere Blanc ‘cantering’ on the outside, and soon taking
over at the head of affairs. A group
of 5 horses had set up a gap over the remainder of the field by the time they
turned in, led by Pere Blanc under Daryl
Jacob. The majority of these came over
to the stand-side rails, Life Of A Luso remaining
on the far side. Original Prankster
fell at the penultimate flight when disputing third. Both jockey, Paddy Brennan, and the horse
were fine after this mishap. Pere Blanc effortlessly extended his lead
over the field and ran on to win by 15 lengths from Russian Epic, Life Of A Luso was 3rd and Nobby Kivambo 4th. The
fifth horse, Royal Kicks, was 26 lengths behind these. Only 10 completed the race.
I
returned to the Parade Ring in preparation for viewing the runners in the
next race of the day. Once
the runners had left the Parade Ring I set off to find a vantage point in the
stands.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by the grey Pasco under AP McCoy, he was tracked by Punchestowns
and Bugsy’s Boy; Crack Away Jack was last of the 4 runners. Punchestowns got a little
close to the second fence; Crack Away Jack flew the fourth and, as a result,
now led two of his rivals. Pasco
was clear turning into the home straight for the first time, Punchestowns and Crack Away Jack disputed second,
followed by Bugsy’s Boy in rear. AP’s
mount had a 4 length advantage as they passed the winning post with one
circuit to go. Bugsy’s
Boy, in rear, was being pushed along as they travelled down the side of the
course and soon began to struggle.
Pasco was still 4 or 5 lengths clear around the far bend. Crack Away Jack dropped out quickly,
blundered at the 11th and was pulled up after 4 out; Bugsy’s Boy was pulled
up here too. Turning
in, Pasco still led by 8 to 10 lengths, AP glancing over his shoulder to see
where his now one and only rival was.
Barry Geraghty was vigorously urging his
mount on and by the penultimate fence Punchestowns
was a mere 2 – 3 lengths behind. As
they approached the last, the leg weary Pasco was overtaken, Punchestowns going 11 lengths clear by the line. Nicky Henderson had trained his 2,000th
career winner.
Pasco,
who was ‘out on his feet’ by the
line, didn’t return to the Winners’ Enclosure but, although distressed after
the race, he was fine. A
bottle of champagne was presented to Nicky to mark his achievement (which
took 32 years). Crack
Away Jack was signed off for the remainder of the season, and scheduled to
undergo a breathing operation. It
was now time for Choc’s third ride of the day; his
mount in this race would be Ravethebrave who, on
his previous run, had fallen at the first fence in a race at Cheltenham. Someone
standing next to me by the Parade Ring commented to his companion that Choc
still ‘looked like a farmer’s boy’! Once
Choc had set off down the walkway, I went to find a good vantage point beside
the course-side rails.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by the blinkered Carrickmines,
who skewed his hind-legs over the first fence; he was followed by Alderburn, Fortification, Rory Boy, Plein
Pouvoir, with Ravethebrave
held up on the inside in rear. The
grey Fortification hit the third fence and dropped to the rear; he then
received reminders after the sixth.
Heading up the straight for the first time, Ravethebrave
held the inside line in a group of 4 runners; Carrickmines
in a clear lead and jumping well.
Turning along the side of the course, there was no change at the head
of affairs; Alderluck was in second, then Rory Boy,
Ravethebrave, Plein Pouvoir and Fortification. Along
the line of fences in the back straight, Carrickmines
wasn’t so fluent at the final ditch, nor was Choc’s
mount, the latter also nodding slightly on landing over 4 out. Carrickmines turned into the
home straight with a 2 lengths lead over Ravethebrave
in 2nd; but Daryl Jacob’s mount had too much in reserve and, despite hitting
2 out, went away again to win by 15 lengths from Ravethebrave,
Alderburn and Plein Pouvoir. A treble
for Daryl Jacob.
The
damp weather having returned during the afternoon, the light had now faded;
making it impossible to take photographs of the final event. Choc’s mount, Montbazon, runs in the yellow and red colours of David
Sewell. I
arrived at the course-side rails before the majority of the runners had
passed the stands; the commentator announcing the horses and riders as they
cantered by. Notably, Jack Doyle was
back in the saddle having recovered from a broken leg sustained last
November.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Bach To Front and the hard pulling Belgian raider Real Tempo. Choc aboard Montbazon
was in mid-field; bringing up the rear were Gleann Eagas and Willard. Heading
down the side, out wide, Real Tempo led from Bach To Front, Raifteiri, Malibu Sun, Orsm,
Call Me Friday and Cheltenian; Montbazon
was settled; Willard still in rear. Into
the back straight, Bach To Front held the advantage along with Real Tempo to
his outside; then Raifteiri, Malibu Sun, Call Me
Friday, Orsm, Kindlelight
Soleil, Cheltenian and Montbazon. Willard had made a little ground. Turning
in Malibu Sun, Bach To Front and Raifteiri held the
advantage from Cheltenian. Having improved, Montbazon,
now on the outside of the field held every chance in fifth. As
they approached the wings of the second last flight (there being no hurdles
as this was a NH flat race) Cheltenian came to the
front, Choc bringing his mount to challenge on the stand-side of the leader,
with Real Tempo to their outside.
However, Richard Johnson’s mount suddenly hung to its left, barging
into Montbazon who, in turn, tightened up Real
Tempo. Having
been badly hampered, Choc switched his mount to the far side to avoid any
further interference but Cheltenian had got first
run; so despite Choc galvanising his mount, he couldn’t make up the distance
having lost momentum at the crucial time, and he was beaten by a length at
the line. Unsurprisingly,
as the horses headed back in, the ‘bing bong’ sounded over the tannoy
and a Stewards’ Enquiry was announced.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure
to see Choc arrive back. Having debriefed
the connections he returned to the Weighing Room. It was now time to leave. I returned to collect my car and,
just as I was preparing to leave, there was another ‘bing bong’ ahead of the announcement
of the Stewards’ decision. I opened
the car door so that I could hear ... the placings
remained unaltered. More Ahead of the fixture, I had been a
little concerned that my journey home would take a lot longer than usual; the
off time for the last race being 16:55, after which I was faced with a trip
home on the M25. However, the road
from the course exit point to the roundabout beneath the M3 was the least congested
I’d ever experienced, and I was soon heading south-west down the motorway to
join the M25. The traffic thereon was
moving fairly freely, and I decided to pop into my local petrol station to
fill up in preparation for my trip the following day. I arrived home at 18:30. The following day I would attend the Totesport fixture at Newbury and would witness, first
hand, the deaths of two horses in the Parade Ring prior to the first
race. However the first event went
ahead, after which the meeting was abandoned.
Following investigation it was discovered that the animals had been
electrocuted due to leakage from a redundant and very old cable which ran
beneath the paddock. |
