FEBRUARY 2013
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Thursday 28
February 2013 |
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Tomorrow
there are runners of interest at Newbury and Doncaster: Newbury: 13:50 Handazan (Alan King/Choc) – Juvenile Hurdle 14:20
Kenai Peninsula (Alan King/Choc) – NH Novices’ Hurdle 15:30
Patsy Finnegan (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 16:00 The Mumper (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 17:10 Taffy
Dare (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Standard Open Flat Race Doncaster: 15:20 Call
Me A Star (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 17:30 Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Mares’ Handicap Hurdle With a
number of defectors this season, Alan King expects to have a maximum of 10 or
11 runners at the Cheltenham Festival; he believes his best chance of victory
is held by Godsmejudge who is due to run in the
4-mile Amateur Riders’ Novices’ Chase on the Wednesday. More Choc gets
a mention in Brough Scott’s Horse and Hound column
this week, where the journalist discusses the merits of long or short
leathers. He writes ‘My fellow
columnist Robert Thornton is extremely hard to dislodge, short though he
rides ...’ As hoped,
I completed my Kempton Park diary late yesterday evening. Click here to read. Tomorrow at
Newbury looks the better day for Choc but I’m hoping to attend on Saturday
for Greatwood Day.
Unfortunately I cannot find anyone to go with me, as my friend Denise
has a ‘stinking’ cold (so I won’t be
visiting her after racing either) and Lesley has a prior evening
engagement. Norman No Mates, that’s
me! Mum’s had
a cold, but a mild one, and my colleague Sue now has one too and I think hers
may be the rather nasty virus which is doing the rounds at the moment. I really don’t want a cold at this stage,
when Cheltenham is less than two weeks away.
Having completed my Kempton Park diary, tonight I
shall concentrate on transferring the action from yesterday’s Bangor fixture
onto DVD. |
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Wednesday 27
February 2013 |
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A number of
runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Bangor On Dee: Cold
Knight (Alan King/Choc) finished 5th in the Beginners’ Chase (9 ran). Shady Lane
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle (9 ran). Volcan Surprise (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 5th in the Novices’ Handicap Chase (6 ran). Lotus Pond
(Alan King/Choc) finished last in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (9 ran). Wincanton: Franklino (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 9th in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). No runners
of specific interest tomorrow. Following
his promising comeback run at Exeter a couple of weeks ago, Bensalem has
sustained another injury and will be out of action again for the remainder of
the season. This time it’s a ‘suspensory’
injury, which is ligament-related. More It never rains but it
pours for the Alan King yard this season, with so many of their stars on the
sidelines. I’ve nearly finished my Kempton Park diary; I
just need to make my final corrections and proof read it before uploading it
onto this website. |
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Tuesday 26
February 2013 |
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Two
runners of interest today, at Catterick, and this is how they fared: Pollystone (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) unseated 3 out when leading in the Mares’ Maiden
Hurdle (15 ran). The Fox’s Decree (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) won the Handicap Chase (5 ran); their 25th winner of the season and the second victory for this
consistent horse. Sadly the second
favourite, No Way Hozay, was pulled up having
suffered a fatal injury; knowing this, I didn’t watch a recording of the
race. Runners of
interest tomorrow at Bangor On Dee and Wincanton: Bangor On Dee: 14:20 Cold
Knight (Alan King/Choc) – Beginners’ Chase 14:50
Shady Lane (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 16:50 Volcan Surprise (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Handicap Chase 17:20
Lotus Pond (Alan King/Choc) – Standard Open NH Flat Race Wincanton: 14:30 Franklino (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty)
– Handicap Hurdle The penguins won the viewing battle
yesterday! But, despite this, I’m
currently on schedule to complete and upload my Kempton Park diary
tomorrow. I hope to finish the typing
phase before turning in this evening, which leaves me then to solely proof
it. |
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Monday 25
February 2013 |
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Choc had
one riding engagement at Plumpton and this is how he fared: Reign Silver
(L Carter) finished 9th in the Intermediate Open NH Flat Race (11 ran). No rides
for Choc tomorrow, but a couple of runners of interest at Catterick: 14:50 Pollystone (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
– Mares’ Maiden Hurdle 16:50 The
Fox’s Decree (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) –
Handicap Chase Choc
tweeted at 04.09 this morning to say he’d not slept a wink. Bless his little cotton socks. I believe he travelled to Plumpton with Andrew Tinkler
and William Kennedy, the latter driving; which was fortunate if he then
discovered he was tired today. I have the
opposite problem as I can sleep anywhere, anytime! A family trait I share with my late dad,
and both my brothers. I made an appointment for Friday to have my eyes
tested; they’ve not been checked for around three years and I’m definitely
having problems viewing closer items these days – so it hinders my beading
skills. And new glasses just might
cure the headaches I’ve been having in recent days. I think my short-sightedness is now being
overtaken by the long-sightedness of old age!!! The final part of the penguins series tonight;
I’ve set it to record on my Sky box, just in case I can’t bear to tear myself
away from writing my Kempton diary! As
mentioned earlier this month, Choc will be a panellist at tomorrow evening’s
Cheltenham Preview held at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester: http://www.jpfestival.com/p/cheltenham-preview-evenings.html |
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Sunday 24 February
2013 |
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Thank you
Kirsten Smith, the two horses taking part in the post-racing gallop have been
identified – they are both trained by Ben De Haan –
it’s Looks Like Slim (recollected, the horse indeed fits the profile in colour
and markings, as Choc won aboard him twice last season) and the grey is
Native Gallery.
Jockey
Maurice Linehan tweeted to say he’s broken two
vertebrae and his sternum (chest bone) when Mister Hyde fell at the first in
the Racing Plus Chase. Ouch ... a big ouch in fact ... but he is enjoying
being looked after by the nurses! More And David
Bridgwater has reported that Wyck Hill needed 7
stitches and 14 staples in a hind-leg following yesterday’s race and is very
sore. More As
expected, popular grey Nacarat (below, with Dessie’s statue in the background) has been retired
following yesterday’s big race. More
Choc was
at Fontwell Park today and this is how he fared: Ruby Kew
(Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the Novices’ Hurdle (10 ran). Meister Eckhart
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the National Spirit Hurdle (Grade 2) (6
ran). The race was won by Prospect Wells.
More Farbreaga (Alan King/Jamie Poulton) was a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle. A
half-brother to Toubab, called Jammy, ran in the
bumper at Fontwell.
He is unusually marked, with white splashes on his belly and upper
legs in addition to a big white blaze and long stockings! He’s a very dark bay, which makes it look
even more unusual. The commentators
said he’s also related to the white-splashed chestnut Pancake. Tomorrow
Choc has one riding engagement at Plumpton: 17:10
Reign Silver (L Carter) – Intermediate Open NH Flat Race I’ve been
busy since waking up at 06:45 this morning.
Yesterday’s RUK coverage has been transferred to DVD, and I’ve
uploaded the photos onto my website.
