OCTOBER 2012
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Wednesday 31
October 2012 |
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Runners of
interest tomorrow: Stratford Upon Avon: 14:40
Buddy Love (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) � NH Novices�
Hurdle 15:40 Godsmejudge (Alan King/Choc) � Beginners� Chase Hereford: 15:30 Cold
Knight (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) � Novices� Handicap Hurdle 16:30 Une Dame D�Or (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
� Mares� Maiden Open NH Flat Race Obviously
the biggest horse racing news today is the announcement of Kauto Star�s retirement.�
It is the sensible thing to do; he�s a veteran now and owes nothing to
anyone.� More And here are
tributes from his trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh following the news. It�s nice to know that Kauto
Star will be making a guest appearance at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, as it
wouldn�t be quite the same without him! �I�ve been honoured to see him win his last
three King George VI Steeplechases and his second Cheltenham Gold Cup. �Which reminds me, my Kempton Park Boxing Day
ticket should arrive soon ... |
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Tuesday 30
October 2012 |
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Two
runners of interest at Taunton this afternoon and
this is how they fared: Turn Over Sivola (Alan King/Choc) finished a neck 2nd in the
Novices� Hurdle (9 ran).� Kenai Peninsula (Alan King/Ciaran
McKee) finished 4th in the Standard Open NH Flat Race (12 ran). From the
race comments, it sounds as though it was a close thing, with Turn Over Sivola not quite lasting home on this occasion: �Tracked leaders, went 2nd before 2 out, led
going strongly 2 out, hung left and wandered, found nil and headed close
home.� No riding
engagements for Choc tomorrow. I burnt the midnight oil last evening in order to
complete and upload my Kempton Park diary.�
Click here to read. |
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Monday 29
October 2012 |
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One runner
of interest today at Bangor On Dee: Hollow Penny (Alan
King/Choc) won the Maiden Hurdle (12 ran).�
Choc�s 14th
winner of the
season. J The 2011 Northumberland Plate winner, Tominator, made a winning debut over hurdles at the track
today.� He is now trained by Jonjo O�Neill.� Two
runners of interest at Taunton tomorrow: 13:30 Turn
Over Sivola (Alan King/Choc) � Novices� Hurdle 16:30 Kenai Peninsula (Alan King/Ciaran McKee) � Standard Open NH Flat Race The remainder of this evening will be spent
working on the drafts of my two outstanding diaries! |
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Sunday 28
October 2012 |
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I�m so
happy ................... my laptop has installed sufficient updates to enable
me to download my preferred FTP application (it�s free to download), connect
to my host server and upload files onto my website.� Oh dear, I�m beginning to sound like a
techie nerd!!!� I suppose, in a way, I
am ... as I do have a BSc Computer Science (Software Engineering) degree
awarded in 1995.� But I�ve not had the
confidence to use my knowledge during the intervening years, so that�s
centuries ago in the world of technology.�
However, one thing that does annoy me is when techie people patronise
me in the belief that I have no idea what they are talking about! I�m still
not �bells and whistles� on
Explorer, so I can�t upload photos onto Twitter, but thankfully I can read
and send tweets; I would have been gutted if I�d not been able to congratulate
Choc on his win yesterday ... he replied too J.� Also another congratulatory tweet today. Runners of
interest at both Aintree and Wincanton today: Aintree: Vendor
(Alan King/Choc) was pulled up before two out in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles
4 furlongs] (10 ran).� Assistant
trainer, Noel Williams, thought it was because he ran too free, rather than
disliked the ground.� Handazan (Alan King/Choc) won
the Juvenile Hurdle (7 ran); Choc�s 13th winner of the season. Lovcen (Alan King/Choc)
finished 5th in the Handicap Hurdle (series qualifier) [3 miles & half a
furlong] (xx ran).� A good run from the
Grade 1 winner, carrying top weight in soft ground.� The winner of the race was bottom weight
Ely Brown, with jockey Keilan Woods taking 5lbs off
too!� Lidar (Alan King/Choc) was
a non-runner in the Handicap Chase, the ground having gone against him. Outside of
Choc�s races, I particularly enjoyed the jumping of
the Tom George trained, Forgotten Gold in the Beginners� Chase; the horse has
the same dam as Frankie Figg.� It was only a 3-runner race, but he jumped
for fun in the soft ground, making all the running to win by 1� lengths.� I shall keep my eye on him, he�s a nice
horse. Wincanton: Any Currency (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) won the Handicap Chase [3
miles 3� furlongs] (8 ran).�
Congratulations to the team, their 12th
winner of the
season.� The horse�s first win since
November 2009, but that 3-year period does include an injury timeout.� Hot
