DIARY – NEWBURY – PLUS COURSEWALK NO.2!
– SATURDAY 27 MARCH 2010
Jane (that’s me!) and Choc following our coursewalk The day finally
arrived when I would have my second course walk with Choc, having bid for and
won the charity auction item at last year’s Family Fun and Football Day at
Worcester ... a prize I bid for and won for the second year running I have to
confess! My choice of courses this
time around, having walked the New Course at Cheltenham on the first
occasion, was Ascot, Sandown Park or Newbury.
Unfortunately Choc was unable to fulfil my request to walk Sandown
Park on 13 March due to other commitments, so I settled for Newbury which,
although fairly straightforward, has the advantage of being 1 mile and 6
furlongs in distance, which meant that I got to spend a few more minutes with
him!!! Anyway, here is a
link to my diary entry for Worcester’s Family Fun and Football Day where the
charity auction item was offered: http://www.choc-thorntons-super-fan.co.uk/DIARY%20-%20WORCESTER%2006%20SEPT%202009.htm I asked my friend
Lesley to come along with me, as she’d done on the previous occasion
too. As she’s not the best timekeeper,
I offered to drive up to Bedfordshire to pick her up en route. I didn’t want to keep Choc waiting, as I’d
arranged with his valet, Phil Taylor, that Lesley and I would arrive at Newbury
by 11:00 latest, which was gate opening time.
My preferred routes to Newbury from Hertfordshire take around 90
minutes to complete – M25 / M4 / A4 or M25 / M40 / A404 / M4 /A4 – although,
at this time, there was a contraflow system between junctions 18 and 16 with
a speed restriction of 50 mph. I decided to leave
more than enough time to reach Newbury, leaving home mega-early at
08:00! My route took me up the A5, and
I had hoped to travel through Dunstable and Totternhoe but discovered that,
due to roadworks, all traffic was being diverted through the village of
Kensworth. Okay, new plan. I took a route past Whipsnade Zoo, down off
the Chilterns escarpment, and across the B489 to reach Lesley’s village on
the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire border.
I discovered the roads in Bedfordshire are under urgent need of
repair, as they are in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Having arrived at
her house at 08:30, we set off via the Leighton Buzzard bypass and
Aylesbury. It had been an option to
cut across country via Princes Risborough and High Wycombe but, as the route
planner suggested the A41 to Bicester, followed by the A34 past Oxford and on
to Newbury, I decided on the latter option.
Having been to Cheltenham on 4 days the previous week, the journey out
to Bicester and southwards to Oxford was very familiar. The route onwards to Newbury proved to be
ideal too, the road skirting Abingdon and Didcot. Having reached
Newbury, I turned eastwards along the A4, and turned right at a set of
traffic lights so as to approach the racecourse via my usual route. I turned left over the railway bridge, then
left again, driving along the racecourse perimeter road to reach the free of
charge car park, where we parked up at 10:10.
We sat in the car until 10:45, then set off on foot for the Premier Enclosure
entrance gate. We wore our
shoes/boots, and were carrying our Wellingtons. As we approached the
entrance gate, we noticed Phil Taylor was waiting outside for us. He led us through the main gate, and around
to the Owners/Trainers admission office to collect two complimentary Premier
Enclosure tickets and race-cards, which was very kind of them to
arrange. The staff in the office asked
Phil how many jockeys he was looking after today – a mere 15, as compared to
40 at the Cheltenham Festival! We then
set off for the Weighing Room, which is situated on the ground floor of the
Berkshire stand, to meet up with Choc.
Phil explained to the stewarding staff the reason for our visit, and
he took us through to a small canteen area where we waited whilst he went to
fetch Choc. Choc had arrived
dressed in a suit and, as he passed the canteen door he said hello to us,
before going into the Weighing Room to change into his waterproof jacket and
trousers, and his green Hunter Wellingtons in preparation for the
coursewalk. Whilst we waited, we
changed into our Wellingtons. A short
time later Choc appeared, carrying his ‘going stick’ and he, Lesley, Phil
Taylor and I set off for the walk. We
exited via the Weighing Room doors, which overlook the Parade Ring, turned
left to enter the Premier Enclosure, walked through between the Berkshire
Stand and the Hampshire Stand, and exited onto the course via a small gate
near the far corner of the latter building.