However, by lunchtime, I’d developed a headache with intermittent
nausea so I had a snooze on the sofa this afternoon. I think it may be tension in my neck and
shoulders which is causing the problem and, probably, a result of stooping
over this computer for too many extended hours! And I’m wearing my red woollen hat again,
indoors! But I did feel a little
guilty about missing viewing Choc’s second ride at Fontwell, but it has been recorded and I shall watch it
later this evening. Click here
to view photos of races 1 to 3 And photos of races 4 to 7 |
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Saturday 23
February 2013 |
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Choc and Midnight Sail return to the Winners’ Enclosure having won the Handicap Chase There were
runners of interest at Kempton Park and Chepstow today and this is how they
fared: Kempton Park: Midnight Sail (Alan King/Choc) won
the Handicap Chase (8 ran); Choc’s 36th winner of the season. L’Unique (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) (7 ran). Fair Trade
(Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (5
ran). Hollow
Penny (Alan King/Choc) finished 13th in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). Money For
Nothing (Alan King/Choc) finished 9th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (11
ran). The Racing
Plus Chase was won by Opening Batsman trained by Harry Fry. More I expect
if my friend Lesley had come along to the races she would have placed a bet
on Opening Batsman, as she always looks out for cricket-related horse names
in honour of her late son who was a keen cricketer. The Pendil Novices’ Chase was won by Grandioso for Paul
Nicholls, Ruby Walsh and owner Graham Wylie. Chepstow: Annacotty (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) won the Maiden Hurdle (15 ran); well done to Team
Keighley, their 24th winner of the season. Oh Crick
(Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase (8 ran). The horse
wasn’t so easy to identify today, as he wore blinkers disguising his broad
white blaze. But I knew when his race
was underway as Alan King watched it on the large screen situated behind the
Winners Enclosure at Kempton! I stayed
behind after racing to watch the promised racecourse gallops of a number of
Nicky Henderson Festival-aimed horses.
More And I got
to see Choc after racing too, when Alan King galloped two of his charges –
one dark, one grey (see below) - I’m hoping to identify them.
And, even
better, I undertook a Choc-related errand today for someone who approached me
via this website. So I spoke with Choc
following the first race of the day and he proffered his cheek for me to kiss
too ... it made my day complete as I usually think it’s me who instigates the
kiss, but not on this occasion. J I then recall walking around with a silly
grin on my face for at least half an hour!!! Choc will
be at Fontwell Park tomorrow, where he has three riding engagements: 14:10 Ruby
Kew (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 15:45 Meister
Eckhart (Alan King/Choc) – National Spirit Hurdle (Grade 2) 16:50 Farbreaga (Alan King/Jamie Poulton)
– Handicap Hurdle I arrived
at the races by gate opening time, but not before having to run a couple of
shopping errands. I’d intended to
solely visit the local M & S store to buy two or three triple packs of 40
denier tights – it’s still very much winter out there – as I wanted at least
two more pairs of purple ones and my favourite shade comes as part of a set
of black, grey and purple. However, I
logged onto my laptop to print a couple of documents this morning only for an
error message to appear stating that there was a problem with one of the ink
cartridges in my HP printer. Damn. I’d only replaced it a few weeks ago,
albeit with a cheaper brand. Until a
year ago I’d always used genuine HP cartridges but it had become so
expensive, therefore I’d purchased non-HP ones on the last occasion and they
had been absolutely fine. But my most
recent purchase appears to be useless.
Having scanned
through the Argos catalogue, I found an HP twin pack – one black, one colour
– reserved it online and decided to collect it first thing, before visiting M
& S. Because I really don’t want
to go out shopping tomorrow, it’s far too cold! I even visited the petrol station on my way
home to top up the tank in order to save me from getting out of my nice warm
bed early tomorrow morning!!! Besides, I begrudge spending time shopping when I
can be at home working on my website.
I’ve also ordered two more re-chargeable Lithium batteries for my
camera, as I’m wondering if they are beginning to lose their charge more
quickly now that I’ve had them a few years.
I currently have three batteries and, today, I was using the final one
before the Racing Plus Chase had even begun!
I charge all three before every visit to the races, so it’s not as
though they shouldn’t be okay to last me until the end of the day. |
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Friday 22
February 2013 |
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Just a
couple of results today: Sandown Park: Fine Words
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 7th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race
(12 ran). Warwick: Calypso
Princess (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished 11th
in the Mares’ Standard Open Flat Race (17 ran).
RIP Salden Licht 2004 to 12
February 2013 Geoff
Lester has updated the news blog on Alan King’s website and I’m very sorry to
learn that Salden Licht had
to be put down, as the injury he sustained at Kempton in the jumpers’ bumper
on 25 January proved too serious. RIP Salden Licht. L http://alankingracing.co.uk/news.htm Here is a
link to Wayne Hutchinson’s latest column on the Sporting Life website. Click here And a link
to Martin Keighley’s column in the Gloucestershire Press. Click here Tomorrow
may be Nacarat’s final race appearance when he runs
in the Racing Plus Chase. More Runners of
interest at Kempton Park and Chepstow tomorrow: Kempton Park: 13:30
Midnight Sail (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 14:05 L’Unique (Alan King/Choc) – Adonis Juvenile Hurdle (Grade
2) 15:15 Fair
Trade (Alan King/Choc) – Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) More 16:25
Hollow Penny (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle 17:00
Money For Nothing (Alan King/Choc) – Standard Open NH Flat Race In
addition to these races there’s the Grade 2 Pendil
Novices’ Chase and the aforementioned Racing Plus Chase. Chepstow: 13:35 Annacotty (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
– Maiden Hurdle 15:20 Oh
Crick (Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) – Handicap Chase It looks like it’s going to be an excellent day’s
racing at Kempton Park ... but very very cold! My current thought is that I should wear my
black faux sheepskin jacket with my heavyweight fleece underneath ... along
with as many layers as will fit below them!
I’ll wear my long black handkerchief skirt with woollen tights and
leggings underneath. And either my thinsulate-lined waterproof boots or my black engineer
boots. I’ve four hats in my car – an
Australian bush hat, two trilby hats, and a woollen Dappy
hat. My head has felt very cold this
week, and it doesn’t help that I had my hair trimmed last Sunday. I break up for my Cheltenham Festival holiday
break two weeks today. Yippee! |
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Thursday 21
February 2013 |
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No results
to report today but there is one revision from yesterday ... it became
apparent, when I watched the replay of yesterday’s racing from Doncaster,
that Choc rode Hot Whiskey and Wayne Hutchinson rode Jetnova
in the Handicap Hurdle. I thought
that perhaps I’d made an error when reading the race-card but no, on the
version I’d printed at lunchtime on Tuesday, it was the other way
around! Mind you, riding arrangements
hadn’t been confirmed for King Of Dudes and Uriah Heep
when I’d initially printed it out. Anyway,
two runners of interest tomorrow: Sandown Park: 17:05 Fine
Words (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Standard Open NH Flat Race Warwick: 17:20
Calypso Princess (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) –
Mares’ Standard Open Flat Race I can’t
believe how cold it is outside. I
wrapped a scarf around my head on the way home but I was still freezing. Mind you, I don’t think it helped that I
was heading east, directly into the biting wind. I’m going to be frozen at Kempton Park on
Saturday but at least I can wear my thermals and may even have to resort to
my knitted Dappy hat too ... poor Choc will be so
cold in his silks. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh * * *
* * * * A new Choc
column appeared in this week’s edition of Horse and Hound. There’s also an article about Kauto Star’s new life as a dressage horse. I hope to see him at Newbury on 02 March;
that’s provided Choc rides at the fixture (although it clashes with
Doncaster’s Grimthorpe meeting). In his
column Choc begins by discussing the Grand National, the weights having been
announced last week. He thought the
handicapper had given Tidal Bay an outstanding chance in the race, only for
the horse to be struck down by leg trouble forcing him to miss the
event. Choc says it shows what a
nerve-racking time it is for the trainers and the difficult task they have of
getting their charges to peak fitness for a certain race. He
mentions that Willie Mullins has seven entries at this stage, with Prince De Beauchene laid out for the race. Choc was very impressed by Cappa Bleu, who finished second to Vino
Griego at Ascot last Saturday, giving weight to the
winner. Although a fragile horse, he
thinks he might do well in the big race.
