PART II
DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL
GRAND NATIONAL DAY
SATURDAY 11 APRIL 2015
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More important than the Grand National winner ...
we’ve found Choc! Click here to read my Grand National Day Diary Part I During
the interlude between the fourth race and the Grand National, a group of
school children performed the National Anthem whilst standing within the
corral in front of the Earl of Derby and Lord Sefton stands. This year, fortunately, we were
able to defend our position at the corner of the Earl of Derby enclosure next
to the walkway. This allowed us to
take photos of the competitors as they headed out onto the racecourse; the
only slight problem was the angle of the sun by this time of the afternoon;
it had cleared the Lord Sefton stand and shone down the camera lense
too. But at least it made the area
where we stood warmer. The competitors begin the
pre-race parade in random order immediately after exiting onto the
racecourse, rather than be organised first into number order within the two
holding pens in front of the Earl of Derby and Lord Sefton stands
respectively. There was no second
chance to take photographs. The starting gate remained in
its 2013 position, shortening the distance of the race by half a
furlong. This was to take the horses
further away from the cauldron of excitement; this having been emphasised in
recent years with the completion of the Lord Sefton and Earl of Derby
grandstands. Alan King had one runner in this
event; Godsmejudge, winner of the 2013 Scottish Grand National, ridden by
Wayne Hutchinson. His price 18-1.
There were 39 runners, with Carlito Brigante being a late absentee;
just too late for a replacement to be promoted – how annoying for the
connections of the 41st horse on the entry list. There were four greys in the
race; Unioniste, Ballycasey, Corrin Wood, and Portrait King. One jockey-change, namely Brian O’Connell
taking over the ride aboard Lord Windermere.
His intended rider, Robbie McNamara, had been seriously injured as a
result of a race fall in Ireland the previous evening. The race favourite was Jonjo
O’Neill-trained Shutthefrontdoor; priced at 6-1. He was ridden by AP McCoy, having his final
ride in the big race before retirement at the end of the season; just two
weeks away. Having completed the parade, the
runners headed down the racecourse to take a look at the first fence before
returning to the starting gate where they circled for a number of minutes.
And
then they were off ... first time.
Prominent heading down to the first fence were Bob Ford, St Are, River
Choice, Wyck Hill, Portrait King, Gas Line Boy, and
Court By Surprise; AP had decided upon a mid-field position aboard the
favourite. Bob Ford, to the inside,
blundered here; centre line Gas Line Boy fell, fortunately Godsmejudge managed to avoid him, just. There were incidents to the outside of the
field, with First Lieutenant blundering, and Ely Brown falling and possibly
both contributing to the unseating of Denis O’Regan
from Al Co; the latter having made an error and subsequently been
hampered. So,
heading down to fence number two, Bob Ford ploughed a lone furrow against the
inside rail, with Portrait King clearly leading from St Are within the middle
to centre runners, and Court By Surprise, Rubi Light,
Soll and
Rebel Rebellion amongst those prominent towards the outside of the
field. First Lieutenant made an error
at the second fence too, which demoted him further, but there were no
casualties here. The
big open-ditch claimed two, with Rubi Light clobbering
the fence and unseating Andrew Lynch over his near-side shoulder; also Corrin Wood who lost his hind-legs on landing and was
quickly pulled up by David Casey. The
runners continued over the fourth, where there were no departures. At the rear of the field were Tranquil Sea,
Super Duty and Monbeg Dude. Unioniste departed at the
fifth fence when, travelling to the rear of mid-field, he fell. Fence number six was Bechers
Brook and the French raider River Choice capsized on landing; Monbeg Dude who had been travelling in the faller’s wake,
jumped the prostrate horse and continued although hampered; all that training
with Zara Phillips has obviously paid off!
Super Duty was a clear last at this point. Preceded
by a loose horse, Rebel Rebellion with Ryan Mahon aboard led the runners over
the Fionavon fence and he was followed by Bob Ford,
Portrait King and Soll; there were no casualties
here. The leader was three or four
lengths clear as they jumped the Canal Turn.
