PART II
DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL
LADIES’ DAY
FRIDAY 07 APRIL 2017
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Winning jockey Harry Cobden helps to cool his mount, Ultragold, following the Topham Chase Click here to
read my Ladies’ Day Diary Part I The favourite for the next race was Sub
Lieutenant, trained by Henry de Bromhead and ridden
by Bryan Cooper; price 100-30. He was
an absolute handful as he came out of the Parade Ring early; his lad and
trainer were having an issue holding him!
Fox Norton was led out without a jockey, with Robbie Power preceding
him on foot. Being a Grade 1 race and the feature event of the
day, having exited onto the racecourse, the runners were paraded in front of
the stands before they headed to the starting gate, which was at the beginning
of the back straight. I think Sub
Lieutenant may have missed the pre-race parade due to his behaviour.
Anyway, soon it was time for the race to
commence, with the Assistant Starter whipping them in as they approached the
starting gate. And then they were off,
with Uxizandre leading the way to the first fence;
Josses Hill was almost upsides as they cleared it. The field continued along the back straight
to the second; Uxizandre was very hesitant at this
one although he retained a narrow advantage.
The third fence was the first open-ditch and Alan
King’s runner took off a long way before the fence, but made it to the other
side okay. However, this enabled
Josses Hill to take the lead, from Sub Lieutenant as they headed across the
sanded track to reach the final fence in the back straight. All nine of the runners cleared this one
well before they entered the far turn; the Nicky Henderson representative
continued to lead the way, from Sub Lieutenant, Uxizandre,
Kylemore Lough, Fox Norton, last year’s winner
God’s Own, Royal Regatta, Traffic Fluide and Top
Gamble. Fox Norton made a small error at the
cross-fence. It was almost an Indian
file formation as the runners headed into the home straight on the first
occasion. The leader jumped away to
his right as he cleared the first fence therein; this had a knock-on effect with
the Gigginstown runner which currently travelled to
his outside. As a result Bryan Cooper
switched his mount to the inner as they headed towards the second of the
open-ditches. Again Josses Hill jumped
out to his right over this one and Sub Lieutenant took a very narrow
advantage as they headed across the Grand National course on their way to
fence number eight. Fox Norton landed
hind-legs first over this one and Traffic Fluide
was less than perfect here too. The runners then headed down past the winning
post with one circuit now to travel.
At the rear of the field, Royal Regatta received a couple of sharp
reminders as he quickly lost touch with his rivals. Richard Johnson persevered for a few
strides but it soon became apparent that his mount wasn’t in a ‘going mood’ today. The Champion Jockey pulled up Royal Regatta
before entering the back straight; so there were 8 competitors remaining. The pace had been raised as they began their
journey to the next; there were no incidents at this obstacle, although God’s
Own cleared it a little more slowly than his rivals. Although he still seemed to be travelling
okay between his fences, Barry Geraghty had to boot
Uxizandre into the next fence. There were no issues here and the runners
continued to the open-ditch. The Alan
King runner held a very narrow advantage as they cleared it. The field headed across the sanded track once
more on their journey to the final fence in the back straight; a blanket
would have covered the first three.
Having cleared this obstacle, the runners headed into the far turn led
by Sub Lieutenant from Josses Hill. Uxizandre appeared a little short of room to the inside
of Kylemore Lough at this point. Traffic Fluide
was being pushed along at the rear of the field as they continued to the
cross-fence. The leading four were
almost in a line across the track as they jumped it. Sub Lieutenant then forged on and led the field
around the final bend. Kylemore Lough was now his nearest pursuer, with the
hooded Fox Norton improving his position between Uxizandre
and Josses Hill. Traffic Fluide remained at the back of the field. Having entered the home straight there were
three further fences to negotiate. The Gigginstown runner
held a half-length advantage as they jumped three out; having cleared it, Uxizandre quickly dropped to the back of the field. It was Fox Norton which swept through
between Sub Lieutenant and Kylemore Lough as they
headed towards the final open-ditch and he held a narrow lead as they cleared
it. Meanwhile, currently in fourth
position, God’s Own jumped out to his right over this one. There was no stopping Fox Norton as the runners
crossed the Grand National track; he continued to extend his lead as he
approached the final fence and was at least five lengths clear of his nearest
rival as he flew over it. Robbie Power
continued to push him out until they were opposite the water-jump, after
which he let his mount coast home to record a winning distance of 6 lengths
at the line. Sub Lieutenant finished
2nd and Traffic Fluide stormed down the run-in to
claim 3rd position very close home; 11 lengths behind the runner-up. Kylemore Lough
completed in 4th position, God’s Own 5th, Top Gamble 6th, Josses Hill 7th and
Uxizandre last.
