DIARY – STRATFORD UPON AVON
– THURSDAY EVENING 13 AUGUST 2009
|
As I like to attend meetings at Stratford Upon Avon and, with
Choc having 4 rides scheduled, I just had to take a trip to this fixture, my
first ever evening card. Also
advertised in the Stratford race-card from 19 July’s fixture (Ladies Day) was
a camel race, to be held prior to racing, as part of filming for a future
Blue Peter programme. I set off at 13:45, and decided to try my new route to
Stratford, avoiding the M40. This was
also partly due to my wishing to return via the same route this evening,
because I still don’t trust myself not to lose concentration when driving
alone on a motorway after dark. Dark
country roads pose no problem however!
My route took me via Dunstable, Milton Keynes, and Buckingham,
which I safely negotiated with the help of a post-IT note applied to my
dashboard, but upon reaching the A43 I turned left instead of right, so
missed Brackley and ended up at Junction 10 of the
M40! But not being one to panic (or
retrace my route) I took the M40 northbound and left at the next exit,
Banbury, to resume my planned route along the A422 to Stratford. The road took me through the picturesque
villages of Drayton and Wroxton, descending Edge
Hill, past the Redwings Horse Sanctuary at Oxhill,
to arrive at the ‘weird sculpture’ roundabout on the southern outskirts of
Stratford Upon Avon. I took the road
signposted ‘through traffic’ until turning left onto the Bidford-on-Avon
road, a short distance along which I turned into Luddington
Lane and the racecourse entrance. It was just before 16:00. Once again I decided to park inside, paying a £3 fee. Having changed into my heels, I walked
along to the turnstiles, purchasing a £14 Tattersalls
ticket, and went to sit by the side of the Parade Ring, opposite the Tote
building. Disappointingly there was no
camel racing, so I could have left home a little later, the first race being
at 17:40. As the time approached for the horses to arrive in the Parade
Ring in preparation for the first race, I set off to sit in my favourite
spot, between Parade Ring and course-side rails, just a few metres past the
winning post. Choc was riding in the first race. His mount was Danetime
Panther, owned by the Jenny and Mark Pitman Racing Club and trained by Ian
Williams. Not surprisingly, there were
a large number of members in the Parade Ring waiting for their jockey to
appear. Danetime
Panther was probably the last horse to arrive in the Paddock. Soon it was time for the jockeys to enter the Parade Ring, Choc
going to speak with the large group of owners, then he was legged up onto his
mount and left the Paddock, cantering down to inspect an obstacle before
heading to the start in the far corner of the track. He was accompanied by Warren Marston aboard
Sagunt.
Then
they were off. Agente
Romano was sent into the lead, Scotsbrook Cloud
making an error at the first flight.
Prominent were the greys Moment Present and Civil Servant, also Sir
Billy Nick. Choc was in around 7th
position, taking a mid line, as they travelled towards the home straight for
the first time. He had moved up to
dispute 4th as they passed the winning post with one circuit to go. Soon
all bar 6 of the field were struggling.
Those still travelling were the long-time leader Agente
Romano, Danetime Panther, Civil Servant, Dream of
Fortune, Moment Present and Sagunt, who had made
headway from the rear of the field.
Hammer was chasing these, the remainder of the field all toiling in
their wake, although all 15 runners were to complete the race. Around
the final bend, Choc’s mount was disputing 2nd
with, on his inside, Dream of Fortune.
Having jumped the penultimate flight it appeared that he might be
held, however he switched out from the rails and cleared the final obstacle
running, sweeping past the weakening long-time leader, Agente
Romano, to win by 1¾ lengths. Civil Servant kept on well behind him to
finish 2nd.
I
left the course-side rails to walk to the Winners’ Enclosure to see Choc
arrive back aboard his 16th winner of the season. He unsaddled and spoke with Jenny Pitman,
surrounded by members of the Racing Club, all listening intently. He then posed for a group photo with the
members and the horse before returning to the Weighing Room. I
remained beside the Winners’ Enclosure to watch the horses parading prior to
the next event, a Juvenile Selling Hurdle.
Choc was not competing in this one.
Again the start of this race was in the far corner of the track.