Whiskey (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished 4th in the Novices� Hurdle (12
ran). Tower
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 3rd in the
Handicap Hurdle Div II (10 ran). Monty�s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished
2nd in the Handicap Chase [3 miles 1� furlongs] (9 ran). Valdez (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson) finished a
neck 2nd on his hurdling debut in the NH Novices� Hurdle (13 ran). One runner
of interest tomorrow, at Bangor On Dee: 14:30 Hollow Penny (Alan King/Choc) � Maiden
Hurdle Having experienced laptop problems since last
Tuesday, I now have just five days to complete and upload my diaries before
it may be time to go racing again!� Aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh ... And I�ve rectified the website hyperlink problem
with part 2 of my Cheltenham photographs; I uploaded them late Monday when my
laptop was starting to display problems and, as panic set in, accidently
linked to the files, as opposed to the .html page.� Click here to view. I�m going to soldier on with Windows Vista for
the time being but, the next time I experience a major problem, I plan to
take a shopping trip to PC World to spend my Red Letter Days Lifestyle
voucher!� Although there might be
competition for the credit, in the shape of a bridge camera ... because I
want to take better photographs of Choc. It�s going to be a busy week, as a member of my
team at work is on holiday.� And, now
that the clocks have gone back to GMT, I�ll have to walk home in the dark for
the next few months. I�m still awaiting the results from the ultrascan on my shoulder which took place last
Tuesday.� The specialist did mention,
at the time, that I�d got inflammation in two of the four tendons; I�ll need
to make another appointment with my doctor to arrange for an x-ray of my
back.� It seems to be all downhill when
you get to my age; it�s just one niggle after another! And, finally, I�m much relieved that John McCririck has not been offered a contract with the new
Channel 4 Racing team ... he complains that it�s ageist ... no, John, it�s
because you�re disgusting and obnoxious!�
More ��I�m not particularly
keen on Graham Cunningham; I like young Ollie Bell from Racing UK! |
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Saturday 27
October 2012 |
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Runners of
interest at Chepstow and Stratford today, none at Aintree: Chepstow: Desert Joe (Alan King/Choc) won
the Maiden Hurdle (10 ran); Choc�s 12th winner of the season. Henry San
(Alan King/Choc) finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 3� furlongs] (8
ran). Tenby
Jewel (Keith Goldsworthy/Choc) fell 3 out in the Persian War Novices� Hurdle
(9 ran). Bakbenscher (Alan King/Choc)
finished 5th in the Handicap Hurdle (13 ran).�
An excellent comeback run, having been off the racecourse with injury
for 609 days.� Philip Hobbs trained
runners filled the first three places! Kumbeshwar (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase [2 miles & half a furlong]� Stratford: �� Midnight Sail (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson)
finished 2nd in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 5� furlongs] (9 ran). It was a good day for the Alan King yard, with
all their runners acquitting themselves well; Kings Troop won the Lady
Amateur Riders� Handicap at Newbury, under Chloe Boxall. The Nick Williams trained, Noel Fehily ridden, For Non Stop trotted up in today�s Grade 2
Old Roan Chase at Aintree. Filling runner-up spot was Wishfull
Thinking.� More The laptop saga continues ... although a horror
story would now be a better description.�
Having re-installed my printer and camera software, I was actually
hopeful that I could also install the Vista Service packs to enable me to
update Explorer to a more �bells and
whistles� version.� But, after what
appeared to be 90 minutes of error free installing of Pack 1, its final task
was to tell me the installation had failed.�
I checked the error code and discovered that my files might be
corrupted ... and, having run a disk scan as suggested, some were.� However, my laptop is okay most of the
time, apart from the odd crash here or there which, I gather from my Systems
Department contact Justin, is common before all the updates have been
installed. So my decision is to ... continue to update my
website pages on the �poorly� laptop, whilst ensuring that I backup the
files on DVD at the end of each session (quicker than storing it on my hard
drive).� And I�ve finally registered a Red Letter Days
voucher which was presented to me earlier this year for serving 15 years with
my employer.� Deciding on a Lifestyle
gift, I�ve �purchased� a voucher to
spend at PC World/Currys, which will offset �150
towards the purchase of a new laptop with Windows 8!� It has been my plan for this voucher
throughout ... I just didn�t think it would be needed quite so soon; the Red
Letter voucher was valid until March 2014, so I had plenty of time to redeem
it, and I understand the PC World/Currys voucher
will be valid for 24 months also. |