It was the owners’, Ann and Alan Potts, second Grade
1 winner of the afternoon; following on from Pingshou’s
victory. When interviewed, Robbie
Power said his mount’s jumping errors were probably due to him just getting
to know the horse. He was also of the
opinion that Fox Norton would be able to stay 3-miles on today’s type of
ground – it was described as good.
Thus Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase might be a possibility; being
the owners’ designated jockey, he also had the option to ride Cheltenham Gold
Cup winner Sizing John in that or the Lexus Chase.
We
remained beside the course-side rails following the race. Race 4 - 3:25pm THE JLT MELLING STEEPLE
CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) The Stewards considered
the running of ROYAL REGATTA (IRE), ridden by Richard Johnson and trained by
Philip Hobbs, which was pulled up. They noted the trainer’s representative
could offer no explanation for the gelding’s performance. The Stewards noted that
SUB LIEUTENANT (IRE), trained by Henry de Bromhead,
was unruly and difficult to saddle and had therefore entered the Parade Ring
after the signal to mount was given. They further noted that the gelding was
mounted on the course and had failed to parade in race card order due to its
continued unruly behaviour. The Stewards considered
the running of GOD’S OWN (IRE), ridden by A.P. Heskin
and trained by Tom George, placed fifth. They noted the trainer could offer
no explanation for the gelding’s performance. The favourites for race 5 were As De Mee, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Sean Bowen
and Seefood trained by Dr Richard Newland and
ridden by Richard Johnson; their price 8-1.
Of the two JP McManus runners, Barry Geraghty
had chosen last year’s winner Eastlake over Bouvreuil. My non-betted upon selection was Third Intention
which had finished 3rd in this race last year. There were three greys in this event,
namely Irish Cavalier, Straidnahanna and Portrait
King. Nicky Henderson had won the Topham five times,
with Wont Be Gone Long in 1990, Liberthine in 2006
and Triolo D’Alene, Ma Filleule
and Rajdhani Express in 2013, 2014 and 2015
respectively. Today he was represented
by the novices O O Seven and Gold Present; although
they’d both only had 4 runs apiece over fences. The
Topham Chase is run over 18 Grand National fences. The start of the race was at the far end of
the home straight, with 2 fences to jump before The Chair. There were a number of late joiners to the main
group as they jogged around ahead of the start, with Solar Impulse, Irish
Cavalier and Vintage Vinnie still having their girths checked before joining
the others latterly. The hooded
Henryville ridden by Leighton Aspell was a
latecomer, being led towards the others as they continued to mill around
ahead of the off. His mount was
released to the rear of the main group and joined Eastlake which was also
hanging slightly back from the others.
Amazingly, the runners were off at the first time
of asking; it was civilised! Leading
the field as they headed over the first fence was Katachenko,
As De Mee, Go Conquer, Imjoeking,
Gowanauthat and Mr Diablo. Bright New Dawn, travelling just behind the
leaders, crashed through the fence and fell.
As a result, both Long Lunch and Eastlake were hampered. Jockey Liam Treadwell was soon being attended
to on the landing side of the obstacle. The remaining 28 runners continued to the second
fence, where Third Intention fell; he appeared to jump the fence okay but
just knuckled over on landing. Both
Eastlake and Henryville had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with
the prostrate horse. By the way, both
of the fallen horses were okay and had galloped away, rider-less. The field now headed to the third fence, The
Chair. Katachenko
and Imjoeking led over this, from Gowanauthat and Go Conquer. Ballykan dived
over the fence and fell when travelling to the inside, just behind the
leaders; he hampered Bouvreuil, but Portrait King
deftly sidestepped the faller. Ballykan galloped away unhurt. The remaining 26 competitors headed over
the water-jump without incident; Portrait King and Henryville brought up the
rear. The runners subsequently headed around the
grandstand turn, headed under the Grand National starting gate and out into
the country for the one and only time.