In mid-field, last year’s runner-up Balthazar King
uncharacteristically fell; then, whilst he was lying on the ground, Ballycasey crashed into him and Ruby Walsh was
unseated. Ruby’s
plan had been thwarted; his pre-race decision had been to follow the Philip
Hobbs runner believing him to be a safe conveyance. Initially, Richard Johnson’s mount had
raised his head and appeared to be about to rise ... but then he just lay
down again and didn’t move. Everyone
feared the worst for this popular racing stalwart. The yellow-coated race marshals were
quickly on the scene with the green screens and, whilst his jockey was still
on the ground, Ruby rushed across to attend the horse. Meanwhile
the race continued, with Rebel Rebellion continuing at the head of affairs
from the grey Portrait King as the thirty remaining runners cleared
Valentines and also jumped the next three fences without incident. Currently travelling behind the leaders
were Across The Bay, St Are, Soll, and The Rainbow
Hunter; just behind these Shutthefrontdoor, Court
By Surprise, Rocky Creek, then Bob Ford, Many Clouds, Godsmejudge,
The Druids Nephew, Oscar Time, Mon Parrain,
Alvarado, Dolatulo, Royale Knight, Spring Heeled, Wyck Hill, Pineau De Re, Chance
Du Roy, Lord Windermere, First Lieutenant, Owega
Star, Monbeg Dude, Night In Milan, Cause Of Causes,
Tranquil Sea and Super Duty. The
runners headed back across the Melling Road led by
one of the loose horses, Al Co, and over the next two plain fences; St Are
made an error at the second of these.
The following obstacle is the Chair, where the rider-less horse saw an
opportunity to bypass this one and headed across in front of the leaders;
fortunately he didn’t hamper any of them in the process. Everyone seemed to jump this without
bother, apart from the very slow Super Duty in rear, although he did continue
under Will Kennedy. Rebel
Rebellion led the runners over the water-jump, with Soll
now almost upsides. Al Co decided to
depart the race at this point and headed for the plastic rails around the
outside of the bend which separate the steeplechase course from the hurdles
course; attempting to jump them too.
There’s always one, every year! The
runners continued over the Melling Road and out
into the country once more. Heading over the next, in the leading group were
Rebel Rebellion, St Are, Across The Bay, The Rainbow Hunter, The Druids
Nephew and Rocky Creek; they travelled mid to outer on the track. Having been prominent early in the race,
Court By Surprise just fizzled out after the fence and was pulled up; he was
discovered to have bled from his nose so presumably had broken a blood
vessel. Across The Bay began to fade
quickly from this point; Rocky Creek started to lose his place also. Both
Saint Are and Rebel Rebellion got a little bit close to the next fence; the
latter more so and he landed awkwardly too.
This enabled The Rainbow Hunter and The Druids Nephew to take the
advantage as they headed to the next, which was an open-ditch; none of the
runners experienced any jumping issues here.
Saint Are continued in third position, from Soll,
Rebel Rebellion, Shutthefrontdoor, Portrait King,
Many Clouds Royale Knight and Godsmejudge. Again
there were no casualties as the horses cleared the next two plain fences and
arrived at Becher’s Brook for the second time. Having crept up the inside once more, Soll jumped into a narrow lead at this fence. Apart from a blunder by St Are and a nod on
landing from Bob Ford, this once notorious fence caused little problem; it’s
so innocuous now! Soll
and The Druids Nephew disputed the lead as they cleared Foinavon;
close behind were Many Clouds, Shutthefrontdoor and
The Rainbow Hunter. They were followed
by St Are, Portrait King, Oscar Time, Royale Knight, Rocky Creek, Night In
Milan, Mon Parrain, Alvarado, Pineau
De Re, Owega Star, Godsmejudge
and Donatulo.
Having
reached this point of the race, the surviving runners were directed around
the outside of the Canal Turn, the corral having been removed to allow for
safe passage; this was in order for them to avoid the green screened obstacle
which was the prostrate Balthazar King.
Upon later inspection, it was noticed that the first flag-bearing
marshal was, in fact, Ruby Walsh! The
sixth fence from home was Valentine’s Brook; prior to the fence the trailing
Across The Bay, Lord Windermere, Rebel Rebellion and Super Duty were pulled
up. Meanwhile, up front, The Druids
Nephew was travelling so well that he jumped into a clear lead; he was
followed through by Many Clouds.
However, he was obviously going too well for, at the next, he
over-jumped and capsized on landing.
