DIARY – KEMPTON PARK
– MONDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2010
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Today was Choc’s
third outing as ‘The Face of National
Hunt Racing’ at Kempton Park. It
was also a Charity Race Day, funds being raised for the Starlight Children’s
Foundation which makes the wishes of seriously and terminally ill children
come true. Unfortunately for
me, the previous Tuesday evening I’d started to get the symptoms of my first
cold of the winter. But, three days
coming, three days here, three days going ... so hopefully by Monday the
worst of my cold would be over. I
find that the sore throat stage of a cold is the worst for me – especially as
I’ve had a few encounters with tonsillitis when I was young, then again in my
late teens, and even a couple of times less than a decade ago. But I’ve still got my tonsils. I sometimes get laryngitis too, but at
least it keeps me quiet for a few days! Anyway, my cold was ‘streaming’ by last Friday, and I
spent the whole of Saturday moping around the house in my nightdress and
dressing-gown, but by Sunday I felt a lot better, and so when Monday dawned
there was absolutely no way I was going to miss seeing Choc at Kempton Park. Being a Monday, my
first task of the day was to purchase a copy of the Racing Post in order to
read Choc’s weekly column. So having
put on my makeup I set off for the local supermarket, which is a mere 10
minute walk down the road. Then having returned home, I read his column whilst
I ate my breakfast, and then I wrapped up warm for my trip to the races. I wore cords today, with thick tights
underneath, my khaki ankle boots, long sleeved thermal vest, sleeveless
thermal vest, pink sweater, black cardigan, purple fleece, turquoise gillet, and long black faux sheepskin coat – certainly no
colour co-ordination involved, as this was topped off with my neon blue
scarf, chosen because a red, mauve or pink one might draw attention to my red
Rudolf nose! The gates opened two
hours before the first race, which was due off at 12:30. I therefore decided to leave home just
after 09:00. However, having gone half
a mile down the road, I realised I’d forgotten my make-up bag. Would I need to apply more make-up to
camaflage my red nose during the day?
Should I go back? Oh, what to
do? I decided to press on. Having reached the
A414 not far from home, in fact just on the outskirts of St Albans, I
encountered a long queue of almost stationary traffic. But, as I know my local area very well, I
decided to take the slip-road onto a country lane which would lead back
towards my home city, then up past the Sopwell
House Hotel and the mill by the River Ver,
through the council estate, and eventually out to join the dual carriageway
running down towards the M25. My first thought was
to join the M25 immedidately but, having glanced down to see that traffic on
the anti-clockwise carriageway was travelling slowly through the contraflow
system, I headed on towards Leavesden and joined the motorway at Junction
19. Fortunately this is at the far end
of the current roadworks, so having joined at 30 mph, by the time the next
junction was reached all traffic was moving quickly. There was a little
congestion between the M40 and M4 junctions on the M25 but, apart from that,
everything went smoothly, and I arrived at Kempton Park at 10:20. Having parked my car in the free parking
area, I set off for the main entrance building. I noticed that the ‘Chocmobile’ had arrived, Choc
seemingly just returning briefly to his vehicle to put something in the boot,
and to take out his Hunter Wellingtons. I went to wait inside the main
entrance building, as the turnstiles weren’t quite ready to open. Whilst I was waiting, Choc walked in
through the entrance doors, he was wearing his camel coloured coat
today. His hair was still slightly
damp having, obviously, been washed recently too. Finally the gates were opened, so I purchased my ticket
(£18), a race-card (£2.50) and then went to wait inside the warm Racecourse
Office in order to sign up for the ‘final
furlong’ course walk, plus a ‘trip
to the start’ of one of the races.
Registrations for the activities didn’t start until 11:00, hence the
wait, and I chose to go to the start of the 4th race, the 5 runner Beginners’
Chase. I did check that
it was okay for me to repeat the final furlong course walk, this being my
third ... yes, that’s fine, and I can even do it again if I arrive early
enough on Boxing Day or the day after!
Today’s course walk
was due to take place at 11:50 so, by the time I’d signed up and popped
briefly to the loo, I decided to head for Gate Q; whilst waiting I sat on one
of the benches in the watery sunshine.
