DIARY – NEWBURY
– SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2010
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This was my first opportunity to go racing since Sunday 27
December, when I went to Kempton Park for the second day of their Christmas
fixture. In the interim there’s been bad
weather – 13 days of National Hunt racing lost; or Choc has been riding at
far distant fixtures – such as Haydock Park; and by
far the worst of all, he missed 14 days following a terrible fall at
Leicester on Tuesday 26 January in which he injured his spine. Despite having spent the night after his crashing fall from Cracboumwiz in Leicester Royal Infirmary, the injury was
said to be classed as minor, although he was signed off for 2 to 3
weeks. In the event, and although in
later reports it mentioned that he’d actually suffered fractures to 3
vertebrae (L1, L2, L3) it was a non-weight bearing injury and, following
physiotherapy and gym exercise at Oaksey House in Lambourn (IJF funded), he was passed fit to return to the
saddle on Wednesday 10 February. I decided to set out for Newbury races at 09:00, having watched
The Morning Line on Channel 4 – their special guest was Ruby Walsh ... I
thought it might be him, as he’d ridden at Kempton Park the previous day and
was therefore available, having not just flown in from Ireland on the
day. He probably stayed overnight at
AP McCoy’s – presumably in ‘Ruby’s Room’! The Newbury gates were due to open at 11:00, but I wanted to
visit Next and M & S during my outbound trip, the former shop to discover
if they had any sunglasses available yet, as I broke my favourite pair back
in October – not whilst on a sun-filled holiday, but because I was hiding
behind them due to an allergic reaction to something unknown which resulted
in my forehead and eyes swelling up. No, none in store yet. My trip to M & S was to find a pair of
black long length bootcut jeans, as my high street
store hadn’t got my size. I’m now
experimenting with ‘sit on the waist’ jeans, as my low waist jeans have
become a problem because my bottom is too flat (that’s FLAT not FAT). In addition, I’ve got an allergy to
‘nickel’, in that uncovered belt buckles bring me out in a red itchy
rash. I hasten to add that I carry all
my weight at the front ... on my boobs and stomach ... sorry, that’s more information
than you needed! M & S sell an
excellent value for money jeans range – just £12 a pair – so, having earned
£5 in vouchers on my credit card, they cost me just £7! A bargain. Having completed my
shopping, I started out for Newbury at 09:45. The M25 runs alongside the Retail Park, so I
joined it at the nearby junction.
Everything was going well until I reached the road widening and
associated contraflow system just before junction 18. There must have been a recent accident in
the contraflow lane as it had been closed, which resulted in an initial
traffic jam on the two remaining lanes.
However this soon cleared and the traffic was able to travel at the 50
mph speed limit once again. Further
on, I noticed two stationary vehicles in the blocked off lane, the traffic in
front of them barely moving at all.
Fortunately the inside lanes continued to move okay, even after the
outside lane had merged with it again.
Usually I take the
M40 to High Wycombe and from there head south towards the M4, but today I
decided to continue on the M25 for one additional junction and join the
westbound M4 directly. Having enjoyed
a quick glimpse of Windsor Castle as I headed west, there was another 50 mph
speed limit through the roadworks at the Slough Central junction, and again
at Reading Central. I left the motorway
at Reading West, travelling along the A40 to Newbury, although it was a
little frustrating to get stuck behind a slow moving ‘Tesco’ lorry. Luckily that turned left before I reached Thatcham,
and I had a clear run through to the racecourse from there, entering via the
main entrance, over the narrow railway bridge. Once inside I turned left, driving along
the perimeter fence to reach the free car parking area beyond the grandstand
entrance gates. It was 11:05 when I
parked. Having brought a
snack with me, consisting of 4 cheese rolls, I ate 3 of these before heading
for the turnstiles. It wasn’t my first
meal of the day – breakfast had been 2 Weetabix, 2 croissants and 2 cups of tea. I purchased a racecard before going to
spend a penny – obviously I’d had too many cups of tea before leaving
home! I then went to sit on one of the
picnic benches beside the course-side rails.
My body was warm as I was wearing 6 layers (thermal vest, long sleeved
t-shirt, jumper, fleece, cardigan, gillet) plus my faux sheepskin coat, but
my hands were freezing cold despite wearing mittens! The ‘cowboy’ style boots I’d chosen to wear
would prove invaluable later in the day for walking quickly between Parade
Ring and course-side rails and vice versa. At 12:10 I went to
sit beside the Parade Ring. The Tote
‘Denman’ Battle Bus was parked nearby, Derek Thompson, the race day presenter
,was broadcasting from the open top deck.
