DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL – GRAND NATIONAL DAY
– SATURDAY 10 APRIL 2010
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The prize
is finally his ... AP McCoy
returns triumphant aboard the Jonjo
O’Neill trained Don’t Push It Having attended Day 2,
Ladies Day, of the Aintree Festival, I spent the night at the Premier Inn in
Golborne, setting my alarm for 06:00 in order to get an early start in
preparation for Grand National Day.
The day had dawned bright and sunny.
Breakfast was arranged
for 08:00 at the adjoining pub, so I was ready to depart for the racecourse
at 08:45. Having located my ticket and
parking pass, I put them in a canvas carrier bag and then, stupidly, locked
it in the car boot! I then set off in
a westerly direction along the A580.
As I was driving along, it suddenly dawned on me that I’d need my
parking pass, so I stopped in a layby in order to have a rummage in the car
boot. Having located the tickets I was
on my way again, and soon proceeding northwards up the M57 motorway. I didn’t miss my turning today, and drove
down past the Asda supermarket, turning left at the traffic lights where
signposted. My route then took
me over the canal, via Anchor Bridge, and across the Grand National course,
before I joined the queue to have my car security checked before I parked
up. I’d arrived at the course at 09:10
and, as the gates didn’t open until 10:00 I had a long wait. Having sat in the car for a few minutes, I
got out and locked the vehicle, and then got chatting with another spectator
who had parked his car nearby. I then went to wait
near the entrance in preparation for gate opening time. Whilst I was waiting I purchased a racecard
and, having read through the race entries, it confirmed that Choc did not have
any riding engagements at Aintree today.
When the gates opened, I was waived through the security ‘body’ check – presumably I didn’t
look ‘shifty’ today and, besides
there were only a limited number of racegoers they would have time to
screen. I then walked across the
Melling Road, across the park course, and caught a bus to the standside
crossing point. Having reached the
Parade Ring side of the stands, my first task was to buy a copy of the Racing
Post, where I discovered an article which confirmed Choc had gone to Chepstow
to ride today. He had five riding
engagements at Chepstow, and it would transpire that three of his rides would
be pulled up, one being lame (Rupestrian), the other two both finished 5th in
their respective races. In his Hound
and Hound column Choc admitted he hated every moment of his afternoon at
Chepstow, saying it seemed strange to watch the Grand National on TV for the
first time since he was a schoolboy. I was very
disappointed that Choc wouldn’t be at Aintree, not even as a spectator. Oh well, I would try my best to enjoy my
day. I sat beside the
Parade Ring for a short time, then went to find a suitable place on the
steppings at the front of the Earl of Derby stand. As I was wearing high platform wedge shoes,
I did sit down for a while to rest my feet, although it did become apparent
later in the day that those who had sat down on the steps tended to gather
grey concrete dust on their posteriors.
But, fortunately, this didn’t happen to me as, although my skirt material
did feel slightly strange, the dust was not visible! As Choc wasn’t at
Aintree, I remained in my chosen viewing spot throughout the course of the
day. I had the best view possible in
relation to my type of ticket, although I wasn’t in my favoured place just
inside the horsewalk exit gate. At one point, did I
see Choc’s father walk along the concourse in front of the stands? Choc’s wife Meally remained at Aintree for
Grand National day, as she’d pre-arranged to meet up with her younger sister,
Sarah. However, I didn’t see her
today. Although, in hindsight, I
believe I may have seen her yesterday with a group of friends, in the
vicinity of the Parade Ring/Weighing Room steps. The Band and Bugles
of the Rifles was parading and playing out on course at 11:15. Also prior to the races commencing,
previous Grand National winners were paraded in the Paddock and then, a short
time later, on the course itself, in front of the stands. I believe one of the winners, possibly
Rough Quest, was held up in the race day traffic and failed to make the
initial parade in the Paddock. It was a 7 race
card, the off time for the first race being 13:45. The start of this race was in the back
straight, with one and three quarter circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away by
Bygones Of Brid, closely followed by Sleepy Hollow, with Peddlers Cross
prominent on the inside. A few yards
before the second flight, Bygones of Brid jinked slightly as he approached
and crossed the path (that’s the path which runs across the course to reach
the car parking area where I had parked my car). Into the straight the order
was still Bygones of Brid, from Sleepy Hollow, Peddlers Cross, and Najaf;
Lucky William, Duke Of Lucca and Solway Sam were in rear. Having
been prominent on the outside of the field, A’dhere made an error at the 7th
and soon lost his place. Into the home
straight, Bygones Of Brid still held the advantage, from Sleepy Hollow, and
Peddlers Cross, Vino Griego blundering 3 out, hampering the improving Duke Of
Lucca. Peddlers
Cross swept into the lead just before the second last flight and went on to
win by 2 lengths from Duke Of Lucca.