With Alan
King having no entry in the Grand National this year, Choc is on the lookout
for a ride. Choc
mentions that ground conditions are beginning to dry out; but unfortunately
this means that the going gets worse before it gets better – it becomes very
gluey and holding like at Wincanton last Saturday. He says
it’s all a matter of a horse’s action as to which type of ground they
prefer. Good-moving horses move
straight from the shoulder, flick the grass and like ground with bounce in
it. Whereas round-actioned
horses hit the ground quite hard and prefer softer, slower going. Although
it is said that good horses will act on any ground, he doesn’t think any
horse likes extremes. Sprinter Sacre won on heavy going at Cheltenham last month because
he’s so much better than any other two-mile chaser rather than for any other
reason. Choc
mentions that a lot of Alan King’s horses are flat-bred ones and don’t enjoy
deep ground. And they don’t want to
run their young horses on bottomless ground because it would take too much
out of them. However, Alan has plenty
of horses ready to go once the ground improves and Choc hopes for a very busy
spring and early summer! He’s
particularly looking forward to riding L’Unique and
Fair Trade at Kempton on Saturday; the former in the Adonis Hurdle, the
latter in the Dovecote Hurdle. Choc
says L’Unique is lovely, although she still has plenty
of room for development. It’s a hot
race and they will find out just how good she is. With Fair
Trade, the ground is key; on good going he’d definitely run well. But, regardless, he’s got to run in his
Cheltenham preparation race. Choc
thinks he might slip under the radar in the Supreme Novices. He
mentions that all his weighing room colleagues were amused by Boss In Boots’
antics at Ascot last Saturday. Andrew
Thornton’s mount led the four runner field until they reached the bend beyond
the winning post, at which point the horse spun around and began running in
the opposite direction. None of the
other runners wished to be in front and they pulled up to almost a walk. Andrew didn’t give up and sent his mount in
pursuit rather than pulling up and Choc thought for a minute he might catch
them (he finished last). But Choc says
it just goes to show how determined Andrew Thornton is. He says
that many people think that they are brothers and they’ve even received each
other’s mail; he stresses they are not related. Andrew’s
experience at Ascot reminded him of his own possibly most embarrassing
race-course moment which occurred at the age of 18 when he was far ahead in
the amateur rankings and had already ridden Festival winners. He says he thought he could ‘walk on water’ in those days! It also
happened at Ascot when he was riding a horse called Chickawicka. Having cleared the first two flights and
travelled around the top bend he headed towards the next hurdle with Sir
Peter O’Sullevan’s commentary talking about ‘this crack young amateur and future star
of the riding ranks’ only for the horse to slam on the brakes and dump
him at the base of the obstacle. The entire field jumped over him and, as the
hurdles contained gorse in those days, he was picking thorns out of his
backside for some time. He said it
brought him down to earth! |
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Wednesday 20
February 2013 |
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Numerous
runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Doncaster: King of Dudes
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd & Uriah Heep
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 7th in the Juvenile Hurdle (9 ran). West End
Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 3rd in the Veterans’ Handicap
Chase (10 ran); the winner was Monkerty Tunkerty with Will Kennedy aboard. Valdez
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the NH Novices’ Hurdle (Qualifier) (11 ran). Jetnova (Alan King/Choc)
finished 4th & Hot Whiskey (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 7th in
the Handicap Hurdle (16 ran). Wilde Blue
Yonder (Alan King/Choc) finished a head 2nd in the Standard Open NH Flat Race
(16 ran). Ludlow: The Fox’s
Decree (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished a head
2nd in the Handicap Hurdle (9 ran). Faultless Feelings (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) won the Maiden Hurdle (9 ran); well done Team
Keighley, their 23rd winner of the season. Cheltenian almost made a winning
comeback today at Doncaster; but very bad news for Tom O’Brien who will miss
the Cheltenham Festival due to a 10-day suspension. More JP McManus
has purchased the David Bridgwater trained Wyck
Hill, favourite for this Saturday’s Racing Plus Chase. More It’s ‘all change’ at Paul Nicholls’ yard
since his big stars retired, and with Big Buck’s currently on the sidelines. More Ruby Walsh
will ride Hurricane Fly in the Champion Hurdle, leaving Daryl Jacob to partner
Zarkandar. More No Alan
King or Martin Keighley runners tomorrow; Choc will be serving a 2-day
suspension tomorrow and Friday. So
that’s no hard disk to DVD transfers for the next two days ... but lots of
action to check through and record onto DVD from today’s action at Doncaster. I wore my woollen hat in bed last night ... very
glamorous ... but it did the trick and my headache was no more by the early
hours of the morning! I’ve had to give up on Dallas, because I just
can’t stay awake at that time of the evening.
As surmised, the viewing figures have dropped dramatically this season, hence the reason Channel 5 moved the programme in
their schedules to 23:00 on a Tuesday.
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Tuesday 19
February 2013 |
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Having
experienced a colder than expected night, it took a second inspection at noon
before the go-ahead was given for racing to take place at Wetherby this afternoon. Choc had
one riding engagement and this is how he fared: Willpower
(Mark Johnston/Choc) finished 2nd in the ‘Newcomers’
Standard Open NH Flat Race (12 ran).
Diamond King ran away with the race, but Choc’s
mount stayed on to claim 2nd at the line. The
Novices’ Chase made for awful viewing, with just 5 of the 11 runners
completing the course. There were 3
fallers, 2 unseated and one brought down.