It was obvious that the wind direction had changed to a colder north
easterly, as the aeroplanes out of Heathrow were flying directly (and
noisily) over the racecourse today! More people had
signed up for Choc’s walk today than on 01 November but, of course, not as
many as had been participating on Sunday 17 October. Our usual lady guide took us down to the
one furlong post, where we waited for Choc, who walked down the course alone
having exited via the horse walkway entrance.
Any ‘lameness’ he has suffered
is barely noticeable now. Choc soon reached us
and introduced himself. He said he’d
ridden out at Alan King’s Barbury Castle yard this morning, and had taken his
first fall since his July accident.
However, he was very pleased to report that his knee held up well to
this mishap and he’d suffered no ill effects. He was going to visit his
surgeon the following Monday for a check-up and then hoped the BHA’s doctor
would clear him to race-ride. This
could be as early as mid-week next week (01 December) or possibly anything up
to a month’s time. On this occasion,
Choc walked us up between the wings of the last fence, so that we got a
better view than on previous occasions.
The fences look a lot larger from the approach, due to the wide apron,
but they probably appear more inviting when you are actually on the back of a
horse. (Or maybe not!) Choc did
explain that they are supposed to be 4 feet 6 inches high but do, in fact,
vary from course to course. He asked
if anyone had watched the first meeting at Aintree this autumn, drawing
particular attention to the fact that the Mildmay course fences had been
particularly stiff and big on that occasion.
The fences had, however, been trimmed back a little for the Aintree
meeting which had taken place the previous day. Someone asked him
why he is nicknamed Chocolate – because he loves chocolate and also because
his surname is Thornton, the same as the chocolate manufacturer. He was asked who he
thought was the better jockey, Ruby Walsh or AP McCoy? They are both brilliant jockeys, it just
depends what you want from your jockey – Ruby will sit handy and ‘finesse’ a horse home, whereas AP is
brilliant at booting home even the most unwilling and reluctant horse. Would he have liked
the opportunity to ride Kauto Star around Kempton? No, he’d have preferred to have ridden
Desert Orchid or One Man. Who will win the
King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, Imperial Commander or Kauto Star? Kauto should win, provided he runs up to
his usual form, as he doesn’t think that Imperial Commander has as much
speed. Choc said he spoke
with Ruby this morning, he was as upbeat as he could have been considering
the fact that he’s facing another long spell on the sidelines. Someone asked about
the new ‘Equicisor’ which is based
at Newmarket which simulates a fall – John Francome tried it out recently,
the film having been broadcast on The Morning Line the previous
Saturday. Choc’s not sure really,
although he might try it out, the problem is that it simulates just one type
of fall and every fall will be different, although the jockey tends to go out
the side-door more often than straight over the head. He’s had plenty of ‘fall practice’ at the Oaksey gym. Choc also mentioned poor Christian Williams
who broke both arms recently, a result of the human reflex to save yourself
by putting out your arms when falling.
Choc was impressed
by Master Minded’s return at Ascot the previous weekend. Choc wouldn’t want to ride Big Zeb again,
even if he got the opportunity! (Choc
having taken a crashing fall from the horse in the 2009 Champion Chase.) He doesn’t think that Somersby has quite
what it takes to become a top star in this league – but he said not to tell
Henrietta Knight that! Not surprisingly,
Choc was asked whether, had he been fit, he might have been approached to
ride some of Paul Nicholls’ horses during Ruby’s absence. Maybe, as things had just started to move
in that direction when he suffered his incapacitating fall from the Paul
Nicholls trained Hell’s Bay. A horse
which he pointed out, since the incident, seems to have gone from strength to
strength (having gone to the sales and was now running for the Colin Tizzard
yard). Choc is of the opinion that you
can’t dwell on what might have been, you just have to accept what is. Noel Fehily is a very talented substitute
for Ruby and deserves his chance. Choc said the top
bend at Kempton Park rides much better now that it’s ‘all weather’ as opposed to grass. Someone asked how
far the run-in was at Kempton? How
many yards are there in a furlong? I
knew the answer to that one – 220 yards.