Najaf, under Ruby Walsh, having been outpaced and pushed along in the
back straight, stayed on the finish 3rd.
Long time leader Bygones Of Brid completed in 4th.
The
start of the next race was in the far corner of the track, with one and a
half circuits to cover; the first obstacle being the cross fence.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Bedlam Boy, Overclear and Archie Boy.
The grey, Noble Alan, was held up in rear, Schelm being the back
marker. As
they passed the winning post with one circuit to go, Tataniano had now taken
the lead. Schelm was already
struggling when he made a mistake at the fifth fence, soon becoming detached
from the field. Bedlam Boy briefly
regained the advantage before Tataniano took up the running again over the
sixth. Osana began to improve his
position. The
diminutive Joe Jo Star blundered at the 8th, and crumpled on landing, when
near the rear of the field. Tataniano
led into the home straight, Noble Alan having improved to take 2nd position
by this stage. As Noble Alan began to
fade, Osana came through to lead the remainder of the field, but none of the
runners could get close to Tataniano, who won by 13 lengths easing up. Bedlam
Boy, having faded into last place, fell at the final obstacle but,
fortunately both he and his jockey Graham Lee were fine. Schelm had been pulled up before 3 out, and
Joe Jo Star and his jockey were okay too.
The start of this race
was in the back straight, with one and three quarter circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by the giant Quwetwo, followed by Petit Robin (reverting to hurdles) and
Zaynar; Celestial Halo was held up in midfield. Champion Hurdle runner-up, Khyber Kim, was
the least fluent over the first 2 obstacles.
Towards the rear, Won In The Dark was noticeably sweating, and also
made a jumping error at the 5th flight, dropping to the rear of the field. Soon
Petit Robin came to dispute the lead with Quwetwo, Celestial Halo now close
upsides Zaynar in third. Petit
Robin led into the final straight from Quwetwo, Khyber Kim noticeably
closer. Zaynar stumbled after third
last when short of room, his jockey Barry Geraghty having to regain an iron
as a result. Celestial Halo now led,
but fell at the penultimate flight. Khyber
Kim, having been left in front by Celestial Halo’s departure, ran on to win
by 5 lengths from Muirhead who had taken 2nd after the last, Zaynar and Won
In The Dark fought out the minor honours to the line, the former claiming
3rd, Petit Robin fading into 5th. Celestial
Halo was okay following his fall, but Ruby Walsh had been kicked by Won In
The Dark who was travelling in his wake, Ruby sustaining a fractured left arm
as a result.
The
start of this race was at the far end of the home straight, with just over two
complete circuits to cover.
Then
they were off. Dom D’Orgeval led the field
way, Wogan was prominent on the outside, Rare Bob close on the inner. In rear, the grey Never So Blue landed
slightly awkwardly over the first, and Wogan wasn’t fluent either. In rear Paddy Brennan’s mount, Carlitos,
hit the second obstacle, then having jumped the third it became apparent that
the horse was lame, so was quickly pulled up and dismounted. Rare Bob took up the running after the
third obstacle. Heading
up the back straight, Jaunty Flight crashed out at the fourth fence. The mare, having got to her feet, looked
distressed and collapsed again.