This left Oliver Sherwood’s charge narrowly ahead from Shutthefrontdoor, Soll and St
Are. The
Rainbow Hunter, which had been travelling in around 7th position, also fell
here. But at least he had got further
than on his two previous attempts when unlucky on both occasions at the first
Canal Turn; he’s part-owned by RUK’s Oli Bell. Aidan Coleman, who had been piloting The
Druids Nephew in the absence of injured Barry Geraghty,
was soon on his feet and walked away; he was probably gutted. There
were no departures as the remaining 23 runners cleared the fifth last
fence. Then, at the third last,
Portrait King fell when in fifth position; help soon arrived on the scene for
the prostrate Davy Condon. At the rear
of the field, Bob Ford was pulled up.
The horses then headed back across the Melling
Road towards the final turn, with just two more fences to negotiate. Many
Clouds was still leading, from Shutthefrontdoor, St
Are, Royale Knight, Oscar Time, Soll, Pineau De Re, Night In Milan and Monbeg
Dude; it would be no repeat performance for last year’s winner as he soon
began to fade. Both Wyck Hill and Godsmejudge were
pulled up before jumping two out. Many
Clouds continued to lead, from St Are and Shutthefrontdoor
as they cleared two out. AP was now becoming more and more animated aboard
his mount; it appeared now very unlikely to be a second Grand National win
for the Champ in his last Grand National.
The runners headed over the final fence, Many Clouds still ahead of St
Are and the now tired and wandering Shutthefrontdoor. Monbeg Dude had
stayed on into fourth position at this point, followed by Royale Knight under
strong pressure, the white-faced Alvarado staying on behind him, Soll was fading, Cause Of Causes behind him. Exiting
the elbow, Many Clouds was four lengths clear of his nearest rival but, as
the line approached, St Are began to gain upon him. However, the Oliver Sherwood runner managed
to hold on to win by 1¾ lengths at the line. Monbeg Dude
completed in 3rd place, 6 lengths back, and Alvarado in 4th; Shutthefrontdoor completed in 5th. Jockey
Leighton Aspell had doubled up, having ridden last
year’s winner, Pineau De Re, too. It was trainer Oliver Sherwood’s first
Grand National winner; owner Trevor Hemmings’
third! The class horse in the race had
shouldered 11 stone 9 pounds to victory; only Lord Windermere had carried one
pound more. As
has happened on previous occasions post-race, Many Clouds became a little bit
wobbly on his feet so was dismounted, many buckets of water applied, and he
was then led back to the stables, rather than entering the Winners’
Enclosure; the winning jockey was escorted in on foot. Ruby
Walsh arrived back aboard a different horse to the one he’d rode in the race;
we identified it as the French-raider River Choice. The horse having been checked over by a
member of the veterinary staff out on the track, clearance had been given for
him the ride the animal back. He rode
into the farthest corral and handed the horse back to its connections. That’s so typically Ruby! Here
is the full result for all those runners which finished the race:
And
those which did not finish:
We
returned to the steppings above the Winners’ Enclosure
area, eventually; although we did miss the presentations. Oliver
Sherwood revealed that it had been the owner’s decision to run the horse; the
trainer having thought it a year too soon, especially after the disappointing
run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Veterans,
13-year-old Tranquil Sea which had finished 7th and 14-year-old Oscar Time
which had finished 15th were retired at the end of the season having served
their connections well. Race 5 - 4:15pm THE CRABBIE'S GRAND
NATIONAL STEEPLE CHASE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) No Stewards Enquiry. Paul Nicholls, the trainer of ROCKY CREEK (IRE),
unplaced, reported that the gelding was never travelling. The Veterinary
Officer reported that a post-race examination of ROCKY CREEK (IRE) during routine
testing failed to reveal any abnormalities. Having
looked to be in a really bad way, veterinary staff finally persuaded
Balthazar King to stand up having been in receipt of emergency treatment and
painkillers; he was then transported to the University of Liverpool’s Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital. The initial diagnosis was that the horse
had fractured a number of ribs and was having difficulty breathing. Having damaged his lungs and ruptured some
blood vessels, his chest was full of gas and blood so the medical team had to
drain this to give the horse’s lungs a chance to expand; he was sedated as
opposed to anaesthetised, because it’s too risky to do the latter when
breathing is already compromised. A
blood transfusion was considered but found not to be necessary. Chest
x-rays and ultrasound confirmed that Balthazar had fractured four ribs on his
right side and it was presumed these had punctured his lungs. As the injury was located so close to his
spine, surgical correction was not possible, instead a pressure dressing was
applied around his ribs to make him more comfortable. The horse was kept under very close
supervision due to the risk of infection and remained on painkillers and
antibiotics. By 15 April he was able
to be led out for a pick of grass. The
long-term prognosis is that he will have a slightly deformed chest due to the
fact that corrective surgery could not be undertaken and that his breathing
capacity may also be slightly reduced.
