DIARY – STRATFORD UPON AVON
– SUNDAY 13 JUNE 2010
My ‘Chocolate’ Umbrella! When did I decide to take a trip to this particular Stratford
fixture? At 07:30 on the morning of
the races! I’d been very indecisive
since downloading the declarations at lunchtime the previous Friday, to discover
that Choc had 3 riding engagements.
Stratford thus became a ‘maybe’
fixture. Let me explain. If a fixture is within reasonable driving distance,
I then weigh up my options – if Choc has just 1 or 2 riding engagements it
could transpire that either or both might be non-runners, so then I will wait
to attend a more suitable fixture at a later date. If he has 3 riding engagements, then it’s a
‘maybe’ and I have to make a
decision whether to go. Four or more
riding engagements is a ‘yes’, my finances
permitting of course. Although there
may always be exceptions to my rule! So what tipped the balance from a ‘maybe’ to a ‘yes’? Firstly, I’d not seen Choc competing ‘live’ since 09 April, which was the
day before the Grand National. And,
secondly, I knew that my next available opportunity might be mid-July at
Stratford or Southwell ... which would be another four weeks to wait. And, Martin Keighley had a runner in one of
the other races at this fixture, so that created an additional interest on
the day. Okay, so I was due to have my hair cut this day, by my
sister-in-law Anita. But it wouldn’t
be the first occasion I’d foregone a haircut to go racing ... and it probably
won’t be the last occasion either!
Although at this particular time I resembled a skewbald pony, due to
an allergy to hair dye which now prevents me covering all those greys!!! Not a good look. Anyway, I logged onto my PC to double-check Choc’s riding
engagements, and the weather forecast too.
The weather news wasn’t quite as good as had been forecasted earlier,
it was now sunny intervals with heavy rain showers due to arrive at around
16:00. I then took a look at Martin
Keighley’s latest blog message, from the previous day, where he revealed the
exciting news that Choc and his wife Meally are expectant parents, the baby
being due at Christmas! Perhaps if I
went to the races I’d have the opportunity to congratulate Choc in person on
the wonderful news ... So, having eaten breakfast, taken a shower, and applied on my ‘war paint’, I was ready to set off at
10:10. As rain was expected later in
the day I took my ‘Chocolate’
umbrella (pictured above), my blue raincoat, and wore my blue cowboy boots
too. And I took a small picnic lunch
to eat upon arrival at the course. I had intended to drive to Hemel Hempstead in order to take the
A41 to Aylesbury and onwards to Bicester.
However, it transpired that my route was blocked due to the local half
marathon taking place this day. I
suppose it should have crossed my mind, as a work colleague, another work
colleague’s mum, and a third work colleague’s husband were all participating
in the event! So, having found the road blocked by a police car and marshals,
I diverted through a nearby housing estate and headed north to Harpenden,
then west to Redbourn. Another
decision required, should I backtrack to Hemel Hempstead, or head
north-westwards along the A5 to Dunstable.
I choose the latter option. It
even occurred to me that I could drive up the M1 and then cut across country
via Warwick, but I don’t know that particular route ... although I can
improvise quite well despite not having satnav in my car! Another option was to drive up the A5 to
Milton Keynes and then travel via Buckingham, a route I know quite well. In the event, I decided to skirt around Dunstable, taking the
road through Totternhoe, not far from my friend Lesley’s home in fact. I soon joined the Leighton Buzzard bypass,
drove through Wing, and onwards to Aylesbury to re-join my original route. I then headed west along the A41, through
Waddesdon, although frustratingly the car at the head of the line of traffic
was ‘pootling’ along at 40 mph
where the limit was 60 mph!
Fortunately the car causing the holdup turned off the main road when
we reached Kingswood, and this enabled the pace to quicken as the queue
headed for Bicester. Although there
were still two very impatient sports car drivers who weaved in and out of the
traffic along this mainly straight stretch of road, it being an old Roman
road – Akeman Street. And I’d already
seen a few spots of rain on my windscreen. At Bicester I took the A34 southbound to join the M40 northbound
carriageway at Junction 9. I drove
just 2 junctions, leaving at 11, the Banbury exit. From experience, I’ve discovered that
lunchtime traffic, even on a Sunday, can cause queues on the A46 Stratford
bypass, so I now take the scenic route along the A422 through the picturesque
villages of Drayton and Wroxton, past Upton House, down the steep incline at
Edgehill, past the Redwings Horse Sanctuary at Oxhill, and through
Ettington. Upon arrival at the outskirts of Stratford, I took the route
signed-post ‘through traffic’ which
skirts the southwest perimeter of the town and, after negotiating a number of
roundabouts, I turned left onto the Bidford-on-Avon Road, and then left again
down the lane to the racecourse entrance.