However, she was okay, as she rose again and was led back by her
jockey. By
the sixth fence, Wogan had pulled his way up through the field to dispute the
lead with Rare Bob. Dom D’Orgeval was
just behind the leaders. Heading
past the winning post with one circuit to go, the order was Wogan, Rare Bob,
Dom D’Orgeval, Alderburn, Edgbriar, Au Courant, Seven Is My Number, From Dawn
To Dusk, Sa Suffit, Daldini, Ma Yahab, Tatenen (jockey Nick Scholfield
replacing the injured Ruby Walsh), Never So Blue, and Mister Quasimodo. Into
the back straight they turned, Wogan retained the lead until he hit both the
13th and 14th obstacles, this allowed Rare Bob to regain the advantage until
he too, blundered badly at the 15th and it was Dom D’Orgeval’s turn to
briefly lead, with Au Courant also in close order. However,
Rare Bob rallied under AP McCoy and led over the fourth last, holding the
lead until Dom D’Orgeval set sail for home after 2 out, the open-ditch. His advantage didn’t last for long, as
Richard Johnson drove From Dawn To Dusk into the lead as they approached the
last and went on the win by 8 lengths.
Dom
D’Orgeval completed in 2nd, Rare Bob in 3rd and Wogan 4th. The
guy standing next to me on the grandstand steps asked if there were enough
runners to pay on the 4th home ... I said no, as I hadn’t realised there were
that many runners. But there were
actually 16 and, as it was a handicap, it was a winning each-way ticket. However ... I did admit my mistake to him
shortly afterwards and he took it in good heart, despite being unable to find
his betting slip, which I believe he’d already thrown away!!! However, Reg and I chatted throughout the
remainder of the afternoon ... and we found the ‘ticket incident’ amusing,
although he wouldn’t let me forget it.
But, luckily, he seemed to have at least one winning betting ticket in
each race and definitely went home ‘quids
in’! Liverpudlian Reg was at the
races with his father, and his brother Joe who was on a visit home, from
Australia.
Reg
asked me for my tips for the big race - I had 4 fancies – Character Building,
Backstage, Comply or Die and Niche Market.
And he went to put money on all of them! As
Ruby Walsh was injured, Barry Geraghty switched rides and would now be aboard
Big Fella Thanks. I understand the
ruling is that if a jockey has ridden a horse before, then he is permitted to
switch from one horse to another when the original mount is still going to
compete. The lucky replacement was
Richard Johnson, who then took the ride aboard Barry’s original mount, Tricky
Trickster. I can’t help wondering if
Choc would have got the ride had he been at Aintree ... Before
the race one of the greys, King Johns Castle, dug his heels in, refusing to
start. The horse’s trainer then came
out onto the course, taking birch twigs from the ‘protector’ at the end of the rail, and then proceeded to strike
the horse around its hindquarters ... however it was to no avail, as the
horse although willing to move from his original spot, dug in his hooves and
didn’t move when the field set off.
The trainer, Arthur Moore, was clearly upset, as he got his
handkerchief out to wipe his eyes as he headed back to the stands! He was, however, rightly cautioned by the
Stewards.
A
very short description of the Grand National I’m afraid, as I can’t cope with
39 horses over a distance of 4 and a half miles! Besides, everyone will have watched the
race on TV! The
field was led away by Eric’s Charm, but he fell at the first. Hello Bud then assumed the lead until the
5th. Conna Castle took up the running
between the 5th and 21st, Black Apalachi then taking over until headed before
the last by the winner, Don’t Push It under AP McCoy. The
official result, and record of what happened to each of the runners was as
follows:
And those which did not finish:
My
best placed selection, Character Building, had finished 7th. But Reg was pleased as he had wagered on
Don’t Push It! I later noticed that Don’t
Push It had won the 4th race on Grand National day last year! AP
McCoy was a very popular winner, this being his first victory in the big race
at his 15th attempt. A number of
former champion jockeys had failed to win the event and it was beginning to
look as if AP might suffer the same fate.