The vet in charge expects that Balthazar King will be able to return
to athletic activities, but perhaps not racing. The injured horse was able to return to his
owners’ Hampshire farm six weeks after the Grand National. Having
lost a lot of condition due to the inactivity, he was soon undergoing
physiotherapy sessions but reported to be sound. His future plans will be decided once he’s
ridden again and back in training.
Thus the worst case scenario is a good retirement. There
had also been what turned out to be a career-ending fall from Portrait King’s
rider Davy Condon; he suffered a second occurrence of spinal concussion and
was forced to retire following consultation with a neurologist. More
The favourite
for the next race was One For The Guv’nr, trained
by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico de Boinville; price 4-1.
The starting gate for this race was located in
the far corner of the track. We did
watch the race, although we were too late to see the horses exit onto the
racecourse.
Then they were off. The runners were led away by one of the
Irish raiders, namely the mare Little King Robin. Behind her travelled Mason Hindmarsh, Thorpe, Astre De La Cour and Fethard Player; at the
rear of the field were War Sound and Ruler Of All. The leader was three lengths clear as they
headed around the bend and into the home straight on the first occasion and
she was slightly awkward jumping the first flight having got in a little bit
too close to it. There was an incident at the second
hurdle when War Sound made an error; this resulted in him veering to his left
which, in turn, pushed the unlucky Cinders And Ashes out beyond the running
rail; the latter was out of the race. This left the remaining twenty
runners to continue their journey down the home straight and over the third
flight still led by Little King Robin.
Heading down past the winning post with one circuit to go, the field
began to stretch out behind the leader; Astre De La
Cour travelled in second position, from Fethard Player, Mason Hindmarsh,
Chieftain’s Choice and the white-faced Roserrow. Ballyglasheen and
War Sound travelled at the rear of the field. The mare led the runners into the
back straight, a couple of lengths ahead of Astre
De La Cour and Fethard
Player; these three had drawn clear of the remainder who were headed by
Chieftain’s Choice. Having cleared
flight number four without incident, it was noticeable that Thorpe had now
lost so much ground that he was at the rear of the field and being pushed
along. The field continued its journey along
the back straight, and over flight number five, where one of the panels was
flattened by Oyster Shell in mid-field.
And still Little King Robin led the way as they crossed the pathway
and jumped four out. At the rear of
the field, Ruler Of All, Ballyglasheen and Thorpe
were struggling, soon to be joined by Mason Hindmarsh
too; these four had lost touch as they turned into the final straight. The hooded Fethard
Player jumped into the lead over the third last flight ,
and was followed through by Astre De La Cour, as the long-time leader began to drop back through
the field. There seemed many horses in
with chances as they approached two out, including Chieftain’s Choice, Queen
Alphabet, Baltimore Rock and The Game Changer. However, heading down to the final flight,
Irish-raider Fethard Player and Astre
De La Cour continued to battle for the lead, with
another Ireland versus UK battle developing for third place between Gigginstown’s The Game Changer and Baltimore Rock. The leading duo was still neck and
neck as they cleared the last flight, although Astre
De La Cour hit it.
However, despite this, he took a narrow lead and managed to hold on,
winning by a head at the line. The
Game Changer and Baltimore Rock had drifted across to the nearside and had
carried on their own battle all the way to the line; with the former claiming
third prize by a short-head. And, not
to be left out, it was a very close thing for fifth and sixth, with Queen
Alphabet beating Ruacana by a nose for the
honour! Thorpe finished last, with all
runners completing the course apart from the unlucky Cinders And Ashes.
