DIARY – STRATFORD UPON AVON – SUNDAY 15 JUNE 2008
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Becoming braver, I decided to go to the races
alone today. I left home at around
10:15 to drive to Stratford Upon Avon.
My journey took me along the A41 to Bicester,
then northwards up the M40 to Junction 15, turning west towards
Stratford. Traffic conditions were
fine until after leaving the Stratford bypass at the brown ‘racecourse’ sign,
when I hit queuing traffic. This was mainly caused by road-works close to the
Evesham Road junction. It must have
taken around 30 minutes to travel 2 miles.
I finally arrived at the course, parked in the
free car park off Luddington Lane, and purchased a Tattersalls entry ticket.
I bought a race-card programme as a souvenir, and noticed that Luke
Harvey was in the Parade Ring for At The Races today. I positioned myself between the racecourse
rails and Parade Ring to await the arrival of the horses for the first race. The first race at 14:10 was a Class 3 Novices’
Hurdle, distance 2 miles and half a furlong. Choc was riding No. 9 Motarjm, a dark bay gelding, in this race. The jockeys appeared from the chute under
the Members Stand (as I expected they would).
Choc walked across and found the trainer and owners. The instruction
to mount came very quickly afterwards so he had, in fact, little time to
speak with them. He was legged up on
the far side of the paddock and, instead of going around for another circuit,
was the first to leave the Parade Ring (via the lower entrance), so he didn’t
ride around in front of me. He headed
down the course to look at the last hurdle in the straight, then cantered
back up past me and to the start, well ahead of the other runners. The start being away to my right, over by
the metal railway bridge. The race was mainly uneventful, passing the
winning post and continuing for another circuit. However, the leaders were getting serious
as they reached the final straight, with Golan Way, Sendani
ridden by AP, and Motarjm all in with a chance.
Disaster then struck, Sendani fell at the final
hurdle, and Choc and his mount were brought down in the melee. Golan Way went on to win. One horse got up
and cantered past the winning post, but the other lay on the ground and the
screens were erected around it. Choc lay for a while, tried to get up but
decided against it and was attended by the medics. I feared the worst, but after a few minutes Choc
got to his feet and, maybe a little sorely at first, walked back in the
direction of the water jump and lower paddock exit, where he was met by Motarjm’s trainer and owners. I think he had a saddle with him, which
would suggest his horse was the prone one, although that was not my first
impression. After a brief discussion
with them, where I believe they mentioned to Choc that they would like him to
ride the horse next time it ran (suggesting it was the one which galloped
rider-less up the course), he was then met by AP – so I gathered the saddle
was from AP’s stricken mount which presumably was why AP had gone to meet
him. There were cheers as Sendani eventually rose to his feet to be led back to the
stables. I was half expecting that there’d be an
announcement saying Choc had been stood down for the remainder of the day,
but no, he must have been okay. Soon it was time for the third race, in which
Choc was riding Iffy, a bay gelding. It was a Handicap Hurdle, again 2 miles
and half a furlong. As the trainer,
Richard Lee, was not at the races, Choc went to meet his daughter, Kerry, in
the Parade Ring. Choc’s breeches, not surprisingly,
were a little grass stained! Choc was
legged up when the order to mount was given, and this time he did a circuit
of the Parade Ring, walking around in front of me. He cantered down the straight to take a
look at the final hurdle and then turned back on his way to the same starting
point as for the first race. When the race began, Choc settled into his usual
place – on the rails, three horses back.
Around past the winning post with just a few reminders as they
approached the final straight. There
were a number of horses in with a chance but Choc managed to conjure a final
effort out of Iffy and they won by the shortest of margins. Yippee – win 18 for the season. I decided to walk around to the Winners’
Enclosure, and was rewarded with a close view of Choc unsaddling his mount.
Then a quick photo with the horse. Anyway, Luke Harvey stopped him for a
chat, before he went back to the Weighing Room. I noticed his, and presumably other jockeys,
riding boots have zips up the back. Choc’s were slightly undone now, to reveal his red
stockings! No further rides for Choc today. Would I get any further glimpses of him I
wondered? Next I settled in to watch
the feature event, a 2 mile 7 furlong steeplechase from my usual pitch
between paddock and rails, just past the winning post. The race was won by Fieldsofclover
ridden by Jack Doyle – one of Alan King’s stable jockeys. Once again, I decided to walk around to the
Winners’ unsaddling section of the paddock to watch the riders dismount and
unsaddle. Sad postscript to this –
Emma Lavelle’s Fieldsofclover died at Stratford on
20 July, when Jack Doyle suffered a broken wrist in the accident. It was only when the horses had been taken back
to the stables that I casually glanced across the Winners’ Enclosure and it
suddenly dawned on me that Choc was standing around 20 feet away dressed in
his civvies, talking to a someone, a photographer
perhaps? He was facing me and wearing
a cream coloured shirt, jeans, and sunglasses. The wraparound sunglasses
really suited him - as do his goggles I guess. His hair had been a little
flattened by his helmet, but it still looked beautiful! He was wearing ‘mangles’ on both wrists
(that’s man bangles according to Tatler – I read
the magazine when I was in my dentist’s waiting room) and, although it must
seem crazy, that was what actually made me realise it was Choc! He chatted
for a few minutes before walking back to the Weighing Room. What a day ... I’m so pleased I
decided to visit the races alone as I got to see Choc ride a winner (my first
of many I hope) and to see him dressed in civvies too! My first fall, but hopefully I won’t see
too many of those. It took a long while to exit the car park, cars
being encouraged to travel out via Luddington village. When the road joined the main Evesham Road,
I had to turn back towards Stratford, where I was caught up in traffic jams
through the town. Charlie Huxley’s
sponsored car overtook me when I was driving up the Stratford bypass – I’m
sure I saw his car on the M25 coming back from Sandown in April! However, after all the local Stratford
delays, the remainder of the journey home was very good, and I arrived home
at around 19:30. The following day I watched the post race
interview on video – Choc said he would be spending his forthcoming
suspension period on holiday in the South of France, seeking the
sunshine. His 3-day suspension having
been handed out at Hexham in early June.
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