DIARY – SANDOWN PARK – TINGLE CREEK DAY
SATURDAY 07 DECEMBER 2013
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The Henry
VIII Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) Choc and
Balder Succes centre frame I’d booked the previous day as
holiday, although not in the expectation that I’d go to Sandown Park for the
first day of the Tingle Creek Christmas Festival and, as it turned out, Choc
had one riding engagement at Exeter anyway.
However, it did afford me the luxury of being able to complete my
diary for last Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup Day at Newbury. It was a close thing though, as it took me
until 22:15 to finish and upload it. On Saturday, the gates opened at
Sandown Park at 10:15, so I aimed to leave home at 09:00 if not before. Unbelievably, I hadn’t been to the Esher
track for over two years, since early November 2011; in fact I prefer it to
both Kempton Park and Ascot. On this
particular day Choc had five riding engagements, including Balder Succes in
the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase and Godsmejudge in the London National
so I was hopeful that he might ride a winner too. Wayne Hutchinson had gone to Aintree to
ride the Alan King horses who were due to run at the Merseyside course. My alarm clock was set for
06:30, I showered, washed and dried my hair; ate a breakfast of two slices of
buttered toast and two croissants. I
tuned into The Morning Line, and it broadcast in the background as I applied
my makeup. Earlier in the week I’d been
expecting the weather to turn colder, thus requiring me to wear either my
faux fur jacket or my faux fur coat and my ankle-length skirt with warm
jodphurs beneath so, when it turned out to be around 10 degrees with little
breeze I decided to wear my cerise pink jacket and tweed knee-length skirt instead. But I didn’t discard all my warm clothes –
I wore a black thermal vest, burgundy long-sleeved thermal vest, black
frill-edged cardigan, purple fleece, black fleece gillet, burgundy frill
edged Per Una cardigan, black/white horse snood, purple tights, and new M
& S ‘clumpy’ burgundy ankle
boots. Additional time was taken to
decide which hand-knitted scarf I’d wear; would it be the Katia Big Snow ‘Flower Garden’ or the Sirdar Snowball
‘Tutti Frutti’ or the Katia Big
Bang turquoise loopy scarf. They all
have matching shades or contrast with my cerise jacket perfectly; I chose the
latter. So much for my envisaged
departure time; it was 09:15 before I left home. My route took me around the local
ring-road; not along the edge of the housing estate where I would risk seeing
a magpie. I joined the M25 at junction
22, and headed around the anti-clockwise carriageway to reach the A3; being
later than my trip to Newbury the previous Saturday there was more traffic on
the motorway. Any bad driving of
note? Just one motorist who almost
missed the M3 turning, driving across the white hatching lines to reach the
slip road! I left the motorway at Junction
10 and headed towards London; I used to drive this exact route to get to
Wimbledon in my ‘Agassi’ days. The Esher turning is just 5 minutes away,
the second junction reached; a car pulled into my braking space as I
approached it between myself and a vehicle with a trailer, presumably a
gardener as there was a rake standing vertically within it. I turned left at the roundabout beneath the
junction and headed towards Esher, the road passing through Arbrook Common en
route. Having decided that I’d park
within the centre of the racecourse, which is free, at the traffic lights on
the Portsmouth Road I drove straight across to briefly join the one way
system before crossing the Esher Road and entering More Lane. The car park entrance is just a short
distance down this thoroughfare, on the right-hand side. On my earliest trips to Sandown
Park, having arrived around gate-opening time, I would park on the tarmac
area adjacent to the Golf Centre.
However, on more recent visits this had been given over to members and
I’d been forced to park on the grass area.
But, today, this area was open to me once more and I was instructed to
park on the end of a row, next to the driveway in, about half way down the
slope. It was 10:15. I noticed that a number of cars
were displaying parking dockets and, on closer inspection, these transpired
to be complimentary ones. But, as
other cars had no parking dockets hanging from their rearview mirror, I felt
safe in the knowledge that the car park was not for restricted use. Excellent news, as I’d prefer not to get my
car’s bodywork muddy having washed it the previous week! Having eaten two of the cheese
rolls I’d brought with me, I put on my jacket and headed along the driveway
to my left, towards the marquee where tickets would be sold to race-goers
arriving following their walk across the racecourse from the nearby
station. Having bought a grandstand
ticket for £26, I exited the tent and waited for it to be checked by a
steward at the gate leading to the lower racecourse crossing. There was a slight delay whilst he worked
his way through the ticket and attached vouchers of the race-goer ahead of
me. A second steward soon coming
across to instruct him upon exactly ‘what
was what’ as regards to entry requirements. Eventually it was my turn to
have my ticket checked, after which I was permitted to walk across the home
straight upon the plastic pontoon bridge which protects the turf from the
footfall prior to the racing. Once at
the other side, I bought a race-card at the kiosk for £3.00 before heading up
the slope and into the Surrey Hall.
