DIARY – SANDOWN PARK
– SATURDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2011
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Choc and
Hold On Julio, winners of
the 3 miles ½ furlong Handicap Chase Today I was hoping
that Choc would be riding at Sandown Park, as opposed to the meeting at Wincanton. Sandown is my favourite ‘local’ racecourse and I always look
forward to visiting the track. Having checked the
internet at lunchtime on Friday, I discovered that Choc was due to have 5
rides at the Surrey venue the following day, all for Alan King: Race 3: Volcan Surprise, a 3-year old French
import, having his first outing in this country after running twice in
France. Race 4: Midnight Appeal, his first run of the
season and hoping to continue in the same vein after running up a sequence of
4 wins over the larger obstacles last term.
He runs in the familiar yellow with red spots colours of owner David
Sewell. Race 5: Pantxoa making his seasonable debut,
running in the familiar orange and black colours of Medermit. Race 6: Hold On Julio. Purchased for £28,000 at the Doncaster
sales, the lightly-raced 8-year-old was making his debut for the Alan King
yard, having won point-to-points and a maiden Hunter Chase last season. Race 7: Frizzo having this third run in a bumper,
with two fifth placed efforts already to his name. And a special bonus
to attending this particular Sandown Park fixture ... my work colleague Sue
found a Free Entry offer printed in the Daily Mirror earlier in the week, the
newspaper was sponsoring the first race to advertise their ‘Punters Club’. So, armed with my voucher, all I had to pay
for was the cost of my petrol and my race-card! An absolute bargain. With racing on the
agenda for Saturday, I spent time on Friday evening deciding what to
wear. It was still mild for the time
of year but an indeterminable amount of rain was forecast for the following
afternoon. Anorak ... no, to wear, not
to be one! Purple anorak, I bought two
coats a few weeks ago as I couldn’t decide which one I liked best (both
purple) – but, as they were from BHS, they cost less than £80 for the
two! Black jeans, blue boots, long sleeved
thermal vest, purple sweater, purple fleece, purple cardigan. There’s the usual theme running through my
choices ... purple!!! Even the
jewellery I chose to wear was purple, black and turquoise. Having rained in
recent days, the going at Sandown was good to soft, good in places on the
chase track; soft, good to soft in places on the hurdles track. The day dawned misty, although this was
probably due to fireworks affecting the atmosphere overnight – it was 05
November today but a number of displays and garden events had taken place on
Friday evening. Personally, I’ve hated
fireworks since I was quite young ... it always seems such a waste of money
for so little enjoyment. I woke at around
06:30, tuning into the early morning news on TV. There had been a massive pile-up on the M5
yesterday evening, near Taunton. There
had been fatalities as a result.
Tragic for those involved, and not particularly confidence building
with a trip around the M25 planned by me today. I hoped that the forecasted rain would not
arrive to make conditions on the motorway treacherous. I took a shower,
washed and dried my hair and watched the Morning Line whilst eating a
breakfast of toast and croissants. Having applied my make-up, I set off for
Esher at 10:05. My route took me to
join the M25 at Junction 21A; the motorway was very quiet between there and
Junction 17, Maple Cross. However,
traffic increased as I approached the M40 junction and remained quite heavy
until leaving the motorway at Junction 10, the A3. I headed towards London, taking the Esher
exit, the first hold-up I encountered was at the first set of traffic
lights. There was a further delay at
the second set of traffic signals; I had to wait for 2 changes before I was
able to join the one-way system, and cross the A244 to drive along beside the
green and enter the driveway which took me across the racecourse to the free
parking area. On the first few
occasions I’d visited the track I was able to park on the tarmac area; this
is no longer permitted, or at least not for ‘ordinary’ punters. Today
I was directed to park opposite the Premier Enclosure entry point, close to
what I presume is the judge’s box for the five furlong flat track. It was 11:10, gates having opened at 11:00. Having parked, and
eaten just one of the cheese rolls I’d brought with me (I was still full from
the two slices of toast and two large croissants I’d eaten for breakfast), I
set off to walk to the large white tent which served as the ticket office. Having handed over the Daily Mirror
voucher, I was presented with a Grandstand Ticket which was ‘punched’ by one of the stewards
before I entered the plastic pontoon walkway across the racecourse. Arriving at the area in front of the main
grandstand, I purchased a race-card for £2.50 before heading through the
Surrey Hall to reach the Parade Ring area.