Imjoeking held a narrow advantage as they
jumped the fifth fence; close up to his inside, Katachenko
made a slight error and jockey Will Kennedy reached down to adjust his left
iron as a result. The following fence was a plain one and, to the
outside of runners and near to the rear, Long Lunch fell at this one. The horse was fine and jockey James Davies
jogged away too. Imjoeking
continued to lead as the remaining runners headed towards and all negotiated
the open-ditch successfully. There were no casualties at the eighth fence
either, with Derek Fox’s mount still narrowly ahead, spearheading the
runners. Katachenko
continued to plough a furrow to the inside, with As De Mee,
Go Conquer, O O Seven, Gowanauthat all prominent. Bringing up the rear were Ruby’s mount Alelchi Inois, also Henryville
and Portrait King. The ninth fence provided little challenge to the
runners as they all cleared it without incident. The next fence would be Beecher’s
Brook. There were no departures at
this infamous fence, although one of the joint-favourites Seefood
did stumble on landing, with jockey Richard Johnson having to re-gather his
reins as they continued. The following fence was Fionavon
and all of the runners hopped over this one without any issues. Imjoeking
continued to lead from Katachenko, As De Mee, Ultragold, O O Seven, Eastlake, Gold Present, Go Conquer, Vintage
Vinnie, Seefood, Solar Impulse, Bouvreuil,
Gowanauthat, Katnap, Thomond, Mr Diablo, Straidnahanna,
Irish Cavalier, Thomas Brown, Henryville, Clarcam,
Quite By Chance, Portrait King, and Father Edward; Alelchi
Inois brought up the rear. The leader swung in from his mid-course position
as they approached the Canal Turn in order to take the fence at an angle;
this reduced the severity of the 90% turn.
However, still travelling to the inside, Katachenko
put in an extra stride, got too close and unseated Will Kennedy as a
result. A number of runners appeared
to be short of room at this point; Gold Present fell, although seemingly some
way after the fence having lost his hind-legs from under him, and Gowanauthat was badly hampered and unseated his
rider. Go Conquer was severely
hampered but survived. Quite By Chance
was carried very wide as a result of the melee. It appeared that Gold Present and Gowanauthat’s reins became entangled too, so as they
cantered away they were tethered together with nowhere to go! Meanwhile the remaining horses headed to and
successfully negotiated Valentines; Imjoeking
continued to lead from O O Seven and As De Mee. However, the
former got a little close to the next fence and capsized on landing. The field had now thinned out considerably,
so no-one was hampered by this incident.
The loose horse galloped away unharmed and Derek Fox was quickly to
his feet also. This departure left O O Seven to lead narrowly from Ultragold,
As De Mee and Eastlake. However, when improving to the outside of
runners, Seefood didn’t get high enough over the
following fence, which was the final open-ditch, and he fell. Thomas Brown was hampered as a result of
this departure. Quite By Chance was
pulled up before this fence and Alelchi Inois after it having made a jumping error. Meanwhile, heading over the next, O O Seven continued to lead from Ultragold,
As De Mee, Vintage Vinnie, Solar Impulse, Eastlake,
Bouvreuil, Mr Diablo, Irish Cavalier, Thomond, Henryville, Katnap,
Portrait King, Thomas Brown, Straidnahanna, Go
Conquer, Father Edward and Clarcam. The runners soon re-crossed the Melling Road and swung to their left heading for two
out. Vintage Vinnie and Solar Impulse
were now coming under pressure, with Eastlake weakening too. However, there was a steward standing in front of
the penultimate fence and he was waving a chequered flag; green screens had
been erected around jockey Liam Treadwell who was still being attended on the
far side of the fence. This being the
case, the remaining competitors steered their mounts to the outside of the
obstacle with now just one fence to jump.
The leading trio were travelling neck and neck as they approached the
last, with Katnap emerging from the pack in
pursuit. Having successfully negotiated the fence, O O Seven was the first to weaken, and the same fate soon
befell As De Mee.
This left Ultragold with a half-length
advantage over Katnap as they reached the
elbow. However, despite the best
efforts of the Irish raider, the Colin Tizzard
runner was able to fend off his rival and galloped all the way to the line to
win by a length. It was a blanket finish for third place, with
Portrait King running on the claim it 6 lengths behind the runner-up. O O Seven
completed in 4th and As De Mee 5th; Thomond was a close 6th.
Vintage Vinnie claimed 7th, Henryville 8th, Father Edward 9th and Bouvreuil 10th.