Better safe than sorry, I decided to pop to the loo, there’s one
located off the main foyer; a choir from local Esher Church Primary School
was singing Christmas carols therein ... the foyer that is, not the loo!!! As I was washing my hands, one
of the support staff began to chat to me.
She said “you’re wrapped up
warm”. I agreed and told her that
sometimes I wore so many layers that it was difficult to negotiate the
turnstiles! I then set off to find a spare
seat beside the main Parade Ring; there were plenty to choose from, it still
being early in the day. Over by the
Winners’ Enclosure, Racing UK presenter, Stewart Machin was preparing ahead
of today’s broadcast. Colleague Angus
McNae, appeared to be on a ‘busman’s
holiday’, taking his young kids to the races and he went across to chat
with Stewart. A little later, @orse_racing_lad Steve Ayres, who looks after both Balder Succes and Tante Sissi, walked by me on his way to the Surrey Hall. Before racing,
I relocated to a seat close to the Parade Ring access point just across from
the Weighing Room. The first race of the day was to be run in memory
of prolific racehorse owner David Johnson, who had died earlier in the
year. At 11:40 three of his ex-racehorses
– Well Chief, Comply Or Die and Ashkazar – were
paraded in the Paddock. The horses
live at Timmy Murphy’s yard in the Cotswolds; the jockey was on-hand to talk
about his charges with race-day presenter Anthony Kemp. He explained that Well Chief is no longer
ridden due to his fragile legs; Comply Or Die has been taken hunting by
Timmy, which he confessed was certainly an ’experience’; and Ashkazar acts as his
wife Verity’s hack. Following a racing preview with BetVictor’s Charlie McCann, it was time for the first
race of the day; off-time 12:20. Choc’s mount in this event was Money For Nothing at 9-1;
the race favourite was the Paul Nicholls trained Vibrato Valtat
ridden by Daryl Jacob, a 6-4 shot. Note to self: I shall buy a premier ticket on a future
visit, as it will give me additional and varied photo opportunities because
I’ll be able to reach the raised steppings above
the Parade Ring and the rhododendron walk too; although I will still use the
Picnic Enclosure as my base during races.
Perhaps I will give myself a birthday treat in early January ...
post-Christmas finances permitting! The starting gate for this race
was at the far end of the home straight, the horses cantering down past the
grandstands to reach it. Being a
little out of Sandown Park practice’,
I didn’t quite make it to the Picnic Enclosure in time to get myself
organised with my camera before Choc cantered past aboard Money For Nothing.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Comte D’Anjou and Rhapando,
the latter displaying white sweat marks on his coat; to the inside Choc’s mount tracked the latter in third position, behind
him Vaniteux.
To the nearside Sweet Boy Vic and Area Access; in rear were the three
shades of greys, namely Morning Reggie, Vibrato Valtat
and the JP McManus runner Champagne At Tara.
All nine runners cleared the first two flights competently and headed
up past the winning post with one circuit to go. Having
climbed the hill, they turned the top bend and set off down it once more to
reach the back straight; Money For Nothing still travelling quite keenly just
behind the two leaders. He jumped the
next flight quite slowly and was joined by Vaniteux;
having dropped out quickly, and early, Sweet Boy Vic was now in rear. Choc’s mount took
the clear advantage from his companion again on the flat, but was less fluent
than the Nicky Henderson runner at fourth.
Heading
further down the back straight, Comte D’Anjou and Rhapando continued to lead, both with their ears pricked
as they looked ahead to the next obstacle.
The struggling 100-1 shot Sweet Boy Vic stumbled slightly upon landing
over the sixth flight, the final one in the back straight, and his jockey Tom
Cannon bailed out over the horse’s off-side; he walked away unscathed. The
runners then headed into the final bend, with still no change at the head of
affairs, Money For Nothing, Vaniteux, and Morning
Reggie line across the track behind these, followed by Vibrato Valtat and Champagne At Tara; Area Access continued now detached
in rear. Choc administered a tap down
the shoulder of his mount as they travelled around the turn and was the first
to become animated upon exiting into the home straight. The
flights were positioned against the nearside hedge and the jockeys’ preference
was to travel up the stand-side of the course when jumping them; joint-leader
Comte D’Anjou jinking slightly at the junction
where the rail commenced. Money For
Nothing dropped out very quickly and was a number of lengths behind the
leading group of six as they reached the penultimate flight, where Vaniteux and Vibrato Valtat
came to lay down their challenges to Rhapando;
Comte D’Anjou having already lost his share of the
lead. Vaniteux made an error
here, permitting Daryl Jacob’s grey to take the advantage on the run to the
last; but he was soon back on terms and, although he again lost ground at the
last, a determined Barry Geraghty drove his mount
out to win by 1½ lengths at the line.
Champagne At Tara finished a further 6 lengths back in third, with
long-time leader Rhapando 10 lengths behind in
4th. Money For Nothing, eased, coasted
home in 7th.