[Mind you, it’s only become part of my knowledge recently as I often
wondered why races included the odd 110 yards ... because it’s half a furlong
of course!] I think the answer given
was around 100 yards, but it’s not, it’s further than that, because the last
fence is definitely nearer the one furlong post than the winning post! And, once again, I
took lots of lovely photographs of Choc.
I had prepared a number of questions for Choc but, in the event, we
actually ran out of time, as the organiser/guide was concerned for us to
clear the course before any horses appeared, just in case any of the
competitors went to the start early. A number of the
participants remained behind to ask Choc for his autograph, with everyone
gradually heading for Gate Q, apart from our guide and Choc, who having
cleared the main part of the course, set off in the other direction and
exited via a higher gate. I returned to the Parade
Ring, via the main hall of the Grandstand.
Nick Luck and Eddie Fremantle were presenting for Racing UK
today. Once the competitors for the
first race had left the Parade Ring, I headed back through the main hall, and
took up a position near the winning post.
There were 17 runners in the first event, a National Hunt Novices’
Hurdle, and I admired the horses as they cantered down past me to reach the 2
mile start. My selection on looks was
number 13 Sire De Grugy who, as it turned out, was 2nd favourite. There were no
mishaps during the race, with 16 of the 17 runners completing and one being
pulled up in the final straight. The
winner was the odds on favourite Bobs Worth, trained by Nicky Henderson and
ridden by Barry Geraghty. Sire De
Grugy finished 2nd. Choc came down to
the Parade Ring following the race, afterwards disappearing with Kempton’s
Raceday presenter, Anthony Kemp, in the direction of the Weighing Room. The second race (a
Novices’ Chase) had just 3 runners, the favourite being Dee Ee Williams. Unfortunately both his rivals departed at
the 6th fence when, sadly, the Philip Hobbs trained Oddshoes took a fall
which proved fatal, and Quasar D’Oudairies was hampered, unseating Daryl
Jacob. Everyone held their breath as
Liam Treadwell guided his mount over the final few fences to be the only
finisher. The third race of
the day was the feature event, the Mares’ Listed Hurdle. Martin Keighley had a runner in this race,
Love of Tara. However, the ground
wasn’t soft enough for her and, although running well, she finished last of
the 6 competitors. The race was won by
the Nicky Henderson trained, Barry Geraghty ridden, Carole’s Legacy. Whilst the horses
had paraded for this race, Choc had been interviewed by Anthony Kemp for
Kempton Park TV. The interview took
place in the glass-sided studio next to the Parade Ring. During the interview, Choc had once more
confessed that he’d taken his first fall earlier that morning, confirmed that
his knee was fine, and that he hoped to get clearance to race-ride in the
very near future. It was now time for
my trip to the start of the 4th race of the day, the 5 runner Beginners’
Chase. The meeting point for this
activity was the gate onto the horsewalk, near the ‘dovecote’. There were
just 3 of us signed up for this trip and, very strangely, the other two
people were the guy and his mother who had been chosen last meeting to select
the best turned out horse and present the winners’ prize for the penultimate
race. It had been part of Choc’s
duties that day to offer them help and advice in choosing the most suitable
horse to award the prize to. Anyway, our driver
soon arrived to collect us and we walked out across the course to a
minibus. I was allowed to sit in the
front passenger seat. We then set off
for the 3 mile start, which is just a short distance along the top of the
track, where we pulled into a lay-by so that the emergency vehicles had a
clear road. The five runners in
this event were Andytown (trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry
Geraghty), Horseshoe Reef (trained by Jamie Snowden and ridden by Daryl
Jacob), Key Cutter (trained by Paul Webber and ridden by William Kennedy),
Picture in the Sky (trained by Mrs Susan Nock and ridden by Sam
Twiston-Davies) and Strategic Approach (trained by Warren Greatrex and ridden
by Noel Fehily). I recalled that
Andytown had tried steeplechasing before but the exercise had not been
successful. However he does have the
dictinction of having won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
at the Cheltenham Festival in 2009.