I found a seat in my preferred spot, with my back facing the Weighing
Room, in preparation for the first
race; although that wasn’t due off until 12:45. The day was very overcast, but dry and,
being well wrapped up, I did not feel cold at all. However I did put on my wrist-warmers to
protect my hands, as I prefer to be ‘roasty
toasty’ if possible! At 12:15 AP McCoy,
who was acting as the Sandown Park ‘Ambassador’
for the 2011/2012 season, joined raceday presenter, Anthony Kemp, to share
his thoughts on the day’s racing.
Following this, David Yates of the Daily Mirror discussed his tips for
the day. His choice in the first race
was Sentimentaljourney, ridden by a jockey he expects to go far, Maurice
Linehan. In the second race, which was
a match, he thought Pacha Du Polder might win, although Eradicate would
probably go close. His tips for the
third race were Volcan Surprise and Mentalist, the latter having excellent
flat form. In the fourth race, Frankie
Figg was his selection. In the fifth
race, the Philip Hobbs trained Tony Star; in the sixth race, Alan King’s Hold
On Julio. His tip for the final race was
Jayandbee, again trained by Philip Hobbs. Soon it was time for
the first race of the day, a Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle over a
distance of 2 miles 4 furlongs. The
Alan King yard had one representative, Kings Troop, ridden by Charlie
Huxley. There were also two ex-Alan
King trained horses taking part in this event – Gilded Age, now trained by
Chris Gordon, and the white faced Enfant De Lune, now representing the David
Pipe yard. Racing UK’s main
fixture today was Wincanton so, whilst there were no presenters at Sandown,
Niall Hannity and currently injured jockey Aidan Coleman were in the studio
commenting on the racing; Aidan having broken his collarbone when unseated at
Ascot the previous Saturday. The start of this
event was half way down the back straight, the runners cantering down past
the stands, stewards holding checkered flags to direct the jockeys to the
stands-side to avoid damaging the course unnecessarily. The runners then headed through the area in
the centre of the racecourse to reach the start. I stood in the
grandstand to watch this event; the favourite for this race was Trafalgar
Road, Niall and Aidan’s selection was Enfant De Lune.
Then they were off ... at a pedestrian pace. The field was led away by Enfant De Lune,
from Theologist, Amore Mio, Niceonefrankie,
Fabulous Fred, Alcalde, Sentimentaljourney,
Silver Accord, Gilded Age, Amirico, Kings Troop,
Share Option, Phare Isle, Ravenclaw,
Posh Emily, Cotillion, Trafalgar Road and the initially reluctant Warsaw
Pact. Up the straight and around the top turn Enfant De Lune disputed
the lead with Fabulous Fred; the field closely packed. In rear, Warsaw Pack blundered at the sixth
flight, his jockey having to regain his left iron. Conor
O’Farrell set off for home having entered the home straight; Alcalde now his closest pursuer. Enfant De Lune was well in command over the
last, although jumping to the left, and went on to win by 1½ lengths easing
down. Having been outpaced early in
the straight, Sentimentaljourney stayed on under
pressure to finish 2nd, Cotillion caught Alcalde on
the line to claim 3rd. Kings Troop,
having occupied third position before hitting 2 out, weakened on the flat to
finish 6th.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the victor arrive back, before
re-locating to the Parade Ring to see the runners arrive prior to race
2. There were just 2 competitors for
this Beginners’ Chase, Pacha Du Polder representing
the Paul Nicholls yard and Eradicate from the Nicky Henderson yard; both horses
making their chasing debuts. The
start of this race was at the far end of the home straight, with that and one
full circuit to travel. Once again I
stood in the grandstand to watch the event.
Then
they were off. The two runners cleared
the first in unison, Pacha Du Polder going one
length up over the open-ditch; extended to 2 lengths as they passed the
winning post with one circuit to go. Eradicate
was a little slow at the third, the downhill fence, initially losing ground
as they headed down the back straight.