One
for the notebook I think, the winning horse has a good attitude and plenty of
size too. Not only a winner for Nicky
Henderson and Barry Geraghty, but also for owners,
the Kelvin-Hughes; welcomed following Invictus’
career-ending injury incurred in last Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup. Having sustained an injury to the same leg
as previously, although not in the same place, Alan King promised that they
would endeavour to ‘patch him up’
and hopefully find Invictus a new role
somewhere. I have a soft spot for Invictus, as I think he has a ‘kind eye’. Fingers
crossed his recovery for a new far less strenuous career will go well. I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
horses arrive back. Having not been to
Sandown Park for over two years, I’d forgotten the long uphill trek from the
Picnic Enclosure through the betting ring, the difficulties of negotiating
punters and the like within the Surrey Hall, through the doors into the main
reception foyer and through another set of doors to arrive on the concourse
which surrounds the Parade Ring. And that is followed by a brisk walk to
reach the Winners’ Enclosure, located in front of the Weighing Room. But I still made it before any of the
horses arrived back for, after all, they have to return via the long
rhododendron walk to reach it. The unplaced horses are unsaddled in a small
tarmac area beneath trees located beside the intersection of the rhododendron
walk and the Parade Ring exit. Once
Choc had unsaddled his mount, and debriefed connections, he set off down the
turf walkway which leads into the Winners’ Enclosure in order to return to
the Weighing Room. I returned to the Parade Ring once more, just a
few yards away, ahead of the next race.
Throughout the afternoon I would watch races from the Aintree fixture
as they were broadcast live on the large screen to the side of the Paddock. Besides, it helped to pass the time. Choc’s
ride in the second event was Tante Sissi; the mare returning to hurdles following her
chasing debut at Wincanton last month when she’d been pulled-up having
sprawled on landing mid-race. On that
occasion she’d jumped well up to that point, despite what can only be
described as having ‘bolted’ with
Choc; she was unbelievably keen that day!
The mare was led up by lad Steve Ayres. The starting gate for this race was mid-way down
the back straight, the horses cantering down past the grandstand to reach the
track which led through the in-field golf course to reach it.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Lady Kathleen and Teochew; Choc held up Tante Sissi at the rear of the
field. They crossed over the
steeplechase course and jumped one flight in the back straight before the far
turn. Lady Kathleen continued to set
the pace, from Teochew, Alder Mairi,
Tigresse Bleue, Synthe Davis, Golden Gael, Scholastica,
In By Midnight, Benefique Royale, Top Totti, Mrs Peachey and Tante Sissi. Having
negotiated the bend, the runners headed up the home straight for the first
time; Benefique Royale taking a very keen hold near
the rear of the field. The horses cleared the two flights
without mishap and passed the winning post on their way to the top of the
hill; having turned to top bend and galloped over the carpet protecting the
driveway, they set off downhill to enter the back straight. Lady
Kathleen continued to lead the way; she was joined by Teochew
as they approached flight five, Tigresse Bleue also moving up to their girth on the outside of the
field. But, having landed, the latter
lost her action and AP McCoy pulled her up.
The remaining runners successfully negotiated another flight before
crossing over the steeplechase course intersection once more and heading
towards the final two flights in the back straight. There was a little bit of bumping and
barging as they jostled for a position over these; Top Totti
was now detached from the main group. Alder
Mairi, Lady Kathleen and Teochew
disputed the lead as they headed into the final turn; they were followed by Scholastica, Golden Gael, Benefique
Royale, In By Midnight, Tante Sissi,
Synthe Davis and Mrs Peachy; Top Totti struggling in their wake. Choc‘s mount was
still travelling well as they exited the bend; initially it appeared that he
only had to press the button and she would cruise up to join the leaders once
the railed section ended and room became available. But instead, she came off the bridle on the
approach to two out. Lady
Kathleen was now outpaced and dropped back, Alder Mairi
and Teochew soon joined by Benefique
Royale; close on their heels, to the nearside, Mrs Peachy and Scholastica, Tante Sissi under pressure to the far side. Brendan Powell’s mount took the lead
clearing two out; the Kim Bailey runner blundering here. Teochew fought on
gamely as they approached the last, and was almost upsides again as they
reached it; from being tailed off, Top Totti was
staying-on through beaten runners. But,
on the run to the line, Benefique Royale pulled
away from the field once more, winning by 2¼ lengths from Teochew
at the line. Scholastica
stayed on up the hill to overtake Mrs Peachey just before the line. Lady Kathleen finished 5th, Top Totti 6th, Tante Sissi a disappointing 8th. It was victory for the bottom weight.
Having
experienced traffic problems following the last race, on this occasion and
for the remainder of the afternoon, I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure via
the lower level Esher Hall instead.
There was a pantomime taking place on a stage within the hall,
children seated in the area in front of it.