I prefer to park inside the gates, paying £3 for the privilege, I’d
arrived at 12:25, 25 minutes after gate opening time. I ate my packed lunch before setting off to buy a Tattersalls
ticket (£14) from the kiosk, and a race programme (£2.50). After a brief visit to the ‘little
girls’ room’ (more information than you needed) I went to sit beside the
Parade Ring to read the racecard. At
13:15 I decided to switch position, walking around to the course side of the
Parade Ring, where I found a space near to the winning post. I was very pleased to note that the ‘sand traps’ at the course entry and
exit points have been replaced by a rubberised surface, the same material
that is used for the pathways within the Parade Ring. The sand has always caused me a problem
when I’m wearing sandals, as I really don’t appreciate having sand within my
shoes under the soles of my feet! Shortly afterwards I noticed jockey Joe Tizzard heading out to
walk the course. Throughout the
afternoon, swallows would be flitting up and down the course. It was soon time for the first race of the day, in which Choc
was competing aboard the Ian Williams trained Hilfiger. This German bred horse had run twice over
hurdles in England, Choc being the pilot on both occasions. He’d finished 3rd at Huntingdon and 2nd at
Uttoxeter, so would this be his ‘Dusty
Bin 3-2-1’ moment? The jockeys took their horses to look at the final flight,
before they cantered down to the start, which was over in the far corner of
the track. One of the runners, Princess Soraya, appeared very reluctant to
go out onto the course. Her trainer,
Brendan Powell, was not in attendance, so trainer Peter Bowen went to help
the stable-lass, the horse having almost to be pushed across the Parade Ring,
after which she was backed out onto the course! Once there, jockey Aiden Coleman was legged
up and the partnership then set off for the start. Another competitor in this race was ex-Alan King inmate
Saltagioo, who had recently recorded a win at Newton Abbot for his new
stable. Today the horse was ridden by
AP McCoy and started as second favourite; Hilfiger was the third
favourite.
Then
they were off. Choc’s intentions were
clear, as he came out onto the course first, setting off almost upsides
Saltagioo, Choc taking this preferred inside berth aboard Hilfiger. The two front runners were followed by Den
Maschine and Cool Touch; Swiss Guard and Society Venue brought up the
rear. Although not jumping quite as
fluently as Saltagioo over the initial obstacles, Hilfiger took up the
running from the second flight. Swiss
Guard, Society Venue and Welcome Wonder were already some distance behind as
the field headed past the winning post with one circuit to go. Saltagioo soon received reminders from AP
McCoy. Choc, giving Hilfiger a very
positive ride, had established a lead over his rivals by the time they
reached 4 out. Den Maschine looked
like being his only possible challenger as the remaining runners dropped
away. The pursuers were now led by
Danimix and Society Venue. Turning
into the final straight, Hilfiger soon took command and, although steadied
and not fluent at the last, went on to win by 5 lengths with plenty in hand
from Den Maschine, 9 lengths back in 3rd was Danimix, with Society Venue 16
lengths behind him. Choc’s
8th winner of the season and my first ‘in
person’ as a spectator since Mille Chief won at Kempton on 27 December
2009!
Leaving
my vantage point near the winning post, I decided to walk along to the
Winners’ Enclosure, positioning myself near the No.1 spot in order to get a
good view of Choc as he returned. As
always, Choc acknowledged the applause as he rode back in, dismounted,
unsaddled and spoke with the trainer Ian Williams and the owner. It was then time for a brief photo-call
with the horse and winning connections before he headed for the Weighing
Room. Having
read the exciting ‘baby news’ on
Martin Keighley’s blog earlier in the day, I wanted to offer my
congratulations to Choc so, as he exited the Parade Ring I said “Well Done” on his win and “Congratulations” regarding the
forthcoming arrival, for which he thanked me before he returned to the
Weighing Room. It
was soon time for the second race of the day.
The start of this race was at the top corner of the track, heading
away from the stands. Choc was not
competing in this event.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Glengarra, followed by De Luain Gorm, Silver Dollars, and Tampa Boy; with
Benefit Game in rear. De Luain Gorm
soon took up the running, Foreign King making an error at the second open
ditch, as a result dropping back to dispute last place with Benefit Game. Foreign
King showed a tendency to jump to its right at some of the obstacles. The early leader, Glengarra, soon started
to struggle, dropping back and tailing off before being pulled up by jockey
Timmy Murphy. De Luain Gorm continued
to jump boldly at the head of the field.