Sadly the Philip Hobbs trained Shinrock Hill
paid the ultimate price when falling at the second fence. The worst fall was that of Young Hurricane
– it was a miracle he survived. Runners of
interest at both Doncaster and Ludlow tomorrow: Doncaster: 14:20 King
of Dudes (Alan King/Choc) & Uriah Heep (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Juvenile Hurdle 14:50 West
End Rocker (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Veterans’ Handicap Chase 15:25
Valdez (Alan King/Choc) – NH Novices’ Hurdle (Qualifier) 15:55 Jetnova (Alan King/Choc) & Hot Whiskey (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Hurdle 17:05
Wilde Blue Yonder (Alan King/Choc) - Standard Open NH Flat Race That’s 7
runners for the yard! Always Waining, Swing Bill, Auroras Encore, Corkage, Dashing
George, Monkerty Tunkerty,
Marufo, Zitenka and Prophete De Guye are due to
join West End Rocker in the Veterans’ Chase. Ludlow: 14:40 The
Fox’s Decree (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) –
Handicap Hurdle 17:20
Faultless Feelings (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) –
Maiden Hurdle Kauto Star is set to make a
guest appearance at Newbury on Saturday 02 March, where he will be showing
off his new dressage skills. More I decided to take a lunchtime walk ... but in
hindsight I wished I hadn’t. I felt
drained before I’d gone far and I couldn’t stop yarning, the nerves in my
back then began to tingle, followed by a burning sensation. Having arrived back at work I developed a
headache, which I still have as I write this blog entry. I dislike taking painkillers, because
sometimes they make me feel odd ... I’ve used 4head on my forehead and I’m
wearing a woollen hat to keep my head warm.
So hopefully it will be gone soon.
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Monday 18
February 2013 |
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Two
runners of interest at Southwell this afternoon, and this is how they fared: Brukirk Lass (Martin
Keighley/Ian Popham) was pulled up in the
Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (12 ran). Kyles Faith (Martin
Keighley/AP McCoy) finished 6th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (8 ran). Choc has
one riding engagement tomorrow, at Wetherby: 17:00
Willpower (Mark Johnston/Choc) – ‘Newcomers’
Standard Open NH Flat Race A number
of Alan King runners currently hold entries for Kempton Park on Saturday;
Bless The Wings no longer holds an entry in the Racing Plus Chase, but L’Unique and Fair Trade do have entries in the Adonis and
Dovecote Hurdles respectively: http://www.attheraces.com/allcards.aspx?meetingid=58052&date=2013-02-23&ref=atrfixtures I will be
watching ‘Penguins’ part 2 of 3
tonight. The Cheltenham Festival is approaching fast ...
it will be the eve of the event just three weeks today! |
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Sunday 17
February 2013 |
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Choc was
at Market Rasen this afternoon and
this is how he fared: Bar De Ligne (Steve Gollings/Choc) was
a non-runner in the Handicap Hurdle Dont Call Me Oscar (Mark Gillard/Choc)
finished 10th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (11 ran). National
Hunt racing returns to Southwell tomorrow for the first time since the winter flooding. A couple of runners of interest, but none
for Choc: 16:30 Brukirk Lass (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
– Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 17:00 Kyles Faith (Martin Keighley/AP McCoy) – Standard Open NH
Flat Race Geoff
Lester has updated the blog on Alan King’s website to include an overview of
yesterday’s racing ... and, as I suspected yesterday, it is thought by
connections that Raya Star got ‘stuck’
in the mud and a line should be drawn through his disappointing run. Having
read a number of entries on the Racing Forum’s Memorials page, I decided to
delete the extremely sad Bobbyjack ‘incident’ from my Skybox without
viewing it. Hopefully
it’s onwards and upwards towards next weekend at Kempton Park ... I’m
currently thinking L’Unique and Fair Trade for
Choc, with Bless The Wings for Wayne Hutchison in the Racing Plus Chase. However,
before that, Choc will be taking an enforced holiday on Thursday and Friday
of this week when he serves a two day suspension for overuse of the
whip. I made another scarf today ... crocheted in fact
but very simple. The yarn was the
limited edition SMC Foxy and it took around 30 minutes to crochet and maybe
the same again to sew in and secure the ends!
This one was petrol blue in colour and I still have two more to do, in
burgundy and grey. |
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Saturday 16
February 2013 |
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Almost finished – my Wendy Frills scarf in garnet shade A number
of runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Wincanton: Bright Light
(Richard Phillips/Choc) finished 7th in the Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle (11
ran). Balder Succes (Alan King/Noel Fehily)
finished 3rd & Raya Star (Alan King/Choc) finished 5th in the Kingwell Hurdle (Grade 2) (6 ran). Hopefully the
disappointing showing by the latter was solely due to the gluey ground. Light The
World (Richard Phillips/Choc) was pulled up in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). There was
a nice pre-Kingwell Hurdle interview with Choc, but
I think I may have missed the first few seconds of my recording because it
takes time for the DVD recorder to start up – note to self: record the entire
racing coverage on the hard drive and then transfer relevant items to disk;
that way I won’t miss a thing! Haydock Park: Trigger
The Light (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 9th in the Handicap Chase
Grand National Trial (14 ran). Two Rockers (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) won but
Creepy (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) fell 2 out in
the Novices’ Hurdle (5 ran). It was a
tired fall and he didn’t deserve it having jumped far better
than on his earlier outing. Hold On
Julio (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th & Mauricetheathlete
(Martin Keighley/Nick Slatter) finished 6th but Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
won the Handicap Hurdle by 4½ lengths easing down, despite stepping up in
class (9 ran). Well done to Team Keighley, their 22nd winner of the season and Seymour Eric’s 4th consecutive
win! Two
Rockers was probably the most impressive winner of the day; once again, a
shame Choc missed that one. Wayne rode
a double today, having partnered Cloudy Too to victory in the Novices’
Handicap Chase for trainer Sue Smith. Deservedly,
Cue Card won the Grade 1 Ascot Chase. Finian’s Rainbow disappointed again, presumably the
ground found him out once more. More Vino Griego
won again, a Listed Handicap at Ascot.
More A pity Salden Licht has been forced
into retirement by injury, having got the better of the horse at Plumpton earlier this season. This
year’s Reynoldstown Chase was won by Rocky
Creek. More Invictus won the race last
year. Choc will
be at Market Rasen tomorrow, where he has two
riding engagements: Market Rasen: 15:30 Bar
De Ligne (Steve Gollings/Choc)
– Handicap Hurdle 17:00 Dont Call Me Oscar (Mark Gillard/Choc) – Standard Open NH
Flat Race Belinda
Keighley has tweeted a link to a recording of young Freddie riding out aboard
pony Crunchie: http://twitter.yfrog.com/nd3cmotpgovljwcvnhfpspygz As you can see from the picture above, one of my
new scarves is almost finished; I started knitting it around midday, it
doesn’t take long! Typically, though,
the yarn doesn’t feel quite as thick as those I made in 2011. It’s a new shade ... and the quality has
slipped. |
|
Friday 15
February 2013 |
|
No
surprises when tomorrow’s cards were published online this lunchtime ... Choc
goes to Wincanton and Wayne Hutchinson heads for Haydock
Park. Alan King has no runners at
Ascot. Wincanton: 13:55
Bright Light (Richard Phillips/Choc) – Mares’ NH Novices’ Hurdle 15:35
Balder Succes (Alan King/Noel Fehily)
& Raya Star (Alan King/Choc) – Kingwell Hurdle
(Grade 2) 16:50
Light The World (Richard Phillips/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle Haydock Park: 14:55
Trigger The Light (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Handicap Chase Grand
National Trial 15:25 Two
Rockers (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Creepy (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:40 Hold
On Julio (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) & Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian
Popham) & Mauricetheathlete
(Martin Keighley/Nick Slatter) – Handicap Hurdle The big
race at Ascot is the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase –
6 runners – Captain Chris, Cue Card, Finian’s
Rainbow, Ghizao, Pigeon Island and Somersby. Choc will
be at Market Rasen on Sunday, more details
tomorrow. Here is a
link to this week’s Wayne Hutchinson column on the Sporting Life
website. Click here to read. Also a
link to Martin Keighley’s latest column in the Gloucestershire press, in
which he writes about Champion Court’s and Annacotty’s
runs last Friday; his runners at Haydock Park
tomorrow (see above); and his hopes for Any Currency in this year’s Grand
National. More And a link
to Geoff Lester’s most recent blog entry on Alan King’s website too. More Tidal Bay
has been ruled out of this year’s Grand National having sustained a minute
stress fracture to the cannon bone of his off-hind. More I enjoyed
my Seventies nostalgia trip yesterday ... it took me back to my childhood ...