Also, evidently, a Victorian carousel giving complimentary rides to
race-goers was set up outside the Esher Hall turnstiles. I’d have loved to have had a ride on it, if
I had discovered its location earlier in the day for, once known, there was
little time available between races. Being
on a lower level than the Surrey Hall, I had to climb a staircase to reach
the upper level and Parade Ring/Winners’ Enclosure. It would be no laughing matter as the
afternoon progressed ... a climb through the betting ring, followed by a
flight of steps within the grandstand.
Last Saturday’s vigorous route marches between Newbury’s paddock and
course-side rails had seemed so easy.
This certainly wasn’t; my poor aching legs!!! Damn old age. Choc’s
mount in the third race of the day was Salmanazar;
the horse having been pulled-up on his seasonal reappearance at Huntingdon
having sprawled on landing over the third last flight. The race favourite was the Nicky
Henderson-trained Whisper at 5-2. While I was heading back to the Picnic Enclosure
ahead of the next race it was announced that Tigresse
Bleue was okay, she’d been loaded into a horse
ambulance in order for veterinary care to commence. The injury was of a hindquarters nature. No photographs of the horses heading to the start
on this occasion, the runners cantering directly up around the top bend
having exited the rhododendron walk.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away Oscar Magic, from the blinkered grey, Bourne, and Problema
Tic; Choc was against the inside rail in 6th position. Another to the greys, Darroun,
had to be ridden away from the start, and also blundered at the first
flight. It was Bourne who had led them
over the hurdle, but he was soon overtaken by Oscar Magic, who demonstrated a
tendency to jump out to his left. The
Jamie Moore-ridden runner held a clear advantage as they travelled around the
far turn and into the home straight on the first occasion. The horses were well grouped as they headed
towards the next flight, Oscar Magic leading from Bourne, Act Of Kalanisi, Utopie Des Bordes, Problema Tic, Salmanazar, Oscar Prairie, Whisper to the far side, Darroun to the nearside, Malt Master, Saphir
Du Rheu, Experimentalist, Liberty Court,
Upswing; Drum Valley and Home Run
brought up the rear. Having
cleared the two flights within the home straight, the runners headed up past
the winning post with one circuit to go; Problema
Tic beginning to drop back through the field.
Seagulls scattered as the horses headed around the top turn and down the
slope to enter the back straight once more; Oscar Magic continued to lead
from Bourne. Problema
Tic continued to lose ground and drop back through the field as they
travelled down the back straight; Darroun had
become detached from the main body of runners and soon tailed off. Salmanazar was in 7th
position heading into the final turn, but Choc was bumping him along and
signs didn’t look good. Bourne and
Oscar Magic led into the home straight, from Act Of Kalanisi,
Utopie Des Bordes and
Whisper. The blinkered Home Run had
made progress from the back of the field and crept into contention along the
inside of the field. The Paul Nicholls
runner, Saphir Du Rheu,
also cruised up to join the leaders between the last two flights. The
latter led over the last, Home Run close up to his inside, Whisper almost the
meat in the sandwich back in third.
And, having jumped it, Saphir Du Rheu pulled clear on the run to the line to win by 8
lengths. Home Run finished 2nd, with
Whisper 1¼ lengths back in 3rd and Upswing 4th. The
other qualifying finishers for the Pertemps final
at the Cheltenham Festival were Utopie Des Bordes, Drum Valley, Oscar Magic and Bourne. Salmanazar
completed in a disappointing 13th.
Once
again I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure via the Esher Hall to see the
placed horses arrive back. The
favourite for the next race was the Jonjo
O’Neill-trained Taquin De Seuil,
at 9-4. Choc’s mount in this event was Balder
Success, a 7-2 shot; Alan King’s second representative being Manyriverstocross, the outsider of the field, ridden by
Dominic Elsworth.
The expected front-runner De Faoithesdream
having been withdrawn, there was no confirmed front-runner in the field. The
starting gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight, the
horses cantering down past the grandstands to reach it. The runners having left the Parade Ring, I
made my way to the Picnic Enclosure via the Esher Hall once more and arrived
in time to see the Alan King horses canter by.
Then
they were off. Heading to the first
fence, Claret Cloak rose slightly ahead of, to the nearside Balder Succes, from Grandouet, Taquin Du Seuil, Hinterland and
Manyriverstocross.
