DIARY – SANDOWN – SATURDAY 26 APRIL 2008
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Having ‘discovered’ Choc, it was only a matter of
time before I’d want to attend a race meeting to see him in the flesh. I knew my friend, Lesley, had been to the races
before, so I asked her if she would be interested in going to Sandown Park
for the Bet365 Gold Cup (Whitbread Gold Cup as was) at the end of April. She agreed, so I purchased 2 Tattersalls tickets via the internet around 10 days
before the meeting, as I had a feeling Choc would be riding at the
fixture. By the time the day arrived,
Choc had 5 rides booked, which included the Flat vs. Jump Jockeys race, and D’Argent in the Bet365 Gold Cup. The weather this Spring had been disappointing to
say the least, but Bet365 Gold Cup day dawned warm and sunny, in fact it was
to be the warmest day of the year so far.
So much so, that I was even a little sunburnt by the end of it! I had suggested that we go by train, but Lesley
volunteered to drive us there. She
arranged to pick me up at around 09:30 but she was delayed because her estate
agent had called. She finally arrived
at 10:20, after I’d almost worn a furrow in the path outside my house! We travelled via the M25 to Junction 10,
eastwards along the A3, turning off at the Esher exit, where we immediately
encountered a queue of traffic heading for the racecourse. Having negotiated the road into Esher, we decided
to park the car in the centre of the course, which is free of charge. We then walked across the plastic pontoons
to reach the tarmac area in front of the stands, purchasing race-cards before
navigating our way through the lower level of the Grandstand to reach the
Parade Ring beyond. We settled
ourselves beside the paddock to await the promised Parade of Champions at
12:15. The horses parading today were Denman (winner of
the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup), Kauto Star (second
in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup), Neptune Collonges
(third in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup) Master Minded (winner of the 2008 Queen
Mother Champion Chase), Comply or Die (winner of the 2008 Grand National),
and Katchit (ridden to victory by Choc in the
Champion Hurdle 2008). Denman was
certainly feeling on top of the world, as he struggled free of his
stable-hand and galloped across the Parade Ring, scattering everyone in his
wake. Luckily he was quickly caught,
and the divots created by his hooves replaced. The
annual season end prizes were also handed out before the races today: Champion
NH Jockey - AP McCoy (his prize was collected by his wife and baby daughter,
as Tony was riding in Ireland) Champion
NH Trainer – Paul Nicholls Champion
NH Owner – David Johnson Soon
it was time for the first race, and my first ever view of Choc live at the
races too. The jockeys came into the
Parade Ring and were directed to the podium for a photograph prior to the
event, which was the National Hunt vs. Flat Jockeys race. The National Hunt jockeys taking part were
Richard Johnson, Timmy Murphy, Jamie Moore, Paddy Brennan, Sam Thomas and,
last but of course not least, Choc.
The flat race jockeys included Frankie Dettori,
Richard Hughes, Daryl Holland, Jimmy Fortune and Ryan Moore. Choc’s
ride in the first was Sailor King, trained by Dean Ivory at Radlett in Hertfordshire.
When I briefly worked in London, many moons ago, I occasionally used
to see the Ivory’s horses on the gallops in the morning. Sailor King is supposed to be a little unreliable
and it was not a ‘going’ day today, with Choc finishing last. The race was won by Sam Thomas, who held
off a number of flat jockeys to win. Choc’s
ride in the second race (a Hurdle) was Penzance, but he finished unplaced. Choc’s
only placing of the day came in the third race, a Handicap Hurdle, aboard
Mexican Pete. He finished 2nd, but I
bet on him to win – typical of my luck. When he returned to the Winners’
Enclosure I went across to see Choc dismount and return to the Weighing
Room. At this point I became brave, as I decided I
would ask Choc for his autograph when came out of the Weighing Room before
the next race, in which his mount was Howle
Hill. When he appeared, Choc was
dressed in yellow and black silks, with a red cap, so I stepped forward to
ask him if I could have his autograph please.
“Yes, of course you can” he replied as he signed my autograph
book. There were a number of children
and their parents also requesting autographs from and photographs with Choc,
so he stopped by the nearby ‘tree-seat’ to oblige. Howle
Hill can be a little temperamental at times, and today wasn’t a ‘going’ day
as Choc decided to pull him up. It was now time for the big race of the day, the
Bet365 Gold Cup, in which Choc’s mount was the
grey, D’Argent (who he’d ridden in the Grand
National). I have an abiding memory of
Desert Orchid winning the race in 1988 when it was the Whitbread Gold
Cup. When the jockeys entered the
Parade Ring Choc had to excuse himself from Alan King and D’Argent’s
connections because there was another photo shoot before the race, when all
the National Hunt jockeys mounted the podium to have a memento photograph
taken – Choc sat on one of the stools at the back of the group. And one of the connections of D’Argent, a mature lady, requested her photo be taken
with Choc, so he took his helmet off and I got my first ‘live’ glimpse of his
beautiful blonde locks (rear view). Once mounted the horses left the paddock and,
once on course, paraded in front of the stands before cantering to the start
of the 3 mile 5½ furlong race, which was at the bottom of the home straight. D’Argent ran well
for most of the race before weakening in the final furlongs, finishing
unplaced. We returned to the Winners’
Enclosure to see the winner, Monkerhostin ridden by
Richard Johnson, return. Being a mixed card, with both National Hunt and
Flat races, the Gold Cup was the last of the former races. Three flat races followed, during which
time our attention turned to buying fish and chips to eat for lunch, although
I was not particularly hungry by this time, as it was mid-afternoon. Once the flat racing had been completed, we
stayed to listen to the Saw Doctors for a short while before deciding to go
home. We returned to Lesley’s car, and joined the queue
of traffic exiting the course, and moved slowly through the one-way system in
Esher, before taking the Cobham road (by mistake) to rejoin the A3, M25 and
home to Hertfordshire. My first day at
the races, the first of many I hope. |