I think I must be
‘shrinking’ through old age, as Choc always seems to be the same height as me
– he’s 5ft 7ins and I’m supposed to be 5ft 8½ ins! Our route took us
across the track used for flat racing, then over the hurdles track to the
inside one, which is the steeplechase track.
At first I have to confess I was feeling a little shy and tongue-tied,
so the conversation was a little stilted!
And because I’d asked a lot of questions during my last course walk
with him. Anyway, having stopped to
re-tie the lace on one of my red Wellingtons, I had to resort to getting my
notebook out of my handbag to jog my memory as to what questions I should
ask! Choc said he was surprised that I
wanted to walk the course with him for a second occasion ... I told him I
just couldn’t help myself when bidding for his auction item! I asked him about
his website www.chocthornton.com
... he confirmed it’s gone. It was no
longer cost effective to keep it up and running. He asked if my website was still online, as
he’s not looked at it for a while ... I told him it is. He asked about hits and contacts – the
website statistics state that I received over 8,000 hits during March 2010
(and I don’t think that can only be me checking on my uploads!). I haven’t received as many contact emails
as I’d like or would have expected, but never mind! Choc confirmed that
Newbury used to place a hurdle at the far end of the track, a cross-hurdle
... I didn’t think it had been my imagination! Does Choc have a
favourite horse that he currently enjoys riding? Yes, Medermit. Choc has been disappointed with Bensalem -
the horse doesn’t have the survival instinct to find that ‘extra leg’ when his jumping goes
awrie. I mentioned that I
had walked around the Grand National course and was a little disappointed, as
I thought the fences would be bigger!
Although I did stress that I wouldn’t wish to ride the course
myself! My problem is that I recall
the fences before the safety modifications (although I was viewing it on
TV). Choc said it’s dangerous enough,
especially with 40 horses competing in the race. He said I must be from the Ginger McCain
school of racing! He’d like to go to
the Czech Republic to watch the Velka Pardubicka, for the ‘craic’, but not to ride in the race
again! They commented on
the golf course which is located to the side and centre of the course, they
didn’t think it looked very good! He
asked if I played golf ... no, I don’t.
Which horse
currently in training would he like to ride?
Big Fella Thanks in the Grand National (the horse Ruby Walsh had
chosen to ride in the 2010 event).
He’d also like to experience the ride aboard Kauto Star. He believes Kauto Star will win another King
George, but another Gold Cup win may now be beyond him. He was not convinced that the currently 9-year
old Imperial Commander will win a second Gold Cup, as the horse is just one
year younger than Kauto Star and Denman .
I suggested perhaps a novice from this year’s crop – yes, quite
possibly. He thinks Denman would be
too hard a ride, especially as he appears to have a mind of his own. Which horse from ‘history’ would he like to have
ridden? Viking Flagship, who was
trained by David Nicholson for much of his career. The horse was in the yard when Choc worked
there as a lad, but he never had the opportunity to ride him in work. He also mentioned Desert Orchid, although
Choc said the experience might have been scary with Dessie standing far off
his fences! He did mention that
he enjoyed riding the Alan King trained My Way De Solzen, as the horse was
beautifully balanced. He thinks the
horse should have been retired sooner than he was, and he is currently
point-to-pointing. We mentioned the
Mares’ feature races which would be taking place during the afternoon
programme. Choc said that Paul
Nicholls only has one or two mares in his yard, as they don’t stand up to his
training regime. However, Choc likes a
good mare (that sounds good doesn’t it!) and mentioned Mysilv, another horse
trained by David Nicholson, but whose career and shortly afterwards her life
was ended due to a pelvic injury. Choc said that Ruby
was disappointed to have ridden only 3 winners at this year’s Cheltenham
Festival. But I guess he was bound to be, having triumphed on 7 occasions
last year! Choc’s view of the
new racecourse at Ffos Las – he likes the course itself, but it’s very
difficult to travel to, and it’s very bleak.