The second fence is an open-ditch, again the
Emma Lavelle runner took off ahead, Balder Succes
putting in a short stride to ensure he took off at the correct point. Choc’s mount held
a slight advantage as the runners headed up past the winning post with one
circuit to go; Taquin Du Seuil
had taken a keen hold since the beginning of the race and travelled in third
position. Having
reached the top of the hill and negotiated the turn, they headed to the
downhill fence, where Hinterland landed a little steeply at the rear of the
field, jockey Daryl Jacob adjusting his reins as a result. The runners then turned into the back
straight for the one and only time, Balder Succes
holding a one-length advantage over Claret Cloak at the head of affairs; the
latter drawing alongside to jump the next fence in unison with his rival. Choc’s mount was
jumping well, but Claret Cloak was jumping even better, gaining ground in the
air at the following two fences, the second of which was an open-ditch. The middle fence in the back straight is
the water-jump, Balder Succes almost upsides once
more as they cleared it; Taquin Du Seuil almost bunny-hopped the smallest fence on the
course. The
final three fences in the back straight are the railway fences; the first of
which Choc’s mount got a little too close to, as
did Manyriverstocross. Claret Cloak held the advantage over his
rivals clearing the middle of these; AP’s mount sharing 4th place blundered
and stumbled, the horse’s nose kissing the turf as a result. Claret Cloak hit 4 out but led the runners
into the final turn, from Grandouet, Balder Succes, Hinterland, Taquin Du Seuil and Manyriverstocross;
however Choc had begun to ride his mount along by this point in the
race. AP was bumping his mount along. Balder
Succes lost third place as they cleared the pond
fence; and was demoted to fifth place
before they reached the penultimate one; Claret Cloak held a one-length
advantage over this fence, Hinterland and Grandouet
close on his heels disputing second.
To the far side, the Paul Nicholls runner took over the lead heading
to the last fence, Grandouet to the nearside didn’t
find quite as much acceleration, but still overtook the long-time
leader. The
latter kept on under heavy pressure as they headed up the hill to the line,
rallying to close upon Hinterland, but he’d already flown and held on to win
by a neck. Taquin
Du Seuil stayed on to take 3rd, 8 lengths back;
Claret Cloak finished 4th. Balder Succes came home in his own time in 5th, with Manyriverstocross completing in last place. Unusually,
Hinterland had qualified to run in this novices’ race two years running; last
year he’d finished 2nd to Captain Conan.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure via the Esher Hall to see the placed
horses arrive back. Having
unsaddled his unplaced mount in the area above the Winners’ Enclosure, Choc jogged
back to the Weighing Room on this occasion.
Perhaps he was eager to get back in time to watch the Becher Chase, which would be off at Aintree very shortly
although, having said that, the Alan King-representative Walkon
was now a non-runner in the race. For
the record, it was won by the Philip Hobbs-trained Chance Du Roy, who narrowly
beat Baby Run; the latter returning to action following 959 days off the
track, an excellent training feat by Nigel Twiston-Davies. No
ride for Choc in the fifth race of the day.
The favourite was 10-3 shot, River Maigue
trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty. My pick of the paddock, for looks, was Ruacana ... or at least he was the one which most
appealed to me!!! The
runners having left the Parade Ring, I set off to find a vantage point beside
the rails overlooking the Picnic Enclosure.
The starting gate for this event was at the far end of the home
straight, the horses cantering down past the grandstand to reach it.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Specialagent Alfie,
from Vulcanite, Seventh Sky and Calculated Risk; bringing up the rear, the
hooded Deep Trouble. The horses
cleared the two flights in the home straight, travelled up the hill and past
the winning post with one circuit to go; the pace was pretty steady, although
it did quicken up as they headed down the slope towards the back straight. Specialagent Alfie continued to hold the advantage, from Vulcanite,
Seventh Sky, Whitby Jack, Calculated Risk, Urbain
De Sivola, Ronaldo Des Mottes, Ruacana, River Maigue, Waterunder, Milord, Radmores Revenge and Deep Trouble. The runners remained tightly packed as they
headed over the four flights therein and, by the end of which, Radmores Revenge had become slightly detached from the
others. Nick
Gifford’s charge continued at the head of affairs around the far bend,
Seventh Sky upsides. Vulcanite had
weakened rapidly and, having entered the home straight, was now one from last
with even Radmores Revenge gaining on him. Seventh Sky took over the lead heading for
two out, but flicked the top and was swallowed up by his rivals shortly
thereafter. As
Seventh Sky dropped back, Specialagent Alfie went on again, along with the white-faced, Urbain De Sivola; also throwing
down their challenges were Deep Trouble and Ruacana
to the nearside, with Calculated Risk and River Maigue
not far behind to the far side. Then,
all of a sudden, Deep Trouble burst through into the lead as they approached
the last. However,
he jinked away to his right, perhaps the noise of the crowd unnerving the
hooded runner. He took the flight at
an angle, jockey Leighton Aspell unbalanced as he
cleared it. With nothing to initially
prevent him from continuing upon his wayward course, he veered towards the
far rail despite his jockey’s best efforts; then, having reached the rail, he
straightened up. During the course of
this manoeuvre, Leighton had lost his right iron so, to even up his balance
and prevent loss of momentum, he decided to kick away the left one too. It
was then reminiscent of the Pony Club mounted games, as he booted his mount
home to win by one length from Urbain De Sivola. River Maigue stayed on to finish 3rd, with Ruacana
4th. Excellent, I love a bit of harmless
excitement at the races!