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Friday 26
October 2012 |
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Two
runners of interest today, at Fakenham and this
is how they fared: Tower (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
won the Conditional Jockeys� Selling Handicap Hurdle (8 ran); the stable�s 11th winner of the season. Benbane Head (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) unseated in the Handicap
Chase [3 miles � a furlong] (14 ran). I�ve
discovered that my Systems Department contact, Justin, has a sideline helping
people with their computer problems; so I�ve arranged for him to assist
should I be unable to update the software or reload any of the applications. |
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Thursday 25
October 2012 |
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No runners of interest today. After confirmation earlier in the week that
Martin Keighley�s stable jockey, Ian Popham, has
broken his pelvis again, news today that it�s not as bad as last time and surgery
can be discounted on this occasion.�
Very best wishes to Ian for a speedy recovery.�� Laptop now restored ... but running software 4.5
years out of date!� Prehistoric.� I can get onto the internet now ... but
have lost most of the functionality.� I
can read twitter but can�t tweet!�
Updates from 2008 to present now downloading; most successfully, but
not all.� I have use of Word, so am
able to update this blog diary ... but my FTP (file transfer protocol)
program won�t re-install, so I have no connection to my Choc Thornton
website. L |
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Wednesday 24
October 2012 |
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Three
runners of interest at Worcester today and this is how
they fared: Simply
Wings (Richard Lee/Choc) finished 4th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 4
furlongs] (14 ran). Ma Toolan (DM Loughnane/Choc)
finished 2nd and Brukirk Lass (Martin
Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 9th in the Mares�
Novices� Hurdle (17 ran). Took my
laptop to work today and one of the guys in our Systems Department got it
working again.� However, he said I had two
options � either limp on with the current configuration of software or have
it wiped and start again ... I choose the former. But when I
got the laptop home, I couldn�t get a connection to my broadband.� I checked with my provider�s technical
support department; they weren�t able to fix it, but suggested I ask my work
colleague to take a look.� Being very
annoyed by this time, I backed up my remaining �wanted� files and decided that I�d go for the other option now
... restoration to an earlier version ... little did I realise that this
would open a whole new can of worms!� |
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Tuesday 23
October 2012 |
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Two
runners of interest at Exeter today and this is how
they fared: Pantxoa (Alan King/Choc)
finished 4th in the Best Mate Beginners� Chase [2 miles 1� furlongs] (11
ran). Jacob�s Ladder (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) unseated in the Beginners� Chase [3 miles] (10
ran). Having experienced problems with McAfee on my
laptop yesterday, I took a look at the application ... and it promptly locked
up my keyboard!� Nothing else for it
than to switch off the laptop and reboot ... but it refused reboot.� Disaster.�
Fortunately I stayed up late yesterday evening to back-up my website
files and photographs, so it wasn�t the end of the world on this
occasion.� |
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Monday 22
October 2012 |
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Bad news from Plumpton today,
with jockey Ian Popham being injured when unshipped
from the Martin Keighley runner, Oyster Hill, on the way to the start of the
Maiden Open NH Flat Race.� Especially
as he�s only returned to action relatively recently having broken his pelvis
last year.� More Choc has re-tweeted a photo of himself and William taken at
Cheltenham on Saturday.� It�s a
gorgeous photo of two very cute guys.� https://twitter.com/MollyWilsonxx1/status/260049054262755328/photo/1/large And more
photos of William today: https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/260358835951239169/photo/1/large https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/260360687187025920/photo/1/large https://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/260362222541344768/photo/1/large I forgot
to mention, yesterday, that I did speak with Choc to congratulate him after
his win aboard McVicar.� I was thwarted on my first attempt, after
the race itself, when he was accosted at the wrong moment by Clerk of the
Course Barney Clifford; the latter wishing to gain a report about the going
from the winning jockey.� But I waited
for Choc after the third race and congratulated him when he was walking back
to the weighing room. J Two
runners of interest at Exeter tomorrow: 15:10 Pantxoa (Alan King/Choc) � Best Mate Beginners� Chase [2
miles 1� furlongs] 16:40
Jacob�s Ladder (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) �
Beginners� Chase [3 miles] News that
Hold On Julio will now be aimed at Newbury�s Hennessy Gold Cup on 01
December.� More I�ve uploaded my Kempton Park and Cheltenham
photos taken this last weekend.� Click here to reach the photos index. |
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Sunday 21
October 2012 |
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Choc and McVicar win the Juvenile Hurdle It was a
damp and murky day at Kempton Park and, having
experienced problems in keeping my camera dry, many of my photos aren�t as
good as I�d hoped for. L� I need to upgrade my camera.� The
weather was so miserable, in fact, that I gave up and went home after the
fourth race.� But, had Choc been riding
later in the afternoon, I would definitely have held on until the bitter
end!!! Choc had two
riding engagements and this is how he fared: McVicar (Alan King) won the Juvenile Hurdle (10 ran); Choc�s
11th winner of the season. Roberto
Pegasus (Alan King) finished 4th in the Listed Novices� Hurdle (8 ran). There�s a National Hunt fixture at Plumpton tomorrow,
with one runner of interest: 17:10 Oyster Hill (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
� Maiden Open NH Flat Race The big equine story today is that Frankie Dettori
will be going freelance next season, ending 18 years as retained jockey to
Godolphin.� Not unexpected though ... More Two 5-day weeks lie
ahead of me ... my next day off is Monday 05 November ... and maybe a return
visit to Kempton Park!� I don�t
envisage any trips to the races next weekend, as there�s Aintree (Saturday
& Sunday), Chepstow (Saturday), Stratford Upon Avon (Saturday) and
Wincanton (Sunday). As always, the Daily
Express is obsessing about the weather and predictions are for an early
winter, yet again. |
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Saturday 20
October 2012 |
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Hold On Julio finished 3rd in the 3 miles � furlong Handicap Chase A number
of runners of interest at Cheltenham today and this is how
they fared: Divers (Ferdy Murphy/Choc) was last of the finishers & Havingotascoobydo (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 10th in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 4
furlongs] (20 ran). Hold On
Julio (Alan King/Choc) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase [3 miles & half
a furlong] (19 ran). Medinas (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5 furlongs] (23 ran). Creepy
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th in the
Standard Open NH Flat Race (17 ran). Special
mention for Sky Calling, who took part in the eleven runner Greatwood Charity race; her jockey Mark Caswell swooped
late to claim victory from Georgie Nicholls, wife
of trainer Paul. Choc has
two riding engagements at Kempton Park tomorrow: 14:15 McVicar (Alan King) � Juvenile Hurdle 15:20
Roberto Pegasus (Alan King) � Listed Novices� Hurdle Despite the
testing ground, superstar Frankel made it 14 out of 14 and now heads into
retirement.� More � It�s been
a long day, I left home at 09:20 this morning and arrived back 11 hours and
55 minutes later ... mind you, that is nothing compared to my Cheltenham
Festival visits when I leave home at 06:30 and don�t get back until around
20:30! I saw lots of Choc today, as he was out and about
following his rides, and William too; Meally had
brought him to the races, spending time with Fiona Johnson, wife of Richard,
and their children.�� |
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Friday 19
October 2012 |
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Two rides
for Choc at Fakenham today and this is how
he fared: Operation
Tracer (Michael Bell) finished 2nd in the Juvenile Hurdle (9 ran). Quinsman (Caroline Bailey),
stepping up in trip, finished 7th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 7�
furlongs] (8 ran). Fakenham is one of Choc�s least favourite tracks, because it�s such a long
way to travel from Gloucestershire.�
Folkestone falls into this category for him too ... but he won�t have to
worry about that for much longer with the impending closure of the Kent
track!� Tomorrow
there are a number of runners of interest at Cheltenham: 14:30
Divers (Ferdy Murphy/Choc) & Havingotascoobydo (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) � Handicap Chase [2 miles 4 furlongs] 15:40 Hold
On Julio (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Chase [3 miles & half a furlong] 16:20 Medinas (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 5
furlongs] 17:30
Creepy (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) � Standard
Open NH Flat Race And Sky
Calling will be taking part in the Greatwood
Charity race, piloted by ex-professional jockey Mark Caswell. Choc has
two riding engagements at Kempton Park on Sunday; more details tomorrow. I confess
that leave from work is very expensive, as I drove down to the petrol station
to fill up my car�s tank ahead of my car journeys this weekend and, of
course, I just had to visit the nearby Marks and Spencer superstore.� They had the scarf I�d set my heart upon (the wine coloured one) ...