But the Nicky Henderson trained runner had closed on his rival by the
first of the railway fences, being just one length adrift; Pacha Du Polder brushing through the top of the middle obstacle. AP’s mount extended the advantage again
heading into the far turn. David
Bass drove his mount along and joined Pacha Du
Polder over the Pond Fence. Having the
inside line, AP’s mount took a slight advantage heading into the home
straight; both horses hit 2 out.
Eradicate was ridden to take a narrow advantage before the last but
his rival was more fluent and rallied strongly on the flat to take the
honours by a nose at the line.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see AP
McCoy unsaddle his winning mount before re-locating to the Parade Ring ahead
of Choc’s first ride of the day, Volcan Surprise. The start of this race was at the far end of the
home straight, the horses cantering down past the stands to reach it. I went to stand beside the course-side
rails to watch this event.
Then
they were off. Taking up the running
was Choc aboard Volcan Surprise with, to his
immediate outside, AP McCoy aboard Dark And Dangerous. They were followed by Captain Sharpe,
Mentalist, Nothing to Hide, Rasam Aldaar, Kambis who blundered at
the first flight, the hard pulling David’s Dilemma and finally Target Score. As
the field turned into the back straight, Dark And Dangerous became the
outright leader, Volcan Surprise remaining in
second, with Captain Sharpe and Mentalist on his heels. Four out, when in rear, David’s Dilemma
skewed over the flight and fell, sliding on his side along the ground before
stopping. Both Mark Bradburne and horse were none the worse for this mishap;
I later saw the jockey ride him back in along the horse-walk. Around
the final bend, Dark And Dangerous continued to lead from Volcan
Surprise, Captain Sharpe, Mentalist, Kambis and Rasam Aldaar. These 3 runners were clear of the field as
they turned into the home straight.
Choc drove his mount to close on the leader, but Dark And Dangerous
had reserves and was in command before the final flight; galloping on to win
by 2½ lengths from Volcan Surprise. The tired Captain Sharpe flattened the last
with his hind-legs but held on to third ahead of Rasam
Aldaar.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc unsaddle Volcan
Surprise before he headed inside the Weighing Room. I then re-located to the Parade Ring ahead
of the runners arriving prior to the next race. Choc mount in this races
was the David Sewell owned Midnight Appeal. With
the Alan King trained, David Sewell owned, Jetnova
running in the 2.15 at Wincanton, Alan and the owner didn’t put in an
appearance in the Parade Ring prior to this race; Choc looked a little lost
as he stood waiting for the bell to signal to the jockeys to mount their
horses. For
the record, Jetnova with Wayne Hutchinson aboard
fell 3 out; and both horse and jockey were fine. The
horses cantered down past the stands on their way to the starting gate; it
was on the far side of the course, the first obstacle being the initial
Railway Fence. I went to stand beside
the course-side rails near the open-ditch.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Frankie Figg and Rougham;
Fruity O’Rooney hit the first fence. Midnight Appeal, just warming up, wasn’t
foot perfect at all three of the Railway Fences, but was never in the
slightest danger of falling. Frankie Figg and Rougham, both
confirmed front runners, were soon clear of the field. They were followed by the Martin Keighley
trained Pilgrims Lane, Fruity O’Rooney, Whinstone
Boy, Roudoudou Ville, Red Admiral, Midnight Appeal
and Songe. Rougham had taken the
lead by the time the runners cleared the Pond Fence, Frankie Fig was now in
second, then Pilgrims Lane, Fruity O’Rooney, Roudoudou Ville,
Midnight Appeal, Red Admiral, Whinstone Boy and, last year’s winner of this
event, Songe.
The latter, already detached in rear, was pulled up after jumping the
open ditch. Rougham led over the
downhill fence; Frankie Figg, who had been
travelling in second position, lost this to Roudoudou
Ville, having jumped slowly at this obstacle.