If you visit the course, he suggests it should be for a flat race
meeting during the summer! That rules
me out then, as I don’t like flat racing! What about jockeys to
supersede AP as champion? Phil and
Choc were wondering if AP would go on forever! They would both like to see Richard Johnson
win the title. What about up and
coming youngsters who might become champion – I mentioned Giles Hawkins –
yes, they both agreed. And, possibly,
Ryan Mania ... but they think he would need to move south, as there are less
opportunities on the northern circuit! I asked if the
jockeys ever pull each others legs when the horses they are riding have
humerous names (such as Transvestite or Big Knickers). No, he often can’t even remember the name
of the horse he’s riding – just yesterday he was milling around at the start
aboard a horse trained by Don Cantillon and realised he had absolutely no
idea what the horse was called! I jogged
his memory – it was Grand Award! Choc’s favourite
chocolate treat is Peanut M & Ms, he eats his way through huge packets
evidently. Although he has recently
been enjoying Cadburys Chocolate Whole Nut bars! I asked whether he
would like to write an autobiography.
He said he’d probably be unable to get the funding to write one, as a
number of his colleagues had encountered problems wherein they’d received the
initial commissing fee, but had experienced difficulties with the publishers
after that. Didn’t I find the books
boring he asked? No, in the main, I’ve
enjoyed reading them. Both Phil and
Choc recommended Graham Bradley’s autobiography – strangely enough, they are not
the first to recommend the book! When he retires,
would he like to go on adventures similar to Richard Dunwoody’s expedition to
the South Pole. No, he thinks he will
probably disappear without trace.
That’s so sad. L I’m pleased to say
Choc confirmed the number of National Hunt career winners he’s ridden, and our
figures tallied! I’m not to reveal the
number just in case fate intervenes to deny him entry to the ‘1000 Club’. But, if he reaches that magic number, he
agreed it would be nice to celebrate during the main part of the season,
rather than during the summer months when it might pass by unnoticed. Choc has also ridden 6 flat winners and 3
(or was that 6) in Ireland. I found out why Choc
doesn’t like horror films (although his wife Meally like movies of this
genre). Evidently his brother Richard
forced him to watch An American Werewolf in London at the age of 8 or 9 and
it really scared him. So Choc has a
particular aversion to Werewolves! But
he did admit to having watched the remake of A Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Lesley mentioned that she’s watched the
original film. He doesn’t get
jealous when someone else pilots a horse he might usually ride. But ... it does sometimes annoy him when
they win on the horse, as every winner is important to him and he doesn’t
like to miss one. I asked about Katchit,
who was found to have fractured a hind pastern following the World
Hurdle. He assured me Katchit would be
fine. Initially Choc had thought that
perhaps Katchit just didn’t get home in the race from the second last, the
lameness not having shown up until he reached the unsaddling enclosure. The remounting
rule. Choc is in total agreement with
this, as he always thinks about the welfare of the horse. (I’ve noticed he’s always one of the first
to pull up if the horse no longer has a chance.) He did mention that he was perhaps the only
jockey who thought that Ruby should not have remounted Kauto Star to canter
back following their fall during the Gold Cup. I said that I was surprised that Ruby
remounted, so was in total agreement with him. As we approached the
final fence, we passed Clerk of the Course, Richard Osgood, who expressed his
surprise that Choc was walking the course again, because he had ridden at the
course yesterday and very little had changed with the going overnight. Choc explained that he was doing the walk
with me as part of a charity auction prize.
Having completed the
walk, we paused in front of the Hampshire Stand. I was permitted to take a closer look at
the scar on his lower lip/chin, which he sustained at Newbury in
mid-December. It has healed well, but
is more noticeable than I’d realised.