Then
they were off. The favourite, Royal
Max, was sent into the lead, followed by Rannoch Rose, Pure Crystal, Bathwick Pursuit and Paymaster in Chief. Wise Princess made a mistake at the first
flight. There was
already 20 lengths covering the field as they entered the straight for the
first time. It
was almost Indian file as they galloped away from the stands, with 50/1 shot Bertie Bacon unseating his rider at the 5th flight. By the 3rd last a group of 3 had pulled
clear of the remainder, long-time leader Royal Max, Rannoch Rose, and Pure
Crystal. However, Royal Max went 10
lengths clear of his nearest pursuers as he came around the final bend, and
had stretched his winning margin to 21 lengths on the line, despite easing
down.
By the time the horses were walking back in, I had
repositioned myself next to the course-side rails. Being a Selling Hurdle, Royal Max was put
up for auction in the Winners’ Enclosure, the reserve price being 2,900
guineas. Following eager bidding, the
horse was finally sold to MC Chapman for 10,000 guineas. It was now time for Choc’s
2nd ride of the day, aboard the Irish trained Stepchange. Choc came into the Parade Ring to receive
his orders from trainer Jimmy Lambe before mounting
the horse and exiting onto the course.
I was very pleased that the distance of this race was 2 miles 5
furlongs, as this meant the horses and jockeys would be circling in front of
the stands before the off. There were
3 greys in this race – Alecia, Silver Dollars and
Pas De Baratin. Having inspected a fence, Choc arrived at the
start with Richard Johnson, girths were checked, and I could hear the jockeys
discussing their tactics – Andrew Thornton confirming that he intended to
lead the runners aboard Mysaynoway.
Then
they were off. As expected Mysaynoway was sent into the lead, the grey Alecia prominent, Choc was towards the outside, near the
back of the closely grouped field.
However he made a mistake at the first obstacle and continued to jump
a little erratically. The favourite, Pure Magic, suffered a serious injury
when ploughing through the 5th obstacle and was swiftly pulled up. Mysaynoway was joined by
Ma Chara as they began the final circuit. A group of 8 had pulled away from the
remainder as they headed down the back straight for the final time – Mysaynoway, Pas De Baratin, Paperchaser, Alecia,
Think Lucky, Paradise Expected and Moulin De La Croix. The
horses were waived around the 3rd last fence, the open-ditch, where the
injured Pure Magic had been pulled up on the previous circuit. I noticed the concerned trainer and
stable-hands heading across the course towards the horse-box that had already
arrived at the scene to collect the stricken horse. The
grey, Pas De Baratin lead the field into the final
straight, with Paperchaser and Think Lucky closing
fast. Paperchaser
took over the lead just before the last, but was collared by Think Lucky as
they approached the line. Pas De Baratin faded quickly but held on for 3rd.
Choc’s mount, Stepchange, had begun to tail off by the 12th obstacle
and was pulled up 2 out. I remained by
the Parade Ring to see Choc as he returned to unsaddle. Martin
Keighley had a runner in the 4th event, Hareem,
reverting to hurdles after his recent disappointing run at Bangor on Dee over
fences. The horse was to be ridden by
Ian Popham, taking 7 pounds off the weight. Choc
was not taking part in this race.
Again
the start of this event was over in the far corner of the track. Then they were off. The
field was led off by Kingscourt Lad, followed by
Moon Bear, Laybach, and Crystal Crown. Hareem was in
rear. The same group of 4 were ahead
of the main field as they headed up the straight for the first time. The favourite, Bundle Up, fell at the 4th
last. Massams Lane, having made
progress through the field, took over the lead at the 3rd last and he was
chased into the home straight by the Richard Johnson ridden Something
Inside. Closing quickly as they
approached the 2nd last, and switching towards the inside rail, Richard’s mount
took a heavy fall which proved fatal.
The horse had broken its neck, colliding with the plastic rails as it
fell, his jockey being thrown clear on the in-field. Green screens were quickly erected, and
fortunately Richard emerged unscathed.
Despite blundering at the last, Massams Lane
galloped on to win at 28/1. A
hush fell upon the crowd, many of the experienced punters realising the
horse’s fall had been fatal. The
atmosphere remained subdued as the horses returned to the Winners’ Enclosure. I
forgot to say that, despite never being in contention, Hareem
did finish the race in 9th place.