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure via the Esher Hall to see the placed
horses arrive back. It
was now time for the second Grade 1 race of the day, the Tingle Creek Chase,
named in honour of the ex-US National Hunt star of the 1970s, the flashy chestnut
having saved his best performances for races at the Esher track. This race has been won by many 2-mile stars
over the years, including Desert Orchid, Viking Flagship, Kauto
Star and Master Minded. Last year’s
winner, Sprinter Sacre, was unable to take part
today due to a dirty scope earlier in the week. Street
artist Olivier Roubieu had created a mural of
Sprinter Sacre on the wall outside the main entrance. I didn’t get to see it though, as I had arrived
via the centre-course entrance. Is it
sacrilege ... or should that be ‘Sacrelege’ to
admit that I’m not a fan of the Champion Chaser! He’s just too good, which makes him less
than interesting to me. I like horses
with a little less talent; ‘genuine’
horses who put in lots of effort and, every now and then, they are
rewarded. The
biggest question ahead of the race was ... would Mad Moose consent to ‘jump off’ today? It was reported that the horse had
undergone a session or sessions with the ‘Horse
Whisperer’ Gary Witheford – and had he managed
to get inside the brain of this far too clever horse? Moosie stopped right
in front of me whilst walking around the Parade Ring, waiting as connections entered
via the access point; he was sporting a hood again today. In
my rush to reach the small section of rail above the Picnic Enclosure, I
encountered traffic problems on exiting from the Esher Hall into the betting
ring. In fact I knocked a half-empty
plastic beer glass from someone’s hand.
Tough luck mate! The
refreshment outlets really shouldn’t be placed so close to the main
thoroughfares, as it only encourages people to congregate around them and
cause unnecessary congestion for those wishing to pass through the area at pace. Fortunately only my boots were splashed
with the liquid as it splattered onto the tarmac surface. Personally
I’d set up specific beer areas and ban glasses from being taken elsewhere;
and also have specific smoking areas, so as to reduce the risk of smokers
carrying around lighted cigarettes which might singe the clothes and
belongings of non-smokers. Can you
tell that I don’t drink or smoke?
The
starting gate for the next race was at the far end of the home straight, the
horses cantering down past the grandstands to reach it. Eight of the runners milled around together,
with Mad Moose kept apart from these by his jockey today, Dave Crosse.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Kauto Stone, from Tataniano
and Captain Conan. Mad Moose did jump
off on the stand-side of the field, but ... he was very reluctant, cocking
his jaw to his right, and slowing down with every stride. “If you think I’m going to jump even one
fence today, you’ve got another think coming!” Despite Dave Crosse’s best efforts, he’d pulled
himself up before the first; where Tataniano nodded
on landing. Having
all cleared the first obstacle, Daryl Jacob’s mount continued to lead the
way, from Tataniano and Captain Conan; they were
followed by Oiseau De Nuit,
Somersby, Sire De Grugy, His Excellency and,
currently outpaced at the rear of the field, Viva Colonia. The second fence is an open-ditch, Somersby
skewing slightly over it; His Excellency and Viva Colonia not jumping at
their best as they attempted to keep pace with the runners ahead of them. The
blinkered Kauto Stone held a clear advantage as
they galloped up the hill in front of the packed stands and passed the
winning post with one circuit to go.
In contrast, Mad Moose cantered up beside the rails, his adoring fans
giving him a loud round of applause!!!
Everyone loves Moosie, despite his antics
... apart from those who are foolish enough to bet on him! Meanwhile,
the horses headed downhill towards the third fence, Kauto
Stone a clear leader, the runners becoming strung out behind him as the pace
increased. In second was Captain
Conan, Sire De Grugy and Oiseau
De Nuit (one of RUK’s Lydia Hislop’s
favourite horses) shared third, Somersby had improved into fifth place, His
Excellency travelled sixth, Tataniano had dropped
back to seventh; Viva Colonia still brought up the rear. Having
exited the top turn, the remaining eight runners began their journey down the
back straight; clearing the two plain fences followed by the second and last
open-ditch well within their strides. Kauto Stone bunny-hopped the next, the water-jump, almost
landing on all fours; his lead began to diminish, his rivals close on his tail
as they negotiated the railway fences.
Somersby, in mid-field, blundered at the middle of these. The
field set off around the final bend and headed to the pond fFence, three out; where Captain Conan and Sire De Grugy joined him and soon went on. Still in contention were Oiseau De Nuit and
Somersby. Although hoping for a run
through on the inside against the rail, Jamie Moore’s route was shut off by
Daryl Jacob and he had to pull around the long-time leader in order to follow
Captain Conan who had now assumed pole position. Barry
Geraghty got into drive mode approaching the last
fence hoping to fend off the chestnut’s challenge, but it was to no avail as
Sire De Grugy passed him, clearing the obstacle
with a one-length advantage. He then
stayed on strongly up the hill to win by 4 lengths from Somersby, the latter
overhauling Captain Conan on the run-in.