okay, okay, I confess, my teenage years!
Boogie Nights I saw the Osmonds once during their heyday in the 1970’s, at Earl’s
Court; this century I’ve been to the NEC in Birmingham to see Donny perform
in concert; the Hammersmith Apollo to see the Osmonds
(Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy – I think Alan made a brief guest appearance
too, as he suffers from MS preventing him from touring); Wembley to see all
the Osmonds (ie.
including Donny and Marie, with Alan making a special appearance too) – I had
a migraine the next day caused by being too close to the stage on that
occasion; last March to see Merrill, Jay and Jimmy at Birmingham’s Symphony
Hall (Wayne had to drop out of the tour having suffered a stroke) and
yesterday to see Merrill, Jay and Jimmy again at the Colosseum
in Watford in Boogie Nights. It
doesn’t seem possible that Merrill will be 60 on 30 April, Jay turns 58 on 02
March and Jimmy becomes 50 on 16 April!
My memory for trivia is holding up well!!! I did think about going to see Donny and Marie
when they toured the UK last month ... but it was the wrong time of the year
to travel any distance (and, as it happened, it coincided with the snowy period)
... and the tickets were very expensive too!
Another weekend at home but, all being well, I
expect to attend Kempton Park races on Saturday week. J What
shall I do this weekend? I’ve almost
finished the disk to DVD transfers. I
have three more scarves to knit ... because I spent £15 of vouchers in John
Lewis’ haberdashery department whilst in Watford yesterday afternoon! And I fancy watching my copy of Phantom of
the Opera on DVD, because my work colleagues and I were discussing various
West End shows and we think we may take a trip to see it sometime later this
year. |
|
Thursday 14
February 2013 |
|
Leicester
was abandoned having first been struck by snow, followed by rain. Squelch, squelch. Kelso was fine and went ahead. National
Hunt racing at Sandown Park and Fakenham tomorrow,
but no engagements for Choc. Plans for
my May weekend trip to the New Forest are firming up ... especially as I can
cover all bases as far as recording the NH racing coverage is concerned! I’m looking forward to riding off into the
sunset, western style ... although I’ll probably not be able to walk for a
few days afterwards! I’m out this evening, not on a hot Valentine’s
date but to see Boogie Nights at the Colosseum in
Watford with my friend Lesley.
Besides, Choc is my Valentine ... or at least I would have liked him
to be if I were a lot younger. L |
|
Wednesday 13
February 2013 |
|
No results
to report today ... and no riding engagements for Choc tomorrow. Leicester goes ahead subject to an 08:00 inspection; Fontwell
Park has been abandoned due to water-logging. Choc went
for a run this morning, to loosen up after yesterday’s fall. He hasn’t watched the replay of the Bobbyjack incident yet and is not sure that he wants to
either, having heard from others. I’ve
got the coverage from Lingfield Park on my Sky box,
but haven’t viewed it. I’m not sure
whether curiosity will get the better of me or whether I should just delete
it. Choc’s weekend riding
arrangements are still unclear, but he believes that he will probably be at
Wincanton. There are
a number of stories today, relating to the entries for the major races at the
Cheltenham Festival: Having settled down to watch Dallas at 21:00
yesterday evening ... Channel 5 announced that the programme would be
broadcast at 23:00. And, to top that,
it will continue to be broadcast at 23:00 each week. How annoying is that? Needless to say, I dozed off and missed the
last few minutes of this week’s episode. |
|
Tuesday 12
February 2013 |
|
Choc had
one riding engagement at Lingfield Park today, but it ended in heartbreak when Bobbyjack went wrong and fell inside the final furlong
with the race at his mercy. RIP Bobbyjack. Choc
has tweeted to say that he is okay following the incident, having been
unseated. No
National Hunt racing ‘down south’
tomorrow ... so no riding engagements for Choc. Grumeti is out of the Champion
Hurdle having pulled muscles in his back, making it impossible for Alan King
to fit in another run before the Festival.
His intended pre-Cheltenham run had been in this Saturday’s Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton. More My
research suggests that Choc will still probably be heading to Wincanton on Saturday,
as very able deputy Raya Star now appears to have an entry in the Kingwell Hurdle.
So, with Ascot unlikely to be on my favourite jockey’s agenda, I don’t
believe I’ll be going racing on Saturday.
Roll on Kempton Park on the 23rd.