There were 10 prizes, although the latter won just £84! Irish Cavalier came home next, followed by
Solar Impulse, Straidnahanna, Thomas Brown, Mr
Diablo, Clarcam and, finally, Go Conquer … who
didn’t today! Barry Geraghty had pulled up Eastlake having successfully
negotiated the last. Colin Tizzard was
certainly farming the prizes today, having won three of the five races so
far! This one was for Brocade Racing,
P Romans and Terry Warner. This
particular winner certainly wasn’t expected, as Ultragold
was a 50-1 shot. The winning jockey
was 18-year-old Harry Cobden; he went on to win the current season’s
Conditional Jockeys’ Championship.
My race pick was right trainer, wrong horse! RUK reported that all horses had returned
safely. Daryl Jacob, who had fallen at The Chair aboard Ballykan, was stood down for the remainder of the
day. Having initially been treated in
the medical room, Liam Treadwell was taken to hospital, as a precaution.
And
those which did not finish:
The
two side-saddle mounted ladies accompanied the winner back to the Winners’
Enclosure. My selection went awry very early on, having been
Third Intention. We
remained at our chosen position beside the exit/entry walkway. Race 5 - 4:05pm RANDOX HEALTH TOPHAM
STEEPLE CHASE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) The
Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Sean Flanagan, the rider
of THOMOND (IRE), placed sixth, from 2 furlongs out. Having heard his
evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they found him in breach of
Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he had used his whip
above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Flanagan for 2 days as
follows: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April 2017. The
Stewards noted that KATACHENKO (IRE), trained by Donald McCain, would wear
earplugs which would be removed at the start. The
Veterinary Officer reported that a post-race examination of GO CONQUER (IRE),
unplaced, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, during routine
testing, found it to have lost its left fore shoe. The favourite for the next event was Constantine
Bay, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Nico
de Boinville; price 11-4. Before the race started, the steward who was
manning the walkway gate laid down a challenge to select the winner of the
next race; he did this, in his own words, because ‘you seem to know what you are talking about’. I chose the second favourite The Worlds End
and the fifth favourite Debece; the latter is a
half-brother to Don Poli. Also running in this race was West
Approach, a half-brother to Thistlecrack. The McNeill family had two runners in this race –
The Worlds End and Keeper Hill. The
start of this race was part way down the home straight, with one flight
therein to jump and therefore just over 2 circuits to travel.
Monbeg
Charmer was delayed arriving at the start.
Once his girth had been checked, the others joined him upon the
hurdles’ track and, although he was bouncing along sideways-on due to
keenness, the horses were off at the first time of asking. Get On The Yager led
the runners to the first hurdle, from Monbeg
Charmer to the wide outside, and between them Elegant Escape and Trevor Hemmings’ Testify.
Keepers Hill was at the rear of the field as they jumped it. There was no change at the head of affairs
as the field continued around the grandstand bend, heading out into the
country for the first time. Travelling out wide once again, Monbeg Charmer led the runners over the first flight in
the back straight. Near the back of
the field, the favourite had to be chivvied along as they headed towards the
third flight. Elegant Escape didn’t
jump this flight particularly fluently.
West Approach was now at the rear of the field. Testify moved alongside Monbeg
Charmer to dispute the lead as they headed across the sanded track on their
journey to the final flight in the back straight. West Approach didn’t jump it very well and
was subsequently pushed along. The lead was disputed by Get On The Yager, Testify and Monbeg
Charmer as they headed into the far turn and across the top of the
racecourse; Debece was travelling on their heels
and keen. Monbeg
Charmer had lost his early position by the time they entered the home
straight once more. Testify led
narrowly over the first flight therein.
In midfield, Constantine Bay didn’t appear to be travelling
particularly kindly as they continued to the next flight. Testify and Get On The Yager
jumped this in unison at the head of affairs.
They journeyed to the next, where Get On The Yager landed awkwardly and briefly lost half a length or
so but was back on terms with Testify as they headed past the winning post
with one further circuit to travel. Debece travelled nicely in third position, from Ballymalin, Elegant Escape, The Worlds End alongside the
nudged along Constantine Bay, Beyond Conceit, Keeper Hill, West Approach and
the struggling and now detached Monbeg
Charmer. Brian Hughes decided to pull
his mount up before the next flight. Entering the back straight for the final time,
Testify led from Get On The Yager; the latter
landed slightly awkwardly over this one.