Derek was later joined by George Primarolo to explain all the types of
betting options available. Prior to racing,
Paul Nicholls was signing copies of his autobiography, being sold from the
bookshop located near the Weighing Room steps. Derek Thompson re-appeared to run through the
fancied runners of the day, accompanied by Luke Harvey. Derek described Luke as wearing a ‘fashion’
raincoat ... it looked more like a ‘flasher’s’
raincoat to me! Soon it was time for
the first race of the day. There was
one non-runner (Flight Leader ran at Warwick instead) thus reducing the field
to 3. Choc would be riding Bensalem,
who’d capsized at Haydock Park on his last outing. His two opponents were Inchidaly Rock,
who’d fallen at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day, and Diamond Harry making his
second appearance over the larger obstacles having won the Haydock race in
which Bensalem had fallen. Bensalem is
definitely the best looking of the three horses – a beautiful example of the
steeplechaser. Diamond Harry (Timmy
Murphy), although having filled out since last year, still looks lean, and
Inchidaly Rock (Ruby Walsh) looked small compared to the other two! Once Choc had left
the Parade Ring I set off to find a pitch beside the course-side rails. The start of this race was on the far side of
the track, the horses heading straight there.
Bensalem started as the 4-1 outsider of the 3.
Then
they were off. Inchidaly
Rock led them away, followed by Diamond Harry, with Bensalem bringing up the
rear. Ruby’s mount soon began to jump
to its right, gradually drifting towards the outside of the track. As often happens, Bensalem and Diamond
Harry ‘followed the leader ‘and both
started to jump out to the right also.
Diamond Harry wasn’t necessarily jumping as well as he might, Bensalem
taking an extra look and putting in a short stride at the water which
resulted in him not being particularly fluent at the jump. All
three horses put in a clear round until the cross fence, 5 from home. Inchidaly Rock
had drifted across in front of Bensalem as they approached the jump, which
may have caused Choc’s mount to be a little
unsighted and he clouted the fence, but the partnership survived. Choc
managed to stoke up Bensalem again and was almost back on terms as they
approached the next obstacle. Inchidaly Rock was the first beaten, Diamond Harry now in
the lead. However, Timmy’s mount did
wander off a straight course as he progressed up the straight, possibly
slightly impeding Bensalem as they jumped the second last. Bensalem made a slight error at the last
and Diamond Harry held on to win by 2 lengths. But I’m sure the result might have been
different if Bensalem hadn’t hit the cross fence.
I
returned to the Parade Ring to see Choc and Bensalem arrive back. Derek
Thompson, assisted by a girl called Emily who was collecting losing betting
slips in a bucket, carried out a prize draw to give the selected punters a
free £10 betting voucher. The
Parade Ring was very crowded prior to the next race as there were 18
runners. Alan King had 2 runners in
this event – Squadron making his seasonal debut and ridden by Jimmy McCarthy;
and the Sir Robert Ogden owned Forzy Origny ridden by Choc. When
they entered the Parade Ring, Choc and Jimmy stood together, along with the
owners of Squadron. Sir Robert Ogden’s
Racing Manager, Barry Simpson, arrived a little later, as did Alan King
having supervised the saddling of his 2 runners. Again,
once Choc was heading out to the course, I set off to find a viewing space
beside the course-side rails. The start of this race was on the far side of
the track.
Then
they were off. Night Orbit, The Real
Deal and Quinz led them away. Tarateeno hit the
first flight. Choc took an outside
line on the grey Forzy Origny;
with Jimmy McCarthy on the inside aboard Squadron. At the back were Tot of the Knar, Elusive
Dream, and Dante Hall. Into
the straight first time around, Night Orbit, Queen Poline,
Stripe Me Blue, The Real Deal and Quinz were
leading the field. Down the back for
the final time, Night Orbit still held the advantage. However, he blundered at the 8th flight,
unseating Hadden Frost (son of ex-jockey Jimmy
Frost). Unfortunately, having fallen
off whilst leading, the entire field galloped over the stricken jockey, and
it appeared that Quinz gave him a nasty kick. Forzy Origny was awkward at the next flight, but continued to
make ground on the outside and was in 3rd as they turned in for the final
time. Once
into the home straight, Choc’s mount soon dropped
back, Squadron then putting in a challenge to the Ruby Walsh ridden Alfie Sherrin, who had assumed
the lead by the second last. But
Squadron faded too, with Triggerman and Woolfall
Treasure chasing Alfie Sherrin
home. Victory for the Paul Nicholls trained horse, in the Barber and Findlay
colours.
I
returned to the Parade Ring to see Choc unsaddle in the main paddock area,
and then he returned to the Weighing Room, briefly speaking with the Clerk of
the Course as he did so. It
was now time for one of the feature races of the day, with the Hennessy Gold
Cup hero, Denman, making his re-appearance. AP McCoy would be riding him
today, as he’d been booked to ride Denman in this year’s Gold Cup. Denman started the race at 1-6 on. There
was a pre-race parade, Denman leading the horses down beside the far rail
before they turned and cantered to the 3 mile starting gate.