Following the race we returned to the Parade
Ring, rather than the steppings. In early June, it was announced that the
injury-prone and unlucky in running former Supreme Novices’ winner Cinders
And Ashes had been retired. Race 6 - 5:10pm THE ONE STOP ENERGY HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2)
(For Conditional Jockeys and Amateur Riders) We had now arrived at the final race of the
fixture; this year it being the Mares’ Standard Open Flat race having been
swapped with the Open Race which now took place on Friday. The favourite for this race was Babylone Des Motte, trained by
Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh; price 11-4. The filly had won the Listed Mares’ Bumper
at Sandown Park on the Saturday prior to the Cheltenham Festival; that day
the Noel Williams-trained Briery Queen had finished
as runner-up and re-opposed today; the latter the only 6-year-old in today’s
race. Alan King had three fillies in this race; they were
all aged 4, with thoroughbred racehorses not classed as mares until they
reach the age of 5 due to their official 01 January birthdays. Firstly, Angel Face who sported the colours
of Dai Walters, Katie Too who is a full-sister to The Pirate’s Queen, and
Miss Crick who sports the yellow with red spots colours of David Sewell. Steve Ayres was helping to lead Angel Face around
the Parade Ring; Uxizandre’s lass
was leading up Miss Crick; and Travelling Head Lad Matt Howells was
helping with Katie Too. Wayne
Hutchinson had chosen to ride Miss Crick, with Aidan Coleman aboard Katie Too
and Paul Moloney riding Angel Face. My paddock pick of the Alan King runners was
Katie Too; Sandra liked Miss Crick best.
Perhaps we should have chosen Chocca Wocca because of her name! We returned to our favoured position beside the
horse-walk prior to the horses exiting onto the racecourse. The starting gate for this race was in the
far corner of the track.
And
then they were off. The runners were
led away by Briery Queen, Sea Pride and the keen Innis Shannon; at the rear of the field travelled the
nose-banded Isla Fernandos. Of the Alan King
runners, Angel Face travelled on the inside in mid-field, with Miss Crick
further back and Katie Too just three from the rear. Having
turned into the home straight, the runners headed down past the grandstands
with Sea Pride holding the slight advantage over Briery
Queen to her inside. They were
followed by Lifeboat Mona upsides Innis Shannon,
then Babylone Des Motte,
with Rose Revived and Hollies Pearl.
Behind these Sunshine Corner, Chocca Wocca, and Sherry; after which travelled Angel Face,
Whistle Dixie, and Pomme, following these
Unbuckled, Miss Crick, Katie Too, Verona Opera, Legend Lady and the slightly
detached Isla Fernandos. Being
a sharp bend following the winning post, a number of runners at the rear of
the field drifted out wide as they negotiated it; namely Pomme,
Katie Too and Verona Opera. Meanwhile
Sea Pride continued clear of the field by around three lengths as they began
their journey up the back straight.
The leader is trained by Sir Mark Prescott who I recall we’d seen
walking the course earlier in the day although, at the time, it had taken a
few moments for Sandra to recall his name!
Briery Queen remained a couple of lengths
ahead of the main body of the field in second position. Innish Shannon began
to lose ground to the outside of the field as they continued their journey
along beside the Melling Road, and Unbuckled
received a few encouraging slaps down her neck as she travelled to the inside
of the main group of runners; Pomme too, to the
wide outside. Sea
Pride continued to lead as the runners headed into the far turn, she was
still a couple of lengths clear of Briery Queen,
with Lifeboat Mona three lengths further back and leading the remainder; Isla
Fernandos was detached at the rear of the field as
she had been throughout the race. The
pace was being wound up by the leader as they travelled around the bend, with
Innis Shannon soon relegated to last position. Both Pomme and Verona
Opera were struggling too. Katie
Too had been steered wide to make her run and she’d soon passed Miss
Crick. Sea Pride continued to lead,
narrowly, as the runners headed between the wings of the third last flight; Briery Queen was still in second position but had come
under pressure. To the far side, Babylone Des Motte was
beginning her challenge under Ruby Walsh, with Chocca
Wocca and Hollies Pearl making progress to soon
join the leaders to the nearside. Briery Queen had begun
to fade as the runners passed between the wings of the second last flight;
which left Sea Pride with a slight advantage over Babylone
Des Motte, Chocca Wocca and Hollies Pearl.