The favourite was driven more firmly by this stage of the race. It was the leader’s turn to land awkwardly
over the next flight but he retained his advantage; in mid-field, Elegant
Escape also made an error. The runners now headed across the sanded pathway
on their journey to the final flight in the back straight. There were a number of untidy jumps at this
one, due to an increase in pace, with a flattened panel remaining in their
wake one from the inside and West Approach hopping through the gap left
therein. Get On The Yager held a
half-length advantage as they headed into the far turn, with Testify now
receiving a couple of backhanders from Will Kennedy as he disputed second
position with The Worlds End. At the rear
of the main group, Keeper Hill appeared to clip heels with a rival and was
fortunate not to come down as a result.
The Skelton’s runner continued at the head of affairs as they headed
across the top of the racecourse, despite being ridden along. In contrast, Testify dropped out and soon
found himself at the rear of the field. Having entered the home straight, The Worlds End
loomed up alongside the leader as they headed towards the third last and took
over as they jumped it. Debece was also beginning his challenge, although he
jumped out to his left, which resulted in Constantine Bay being a little
short of room here; a hurdle panel was flattened as a result. The Worlds End, although leading, was being cajoled
along as they headed towards the penultimate flight; jockey Adrian Heskin administering slaps down his mount’s neck. Debece was his
nearest pursuer as they cleared it, with Beyond Conceit, Constantine Bay and
Keeper Hill only marginally behind the Tim Vaughan runner. Adrian Heskin continued
to drive his mount as they approached the final flight, and the leader
knocked a panel flat having got too close to it. Debece jumped
through the gap, whilst Beyond Conceit flattened the adjacent section having
bunny-hopped it. Amazingly, having ran
in snatches throughout the race and often not jumped particularly well
either, Constantine Bay continued to challenge the leading trio. In contrast, Keepers Hill had now weakened
and dropped back. The Worlds End drifted across towards the far
rail as they headed down the run-in, with his three rivals continuing to stay
on and gradually gaining upon him.
However they ran out of time and Tom George’s charge won by half a
length at the line. Travelling to the
nearside, Beyond Conceit grabbed the runner-up spot probably on the nod; he’d
beaten Debece by a short-head. Thus I lost out on a one two by the
shortest distance possible.
Constantine Bay completed three quarters of a length further back to
claim 4th. Ballymalin
plugged on the finish 5th, with Keeper Hill fading into 6th. Nine completed the race, with West Approach
having been pulled up before the final flight. When interviewed after the race, owner Max
McNeill said the plan for next season for The Worlds End is the staying
hurdle route, rather than novice chasing.
He’d fallen in a point-to-point at the start of his career; a race
which had been won by Ballymountain Boy, which is
now trained by Martin Keighley!
Needless
to say, the steward was impressed that I’d picked the winner and the
third! Phew! We stayed within the Earl of Derby
Enclosure, beside the horse-walk entry/exit point following the race. Race 6 - 4:40pm THE DOOM BAR SEFTON
NOVICES' HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) The Stewards noted that
leaving the back straight on the last circuit, KEEPER HILL (IRE), placed
sixth, had clipped the heels of BALLYMALIN (IRE), placed fifth, but after
viewing a recording of the race they were satisfied that it did not involve a
riding offence. Brian Hughes, the rider
of MONBEG CHARMER (IRE), which pulled up, reported that the gelding hung right
and jumped right. The favourite for the final race of the day was
Black Op trained by Tom George and ridden by Adrian Heskin;
price 10-3. Aidan Coleman replaced Daryl Jacob aboard
Enniscoffey Oscar; the latter having been stood down for the day having
fallen during the Topham Chase. The starting gate for this event was in the far
corner of the track, close to the Anchor Bridge canal crossing.
The horses headed into the chute, close to the
Anchor Bridge road crossing, with Amateur the last to join the group. The runners jogged towards the starting gate
and then they were off, at the first attempt.