He asked if I’d like to see a picture of the injury before it had been
stitched (it was on his mobile phone) ... it looked awful, very gory. And we touched on the fact that he’d lost a
top tooth in the accident too ... so I got to look at his battle-scared
teeth. Bless his cotton socks, he’s
very accommodating! Obviously I asked if
his back was okay now. Yes, it’s
fine. He spoke in detail about his
injury. Choc said that when he was
kicked by Cracboumwiz, a tingling sensation shot down his legs (L1, L2 and L3
nerves are linked to the thighs). His
initial x-rays didn’t reveal the damage but, as he had blood in his urine,
they sent him for a CT (Computed tomography) scan, which was when doctors discovered that he’d
suffered fractures to his lumbar vertebrae. He also
spoke about Sam Thomas’ recent spinal injury too. Phil Taylor was then
kind enough to take a couple of photos of me with Choc as a memento of my
walk. We then walked back towards the
Weighing Room. It was 11:45, and Phil
said that he hadn’t realised the first race was so early (13:15), Choc now
needing to go into the sauna. I thanked
Choc and, as always, gave him a peck on the cheek before saying
farewell. J Choc is a very nice
guy, very well mannered, and a gentleman, holding open the doors for us
whilst we walked through, and letting us go first when walking through the
gate and through restricted gaps in the rails too. Having completed the
walk, we decided to return to the car to change out of our muddy Wellingtons,
our passes being scanned to log us out at the gate. Now wearing our shoes/boots again, we
returned to the grandstand entrance where our passes were scanned to log us
in again, we then popped to the loo (more information than you needed) where
I changed my tights as I had a hole in one toe following the walk! We waited inside the grandstand during a
brief shower, then went to the Premier Enclosure to buy coffee. Following that we
returned to the Parade Ring, where the first event of the day was taking
place – a demonstration of the Anatomy of a Horse. Former Cheltenham winner, Monsignor, was
being used as a living detailed diagram – special paint having been applied
to his body to demonstrate his muscle and skeletal structure. He was very well behaved, and would need to
have been, because it took 4 hours to apply the paint! Soon it was time for
the first race of the day. Choc did
not have a riding engagement in this race.
Before the first race, and throughout the day, children were
encouraged to approach the jockeys to ask for autographs. Once the horses had left the Parade Ring,
Lesley and I set off for the course-side rails – our special treat today was
being able to enter the Premier Enclosure and stand opposite the water-jump
during the steeplechase events. The start of this
race was at the far end of the home straight.
Then
they were off. The small field was led
away by Extreme Impact and Riptide.
They were followed by Theologist and Lively Fling, with Souter Point
held up in rear. The field was closely
packed as they travelled up the straight with one circuit to go. Riptide received encouragement as they
began the turn away from the stands. The
Nicky Henderson trained Souter Point was travelling well in last place. Theologist, having taken the lead, jinked
on the approach to both the 6th and 7th flights. Extreme Impact soon dropped to the rear of
the field. However Riptide, who had
lost his place by the end of the back straight, was switched to the outside,
rallying to make progress again. Turning
in, Riptide led, followed by Theologist, Lively Fling, Souter Point and
Extreme Impact. Souter Point
challenged on the inside at the 3rd last, with Riptide hanging left,
hampering Theologist in the process.
At the 2nd last it was Riptide with the advantage, followed by Souter
Point and Lively Fling. The former
stayed on and went clear on the run-in, winning by 5 lengths from Lively
Fling. Theologist took 3rd after the
last, with Extreme Impact in 4th.