Then
they were off. Niche Market led them
away, with Tricky Trickster a close second.
Once again, Denman appeared to need encouragement to get into top
gear, but AP soon had him going keenly.
Around the top bend Denman took a slight advantage, although Niche
Market had regained it by the time they jumped the next obstacle. Air
Force One hit the 4th fence, and Wee Robbie wasn’t
fluent at the 6th. Denman held the
advantage down the back straight, mainly due to good jumping, and AP sent him
into a clear lead around the final bend.
However, he stumbled badly after the 4th last, allowing Niche Market
to overtake him. Having lost momentum, AP urged him towards the final open
ditch, but ‘The Tank’ (Denman)
ploughed through it and almost destroyed the fence, decanting AP onto the
turf. The spectators were
stunned. This
left Niche Market in the lead and it looked like victory would be his. However, Ruby aboard Tricky Trickster had
other ideas and urged his mount on having cleared the last, catching his
rival on the line to win by a short-head.
I think justice would have been served had Niche Market held on, but
it was not to be. A
winner at the Cheltenham Festival in 2009, Tricky Trickster, was a Million in
Mind syndicated horse with trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies
last season. He was sold at the DBS
Spring Sales (as are all the Million in Mind syndicated horses at season end)
for £320,000! The top priced lot in
fact. As a result of today’s win, the
horse became the ante-post favourite for the 2010 Grand National. Paul Nicholls confirmed that the horse
would also be aimed at the Gold Cup, with Sam Thomas taking the ride.
I
returned to the Parade Ring to see the winner return. Not
surprisingly, there were numerous losing tickets placed in the ‘free bet’
bucket on this occasion! Later in the
afternoon, pairs of tickets to various live music events taking place at
Newbury during the summer (for groups such as Westlife
and Simply Red) were given away to punters who were selected having placed
their tickets in the bucket. It
was now time for the feature race of the day, the Totesports
Trophy Hurdle. Choc’s
mount in this race was the Alan King trained 5-year old Manyriverstocross. One non-runner, so 23 horses came under
orders in this cavalry charge. There
was a pre-race parade, so once out on the course the horses circled to find
their respective places in ‘number
order’. This meant that Choc was
nearer the rear of the line, being number 15.
The parade was becoming ragged by the time Choc reached my area of the
course-side rails, the horses setting off through a gap in the railings towards
the start, which was just the far side of the final flight. The David Pipe trained Mamlook
went off as favourite.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by Simarian,
Ring The Boss, Chaninbar and Fairyland. Mutual Friend and Oldrik
were in rear. Choc held up Manyriverstocross in around 5th from last. The
blinkered Ring The Boss flattened the 3rd flight; Harry Tricker
was hampered and fell at the 4th. The
bottom weight, Chaninbar, lead the field around the
final bend, staying in front until approaching 2 out. The fancied Spirit River, under Barry Geraghty, blundered badly 3 out when in second position
and was eased up. Frontier Dancer fell
2 out. Ronaldo Des Mottes, having taken over from Chaninbar,
looked like the probable winner even after clearing the last, but AP McCoy
aboard Get Me Out Of Here had other ideas.
Having made steady progress up the straight, he drove his mount into
the lead 150 yards from the line, taking the prize by 1¾ lengths. Manyriverstocross
ran very well, gradually picking off rivals up the home straight and coming
home in third place. The favourite, Mamlook, finished in 4th position.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back aboard Manyriverstocross.
The horse has engagements at this year’s Cheltenham Festival and Alan King
is expecting to step the horse back up in distance again, having stayed on
well at the finish in this extended 2 mile race. Get
Me Out of Here had suffered a bad cut to his fetlock, the blood dripping onto
the grass in the enclosure. It
was now time for Choc’s final ride of the day,
aboard another of Alan’s stable stars, Voy Por Ustedes. Reigning Champion Chaser Master Minded was
making his comeback in this race following the diagnosis of a fractured rib
after his disappointing run at Cheltenham in November. No
parade for this race, the horses cantering straight to the start along the
track beside the home straight.
Then
they were off. Confirmed front runner,
Fix The Rib, led them away. He was
followed by Voy Por Ustedes, Master Minded, Mahogany Blaze and Kinkeel. I imagine
the latter horse must be so disheartened at being continually dropped in at
the deep end against clearly far superior rivals – but I guess that’s me
giving ‘human’ emotions to the
horses. Fix
The Rib seemed a little hesitant at the water but cleared it okay. Jumping well and with enthusiasm, Voy Por Ustedes
took the lead down the far side.