Midnight Appeal made progress up the inside of the runners to dispute
fourth place. Rougham
held the advantage until the 9th fence, at which he lost momentum, Roudoudou Ville now taking the lead ahead of Frankie Figg. The latter
assumed poll position again 4 out. Around
the final bend, Roudoudou Ville regained the lead,
when Frankie Figg brushed through the Pond
Fence. Midnight Appeal, who had been
pursuing the leading trio from 4 out, had progressed up to second position
two out but made a mistake and it impeded his momentum. Roudoudou Ville,
despite also making an error 2 out, retained the lead and went on to clear
the last and win by 4 lengths from Midnight Appeal. Rougham, who
blundered at the final fence, finished another 4 lengths back in 3rd. Pilgrims Lane stayed on to be 4th, although
never a threat.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc and Midnight Appeal arrive
back, before re-locating to the Parade Ring area. Choc’s ride in
the next race was Pantxoa; also competing was the
Alan King trained Levera. The
start of the next race was at the far end of the home straight, with one full
circuit and the straight to travel.
The horses were directed to canter down the course beside the near
side rail. However, being of an
excitable nature, Choc decided to canter his mount down the far side of the
course, the course stewards looked a little perturbed by this! I
stood beside the grandstand-side rails to watch this race.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Spear Thistle, from Pateese, the hard pulling
Tony Star, Safran De Cotte,
Twist Pistol, Paintball, Levera, Sircozy, Switched Off, Numide
and Pantxoa; at the rear of the field, Don’t Panic
veered left and lost ground at the start.
Spear
Thistle led around the top bend, Pateese almost
upsides. Heading down the back
straight, the hard pulling Twist Pistol took over at the front of the field at
the third flight. Having tracked the
leaders, Tony Star stumbled badly at the fourth, initially losing his
place. The order over 3 out was Twist
Pistol, Pateese, Spear Thistle, Tony
Star recovering his position, Safran De Cotte, Sircozy, Paintball, Pantxoa, Levera, Numide, Switched Off, with Don’t Panic still in rear and
soon to be pulled up. As
the runners turned into the home straight, Matt Griffiths sent Patesse into the lead and drew well clear of his rivals
before the penultimate flight.
Paintball was now in second position, with Pantxoa
staying on in third. The former
blundered at the final flight and was overtaken on the run-in by Choc’s mount; but Patesse had
gone beyond recall and won by 8 lengths pulling up. Safran De Cotte stayed on well after the last and almost snatched
third from Paintball. Alan
King’s other representative, Levera, completed in
11th, last of the finishers.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc arrive back in second place
spot. The excitable Pantxoa had been wearing ear-plugs, once removed they
dangled from his bridle. Once Choc had
returned to the Weighing Room, I re-located to the Parade Ring area ahead of
the horses arriving for the penultimate race. The
start of this race was at the top bend, so the competitors headed straight to
the gate. I ‘set up camp’ near the open-ditch. Choc’s mount, Hold
On Julio, was the favourite for this event.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Moleskin, from the grey Appleaday, Craiglands pitching on landing over the first, Soixante, Pak Jack, Earth Planet, Very Stylish, Hold On Julio
and Local Present. Moleskin and Appleaday soon set up a three lengths lead over the
remainder of the field. Craiglands stumbled after the fourth; Choc was now
travelling towards the outside of the field, his mount jumping boldly. The
order at the railway fences was Moleskin, Appleaday,
Craiglands, Soixante,
Hold On Julio, Earth Planet, Very Stylish, Pak Jack and Local Present. Moleskin and Appleaday
were still disputing the lead over the fences in the straight, followed by Soixante, Craiglands and Hold
On Julio. Moleskin
hit the downhill fence, losing the lead; Appleaday
going on from Hold On Julio. Pak Jack
soon tailed off and was pulled up.
Over the railway fences, the leading trio was Appleaday,
Hold On Julio and Earth Planet. In 4th
position, Soixante blundered at the middle of the ‘treble’. Earth
Planet took the advantage when Appleaday blundered
at the Pond Fence; the upsides Hold On Julio hit the obstacle too, slightly
affecting his momentum. However, Choc
drove his mount to close before the second last, with Earth Planet and Hold
On Julio soon neck and neck heading towards the final fence. Choc’s mount flew
the last, whereas Earth Planet made a mistake. Hold On Julio galloped up the hill to the
line, winning by 11 lengths. Long
time leader, Appleaday finished 31 lengths back in
third, with Moleskin in 4th. Craiglands completed in
fifth, although very tired and clambering over the last obstacle. Local Present finished 6th, tailed
off. Having blundered 2 out, when in
4th position, Andrew Thornton pulled up Soixante. Very Stylish was also pulled up. In
the Racing UK studio, Aidan Coleman commented that Choc would probably enjoy
reading a few ‘well done’ tweets
from his followers on Twitter that evening!