Souter Point weakened to finish last.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses return. Before
this race, there was a demonstration of the Saddling Up procedure taking
place at one of the ‘open’ saddling
boxes, presented by ex-jockey Colin Brown (who piloted Desert Orchid in 42 races)
and trainer Philip Hobbs. The mare
being saddled was Calusa Crystal. We
didn’t venture over to watch, as Choc would be riding in the next race, and
I’d already found a good vantage point on the Parade Ring steps! Once
Choc had left the Parade Ring aboard Over Sixty, we set out for the Premier
Enclosure to find a vantage point beside the course-side rails. According to reports, this would be Over
Sixty’s last race before being retired to stud. Also competing in this event was the Martin
Keighley trained Wychwoods Legend. I
believe Lesley had an each-way bet on her.
The
start of this race was near the far end of the back straight, with one fence
to negotiate before the downhill run to the cross-fence.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Double Hit, with Wychwoods Legend a close second, followed by Calusa
Crystal. Over Sixty in midfield made
an error at the first, as did Tot Of The Knar in rear. Double Hit led the field into the straight
for the first time, followed by Wychwoods Legend, Moulin De La Croix,
Carole’s Legacy and Over Sixty. In
rear, Tot Of The Knar was jumping out to the left. Daraz Rose made an error at the 4th, and
blundered at the next too. Wychwoods
Legend, with the advantage of the inside line around the top turn, took the
lead from Double Hit. Choc was on the outside of the field aboard Over Sixty. Double Hit regained the lead as they
travelled down the back, Martin Keighley’s charge making a mistake at the
10th. Next it was Calusa Crystal’s
turn to lead, Over Sixty having made progress into third. Wychwoods Legend had dropped to the rear of
the field by the far turn. Turning
in, Carole’s Legacy had made progress up the inside and held third. As they approached 2 out, Over Sixty was in
4th. However Carole’s Legacy and
Calusa Crystal switched across in front of her, so Choc had to steer to his
left. This resulted in his mare
‘missing’ the fence and she virtually fell, giving Choc absolutely no chance
of staying aboard. The description of ‘unseated’ is extremely unfair. Choc was fine, sitting on the turf,
casually removing his goggles as he did so. Double
Hit led over the last from Carole’s Legacy and a slow jumping Calusa Crystal,
the former galloping on to win by 6 lengths.
Carole’s Legacy finished 2nd, with Tot Of The Knar staying on to
finish 3rd, Calusa Crystal faded into 4th.
A double for trainer Donald McCain Junior.
Having come to grief during the race, Choc would
have been given a lift back to the grandstand area. As I stood on the steppings above the Parade
Ring, I noticed Phil was taking a break on the Weighing Room steps and, as
Choc came walking back in, he followed him inside. It was now time for Choc’s second ride of the
day, aboard Asturienne. Also competing
in this race was Miss Overdrive, full sister to Over Sixty. She used to be trained by Alan King, and
had been switched to the yard of Andrew Turnell. Once the horses had left the Parade Ring,
Lesley and I set off to find a spot beside the course-side rails. Lesley’s ‘fancy’ in this race was Miss Nightshade ridden by Sean Quinlan,
who she thinks is cute! The start of this race was at the far corner of
the track.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Playing With Fire and top-weight Banjaxed Girl. Prominent were Evella, Cobbler’s Queen,
Kerada, Queen Poline, Raise You Five and Sure Josie Sure. Asturienne was taking an inside line in
midfield. Evella took the lead after
the 4th flight, Kerada blundering at the 5th. Around
the far turn, Ryde Back was making good progress. The jockey aboard Banjaxed Girl was in
danger of losing his silk cap!
Asturienne, having jumped the 4th slowly, was struggling by the end of
the back straight. Choc would pull her
up before 2 out. Into
the home straight, Evella led by 3 lengths, followed by Banjaxed Girl, Sure
Josie Sure, Cobbler’s Queen, and Kerada.
There were 8 horses in with a chance at the second last, only three by
the last – Banjaxed Girl, Kerada, and Ryde Back, the latter galloping on to
win by 3 lengths at the line. Miss
Overdrive finished well to take 4th.
Jenny’s Gold having pulled up before 3 out, was later dismounted as it
became apparent she was lame. Miss
Nightshade finished last of the 15 which completed.