yes, I also buy them as well as knit them ... plus two per una �swan print� scarves I happened upon when heading for the
fitting room to try on a long length skirt ... yes, I bought it too, as trying on items
nearly always results in a purchase.�
The skirt looks and feels much nicer than would be expected from the
website picture.� I liked
this skirt a lot too, but didn�t buy it ... however I bought
this skirt instead, which also looks much nicer �in the flesh� than on the
website.� My reservation about the
emerald one (which I prefer to the black) is that I believe green is unlucky,
but I may not be able to resist it forever, as it did look and feel nice when
handled!!!� I then trotted over to Next
and bought a purse which I�ve had my eye on via their website.� I am now penniless, almost
L.� And I�d
like to buy this handbag too, despite it being green!� I hate appliqu�d clothes but love
this.� Mind you,
waiting for Choc to tweet can also be costly ... as I find myself surfing the
web and discovering items I�d love to own.�
I always keep a notebook containing numerous lists of my most wanted
shoes and boots, clothes, accessories, yarn, DVDs, books, tickets for racing
fixtures, etc.���� After a relaxing day today, it looks like I�m
going to have a busy, racing-filled weekend! J� |
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Thursday 18
October 2012 |
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A number
of runners of interest today and this is how they fared: Wincanton: Typhon De Guye (Martin Keighley/Aidan Coleman) finished 4th in the
Maiden Hurdle Div II (10 ran). Ukrainian
Star (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished last in
the Handicap Chase [2 miles 5 furlongs] (7 ran). Scales
(Richard Lee/Choc) fell 3 out in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles] (20 ran). It
was Choc�s 2nd fall of the season. Monty�s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) was a
non-runner and Backfromthecongo (Richard Lee/Choc)
was pulled up in the Handicap Chase [3 miles 1� furlongs] (9 ran). Uttoxeter: Buddy Love
(Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 6th in the
NH Novices� Hurdle (qualifier) (11 ran). National
Hunt racing at Cheltenham and a �matinee�
meeting at Fakenham tomorrow ... with my
favourite jockey riding at the latter! 12:00
Operation Tracer (Michael Bell/Choc) � Juvenile Hurdle 13:30 Quinsman (Caroline Bailey/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2
miles 7� furlongs] I�m
pleased to report that my back and shoulder have been much better today; the
heat treatment seems to have done the trick. I have a day�s holiday tomorrow ...
yippee!!!� And with 10 days remaining
of my 2012 leave, there are going to be a number of 4 day weeks before Christmas.
J� |
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Wednesday 17
October 2012 |
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Runners of
interest at both Wincanton and Uttoxeter tomorrow. Wincanton: 14:50 Typhon De Guye (Martin
Keighley/Aidan Coleman) - Maiden Hurdle Div II 15:50
Ukrainian Star (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) �
Handicap Chase [2 miles 5 furlongs] 16:50
Scales (Richard Lee/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles] 17:20
Monty�s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett)
& Backfromthecongo (Richard Lee/Choc) �
Handicap Chase [3 miles 1� furlongs] Uttoxeter: 14:40 Buddy
Love (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) � NH Novices�
Hurdle (qualifier) I�ve just
been watching an all weather race from Kempton Park�s evening fixture.� The Alan King trained La Belle Doyenne was
misbehaving, rearing up and getting rid of her jockey Fergus Sweeney before
she headed rider-less to the start.�
But she did finish 4th in the 1 mile 4 furlong event.��� My back and right shoulder have had a bit of a
relapse today; so I�ve been warming up the heat pad and using a hot water
bottle again ... damn.� I�ve got an
appointment next Tuesday for an ultrasound scan so, hopefully, it will
shortly become apparent as to what is causing the current problem.� |
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Tuesday 16
October 2012 |
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Two
runners of interest at Huntingdon this afternoon, where
it was blowing a gale! Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) finished a neck 2nd in the Handicap Hurdle [2
miles & half a furlong] (13 ran). Genstone Trail (Alan King/Choc) won the Handicap Hurdle [3
miles 2 furlongs] (15 ran); Choc�s 10th winner of the season. J No riding
engagements for Choc tomorrow. News today
that one of my favourites, Walkon, will be entered
in the Paddy Power Gold Cup run on 17 November 2012.� More Having
ridden 7 out of 8 winners at Windsor yesterday, Richard Hughes continued his
golden run of form with a treble today at Leicester.� More It has been one of those days at work; it started
okay, but just got busier and busier and I was there until 18:20 trying to
catch up with the backlog.� I think the
problem is that I have at least 150 people who may have a call upon my time
so, as you can imagine, sometimes it becomes very difficult to service
everyone�s request on a timely basis.�
It�s horrible when I become �paralysed�,
not knowing what to do first! |
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Monday 15
October 2012 |
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Two
runners of interest at Huntingdon tomorrow: 14:20 Miss
Exhibitionist (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles & half a