Benefit Game was fencing slowly and eventually clobbered the 3rd from
home, unseating AP McCoy. De
Luain Gorm entered the home straight with a 3-length advantage over Tampa Boy
and Silver Dollars and, despite an error at the last, ran on to record a 3¾
lengths victory. Tampa Boy completed
in 2nd, Prince Noora finished 3rd, and Silver Dollars 4th.
AP, having parted company with Benefit Game 3
out, got a lift back from his departure point and he returned through the
Parade Ring, grass stains visible on his breeches. It was then time for the third race of the
afternoon. The start of this race was
at the bottom end of the home straight, with just over 2 circuits to
travel. Choc wasn’t competing in this
race either.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Putney Bridge and Ballycarney; at the back were Cruchain and The Duke’s
Speech. Pheidias made a slight error
at the 4th obstacle, Buck The Legend a worse one. Gaelic Flight jumped left and hit the birch
upright at the 5th, the open ditch, but survived, Present Gale made a mistake
at this obstacle too. Tot Of The Knar
was soon urged on. Gaelic
Flight jumped slowly over the 7th, another open-ditch, and Painter Man wasn’t
fluent at the obstacle either. Into
the home straight for the first time, Putney Bridge still led, with Painter
Man now in second, and Ballycarney third.
Cruchain still in rear, blundered badly at the 9th, Nostringsattached
having made headway wasn’t fluent at the water jump. Putney
Bridge and Painter Man were clear of the field as they headed down the back
straight for the final time, the former soon setting up a clear advantage
over all his pursuers despite having led since the start. Cruchain, in rear, blundered at the second
last, unseating jockey Dougie Costello. Putney
Bridge went on the win by 12 lengths from Ballycarney, the latter rallying to
overtake Painter Man on the run-in.
Tot Of The Knar stayed on at the same pace to complete in 4th.
It
was now time for Choc’s second ride of the day, this time aboard the
diminutive Aohna, trained by Alan King.
His mount races in the colours of the Jenny and Mark Pitman Racing
Club and, as usual, the members were on hand for a photo-call before the race. Choc certainly couldn’t fail to find his ‘owners’ as they were by far the
largest group in the Parade Ring! Noel
Williams, Alan King’s Assistant Trainer, was on duty today representing the
yard. One
of the runners in this race, Exulto, is owned by Sir Peter O’Sullevan and he
was here to see his horse run. Earlier
in the afternoon he’d chatted briefly with AP McCoy as the latter was
returning across the Parade Ring to the Weighing Room. The
start of this race was over in the far corner of the track.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Olympian Boy, followed by Agente Romano, and Aohna, Choc taking his
favoured inside line. These were
followed by Dishdasha, Nordwind, Exulto and Stumped. Olympian
Boy led the field into the straight, Agente Romano still in second, with Aohna
in third; neither of the latter two horses jumped fluently at the 4th
flight. Agente Romano also hit the
next. The field was closely packed as
they turned into the back straight for the final time. Agente
Romano took up the running at the 6th flight.
Aohna moved up on the inside to take 2nd. The leader blundered 3 out, and was then
ridden and headed by Aohna as they approached 2 out. Aohna
wasn’t fluent at the obstacle, veering right on landing and slightly hampering
Dishdasha, who was switched left as a result.
However, Aohna appeared to be in command when she caught her near fore
on the top of the final flight and, as a result, stumbled after it thus
shooting Choc up her neck. Luckily
Choc recovered his racing position but it was too late to regain the
advantage on the short run-in, Exulto just failing to hold off the late
challenge of Dishdasha at the line. Choc
and Aohna were very unlucky losers but, looking on the bright side, at least
Choc didn’t fall off!
It
was now time for the fifth race of the day, in which trainer Martin Keighley
had a runner. The Fox’s Decree was owned
by Martin at this time, although he was looking for a buyer who would keep
the horse in training with him. Stable
jockey Warren Marston, who had been injured as a result of a fall at
Worcester in early June, joined Martin’s group in the paddock. Today The Fox’s Decree was ridden by Jimmy
Derham. The
start of this race was at the far end of the home straight, with just over 2
circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Basford Lass, followed by Strumble Head, the grey Arctic Ghost prominent
on the outside. In rear, River Beauty
wasn’t fluent at the first. The Fox’s
Decree was two thirds of the way down the field. When
still leading, Basford Lass blundered badly at the third, her jockey Alan
O’Keeffe clinging to the reins to no avail as he was unseated. This left Arctic Ghost to lead, retaining
it despite a mistake at the next.
Arctic Ghost held the lead until a less than fluent jump at the 6th enabled
Strumble Head to take over. The Fox’s
Decree had begun to make progress and was in 6th place as they headed away
from the stands with one circuit to go.