Oiseau De Nuit
claimed 4th, with Kauto Stone in 5th. He
may appear to not particularly like Cheltenham, although it was discovered
after his last run that he’d been plated with too-wide shoes, but Sire De Grugy certainly loves Sandown Park. And I’m looking forward to a future clash
between Sprinter Sacre and today’s winner; provided
the latter doesn’t head over to France to run instead as mooted by his
trainer following the race. Until
today, Kauto Star had been the only horse to win
the Tingle Creek at their first attempt in a Grade 1 race.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure via the Esher Hall once more to see the
placed horses arrive back. Parakeets! Flying over the Winners’ Enclosure was a
flock of parakeets; that would explain the strange bird calls I’d been
hearing all afternoon originating from the wooded area behind the Parade
Ring! I’d forgotten that south-west
London is a hot-spot for wild colonies of the escapee birds. Choc’s
mount in the final race of the day was last season’s Scottish Grand National
winner, Godsmejudge. He carried top weight today and was a 13-2
shot on this, his second appearance this term having run well, although
unplaced, at Cheltenham last time out.
The favourite was the David Pipe-trained Buddy Bolero ridden by AP
McCoy. The
starting gate for this race was at the far end of the home straight, with
over two circuits to travel during the event; thus the horses cantered down
past the stands to reach it. And I managed
a ‘clear round’ on my journey back
to my vantage point above the Picnic Enclosure on this occasion!
Then they were off. The runners were led away by Alfie Spinner and Hunters Lodge. Almost upsides them was Godsmejudge,
who skewed awkwardly in the air over the first; to his nearside was American
Spin. Bringing up the rear were
nearside Top Smart, There’s No Panic and far side Michel Le Bon. The next fence was the open-ditch, Choc’s mount putting in a short stride in order to meet
this one correctly, although he did skew very slightly once again. Heading up to the winning post on the first
occasion, the white cheek-pieced American Spin took the lead, from Alfie Spinner and Hunters Lodge; Godsmejudge
was upsides Buddy Bolero, between them Soll. Choc
choosing to travel on the outside of the field on this occasion. In seventh position came Franklin
Roosevelt, he was followed by Bradley, Court By Surprise and Well
Refreshed. Michel Le Bon was three
from the back, the Paul Nicholls-runner There’s No Panic two from the back
and, in rear, Top Smart. Having reached the top of the hill, the horses
negotiated the top bend and set off down the slope to the third fence; they
all cleared this fence well, Top Smart already detached at the rear of the
field, and soon began their journey down the back straight for the time. Alfie Spinner and
American Spin headed the field, taking it in turns to lead depending on how
well they’d cleared the most recent obstacle.
Close up to their outside was Godsmejudge. Having cleared the middle of the line of fences, being
the water-jump, the field headed to the railway fences where Barry Geraghy’s mount Caught By Surprise blundered at the first
of these, his jockey reaching down to retrieve his left stirrup as they
continued towards the middle in this line of obstacles. At the back of the main pack, Well
Refreshed pecked badly on landing over this fence. All the runners successfully negotiated the
final railway fence and headed into the far turn. Leading, line across the track were Alfie Spinner, American Spin and Godsmejudge;
behind them Hunters Lodge, Soll, and Buddy Bolero,
followed by Caught By Surprise. After
these came Bradley and Franklin Roosevelt; then, at the back of this main
group, Michel Le Bon, There’s No Panic and Well Refreshed; Top Smart was a
few lengths detached. The runners
cleared the pond fence and headed into the home straight once more. Michel Le Bon crashed through the next fence, but
survived. However, having begun to
lose ground and confidence too, he took off far too far away from the open-ditch
and landed on top of it; this relegated him to last place. As the other runners headed up past the
stands with now one circuit to go, jockey Tom Cannon eased his mount and
pulled him up, dismounting as he came to a halt. The other runners disappeared into the
distance. The injured horse had hurt his off-fore, having
appeared to clout his elbow against the fence; he refused to put weight upon
it, and it was so tender that every now and then he attempted to rear
up. The vet was soon on the scene,
feeling the horse’s leg from pastern to elbow ... no bones broken? The green screens were erected in
accordance with standard procedure. The race continued ... American Spin and Alfie Spinner continued at the head of affairs as the
runners headed around the top turn, seagulls taking flight having been
disturbed once more. Godsmejudge wasn’t travelling quite as well as would be
expected and had to be ridden in order to re-join the two leaders as they
began their journey down the back straight for the final time. Having made headway, Well Refreshed blundered and
stumbled badly at the second fence therein, losing ground once more. Both Caught by Surprise and There’s No
Panic were less fluent than their rivals at the final open-ditch. The field headed over the water-jump, Choc
was niggling at his mount in an attempt to keep tabs on the leaders, but to
no avail; he began to drop back through the field and was in 7th position
exiting the railway fences. Soll
took the advantage as they headed into the final turn; he dwarfed American
Spin who now continued in his wake.