furlong] 16:20 Genstone Trail (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [3
miles 2 furlongs] Unfortunately
Medermit has suffered a training set-back and plans
have been put on hold.� More The good news is that my back is a lot better
than it was, although not quite back to normal yet.� But, hopefully, I�ll be going to the races
this coming weekend; my friend Lesley fancies a trip to Cheltenham ... and I
rather like going to Kempton�s first jumping fixture of the winter.� So it might be a very busy weekend!!! |
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Sunday 14
October 2012 |
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Choc was
at Goodwood this afternoon; their
final fixture of the season and this is how he fared: Kings
Troop (Alan King) finished 7th in the Alderbrook
Handicap (15 ran). Jason
Maguire and Paddy Brennan fought out the finish, with the former
prevailing.� Although there was a
stewards� enquiry, Jason�s mount having bumped his opponent close to the
finish.� No
National Hunt racing in the UK tomorrow. Just a four day week for me ... I�ve booked
Friday as leave; I�m looking forward to watching the racing from
Cheltenham.� Not sure about Saturday�s
plans or Sunday�s for that matter; as usual it all depends on the number of
riding engagements which Choc has!��� |
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Saturday 13
October 2012 |
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Runners of
interest at Chepstow today and this is how
they fared: Handazan (Alan King/Choc)
finished 2nd in the Juvenile Hurdle (8 ran).�
The McNeill Family owned colt ran well but wasn�t as fluent a jumper
as the Paul Nicholls trained winner, Far West, who had run over fences
before, at Auteuil.� The good
news is that the Robin Dickin trained Kitegen won the 2 mile 4 furlongs Handicap Hurdle, but
the bad news is that he was ridden by Henry Oliver not Choc!� Mauricetheathlete
(Martin Keighley/Nicky Slatter) finished 7th (17
ran).� Choc will
be at Goodwood tomorrow: 14:00
Kings Troop (Alan King) � Alderbrook Handicap � all
horses to be ridden by professional National Hunt jockeys Aaim To Prosper won
today�s Cesarewitch, the first horse in history to
win the race twice.� He carried top
weight and was a 66-1 shot this year.�
Triumph Hurdle winner Countrywide Flame finished a close second; with
Northumberland Plate winner Tominator in
third.� The latter is now trained by Jonjo O�Neill and has a National Hunt career ahead of
him.� More I received news late yesterday that my friend Angy�s second child has arrived, another daughter Chloe
Emma, a sister for Rebecca.� Many
congratulations to Angy and her husband Alex.� |
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Friday 12
October 2012 |
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Three
runners of interest tomorrow, at Chepstow: 13:55 Handazan (Alan King/Choc) � Juvenile Hurdle 16:10 Kitegen (Robin Dickin/Choc)
& Mauricetheathlete (Martin Keighley/Nicky Slatter) - Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4 furlongs] On Sunday
Choc will be taking part in the Alderbrook Handicap
at Goodwood, where all the riders are professional
NH jockeys.� More details tomorrow. Once again no plans for the weekend, apart from
having my hair trimmed.� |
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Thursday 11
October 2012 |
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One runner
of interest today, at Exeter: Cadoudalas (Richard Lee/Choc)
finished 5th in the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 3 furlongs] (7 ran). No riding engagements for Choc tomorrow, with
National Hunt racing at Carlisle but with Newton Abbot abandoned due to
water-logging. Heavy rain and floods outside the kitchen door
... but the latter is due to the toilet cistern malfunctioning!� One of the parts inside is broken and the
plumber isn�t sure whether he can obtain a replacement, as it may be too
old.� So a new loo may be the only
remedy.� As a stop gap, the cistern is
being filled by turning on the stopcock located in the pipe above it � the
joys of having just one loo in the house.��
Incredible footage of water gushing through �Down
Along� in Clovelly in North Devon today.� A very picturesque village which I visited
during a holiday in the region a number of years ago.� I feel lucky that, touch wood,
Hertfordshire does not seem to be afflicted by these devastating
weather-related problems.� However it seems there is the prospect of 350
homes being built on nearby land belonging to the local College of Further
Education.� Not satisfied at selling
their city centre campus for housing a few years ago and moving to what was
an agricultural college, they now wish to develop that too.� The roads in my vicinity are enough of a
nightmare in the morning, without any additional traffic ... and that�s me
talking as a walker not a driver!� It
makes me sound like a NIMBY!!!� |
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Wednesday 10
October 2012 |
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There were
runners of interest today, at Towcester, and this is how they
fared: Bill The
Yank (DP Quinn/Choc) finished 10th in the NH Novices� Handicap Hurdle (12
ran). Tower
(Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished 4th in the
Handicap Hurdle [2 miles] (15 ran). Valrene (Robin Dickin/Choc) was a non-runner in the Mares� NH Novices�
Hurdle Munchkin (A Carson/Choc)
finished 8th in the Maiden Open NH Flat Race Div I (10 ran). One runner