And, with this desert of options, even Sandown Park’s fixture on 09
March is looking attractive, despite it being just three days before the
start of the Festival! Choc got a
lift from William Kennedy, accompanied by Dominic Elsworth,
to the races today. He tweeted to
complain about the state of Will’s car ... he said it was a skip! There were a number of suggestions that
perhaps they should hire Dave Crosse to clean it; Dave runs a nice sideline
in car valeting – he comes highly recommended
evidently! Dallas on
Channel 5 at 21:00 tonight ... I’ve remembered! I should put it on series record on my Sky
box I suppose ... but I can’t spare the space! BBC1’s
penguin programme was excellent ... I expect all cuddly penguin toys will be
selling out fast! |
|
Monday 11 February
2013 |
|
Not
surprisingly, Plumpton was abandoned due to
water-logging; Catterick was fine. After a
very damp weekend, it began to snow in Hertfordshire yesterday evening; we’d
had, maybe, a couple of inches by this morning, although it was very slushy. I was glad of my Hunter Wellies
on my walk to work, as there were many large puddles due to the early
thaw. And we had a couple of
power-cuts in the area around where I work; fortunately we’ve a generator so
we were able to continue after the PCs had re-booted! There’s
racing at Lingfield Park tomorrow, subject to a
08:00 inspection: 16:40 Bobbyjack (Alan King/Choc) – Standard Open NH Flat Race After
yesterday’s disappointing run, Puffin Billy was found to be lame by the Exeter
vet and, this morning, pus was discovered in one of his feet. More It’s the ‘penguin’
programme this evening ... so I expect I’ll watch that. |
|
Sunday 10
February 2013 |
|
Choc was
at Exeter this
afternoon and this is how he fared: Midnight
Prayer (Alan King/Choc) finished 9th in the NH Novices’ Hurdle (15 ran). Bensalem
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Graduation Chase (5 ran). It was a very promising comeback run from
the Cheltenham Festival winner. Melodic
Rendezvous beat Puffin Billy in the Listed Novices’ Hurdle. More Choc will
be at Plumpton tomorrow, for one
ride: 13:50
Shady Lane (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle I’m fed-up with this damp and depressing weather
... we’ve had drizzle, rain, or sleet all weekend. Where’s the sunshine? |
|
Saturday 09
February 2013 |
|
There were
a number of runners of interest today and it was an excellent afternoon at the
races for Choc; the extra driving and the on-course ‘workouts’ certainly paid off. J Newbury Kuda Huraa
(Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 6th in the Novices’ Hurdle (12 ran). Araldur (Alan King/Choc)
finished 4th in the Handicap Hurdle (18 ran). Manyriverstocross (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 10th in the Betfair Hurdle (21
ran). Araldur, running over a
longer trip than usual (3 miles ½ a furlong) stayed on dourly to claim
4th. Another good run from the giant
horse! Cheltenham
Gold Cup hope, Silviniaco Conti, won the Denman
Chase. More After an
awful week for JP McManus, Nicky Henderson and AP McCoy, My Tent Or Yours
changed their fortune when winning the Betfair
Hurdle in style. More And the ‘Dr Jekyll’ side of Wishfull Thinking turned up at Newbury today to win the
Game Spirit Chase. More Earlier in
the day, it had been sleeting at Newbury; this later turned to drizzly
rain. Nicky Henderson said they’d had
a covering of snow in Lambourn this morning. Warwick Faultless
Feelings (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 4th
in the Handicap Hurdle (15 ran). Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) won
the Novices’ Chase (4 ran); Choc’s 34th winner of the season Salmanazar (Alan King/Choc)
finished 4th in the Novices’ Hurdle (8 ran). Rum
Expectations (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) finished
7th & Vice Et Vertu (Henry Daly/Choc) won
the Standard Open NH Flat Race (8 ran); Choc’s 35th winner of the season.
Godsmejudge jumped particularly
well, his forte, making all to claim victory in heavy ground. In the one mile 6 furlong bumper, Vice Et Vertu, who ran very green, appeared to have been outpaced
when 4 of his rivals stretched clear approaching the final bend. However, the further he went the better he
went and he picked them off one by one to win by 5 lengths! Warwick,
having cancelled an unneeded early inspection, was forced to re-think when
snow arrived during the morning.
Fortunately this later turned to rain and, although the ground was
heavy, it was an excellent afternoon’s racing ... although probably not very
pleasant for the spectators! Uttoxeter 14:50 One
More Cookie (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) was
pulled up in the Handicap Chase (13 ran). Sir Des
Champs beat Flemenstar in Ireland’s Hennessy Gold
Cup. More Choc will
be at Exeter tomorrow, where he has two riding engagements: 14:00
Midnight Prayer (Alan King/Choc) – NH Novices’ Hurdle 15:00
Bensalem (Alan King/Choc) – Graduation Chase I’ve
discovered that I’ve recorded Channel 4’s coverage of Kauto
Star’s win in the 2011 Betfair Chase ... that’s an
item for DVD; also on the same day is coverage from Ascot of Master Minded’s Amlin Chase victory
when Medermit finished 3rd and Katchit’s
3rd place in the Coral Hurdle ... these, of course, will also make it to
DVD! And I’ve got Medermit’s
2nd place in the big handicap chase at Cheltenham’s International fixture in
December 2011 ... yet another item to be saved. I actually spent last Saturday night sleeping on
the sofa ... waking every two hours to replace the recorded DVD with a new
one! That was to complete the transfer
of Cheltenham 2012 to DVD. It’s not
long to Cheltenham and Aintree 2013 and I need the space on the hard
drive. It would have been so much
easier if I’d thought about it last summer, instead of spending time knitting
‘hundreds’ of scarves!!! Come to think of it, I could have done both
at the same time ... I forgot
to add a postscript to the photograph of the very young Katchit
which appeared on Twitter at the time of his sad demise early last
month. Someone did confirm that his
dam, Miracle, was indeed a grey so, as the sock matches too, I guess it has
to be him. https://mobile.twitter.com/ArmstrongArt/status/289474971447746560/photo/1 |
|
Friday 08
February 2013 |
|
A number
of runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Kempton Park Franklino (Alan King/Ian Popham) finished 7th in the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap
Hurdle (11 ran). Uxizandre (Alan King/Choc)
finished 3rd in the Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (18 ran). Urgence D’estruval
(Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Champion
Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 2nd
in the Graduation Chase (3 ran). Annacotty (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 3rd in the Maiden Open NH Flat Race (13
ran). Choc retweeted this photograph taken at Kempton Park today of Urgence D’estruval in full
flight: Bangor-On-Dee Midnight
Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Novices’ Hurdle (9
ran). AP McCoy
will begin his day at Warwick tomorrow before heading to Newbury ... and Choc
will be doing the opposite ... Newbury 13:15 Kuda Huraa (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle 13:50 Araldur (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle 15:35 Manyriverstocross (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) - Betfair Hurdle Warwick 15:15
Faultless Feelings (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) –
Handicap Hurdle 15:50 Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Chase 16:25 Salmanazar (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Hurdle 16:55 Rum
Expectations (Alan King/Gerard Tumelty) & Vice
Et Vertu (Henry Daly/Choc) - Standard Open NH Flat
Race Uttoxeter 14:50 One
More Cookie (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Handicap Chase Choc is
due to ride at Exeter on Sunday, where he rides Midnight Prayer and the
returning Bensalem (673 days off the track).
I knew I’d seen last Saturday’s Ffos Las
winner Ugly Bug somewhere before ... he finished second to Midnight Prayer
last December at Hereford’s final fixture. So my
weekend racing plans have been thwarted yet again ... because if I were to go
to Newbury I’d want to head home as soon as Choc departs for Warwick! I do want to visit Warwick racecourse one
day ... but I need to mentally prepare myself when making my maiden voyage to
an unfamiliar course ... With Alan
King now planning to run Grumeti in the Kingwell Hurdle next weekend, I presume Choc will be at
Wincanton rather than Ascot next Saturday.
More So I’m now keeping my
fingers crossed for an appearance at Kempton Park on 23 February ... this
season seems to be all about Kempton Park, Kempton Park, Kempton Park and ...