However, as they continued down the home straight, it was the Willie
Mullins runner which cracked first, then the long-time leader. This left Chocca Wocca and Hollies Pearl to dispute the lead as they
headed between the final set of wings, and the latter to take the advantage
as they entered the final furlong. Then,
despite drifting across to the far rail under a right-hand drive, and
wavering again to the left when her jockey changed his whip-hand closer home,
Hollies Pearl went on to win by 1¾ lengths at the line from Chocca Wocca. Sea Pride had kept on despite being
overtaken and had finished 3rd, 2¾ lengths away. Gigginstown’s
Whistle Dixie completed in 4th, 1¾ lengths behind her. The
favourite Babylone Des Motte
claimed 5th, with Katie Too in 7th, Briery Queen
8th, Angel Face 10th and Miss Crick 14th.
It
had been a win for trainer Peter Bowen, ridden by son Sean; Peter has a very
good record of producing the winners of this race!
We headed back to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure following the race. Race 7 - 5:40pm THE PINSENT MASONS MARES'
STANDARD OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE (CLASS 1) (Listed Race) No Stewards Enquiry. Tom Scudamore,
the rider of POMME, unplaced, reported that the filly hung right throughout. Sandra
is a canny punter and had a number of winners during the three days, including
Rajdhani Express and Nichols Canyon. We
decided to wait behind on the steppings following
the last race ... still hopeful we might see Choc. And that was despite the fact that Many
Clouds would shortly be parading on the course! Choc vs. the winner of the Grand National
... no contest, it has to be Choc every time!!! Whilst
loitering, I noticed Choc’s mum Sally and her
companions walk along the pathway in front of the steppings
and they began to climb them to the far side before stopping. Were they waiting for someone I
wondered? I continued to glance across
every now and then ... and suddenly there he was, the lovely Choc! I set off in his direction, calling to
Sandra for her to follow. I had to
wait behind a group of guys heading for the exit, but I’d soon reached Choc
and his companions. I presume Choc,
his mum and friends were attending an event that evening, for he was handing
out plastic wristbands to them as I approached. “Hi
Choc, I hoped that I would see you today.”
I gave him a kiss on both cheeks and a little hug too. When asked if he’d had a good day, he said,
“I’ve been mooching about all day”. I
wish he would have mooched about with us!
Anyway, he was pleased to pose for photographs and sign an autograph
for Sandra too. Sandra couldn’t
believe I’d spotted Choc amongst the crowds ... but this bloodhound always
finds her man! Having
said our farewells, we headed out to the racecourse to see Many Clouds who,
having recovered from the exertions of the big race, was being paraded on the
racecourse. Having suffered a ‘wobbly’ after the race, the Grand
National winner was now in fine fettle and we were able to take a few
photographs before he was led back to the stables. Many Clouds has been unsteady on his feet
following previous races, including the Hennessy; it’s just one of his traits
and normal for him. We
popped to the ladies’ loos situated at the back of the Earl of Derby stand
before we left; better safe than sorry as I had a long journey home this
evening. Having walked back down the
concourse, we headed beneath the awnings which marked the entrance to the
course-side enclosures, before turning left through the betting-ring. As always on Grand National day, we had to
pick our way through the rubbish which had been dropped on the ground as we
walked towards the course-crossing point; the mess has to be seen to be
believed! We
joined the back of the queue waiting to catch a bus to the Melling Road car park; however, after a few minutes and
with the line of people still queued half way the course, we decided to walk
instead. Initially our route took us
along the same cinder track we’d used to begin the course-walk. A steward standing part way along would not
permit us to take a short-cut across the centre of the course; only bookies
with their trolleys were allowed to do that evidently. So
we continued further along, before taking a left turn and heading up the
roadway to the inside of the park course; eventually we crossed the course
and walked along the turf to the outside of the hurdles course. We’d soon reached the gateway, after which
we walked across the Melling Road and out through
the exit; it’s really strange but, out of habit, I always check for traffic
when crossing the aforementioned road, despite it being closed for the
duration of the racing. Mind you,
having said that, sometimes there have been coaches parked along the road,
but not this year. Today
we were running a little later than expected; but we’d soon reached my car and
set off to join the queues of traffic waiting to exit over Anchor
Bridge. I joined the right-hand queue,
which may not have been the best choice; this was because vehicles were
joining this queue having exited the Golf Club enclosure further along the
drive. An ambulance, with light
flashing, also had to weave its way through the queued traffic, heading for
the Anchor Bridge exit too.