It was also owner JP McManus’ first winner of the race, despite having
had numerous runners in the race over the years. And it was the first winner of the race for
trainer, and former jockey, Jonjo O’Neill, his probably best remembered
association with the Grand National having been as the jockey of the
ill-fated Alverton, who lost his life during the 1979 race just weeks after
triumphing in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Jockey
Wayne Hutchinson suffered a hand injury as a result of his first fence fall
and missed a few days action. It was
later discovered that Tom Siddall, having fallen aboard Palypso De Creek
and then suffered a fall at Southwell the following day, had broken a bone in
his neck and he’d be out of action for a few months. Having
watched the celebrations out on the course and as AP rode back in, I didn’t
venture to the Winners’ Enclosure but remained in the stands in preparation
for the next race. The
start of this race was at the far end of the course, with just under a
circuit and a half to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Dantari, then Stravinsky Dance, Issaquah, Grandad Bill, Gus Macrae, and
Dee Ee Williams. At the rear were
Rookery Rebel, Palomar, European Dream and Thumbs Up. Palomar
made a slight error at the second. Dee
Ee Williams was prominent on the outside of the field. Issaquah came to dispute the lead with one
circuit to go, and she and Dantari set up an advantage over the other
runners. Around the final bend,
Issaquah was still going well. Issaquah
was joined by Dee Ee Williams at the second last, the latter driven to lead
in the final 100 yards. The winning
distance was 6 lengths. Leslingtaylor,
having made progress, stayed on to take 3rd, with Nearby in 4th. A win for the top weight.
It was soon time for the final race of the fixture. The start of this race was over in the far
corner of the track, with one and a half circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Fishoutofwater, Dear Sam soon assuming the lead. These were followed by Whispering Hills and
Don’t Turn Bach. Mic’s Delight was prominent
on the outside of the closely packed field. Fishoutofwater
retook the lead 10 furlongs out, Dear Sam remaining prominent for much of the
back straight before fading. Don’t
Turn Bach and Whispering Hills were still prominent. Amuse Me, ridden by AP McCoy, was the first
beaten, so was eased down and soon tailed off. Into
the home straight there were many of the runners still in with a chance,
notably Fishoutofwater, Megastar, Dare Me and Whispering Hills. Megastar took the lead over 2 furlongs out,
with Dare Me his pursuer. These two
runners pulled clear of the field within the final furlong, the former
fighting off the persistent challenge from Dare Me to prevail by 1½ lengths.
Having said cheerio to Reg and his family,
I left the grandstand area, walking across the course to join the queue to
catch the bus back to the car parking area.
Unfortunately I’d not got my flat shoes with me otherwise I’d have
walked back across the course instead. Whilst I was waiting, a number of
drunken spectators took it into their heads to run towards the water-jump,
presumably with the aim of throwing themselves into it. Fortunately there were racecourse stewards
on hand to intercept them. As I’d not eaten for around 8 or 9
hours, I ate a quick snack before setting off in my car to join the queue out
of the mid-course car park.
Unfortunately coaches were being given priority over cars and, then,
instead of being permitted to exit via Anchor Bridge over the canal, which is
the route I know, my queue was directed to the left and along a very dusty
track, then past the back of the grandstand area, taking a right turn onto
the Ormskirk Road. Luckily this took
me back to re-join my proposed route, but there was a massive tailback of traffic. At 06:55 I finally reached the
beginning of the M57 motorway. I
headed south to join the M62 eastbound, then the M6 southbound. I remained on the old M6 through
Birmingham, not venturing onto the toll road, and finally joined the M1,
driving south to Hertfordshire.
Darkness had fallen whilst I was driving through Birmingham. I originally thought I might have to stop
for a rest-break but, in the event, this proved unnecessary. I reached home at 09:55, my homebound
journey having taken 3 hours. I made a
note of my mileage, and the total journey distance over the two days was 432
miles. |