It was now time for Choc’s
3rd ride of the evening, aboard the Jimmy Lambe
trained Trotsky. I noticed his new
wife, Meally, was sitting alongside the entrance to
the Winners’ Enclosure/Parade Ring, where the jockeys pass through on their
route from the Weighing Room. When Choc arrived in the Parade Ring he took
fright at something, although I couldn’t see what it was! There was a horse nearby, but I didn’t
think the animal was that close to him.
The race was to begin at the far end of the home straight, with an
outsider, Rosses Point, being withdrawn before the
start on veterinary advice.
Then
they were off. The senior member of
the field, 13 year old Keltic Lord, took the lead,
with Trotsky in 2nd position, the remaining 6 runners closely grouped behind
them. Jackella
made an error at the 4th obstacle, with Marrel
doing the same at the 5th. Keltic Lord had gone clear by a few lengths, with Trotsky
just ahead of the rest. Dasher Reilly
blundered at the 2nd open-ditch, and Trotsky was
untidy at the one before the water. As
they set out on the final circuit, 3 of the runners began to lose touch,
these being Jackella, Feeling Peckish and Dasher
Reilly. Wayne Hutchinson appeared to
lose an iron as a result of his Richard Phillips trained mount, Rapid Return,
hitting the 13th. The horse
subsequently lost ground, as did Marrel. As they approached the end of the back
straight, Keltic Lord had narrowly surrendered his
lead to Trotsky. Choc
took the inside line around the final bend thus retaining his advantage but,
as they approached the final fence, Choc had to administer encouragement with
his whip. Keltic
Lord was rallying, and after the last Trotsky showed a reluctant temperament
as he began to swish his tail, appearing to resent Choc’s
urgings. His very game challenger
triumphed by a distance of 1½ lengths as Trotsky’s resolve faltered towards
the winning post. I
remember Choc riding Keltic Lord at Plumpton last September, and his saddle slipped backwards
during the race, but he survived to complete in 3rd place!
As
Choc had finished placed, I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see him
return to unsaddle, brief the trainer and return to the Weighing Room. It
was now time for the final race of the day, in which he would be riding
Rhinestone Ruby for trainer Neil Mulholland.
I guess Choc would have had the option to ride either Jimmy Lambe’s Quivvy Bridge or
Rhinestone Ruby, and perhaps he chose Neil’s charge out of loyalty, as AP
McCoy would undoubtedly get the ride aboard Jimmy Lambe’s
UK raiders when available. Unfortunately
the evening light had now faded, so the quality of my photographs had
degraded by this time. I
hadn’t realised how huge Rhinestone Ruby is, she dwarfed her rivals. She doesn’t look that big on TV! And I have to say she was being a little
mulish today, although I don’t know whether that is her usual character
trait. When Choc tried to push her in close
to the inspection fence, she seemed a little reluctant. And then she didn’t seem too keen to join
her compatriots as they circled at the start, which was at the top of the
home straight.
Then
they were off. Poppy Parade, fighting
for her head, went into the lead, Rhinestone Ruby, also keen, took up an
inside berth in 2nd spot. By the
second flight, Choc had taken over at the front of the field. As they headed up the home straight for the
first time, Rhinestone Ruby remained in front, with Quivvy
Bridge, Cailin Na Ri and
Poppy Parade prominent. The
first horse to lose touch was the 100-1 shot, Give A Lot. Choc relinquished the lead after the 3rd
last flight, with Cailin Na Ri
the first to enter the home straight, being followed through by Quivvy Bridge, the latter taking a narrow lead by 2
out. However Cailin
Na Ri rallied, and Richard
Johnson had to drive his mount out to win by 1 length on the line. Having
become tired, Rhinestone Ruby blundered badly at the 2nd last flight, at
which point Choc eased her down to finish in 7th place. I waited by the Parade Ring for Choc to
return, he spent time giving a detailed explanation of the run to the horse’s
connections before heading for the Weighing Room. By
this time darkness would not be far away, so I set out to find my own trusty
steed in the car park.
Having
arrived back at my car, I took time out to eat a snack, not having eaten
since lunchtime. And it would be at
least 2 hours before I reached home.
It was almost dark when I set off, but that’s not a problem, as it is
frequently the case when I travel to fixtures during the winter. I
returned via the A422 to Banbury, and the road was surprisingly quiet
considering it was only 21:00. Despite
the hour, I actually enjoyed my drive back through Warwickshire, Oxfordshire,
Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, and Bedfordshire to my home county of
Hertfordshire. I arrived home just
after 23:00. |