Runners began to queue up behind him as they approached the pond
fence, where Court By Surprise jumped into the lead. Having completely lost his position, Choc
checked behind to make sure there were no runners in his slipstream and then
steered his mount to the inside of the fence, pulling up and cantering back
past the grandstands in his own time. Meanwhile, Caught By Surprise continued to lead
over two out, followed closely by Well Refreshed, who made an error at the
fence. Soll
was now back in third position, with There’s No Panic closing in 4th. It appeared that Barry Geraghty
may have stolen the race, but Daryl Jacob had other ideas as he drove his
mount up the far side and was upsides as they cleared the last. With stewards waving chequered flags to notify
the riders of the injured horse, There’s No Panic was driven out to the line
and although Caught By Surprise began to claw back some of the deficit, he
won by three quarters of a length.
Well Refreshed finished a further length and a half back in 3rd, with Alfie Spinner half a length back in 4th and Soll 5th.
I
returned through the Esher Hall for the final time today, and headed over to
the Winners’ Enclosure ahead of the placed horses arriving back. It was the second winner on the card for
owners the Stewart family, the other being Saphir
Du Rheu. And
it was a treble on the card for the Paul Nicholls’ stable and a five-timer
for the yard when their two Aintree winners were added to the tally. Yes, it is boring when the same old people
win the races! There
was good news regarding Michel Le Bon; the problem was diagnosed as a muscle
injury and, having been driven off the course in the horse ambulance, he was
later taken home to make a recovery. I
confess to feeling a little disappointed, as Choc hadn’t made it into the
Winners’ Enclosure, winner or placed, aboard any of his five rides. Later in the week, on his website, it was
confirmed that Balder Succes would now have a short
break having already competed in four novice chases this season and not run
up to expected form today. Manyriverstocross would be stepped up to two miles and
four furlongs next time out. As
for the uncharacteristically poor run from Godsmejudge,
he would be given an MOT to see if any reason could be found. The stable having been in top form during
November, a December slump had set in, with just one winner from around two
dozen runners by the end of the following week, described by blogger Geoff
Lester as a ‘sharp change in their
fortunes’, which began when Invictus suffered
his injury. Indeed. Although I didn’t see any gypsies at
Newbury to inflict a curse ... Racing
over, and having seen Choc return to the Weighing Room for the final time
today, I set off through the Surrey Hall and down across the betting ring to
reach the racecourse crossing. The
pontoon bridge no longer needed, I walked back across the turf; a group of
young race-goers ahead of me deciding they wanted to have their photo taken showing
one of the fences in the background, stopping off en route. Having reached the far side of the course,
I turned left and walked along the roadway, cutting across the turf in order
to find my car; I noticed there was bird poo on the
bonnet, typical. Many
race-goers had already made an attempt to leave, and the car park was
gridlocked. I wasn’t going anywhere
for the moment; it was 16:00. Perhaps
I should have stayed for the Winter Festival Preview held in the Surrey Hall
following racing; Nick Luck was hosting a panel including Nicky Henderson and
AP McCoy. I
was forced to wait in my car; consuming the remaining two cheese rolls. It took until around 16:45 before I could
have actually moved from my parking space; owners of cars parked nearer the
exit entering the traffic stream were preventing those further away from
moving far. In
fact it wasn’t until shortly after 17:00 that I decided to start the engine
and join the back of the queue exiting the racecourse. Traffic was still very slow moving;
exacerbated by having to join an existing queue of vehicles heading towards
Esher upon More Lane. It would have
been far quicker if I’d wanted to turn right, those race-goers doing so
encouraged to take a track within the grounds in order to exit via a
different gate. Anyway,
I was finally able to exit onto the roadway when a vehicle turned right into
the racecourse, thus forcing the next vehicle in the More Lane queue to give
way to it and allow me out of the driveway.
It was then stop start stop start, past the Wheatsheaf
pub, to reach the one-way system. I
turned left, waiting for one change of traffic lights to enter the high
street. The right turn was followed by
a left turn; although first I had to wait for a couple of taxis to move on in
order to proceed to the latter. Now
in Claremont Lane, I had to wait at the set of traffic lights before
continuing forward into Copsem Lane. Having travelled through Arbrook Common, I reached the A3 at 17:27. Unbelievably, it had taken me 25 minutes to
travel two miles! I headed down the A3
in the direction of Guildford, negotiating the roundabout and joining the
clockwise carriageway of the M25 at Junction 10. Fortunately traffic was moving smoothly on
the motorway. I left it at Junction 22
and returned home to St Albans. I
arrived home at 18:25. Door to door,
it had taken me nearly two and a half hours from getting into my car at
Sandown Park. Thinking about it ... I
could have driven to Cheltenham in that time!!! That’s crazy ... I must get over this
aversion to queuing; car queuing that is, not people queuing. Basically, it’s the waste of petrol which I’m
adverse to. Also, how come there were
no holdups whatsoever at Newbury the previous Saturday, despite it being
Hennessy Gold Cup Day? Click here for photos – Races
1, 2 & 3 |
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