Soon
it was the turn of Lansdowne Princess to take over the lead. Cool Cliche was pulled up. Miss Saffron came to dispute the lead with
Lansdowne Princess, the latter making a mistake 3 out after which Miss
Saffron went on. The Fox’s Decree came
through to chase the leader around the final turn, both preceded by the loose
Basford Lass. However,
Miss Saffron was now in command and stayed on well to win by 2 lengths from
The Fox’s Decree. The rider-less
Basford Lass cleared the steeplechase water-jump as she galloped up the
straight!
As
promised by the weather forecast, the heavy rain arrived, it was 16:40. So it was time to use my ‘Chocolate’ umbrella. As I was well prepared for inclement
weather, I remained in the area between the Parade Ring and course side
rails. It
was now time for the penultimate race of the day, which started at the far
end of the home straight, with just over two circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Teri D Trixter, followed by Tisfreetdream, Billie Magern, City Heights,
Walamo and Last Flight. In rear were
Factotum and Port Talbot. The Hairy
Mutt made a slight error at the 3rd.
Factotum was soon being urged along by AP McCoy. Down
the back straight, Teri D Trixter still led the field. City Heights was jumping slowly near the
rear. Port Talbot, still in last place,
made a mistake at the 8th. Teri
D Trixter led past the stands with one circuit to go, Billie Magern was in
second, and Last Flight having taken closer order was now in third. Tisfreetdream having hit the 12th, soon
tailed off and would be pulled up before 4 out. Billie
Magern assumed the lead as the field approached 4 out, and he and Last Flight
had drawn clear of the remaining runners as they turned into the home
straight. Both cleared the last well,
Billie Magern going on to win by 1½ lengths, always maintaining the advantage
over his main rival. Port Talbot
finished a distance behind in 3rd, with long time leader Teri D Trixter
completing in 4th.
A
number of people had decided to leave after the fifth race due to the arrival
of the rain; and many more departed after the sixth. However, as Choc was competing in the final
race of the day, obviously I stayed put!
I suppose it was understandable that others would leave early due to
the deteriorating weather conditions, as it was quite cold and many
spectators were dressed for the warm summery conditions of early
afternoon! I felt quite cold, despite
the fact I was wearing a cardigan and a raincoat ... Choc’s
ride in this race was the Alan King trained Smoking. The start of this race was in the far
corner of the track.
The
field was led away by Snope, followed by Glacial Harry, Jump Up and Smoking, Choc’s
mount taking a keen hold. The
favourite, Whereveryougoigo was in mid-division. Total Effects and Quidam Blue were at the
rear of the field. Past
the winning post with one circuit to go Snope still led, Glacial Harry soon
being pushed along on the inside of the field. Jump
Up took the lead from Snope over 6 furlongs out. Smoking had been switched out from the
rails to go around the fading Glacial Harry, but Choc’s mount began to weaken
4 furlongs from the finish and dropped out.
Whereveryougoigo, having been pushed along at one stage, made
headway. Jump
Up led the field into the home straight, pursued by Vicpol, Sohappyharry and
Whereveryougoigo. Vicpol soon went on
and won easily by 12 lengths from Wheneveryougoigo, Jump Up and
Sohappyharry. A very unexpected 80-1
winner! Smoking was eased up and
completed 11th of the 14 runners.
As
another heavy rain shower had arrived during the course of the final race,
Choc stood in the rain whilst debriefing Noel Williams and Smoking’s owner. Once
Choc had walked across the Parade Ring and had disappeared inside the
Weighing Room it was time for me to leave.
Having
reached my car I waited for the crowds to clear, as I hate pushing into or
waiting in queues, so I stayed put until most of the traffic had left,
leaving just before 18:10. Whilst
waiting I believe I saw Choc leave too, driving a black BMW car between the remaining
vehicles in order to ‘queue jump’,
but I didn’t recognise the number plate ... that’s very mysterious! I
returned along the A422, joining the M40 at the Banbury junction. There was a heavy downpour as I drove southwards
down the motorway and approached the junction with the A34. I slowed down, as the road conditions could
have led to aquaplaning had anyone needed to suddenly apply their brakes. The rain had stopped by the time I reached
the Junction 9 slip-road but, as I my route took me northwards again to
Bicester, I drove back into the cloudburst! The
rain cleared as I drove eastwards along A41 towards Aylesbury. Taking the ring-road around the town, I then
drove along the next section of A41 back to Hemel Hempstead, negotiating the infamous
‘magic roundabout’, and arrived
home at 20:05. The milometer in my car
had recorded a total journey distance of 176 miles today and, having spent 2
very quiet months away from the races, I’m now raring to attend another
fixture! |