Kempton Park, with 4 visits so far and maybe another one or two to come! Here is a
link to Wayne Hutchinson’s column published on the Sporting Life
website. More And a link
to Martin Keighley’s Stable Talk too. More Will
Kennedy and Choc appear to have taken up residence at the recently
refurbished The Bell at Stow: https://mobile.twitter.com/AndrewTINKS/status/299630845667471361/photo/1 What shall I fill my time with this weekend? I know, I’ll
transfer more race recordings to DVD!!!
|
|
Thursday 07
February 2013 |
|
A number
of runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Huntingdon Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) won the Handicap Hurdle (17 ran); Martin’s 21st winner of the season. Seventh Sign
(Alan King/Choc) was pulled up in the Juvenile Hurdle (12 ran). Bakbenscher (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd in the Handicap Hurdle (10 ran). Doncaster Champagne
N Caviar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 5th in the NH Novices’ Hurdle
(13 ran). Arabian
Heights (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 14th in the Novices’ Hurdle (17
ran). It was a
difficult journey to the racecourse for Martin Keighley and his charge, as
the horsebox broke down near Shipston on
Stour. Fortunately they were soon
rescued by trainer Mary Hambro’s horsebox. Seymour Eric duly obliged, making it three
wins in the row! Very well done to the
team. It was also third time lucky for
a run this week, as Eric had originally set off for the abandoned Sedgefield
on Tuesday and held a replacement engagement at Carlisle yesterday but got
cast in his box (ie. can’t get up having got wedged
against a wall when rolling) and couldn’t run. My naughty
‘Munchkin’
received a two day ban today: The Stewards
held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Robert Thornton, the rider of
BAKBENSCHER, placed second, from turning into the home straight. Having heard
his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they found him in breach of
Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he used his whip above
the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Thornton for 2 days as follows:
Thursday 21 and Friday 22 February 2013. That’s Ayr / Sedgefield / Huntingdon and Warwick / Sandown Park It was
good to see Tricky Trickster win the Hunters’ Chase at the Cambridgeshire
course today. He’s been off the track
since March 2011 (691 days) when he fell during the Midlands Grand National
and suffered a serious neck injury. More It’s amazing the
information I can find when referring back to one of my old blogs! Tomorrow
there are runners of interest at Kempton Park and Bangor-On-Dee: Kempton Park 13:10 Franklino (Alan King/Ian Popham)
– Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 13:30 Uxizandre (Alan King/Choc) – Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 14:15 Urgence D’estruval (Alan
King/Choc) – Handicap Chase 15:25
Champion Court (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) –
Graduation Chase More 16:30 Annacotty (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
– Maiden Open NH Flat Race Bangor-On-Dee 14:35
Midnight Appeal (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle Choc has tweeted a photograph of William’s new toy ‘ride-on’ car. https://mobile.twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/299455869362507776/photo/1 I don’t enjoy my job ... I don’t get paid for
extra hours ... so why do I start early, often working through my lunch-hour
and leave late? I need my head
examined ... |
|
Wednesday 06
February 2013 |
|
Runners of
interest tomorrow, at Huntingdon and Doncaster; there’s also racing
at Taunton. Huntingdon 13:35
Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) –
Handicap Hurdle 15:15
Seventh Sign (Alan King/Choc) – Juvenile Hurdle 15:45 Bakbenscher (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Hurdle Doncaster 13:55
Champagne N Caviar (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – NH Novices’ Hurdle 16:05
Arabian Heights (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’ Hurdle Lots of
ribbing going on in connection with this photo of William Kennedy and Choc! https://mobile.twitter.com/WTKJockey/status/298924943800926208/photo/1 I forgot
to watch Dallas last night ... I can’t get used to it being shown on a
Tuesday. Damn. However,
yesterday evening I did complete the transference of the Aintree Festival
2012 recordings onto DVD. And I filled
up the empty space on the final disk with yesterday’s ‘snowy’ Market Rasen race, with Choc
riding Patsy Finnegan through the winter wonderland! My poor little car has just undergone its 5th
service ... and it’s not poor anymore ... but I definitely am! Ouch.
It cost me three times more than I expected. |
|
Tuesday 05
February 2013 |
|
Sedgefield
was abandoned today and, with the prevailing cold weather, possible problems
may still arise with upcoming fixtures too.
More Luckily Market Rasen
beat the
weather, but it was raw cold: My Phylli Vera (Alan King/Choc) finished 4th in the Juvenile
Maiden Hurdle (11 ran). Volcan Surprise (Alan King/Wayne
Hutchinson) finished 2nd in the Novices’ Chase (5 ran). Patsy
Finnegan (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase (10 ran). No runners
of interest tomorrow. I found Channel
4’s programme yesterday evening about the discovery of Richard III’s skeleton
fascinating. Science is amazing. More Richard
was the last king of the House of York; he was born on 02 October 1452 and
was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire on 22 August
1485. He reigned for just two years
and has always received bad press due to his connection to the disappearance
of the Princes in the Tower (12-year-old King Edward V and younger brother
Richard). Two Wars
of the Roses battles took place in St Albans, the First in 1455, and the Second in 1461.
The second battle is commemorated in latter day road names near the Bernards Heath area – Battlefield Road, Lancaster Road,
York Road and Warwick Road. I love to admire the beautiful houses in
Battlefield Road when out and about on one of my lunchtime strolls ... but,
even if I won the lottery (they are very expensive dwellings), would be
worried to buy one just in case they were haunted by soldiers from the
battle! |
|
Monday 04
February 2013 |
|
Choc was
at Doncaster today and
this is how he fared: Call Me A
Star (Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (11 ran);
they were beaten by a Henderson/Geraghty
runner. Custer Of
The West (Alan King/Choc) finished 8th in the Maiden Hurdle (21 ran). Ali Baba
(Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) finished 13th in the Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½
furlong] (18 ran). But the
fixture was overshadowed by the death of Champion Hurdle hope Darlan, who
took a fatal fall at the final flight in the Listed Hurdle. More
The horse
has toyed with disaster before but, sadly, today it claimed his life. There are
five runners of interest tomorrow: Market Rasen: 13:30 My Phylli Vera (Alan King/Choc) – Juvenile Maiden Hurdle 14:30 Volcan Surprise (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Novices’
Chase 15:30
Patsy Finnegan (Alan King/Choc) – Handicap Chase Sedgefield: 13:50 Brukirk Lass (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
– Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 14:50
Seymour Eric (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) -
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles & 3½ furlongs] Well that
didn’t work out did it? I decided to
record the ATR racing coverage from Doncaster onto my Sky hard drive today,
just for a change, with the aim of transferring the relevant bits (Choc) onto
DVD this evening. However, upon
checking the drive I discovered that the recording had failed ... because the
satellite signal had been lost. The
TV, DVD/VCR and Sky box were dusted today and I think one of the cables must
have worked loose as, with a bit of ‘wiggling’,
the picture was restored! But, in
light of the news regarding Darlan, perhaps I’m pleased that I don’t have the
incident recorded. And don’t
forget to vote for the 2012 Jump Ride of the Year, the award to be presented
at this year’s Lesters. http://www.attheraces.com/article.aspx?hlid=531990 You can
probably guess who I’ve voted for bearing in mind I like to champion the
underdog! The Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National
rides are too obvious ... and I don’t recall DJ Milan ... but I certainly
remember Tom Cannon’s circus ride aboard Inthejungle
at Plumpton!