We
returned to the Parade Ring to see Choc return, having pulled up
Asturienne. He looked a little disconsolate
as he walked back to the Weighing Room.
As
part of today’s demonstrations, Colin Brown would take small groups of
spectators to visit the starting gate before 3 of the races, in order that
they could experience what happens before the start of a race. The first trip was to the 3 miles 2½
furlongs start, which is where the Hennessy Gold Cup commences. Choc
didn’t have a ride in this race. Once
the horses had left the Parade Ring we set off to watch the race from beside
the course-side rails.
On
the second attempt, the field set off (perhaps the official starter was
conscious that he had a group of spectators watching him closely). The field was led away by Le Burf and the
grey, Rimsky, who was not fluent at the 2nd obstacle. Close up were Pretty Star, Bold Ransom and
Dom D’Orgeval. In rear was Carrickmines,
not jumping fluently. Into
the straight for the first time, Rimsky held the clear advantage, with Bold
Ransom, Le Burf, and Pretty Star still prominent. Rimsky was slow at the water, but still led
down the back straight. Pretty Star
blundered at the 14th. Rimsky
held the advantage around the final bend, followed by Knighton Combe, Burren
Legend, Qhilimar and Dom D’Orgeval, the latter two horses hitting 4 out. Knighton Combe took over 4 from home, with
Burren Legend taking the advantage 3 out, staying on well to draw clear in
the final 75 yards to win from Dom D’Orgeval, with Knighton Combe back in
3rd.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses return. As
the organised trips to the start would continue with the next race (and the following
one) we were considering participating but, in the event, the heavens opened
and we ‘chickened out’, instead
seeking shelter under cover of the glass roof just beside the Weighing
Room! Once
the horses had left the Parade Ring, again we set off for the Premier
Enclosure to watch the race. The start
of this race was part way down the home straight.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by
the keen Outside The Box, who kicked the top bar out of the first
flight. Soon he had established a
clear lead over You’re So Vain, the remainder of the field choosing to remain
in a group some distance behind them. Outside
The Box remained well clear, until You’re So Vain joined him around the far
turn, however the latter made a mistake at the third last, and was awkward on
landing at the next, and made a further error at the last too. The only horse to come out of the pack was
the Nicky Henderson trained Osric, who was 13 lengths down in 3rd before 2
out, 7 lengths down at the last, and closed until near the finish, but didn’t
manage to pass the long time leaders. Outside
The Box had made all to win by a length from You’re So Vain, with Osric a length
down in 3rd. Richard Johnson riding a
winner for his father-in-law, Noel Chance.
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back. It
was now time for Choc’s third ride of the day, aboard Mam Ratagan. Choc was legged up early, supposedly going
to the start before the other runners.
However, he was actually accompanied to the start gate by another
competitor! The start of this event
was part way down the home straight, which meant the horses would jump two
plain fences before the water-jump and then travel one complete circuit after
that.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by
Choc aboard Mam Ratagan, and he soon had a clear lead over Its Crucial,
Circus of Dreams, Kew Jumper and Invisible Man. However, he got too close to the first
fence in the back straight (4th obstacle) which allowed Its Crucial to take
the advantage as they cleared the open-ditch.
Jumping slowly, Mam Ratagan dropped to the rear of the field, however
he was able to rally and was soon back with the leader again. Its
Crucial jumped out to the right, losing ground at the cross-fence. Having turned into the home straight in
second, Mam Ratagan cleared the 4th last at the rear of the field so, having
lost all chance, Choc decided to pull him up.
Having gone 4 or 5 lengths clear by the 2nd last, Its Crucial
blundered, but still went away to win easily by 16 lengths from Kew Jumper,
Circus of Dreams and Invisible Man.