And Picture in the Sky had a spell with trainer Martin Keighley, when
the horse was leased to one of the syndicates. It had started to
rain heavily by the time the jockeys had reached the starting gate. A tape recording telling us about the race
procedures was played to us. And we
learnt that the order of the pursuing vehicles is Doctor, Vet,
Ambulance! The horses’ girths were
tightened, the starter called them in ... and they were off ... the horses
and the vehicles. Once the roadway was
clear, we set off to take up a position opposite the final fence. The starter and his assistant plus the flag
bearer (in case of a false start) returned via a 4-wheel drive too, although
our driver said that they often have transport to the start but most
frequently walk back – perhaps it was the rain that deterred them off today. Anyway, we were in
plenty of time to see the horses clear the final fence with one circuit to
go. It came as no surprise to me that
Andytown was jumping poorly throughout, blundering and losing ground at a
number of the fences. However, all
five were still standing as they approached 4 out. Unfortunately Picture in the Sky, when in
2nd place, blundered at this fence, Sam Twiston-Davies ending up with both
legs on the near-side of the horse.
But to compensate, he threw his right leg back too vigorously over the
saddle and promptly fell off over the off-side. Whoops.
Poor Sam. Anyway, the winner
was Key Cutter, with Strategic Approach in 2nd, Andytown taking a poor 3rd
during the closing stages, with Horseshoe Reef 4th. We returned in the
minibus to the emergency vehicle parking area at the top of the course, and
then walked back to the horsewalk. The
riderless Picture in the Sky had been caught and was being unsaddled in the ‘unplaced horses’ paddock, he had a cut
on one of his hindlegs which became noticeable when his boot was
removed. As I returned to the
Parade Ring area, Choc was loitering outside the Weighing Room, although he did
have his back to me. I was in two
minds whether to speak with him ... I didn’t ... and felt a little guilty
afterwards. It’s just that I don’t
like to be a nuisance ... or perhaps I’m just being enigmatic! At various times
today I noticed he was looking very ‘little
boy lost’ whilst waiting around for people to collect him prior to
heading off to carry out his assorted duties.
Bless him. Alan King had a
runner in the 5th race of the day, Kauto the
Roc. Being a Handicap Hurdle, the
horse was ridden by one of his stable’s conditional jockeys Peter Hatton who,
as such, was able to claim 10 lbs.
There were 12 runners in this race and Kauto
the Roc duly obliged by 1½ lengths. He
was the 4-1 favourite. Alan King was
in attendance to accept the winning prize having, presumably, attended the
Starlight Charity luncheon too. Jilly
Cooper had also been attending the luncheon and, afterwards, came out to the
Injured Jockeys’ stand to sign copies of her latest book, Jump. I didn’t buy a copy as I’ve already got one
which I was in the process of reading.
Anthony Kemp also interviewed Jilly about
her book and her interest in the world of racing. Evidently she carries a notebook with her
and jots down information, incidents and ‘people’
that she can use in her next book, and she had been doing just this during
lunch today. Not surprisingly, I carry
a notebook to the races and write down things to remember for my
diaries! Martin Keighley
had a runner in the 6th race of the day – Rodrigo Gonzales who, unfortunately,
finished last of the 5 finishers, Sonning Star
having unseated Liam Treadwell 4 out.
The winner was Shakalakaboomboom, a treble
on the day for Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty. The final race
of the day was a Conditional Jockeys’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, with Martin
Keighley’s Won More Night a competitor.
She ran well for a long way, but faded from 4th to 9th place in the
final straight, having been off the racecourse for nearly a year. I returned to my
car and set off for home at 16:00. Having
delayed my departure for a few minutes to eat a brief snack, traffic had now
built up on the road outside the main entrance, so there was a long queue to
negotiate leading up to the roundabout below junction 1 of the M3. However, I’d reached the M25 by 16:20. Being pre-rush
hour, traffic was moving smoothly on the M25 until I approached Junctions 17
through 18, when the 4 lanes of traffic had to filter into 3 in preparation
for the contra-flow on the other carriageway coming into operation. Once through this, everything went smoothly
again and I arrived home at 17:25. |