Enough said. |
|
Sunday 03
February 2013 |
|
National
Hunt racing takes place at Doncaster tomorrow, with Ayr and
Southwell having been abandoned. Choc has two riding engagements: 13:20 Call
Me A Star (Alan King/Choc) – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. The mare will
again wear a hood – she’s still excitable, despite now having had much
racecourse experience. 13:50
Custer Of The West (Alan King/Choc) – Maiden Hurdle ... 22 entries! 15:30 Ali
Baba (Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) – Handicap Hurdle [3 miles ½ furlong] – 18
entries! Overturn
put up another dazzling display over fences at Musselburgh today. More Sizing Europe
won today’s Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown. More There are
four runners in Doncaster’s Listed hurdle tomorrow ... a small but very
select field. More AP McCoy
has revealed that his current goal is to ride at least 4,000 career winners
before he even contemplates retirement. More Choc
tweeted that he was going to play darts yesterday evening ... and someone
tweeted back this cartoon of him doing so!
Isn’t it good? https://mobile.twitter.com/DarrenBirdie/status/297836895394725889/photo/1 And he also replied to a tweet to say he was
feeling very frustrated having chosen Balder Succes
over Medinas yesterday. Alan King’s news page gives an overview of plans
following yesterday’s Welsh Champion Hurdle victory: http://alankingracing.co.uk/news.htm The DVD transfers are progressing well – I’m
currently copying the 4th and final day of Cheltenham 2012 to disk; I’ve
already completed the other three days.
|
|
Saturday 02
February 2013 |
|
Oh well
... Choc chose the wrong horse in today’s Welsh Champion Hurdle; he was given
the choice, although both Alan and he agreed that he should be on Balder Succes! In a post-race
interview, Alan King confirmed that the horse had been re-routed to the Welsh
venue in preference to Doncaster on Monday because of the quality of the
expected field in the listed hurdle at the Yorkshire course – entries
currently include Celestial Halo, Countrywide Flame, Darlan, Grandouet and Rock On Ruby. Ffos Las Balder Succes (Alan King/Choc) finished 8th but Medinas (Alan
King/Wayne Hutchinson) won the Welsh
Champion Hurdle (Limited Handicap); prize money of £31,280 to the winner. (14
ran) Sandown Park Oh Crick
(Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles] (9
ran). It was a
disappointing run by Balder Succes; who Choc rode
wide throughout the race (Alan thinks the horse may be claustrophobic
following poor runs in large fields).
It was his first attempt at 2 miles 4 furlongs too. Here is a link to
the race report regarding Medinas’ victory. More Carruthers won the West Wales
National, following up his victory at the same course over Christmas. More And the
huge Ugly Bug won today’s Maiden Hurdle at Ffos Las
under Andrew Thornton; I think the horse might develop quite a following! Captain
Conan just managed to overhaul Third Intention in the final strides of the
Grade 1 former Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park. More Dashing George
put behind him a disappointing showing at Leicester earlier this week to
claim the Veterans’ Chase. More During the
wee hours of Friday morning, just before I turned in for the night, I caught
sight of an item on RUK in which Sandown’s Clerk of the Course, Andrew
Cooper, took the viewer on a tour of the steeplechase track. I thought that, perhaps, the water-jump was
a false one, like that at Huntingdon and Stratford. But no, the water ditch is filled up on the
day of the race; evidently it tends to drain away by itself. And Mick Fitzgerald also did a similar item
on today’s Channel 4 racing coverage – it was definitely a genuine
water-jump. And, to prove a point, Mad
Max dropped his hind-legs in the water today and caused a splash; Barry Geraghty pulled him up shortly afterwards. I like
Sandown Park; my special wish is to one day walk the course with Choc. I’m glad I
tuned into The Morning Line before I went shopping; otherwise I’d have missed
the ‘Confessions’ item which
featured Choc today. It’s already been
copied to DVD for posterity! I decided to record today’s racing coverage on my
hard drive ... so I’ve even less space than before!!! I stayed up until 03:30 this morning to
copy items to DVD; I’ve just not deleted anything yet. With no riding engagements tomorrow, Choc has
tweeted that he’s ‘out on the town’
in Cheltenham tonight. If I was
younger I’d go clubbing if I thought I might bump into him ... but, at my
age, Saturday night heaven is being tucked up in bed with my hot
water-bottle, watching recordings of Choc’s racing
exploits and interviews!!! |
|
Friday 01
February 2013 |
|
I knew the
fate of tomorrow’s hurdle races at Sandown Park as soon as I awoke this
morning ... it was pouring with rain in Hertfordshire and unlikely that Esher
had fared any better. Their initial
inspection confirmed the hurdle course was unfit to race on, with a further
afternoon inspection bringing the news that the chase course was okay ... so
six chases will take place at the fixture tomorrow. More And, as at
Wincanton yesterday, there’s going to be a Veterans’ Chase too; it’s always
nice when all the runners in a race are familiar – Mad Max, Gwanako, Pigeon Island, Tail Of The Bank, Plein Pouvoir, Dashing George
and Double Dizzy in this instance. I
think it would be really good to have a race of this nature at the Festival
too; I know it’s a popular choice should the Cheltenham fixture be expanded
to include more races. But with
this comes the news that Choc is now going to re-route to Ffos
Las ... so I’ll be staying home tomorrow and the opportunity to go to Sandown
Park recedes once more. L With the
re-arranged plans, just three runners of interest: Ffos Las 14:05
Balder Succes (Alan King/Choc) & Medinas (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) – Welsh Champion
Hurdle (Limited Handicap) Sandown Park 13:50 Oh
Crick (Alan King/Mr Joshua Newman) – Handicap Chase [2 miles] And that’s
it for the day! Musselburgh is the
sole National Hunt fixture on Sunday, so no runners of interest later in the
weekend. Here is a
link to Wayne Hutchinson’s latest column, where he reflects upon last
Saturday’s Trials Day and looks forward to his ride aboard Medinas tomorrow. More Worth a
catch-up with Alan King’s diary too, with news that Grumeti,
Iolith, Manyriverstocross
and Bensalem had an outing to Kempton Park last Tuesday for a racecourse
gallop; with Choc and Wayne giving them a spin around the track. Cheltenham
racecourse has today sent an email to tell their subscribers that it’s just 6
weeks until Gold Cup Day ... With this
in mind, the Cheltenham Preview evenings will soon be upon us. Adlestrop-based
trainer Richard Phillips met up with a number of jockeys in Stow on 22
January and, as a result, has booked both Choc and Andrew Tinkler
for his panel of experts at the event which takes place on Monday 04 March
commencing at 19:00 in the local Village Hall. I’ve been meaning to attend one year but
I’ve missed my opportunity yet again, as I forgot to add Richard’s website to
my favourites list when my PC was re-set last October so I’ve only just read
his blog entry regarding bookings. He
suggested, due to its popularity, that bookings needed to be submitted by 25
January latest! Missed it, damn. It has been in the back of my mind in recent
days, but my memory was jogged today regarding all previews when Choc
re-tweeted a message from his agent, Nick Whittle, to say that he’s also been
booked for the Lycetts’ Cheltenham Preview which is
due to take place at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester on Tuesday
26 February commencing at 19:00. |