Unfortunately the stewards also give priority to coaches; these
entered the queue, from our right, just beyond the Golf Club. Finally
it was our turn; having driven over the Anchor Bridge, we turned left at the
T-junction to head back to the Ormskirk Road. Due to weight of traffic, the queue tailed
back all the way. Having eventually reached the traffic lights, we turned
right, headed past Asda to reach the M57/M58
interchange. Once on the M57, we
exited at the second junction to join the eastbound carriageway of the
A580. Having arrived at the M6
junction road-works, traffic was again diverted via the roundabout option, as
opposed to the direct route through the middle. We arrived back at the Premier Inn at
19:45. Having
said my farewells, I remained in the car park for 10 minutes in order to eat
a number of biscuits ahead of my homeward journey. There was a group of boys playing football
in the car park; “you’ll be for the high-jump if you hit my car with your
football”, I thought! I headed back to
Junction 23 of the M6, taking the slip-road to join the southbound carriageway. The initial section of the motorway was
quiet, traffic-wise; until vehicles joined it from the M62 interchange,
namely 21A. As
happens every time I return from Aintree, the ‘keep your distance’ chevrons on the motorway carriageway drive me
crazy; I find them mesmerising. I
don’t notice them during daylight hours but, as the light fades, it’s a whole
different ball game. There is a
section of them prior to Stoke, and another after. And the Government is spending ‘loads of money’ on road repairs and
improvements, because the number of road-works being carried out was
amazing. There were some small
stretches, plus a long-stretch after Stoke; also the ongoing ones where the
M6 toll road begins. Because
I was running later than usual, and traffic was thus lighter, it was easier
to ensure I was in the correct lane when travelling through Birmingham; in
other words I didn’t get stuck in the wrong lane. The worst part of my journey is usually the
‘dark’ section between Birmingham
and the M1, but not so this year. As with the outbound journey on Thursday,
the major stretch of road-works was between the M6 junction and Northampton;
concrete barriers are being installed on the central reservation. As
a result, the outside lanes in both directions were out of use, with the
hard-shoulder currently being used as the inside lane. I was not keen on the resultant narrowing
of the three carriageway lanes and the headlights of vehicles which dazzled
me in the rear-view mirror and wing mirrors too. I did move the rear view mirror for a
while, but didn’t like driving without it.
I was also pretty tired by this time ... I always think that I’ll stop
off in one of the service stations for a break ... but I never do! I’m back on very familiar territory by the time I
reach Junction 12; and there were yet more road-works here! Junction 12 is the one I use when visiting
my little brother and his family in nearby Silsoe;
I could travel to see them via Luton ... but I’d rather not!!! I left the motorway at Junction 9, and
returned via Harpenden Common to St Albans.
My trip home had taken me exactly three and a half hours; I arrived
back at 23:25. I set up my Skybox recordings
and video player on Wednesday afternoon, and double-checked the planner ... but
on Sunday morning I discovered that all three of my RUK Skybox recordings had
failed and I had nothing but the Saturday highlights programme which I’d
added to the planner on a whim! L There was nothing wrong with the
system, as I did have all three Morning Lines and the aforementioned RUK
highlights. It should not have been a
problem because I had well over 30 hours of free recording time available ...
it’s a total mystery. My one consolation is that RUK
re-show their Cheltenham, Aintree and Royal Ascot highlight programmes over
Christmas when there’s no live racing; or before that, if they have no live
racing on any given day. I just need
to be vigilent so that I don’t miss it.
In fact, RUK showed all three of
their Aintree Festival highlights programmes on 19 April; they caught me out
slightly, but I did manage to record the end of race 4, plus races 5 to 7 on
Day 1, and all of Day 2; I already had Day 3.
Fortunately Sandra sent me a copy of the Channel 4 race coverage ...
so I’m sorted; although I will still keep a look-out for the missing races to
complete my 2015 RUK collection! It transpires, as I write this diary, that I have
part of one race missing, namely race 1 on day 1 ... because Channel 4 didn’t
broadcast it apart from the race finish; although the RUK pundits did analyse
each race the day after the Festival and showed the final circuit. Click here for photos – Parade of Stars, etc. Click here for photos – Race 1 Click here for photos – Race 2 & 3 Click here for photos – Race 4 Click here for photos – Race 5 – Grand National Click here for photos – Race 6 & 7 Click here for photos – Meeting Choc & Many Clouds |
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