We returned to the Parade Ring to see Choc arrive back to
unsaddle his mount. Again he looked
disconsolate as he walked back to the Weighing Room. It was soon time for the final race
of the day, in which Choc would be riding Easter Meteor for trainer Emma
Lavelle. Dual Festival winning jockey,
Katie Walsh (sister of Ruby), would be riding in this race aboard the Nicky
Henderson trained Pampelonne (although we didn’t actually notice her!) When it was time for the jockeys to
mount, Choc came across and walked along between the perimeter rails and the
Winners’ Enclosure. He had to jump
quickly out of the way, as one of the approaching horses became frisky
(possibly No.9 Steel Bullet). It made
Choc laugh, as it did both Colin Bolger and a guy who I assume was Easter
Meteor’s Travelling Head Lad! Lesley decided to put an each-way bet
on Easter Meteor (all her bets being each way). Once Choc had exited the Parade Ring
we set off for the course-side rails to view the race. Being a Junior Bumper race, it started at
the beginning of the back straight, with less than a circuit to race. The proceedings were held up by Top Smart,
ridden by Jamie Moore, the horse initially refusing to exit onto the
course. Then he played up again, Jamie
riding stirrup-less to the start. And
that wasn’t the end of the problems he would cause, because several attempts
were made to lead the horse in before he finally set off with the other
runners.
The
field was led away by Pre Raphaelite, Balustrade, Merehead, and Kid
Cassidy. Easter Meteor was on the inside,
midfield. Turning
into the home straight, Easter Meteor was going well in third, just behind
Merehead and Kid Cassidy, the latter taking over 2 furlongs out. Initially Choc’s mount looked like
finishing 2nd, but faded as they approached the line, with Merehead regaining
the advantage. A
win for Lesley, each way at 16-1! With
3 each way bets of £2 (£12 total), I believe she lost less than £3 today
...
Choc returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to unsaddle his mount,
speaking with Emma Lavelle’s Assistant Trainer (and partner) Barry Fenton,
and the horse’s connections. Once Choc had returned to the
Weighing Room for the final time, we set off back to my car. As we’d barely eaten all day (I had
breakfast – Weetabix and Croissants; and Lesley had eaten some biscuits at
mid-day) we sat in the car and tucked into our favourite snack of
cheese-straws and chocolate covered biscuits (both M & S)! The attendance seemed fairly low
today, so we had no trouble exiting the car park, which we did at around
17:20. Outside the main gates we
turned right, heading back to the A4, and then heading west to re-join the
A34 northbound (it is probably easier to take an alternative route ... but
this is the one I know!) We drove
towards Oxford, noting the eyesore that is the Didcot Power Station, weirdly
we’d not noticed it on our southbound trip ... surely it’s visible from
everywhere? Anyway, our journey took
us back to Bicester and Aylesbury, then via Wing, and skirted Leighton
Buzzard before I dropped her off at her home in a nearby village. My return journey then took me back
past Whipsnade Zoo, through Kensworth and onto the A5 to return home. I arrived back at 19:10, in time to watch
the end of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber ‘Over
The Rainbow’ programme on TV. I
then logged onto my laptop to upload my photos ... and shortly afterwards
experienced all kinds of technical problems ... the weekly security disk
check started up, applications stopped responding and I couldn’t close them
down, my screen saver disappeared due to inactivity and it refused to
reappear when I moved the mouse. The
disk check finally finished, but then the laptop refused to close down ...
eventually it did ... and then automatically rebooted, carrying out a
checkdisk to ensure everything was okay.
By the time I’d written and uploaded my blog it was gone
midnight! I was so relieved to eventually crawl
into bed ... although, of course, as the clocks changed to BST that night, I
lost an hour too! Zzzzzzzzzzz And I’m pleased to report that my bad
knee held up well too – I’m still experiencing intermittent problems with the
ligament on the inside of my knee.
Following a week of respite during the Cheltenham Festival, the symptoms
returned during the week prior to my course-walk, so I decided to wear a
support bandage ... until I noticed that my ankle had become swollen due to
fluid retention. I didn’t wear the
bandage the day before my walk (Friday) and, luckily, the swelling had
disappeared by Saturday! |