Mahogany Blaze blundered at the 5th obstacle. However, as Voy Por was trying a reduced trip on this occasion, his 3
main rivals were breathing down his neck as he turned into the final
straight. Master
Minded was coasting and took the lead 4 out.
Voy Por made a slight
jumping error 3 out, possibly put off by Mahogany Blaze blundering in front
of him. It now looked like a ‘walk in the park’ for Master Minded,
but amazingly he clobbered the final fence, Ruby Walsh performing miracles to
stay in the saddle. However,
class got the Paul Nicholls trained horse home in front, with 13 lengths to
spare over Mahogany Blaze, followed by Fix The Rib and Voy
Por Ustedes. Kinkeel completed
in a distant 5th but, as there were 5 prizes, he won almost £1,500 for
completing the course!
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc and Voy
Por return.
The horse is definitely a 2½ mile horse now – unfortunately the pace
of a 2 mile race is too quick for him, and 3 miles is too far. But, hopefully, he’ll still be able to pick
up a good race or two later in the season, and presumably, all being well,
will run in the Ryanair Chase at this year’s
Festival. Choc
debriefed Alan King and Barry Simpson before returning to the Weighing
Room. Choc
having finished for the day, and my fingers now being frozen from wearing my
mittens in order that I could take photographs, I decided it was time to
leave. This would give me the
opportunity to beat the race-day traffic as I’d also promised to drop in on
my friend Denise, who lives in Caversham, on the
way home. However,
I will briefly describe the final two races of the day.
The
field was led away by Paint The Clouds, followed by Gus Macrae. Tifernati pulled
hard in rear, alongside Nobby Kivambo. The favourite, Bellvano,
was also restrained near the back of the field. Always in rear, Etruscan jumped poorly
throughout. Paint
The Clouds hit the 4th flight, but still held the lead until headed by Gus Macrae 2 out. Bellvano then took the lead after the last, challenged by
Ruby Walsh aboard Tito Bustillo. However, although hanging left on the flat,
the former went on to win under AP McCoy.
Gus Macrae rallied to regain 2nd, with Tito Bustillo finishing 3rd.
The final race of the day was the Winter bumper flat race.
The
field was led away by Amroth Bay, followed by the
grey Ruby Walsh ridden Al Ferof, Carpincho pulling very hard in third. In rear, Marleno
was also pulling very hard. Any
The Wiser improved to dispute 2nd position down the back straight before
weakening 3 furlongs out. This allowed
Ferof to retake 2nd and then go into the lead 2
furlongs out as Amroth Bay faded, galloping on to
win by 5 lengths. Made In Time
eventually winning the battle over Carpincho as
they chased the grey to the line. A
fourth victory of the day for the Paul Nicholls/Ruby Walsh team. A 190-1 4-timer in fact!
I enjoyed my day out, but did come
away feeling that Choc deserves a big ‘Saturday’ win, especially after all
the setbacks he’s suffered during the course of this season. I would like to see Choc ride a winner at
Newbury, as although he’s ridden winners at the course this season and last,
none of these have occurred when I’ve been a spectator. As I left the races early, the road
leading to the main entrance and over the railway bridge was almost
deserted. I turned right, and right
again at the A4 traffic lights. The
road through Thatcham was very free flowing
too. I drove back along the A4 to
reach the M4 Reading West junction, taking the motorway’s eastbound
carriageway. I left the M4 at Reading
East, heading northwards to join the A4 again. I then took the lane towards Sonning village, heading down to the River Thames and
over the traffic light controlled ancient single lane bridge. Upon reaching the Henley Road roundabout I
turned left and then drove along this road to Denise’s house. Despite the lack of delays, it still took
me around 50 minutes to reach my destination, which always surprises me
because I think of Newbury as being very close to Reading ... but I have put
my route details into Googlemap and it’s a trip of
around 30 miles, and their timing is exactly the same! I stayed to chat for a couple of
hours, delivering her belated Christmas presents too – 7 pairs of sterling
silver beaded earrings and a cross-stitched picture of a horse. She treated me to a large slice of carrot cake
and a hot chocolate drink, which were very welcome after a cold day at the
races! I left Den’s at around 18:50 to drive
home. I returned through Sonning village, taking the eastbound A4 towards
Maidenhead, then the A404 northwards to join the M40 at High Wycombe. I then drove towards the M25, taking the
clockwise carriageway back to Hertfordshire, arriving home at 20:00. It would later transpire that Choc
had paid another visit to hospital the previous day, having split his lower
lip again, this time inside his mouth where it meets the gum, following his
unseating from Epidavros at Kempton Park. |