of interest tomorrow, at Exeter: 16:20 Cadoudalas (Richard Lee/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles
3 furlongs] As racing from Exeter is now broadcast on Racing
UK not At The Races, I must remember to set up my Sky box correctly so as to
tape Choc�s race tomorrow! |
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Tuesday 09 October
2012 |
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Runners of
interest tomorrow, at Towcester: 14:20 Bill
The Yank (DP Quinn/Choc) � NH Novices� Handicap Hurdle 15:20
Tower (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) - Handicap
Hurdle [2 miles] 15:50 Valrene (Robin Dickin/Choc) �
Mares� NH Novices� Hurdle 17:20 Munchkin (A Carson/Choc) � Maiden Open NH Flat Race Div I I�ll tell
you a little secret ... my �pet�
name for the lovely Robert is �Choccie Munchkin�, because
he�s so overwhelmingly cute, so I was amused to discover he�s booked to ride
a horse called Munchkin! News today
that Medermit is to be aimed at Aintree�s Old Roan
Chase, with Haydock�s Betfair
Chase and Kempton�s King George also on the agenda.� More Choc has
posted a photograph of William watching cartoons on TV this morning: http://twitter.com/Choc_Thornton/status/255598862033629184/photo/1 Today�s �back�
bulletin is that I�ve been to see my doctor and she has decided to send me
for an x-ray, presumably because mum has osteoporosis.� Having felt down my spine and discovered that
the tenderness is slightly to the right-hand side, her instinct is that it�s
actually muscle-related, rather than bone-related, but better to be safe than
sorry.� Physiotherapy is also on the
agenda to help ease the discomfort, as I�ve regularly experienced acute
tingly pains and aches since my fall in 2009; with this being the first
prolonged period of discomfort since then.�
The doctor also suggested that I should take up
rope skipping ... I�m not so sure about that, with my big boobs!!! |
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Sunday 07
October 2012 |
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A number
of runners of interest at Huntingdon this afternoon and
this is how they fared: Typhon De Guye (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley)
finished 11th in the Novices� Hurdle (13 ran); as expected, Rysbrack (Paul Webber/Choc) was a non-runner in this
race. Compton Blue (Alan King/Choc) won
the Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4� furlongs] (9 ran); Choc�s
9th winner of the season. J Monty�s
Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) finished
5th in the Handicap Hurdle Div I [3 miles 2 furlongs] (11 ran). Meanwhile
at Uttoxeter: Forresters Folly (Alan
King/Peter Hatton) finished 4th in the Conditional Jockeys� Maiden Hurdle (10
ran). There�s no
scheduled National Hunt racing in the UK until Wednesday. I watched
the TV coverage of Huntingdon, Kelso and Longchamp this afternoon, apart
from a brief trip with my mother to visit my father�s grave; he�s buried
along with her parents in a local churchyard.�
It was our final visit before winter and was in order to clear away
the flowers which we had placed upon the grave two or three weeks ago before
the bad weather sets in.� The grave is
quite close to the path and we discovered the flower-heads had been torn from
their stems and scattered behind the gravestone ... presumably the deed was
carried out by an obnoxious little vandal, perhaps from one of the local
schools or the nearby council estate.�
Why does no-one show any respect these days?� Another full working week ahead ... although my
back is still bothering me despite resting at every possible
opportunity.� I just hope that I�m
feeling fitter in a couple of weeks� time, ready for the Cheltenham/Kempton
Park weekend of racing. |
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Saturday 06
October 2012 |
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There are
a couple of runners of interest at Fontwell Park this afternoon and
this is how they fared: Always Bold (Martin
Keighley/Alain Cawley) won the Handicap Hurdle [3
miles 3 furlongs] (8 ran). Creepy (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham)
won the Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (5 ran).� Congratulations
to the team; their 9th and 10th
winners of the
season. A number
of runners of interest at Huntingdon tomorrow: 14:30 Typhon De Guye (Martin Keighley/Alain
Cawley), however Rysbrack
(Paul Webber/Choc) is now listed as a doubtful runner � Novices� Hurdle 16:45
Compton Blue (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Hurdle [2 miles 4� furlongs] 17:20
Monty�s Revenge (Martin Keighley/Danny Hiskett) �
Handicap Hurdle Div I [3 miles 2 furlongs] Meanwhile
at Uttoxeter: 14:10 Forresters Folly (Alan King/Peter Hatton) � Conditional
Jockeys� Maiden Hurdle I�ve been watching Strictly Come Dancing this
weekend and Darcey Bussell
is already getting on my nerves ... ya ... ya ... ya ... evidently her
birth name was Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pembleton
Crittle, Bussell being
her stepfather�s name.� And I think
it�s about time Bruce Forsyth was pensioned off too.� But I will enjoy It Takes Two every weekday
evening for the next couple of months or so.�
Surprisingly, Lisa Riley gained the highest score
this weekend for her Cha-Cha; closely followed by Kimberley Walsh and Louis
Smith.� The Olympic medallist,
evidently, has a crush on the Girls Aloud singer.� And, from her post-dance comments, I think Darcey has a crush on him too! |
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Friday 05