Carlos Du Fruitier led the runners as they headed
across the top of the racecourse; prominent were Sea Sovereign, Lalor, Black Op, And The New and Claimantakinforgan. Bringing up the rear at this stage were
Amateur and Tikkanbar. There was a little bit of argy-bargy as they travelled left-handed to enter the home
straight on the first occasion. The Ben Pauling representative continued at the
head of affairs as the runners journeyed between the empty wings of the three
sets of hurdles on their way towards the main grandstands and winning
post. The field headed briefly into
and out of the shadow cast by one of the new stands as they continued around
the bottom bend. Carlos Du Fruitier continued to lead from Black
Op, Sea Sovereign, Claimantakenforgan, Lalor, And The New, King Of Realms, Run To Milan, If The Cap Fits which sported the Rooney colours, Clondaw Castle, Point Of Principle, Larry, Some Reign,
Western Ryder, Loud And Clear, Bomber’s Moon, Enniscoffey Oscar, Amateur and Tikkanbar. The horses headed under the Grand National
starting gate and subsequently into the back straight for the one and only
time. All of the competitors continued
to travel well within themselves as they headed through the first set of
empty wings, then through the second set, across the sanded pathway followed
by the final set of hurdle wings.
There was no change at the head of affairs, and Tom Scudamore continued to hold Tikkanbar
up at the rear of the field. The first horse to show signs of distress, as
they headed into the far turn, was Bomber’s Moon. Larry was soon struggling too, with Loud
And Clear now at the back of the field; Some Reign, ridden by Grand National
winning jockey turned flat-race jockey Graham Lee, was hampered as they began
the turn into the home straight. Having entered it, the competitors had soon
passed between the empty wings of the third last; shortly afterwards, and
with a wall of horses in front of him, Rhys Flint decided to switch Amateur to
the stand-side in order to get a clearer run.
Lalor had grabbed a narrow advantage as the
runners headed through the wings of the penultimate flight; but he had a wall
of horses snapping at his heels. The
favourite Black Op was one of these, but he was under pressure. Lalor
continued to lead as they headed towards the final set of hurdle wings; And
The New, Claimantakinforgan, Clondaw
Castle, If The Cap Fits and the improving Enniscoffey Oscar were in hot
pursuit. Having passed between the
aforementioned wings, the leader then drifted across to the far rail under a
strong drive from Richard Johnson. However the leader was soon three lengths clear
of his rivals, with Enniscoffey Oscar beginning to outstay his rivals in the
battle for the runner-up position. Lalor passed the post 2½ lengths ahead of Aidan Coleman’s
mount, with Western Ryder staying on to the outside of runners to claim 3rd
place, only a nose behind. If The Cap Fits was a neck away in 4th and Claimantakinforgan three-quarters of a length 5th, with
And The New a head back in 6th. Larry
finished last of the 19 runners. The winner was priced at 33-1. He isn’t ground-dependent either, having
run well on soft and heavy going previously.
We
decided to return to the steppings above the
Winners’ Enclosure following this race, the final one of the day. Race 7 - 5:15pm THE WEATHERBYS PRIVATE BANK CHAMPION
STANDARD OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) The
Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Gavin Sheehan, the rider
of WESTERN RYDER (IRE), placed third, from approximately 1½ furlongs out.
Having heard his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they found him
in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that he had
used his whip above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Sheehan for 4
days as follows: Friday 21 to Monday 24 April 2017. Martin
Dwyer, the rider of LOUD AND CLEAR, unplaced, reported that the gelding ran
too free. Racing
over, we set off back to the hotel, taking exactly the same route as the
previous day; or I should say Sandra’s route, not my detour via the M62! This meant heading out of the car park via the
Anchor Bridge and turning right having reached Aintree Lane. This road is designated the B5194 and we
headed along it to reach a mini-roundabout where we turned right. Shortly afterwards there is a set of
traffic lights which regulates the flow of vehicles using a single-track
swing bridge over the canal. The water
therein appeared to be clogged with weed. Having
negotiated said bridge, we continued to a set of traffic lights at the
cross-roads upon the A506; we turned left and headed along the dual
carriageway to a roundabout situated beneath the M57. We drove underneath the motorway and headed
up the slip-road, before leaving at the next junction in order to head
eastwards upon the A580. This
is a dual carriageway, with a number of sets of traffic lights, but just a
couple of roundabouts in addition to the one beneath the M6. It is a very straight road too, with an occasional
hill here and there; also rural for much of our route upon it. The hotel is situated a couple of miles
beyond the M6, at Golborne, near Haydock, and the A580 runs beside it. Our
evening meal was booked for 19:45 once more; today our table was in a much
better location within the restaurant.
I chose spinach and ricotta lasagne, gin and tonic lemon trifle, and
an apple & mango J2O. |
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