Probably!!! LOL. Yes, I was one of those tweeters!
Having
returned to see Choc arrive back in the Winners’ Enclosure, pose for photos
and, after weighing in, return to collect his memento, I re-located to the
Parade Ring area once more. Choc’s mount in the
final event was Frizzo. Darkness
was beginning to fall as the final race of the day approached; this being the
case, to watch the race I remained on the concrete area just outside the
doorway to the Surrey Hall. There was
no point in taking photographs in these conditions, as they would be blurred
due to shutter speed caused by lack of light.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Rhinestone Rebel, Frizzo and Drinking Song. They were followed by the keen Clever Dick,
Syndication, Jayandbee, Keep Kicking, Power Man, Craigmure, Billy Bonkers, Circular Quay, Cruz On Ted,
Sussex Lass, with Carbis Bay in rear. Down
the back straight, at the front of the field, Drinking Song held the inside
line, with Rhinestone Rebel to the outside, with Frizzo
sandwiched between these two runners. Carbis Bay and Sussex Lass still brought up the rear;
Circular Quay made progress on the outside of the field. Choc
was the first to commit for home, over 4 furlongs out but Frizzo
was headed inside the final 3 furlongs.
Circular Quay took over, chased by Clever Dick (same ownership,
different yard) then Keep Kicking; the latter becoming the nearest pursuer as
Clever Dick faded. Circular Quay
winning by 1 length at the line. Power
Man stayed on the finish 3rd, with Cruz On Ted in 4th. Frizzo completed
in 5th; his third 5th place from 3 outings. A
winner for Noel Fehily, who had diverted from
Bristol Airport, having been unable to catch a flight to Northern Ireland due
to fog. He had been due to ride the
Paul Nicholls trained Kauto Stone, a half brother
to Kauto Star, at Down Royal; the horse had won and
was also the 2000th winner for the trainer. Sadly,
Drinking Song broke his near hind leg early in the straight and lost his
life.
Having seen Choc return to the
Weighing Room for the final time today, it was time for me to leave. I made a donation to the Poppy Day appeal
as I passed through the main entrance hall.
I also thought it wise to nip to the loo before setting off for
home. However, I had to wait in a
queue for around 10 minutes, as there are only 6 cubicles available at that
location! As my car was parked in the
centre of the racecourse, I walked back through the Surrey Hall, which was
rather noisy now as a band, Indie Patrol, was performing. My route then took me down across the
betting ring area to the walkway across the course and back to my car. Many of the vehicles had already left,
there being no queue to exit so, after consuming a cheese roll and removing
my contact lenses to replace with glasses, I set off for home. However, upon turning left at the
racecourse gates I soon encountered a hold-up; eventually the reason for the
delay became apparent, a stationary lorry was blocking one of the lanes leading
to the traffic lights, hazard lights flashing. However, once through this set of
lights, the next set of lights was green, the final set red. My route took me back to the A3, and then
onto the clockwise carriageway of the M25.
As it hadn’t rained at all during the afternoon, conditions on the M25
were very good, traffic flowing smoothly. I left the motorway at Junction 21A,
heading via the North Orbital Road to the Park Street roundabout. The first spots of rain appearing on my
windscreen at this point, but it was only light rain. I arrived home at 17:45; with the
changing of the clocks I had plenty of time to settle in before watching
Strictly Come Dancing this week. After
the programme, I logged onto my laptop to write my daily blog, upload my photographs,
and tweet Choc to congratulate him on today’s winner and wish him luck for Ffos Las the following day. It was time for bed at 11:00 but,
before settling down to sleep, I watched the Racing UK replay of the action
from Sandown Park and made notes in preparation for this diary. Lights out at midnight ...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