October 2012 |
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Choc has
tweeted a very cute picture of William wearing his dad�s shoes: http://twitter.com/i/#!/Choc_Thornton/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FMddmsh9o There are
a couple of runners of interest at Fontwell Park tomorrow: 16:35
Always Bold (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) �
Handicap Hurdle [3 miles 3 furlongs] 17:45 Creepy
(Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) � Standard Open
National Hunt Flat Race.� I guess he
got his name because his dam was called Prowler.� Choc will
be back in action at Huntingdon on Sunday, more details tomorrow. I�ve no specific plans for the weekend, as my
back is still bothering me.� But I�m
hoping that I�ll be well rested by the time the first Cheltenham meeting
and/or Kempton Park fixture arrives in a fortnight�s time!� |
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Thursday 04
October 2012 |
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Choc had
one ride at Bangor-on-Dee today and this is how he fared: Henry San
(Alan King) finished 3rd in the Handicap Chase (7 ran). Choc has
no rides tomorrow. I�m
looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing returning tomorrow, with a further
show on Saturday. Today�s �back�
bulletin is that I�m slowly getting better, although the discomfort has moved
a little higher up today!� I�ve had no
sharp pains at all; it�s been an almost constant dull ache, to a greater or
lesser degree.� I know I could ease it
with painkillers, but I took some a few weeks ago for a persistent headache
and they gave me hot flushes and I also felt faint, so I�m trying to avoid
them if possible.�� |
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Wednesday 03
October 2012 |
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One runner
of interest at Bangor-on-Dee tomorrow: 15:50 Henry
San (Alan King/Choc) � Handicap Chase The
grandparents of weighing room colleague Sam Jones found a photograph of a
young Choc in an old copy of Horse and Hound, which Sam subsequently tweeted
to my favourite jockey: http://twitter.com/i/#!/Choc_Thornton/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FqkVOCx6E Choc has asked for the original clipping, presumably
for his scrapbook! (Or perhaps his mother�s scrapbook) I�ve spent most of today with a heat pad wedged
between myself and my office chair; it has helped ease my backache.� Whereas yesterday walking to and from work
caused me a lot of pain, today it seems that doing the same thing caused me
less pain than just moving around the office.�
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Tuesday 02
October 2012 |
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Three
runners of interest today, at Sedgefield, and this is how they
fared: Quinsman (Mrs Caroline
Bailey/Choc) finished 2nd in the Novices� Hurdle (Series Qualifier) [2 miles
5� furlongs] (11 ran). The Fox�s
Decree (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) finished 5th
in the Handicap Chase [2 miles 4 furlongs] (6 ran). The Wicked
Kipper (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) finished 4th in
the Mares� Standard Open NH Flat Race (12 ran). No
National Hunt racing tomorrow, with Bangor-on-Dee scheduled for Thursday. News today
that Nathaniel will be a non-runner in Sunday�s Prix de l�Arc
de Triomphe; he�s had a temperature and subsequent
blood tests were unsatisfactory.� He
joins a list which includes the injured Snow Fairy and the quarantined Danedream; the latter as a result of serious equine
infection being discovered at her base in Cologne.� A decision will be made tomorrow regarding
Camelot�s participation. Unfortunately my back has been hurting all day
today.� This afternoon I even resorted
to propping a hot water bottle against my back when sitting at my desk at
work.� And it did help quite a
lot.� I shall have to see what tomorrow
brings ... I�ve an appointment to see my doctor about it next Tuesday.� |
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Monday 01
October 2012 |
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Three
runners of interest tomorrow, at Sedgefield: 14:50 Quinsman (Mrs Caroline Bailey/Choc) � Novices� Hurdle
(Series Qualifier) [2 miles 5� furlongs] 15:20 The
Fox�s Decree (Martin Keighley/Alain Cawley) �
Handicap Chase [2 miles 4 furlongs] 17:20 The
Wicked Kipper (Martin Keighley/Ian Popham) � Mares�
Standard Open NH Flat Race My painful
back is aching less today ... it started last Monday as a pain across the
front of my left shoulder and into my boob; it got better through the week,
until a relapse on Friday when my upper back began to ache too.� I�ve had back and boob pain during the weekend,
but now I have mainly upper back pain.�
It�s always a concern, as mum has osteoporosis.� I don�t suppose it helps that I�m a stone
heavier than when I hurt my back three years ago ... the weight having been
put on due to my sinus problems ... and the inches always go onto my stomach
and chest! I greatly
enjoyed watching live the Ryder Cup singles matches; I even had to flick back
and forth during Downton Abbey to find out how the
Europe team was progressing.� The Ryder
Cup has a connection with my home city, with Samuel
Ryder, a
wealthy local seed merchant, sponsoring the original UK vs. USA competition
and donating the gold trophy.� The Verulam Golf Club,
in St Albans, is the home of the Ryder Cup http://www.verulamgolf.co.uk/� My older brother, Nick, enjoys playing golf
and is a member of the Club. |
