PART II
DIARY – AINTREE FESTIVAL
GRAND OPENING DAY
THURSDAY 06 APRIL 2017
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Buveur D’Air, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by
Barry Geraghty, winner of the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle Click here to read my Grand Opening Day Diary Part I It was soon time
for the fourth race of the day, the Aintree Hurdle. The favourite for this event was Buveur D’Air, winner of this
season’s Champion Hurdle, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty; price 4-9. There had been forty runnings
of the Aintree Hurdle, with Irish-trained horses winning it on 20 occasions
despite being outnumbered by home-trained horses. There were two Irish representatives today
– Identity Thief and Rashaan – solely lesser lights
and probably posing little danger. As this race was
today’s feature event, having exited onto the racecourse, the runners were
paraded in front of the stands before they headed to the starting gate, which
was a third of the way along the back straight; two of the three flights of
hurdles being jumped before the far turn.
Having skirted around the first hurdle in the back
straight, the runners continued to walk towards the tape and then they were
off. The New One was first into
stride, followed by Identity Thief whose jockey sported the Gigginstown silks.
The favourite travelled in third, after which came Old Guard, the
chestnut Rashaan and, last but not least, My Tent
Or Yours. The leader had set up an
advantage of around five lengths as he hopped over the first flight. The New One, which was running in this race for
the fourth time, continued to lead as they headed across the pathway which
leads to the Steeplechase car park on their journey to the second
flight. Identity Thief gave this one
plenty of daylight; probably a result of having been chasing this season
before reverting back to hurdles following disappointing form in that sphere
latterly. It was Indian file as the runners headed into the
far turn, with the hooded My Tent Or Yours continuing to bring up the
rear. The New One remained at the head
of affairs as they entered the home straight on the first occasion, from
Identity Thief, Buveur D’Air,
Old Guard, the best turned-out winner Rashaan, and
My Tent Or Yours. I’m not quite sure
why Rashaan was chosen, as neither the horse’s mane
nor his tail was plaited! Anyway, the six competitors cleared the third flight
in their stride before heading down to the next; the leader cleared this one
with ears pricked, although he did jump a little bit out to his right as he
did so. There was a slightly longer
run to the fifth, where My Tent Or Yours didn’t make much of an effort to
jump it; he just flattened the inside panel instead! It didn’t affect his momentum though. The Nigel Twiston-Davies
runner continued to lead as they headed down past the winning post with one
circuit to go; the advantage he held over his nearest rival was now just over
one length. The competitors then
galloped through the Grand National starting gate before heading into the
back straight once more. The race
order remained the same, namely The New One, from Identity Thief, Buveur D’Air, Old Guard, Rashaan and My Tent Or Yours. Identity Thief got a little bit close to the
sixth flight and he lost momentum; as a result Buveur
D’Air was soon matching strides with him. Meanwhile, My Tent Or Yours had relegated Rashaan to last place.
Once again the Gigginstown representative
was less than fluent at the following flight and the favourite moved through
to take second position, narrowly. The New One wandered about on his approach to the
final flight in the back straight; he jumped out to his right as he cleared
it. It’s one of The New One’s
preferences. Rashaan
was being pushed along at the rear of the field as the runners headed into
the far turn. The New One continued to
lead as the runners headed across the top of the racecourse, from Identity
Thief which had regained second, Buveur D’Air, My Tent Or Yours alongside Old Guard and, finally,
Rashaan. The runners entered the home straight with the
original field of six intact. Bryan
Cooper headed out wide aboard Identity Thief as they headed towards the third
last. The New One continued to hold
the lead as they jumped this; again he jumped out slightly to his right. The race was on as the competitors
journeyed to the penultimate flight.
The New One ran down the flight, to his right of course, and ended up
even wider on the course than Identity Thief.
Meanwhile Buveur D’Air was ploughing a far straighter furrow down the
track and had quickly drawn alongside the long-time leader. My Tent Or Yours was soon a clear
third. The New One was under pressure
as they approached the final flight, and the favourite was almost a length up
on his rival as they jumped it. All Barry Geraghty
needed to do was push him out and Buveur D’Air scooted away from his rivals to win by five lengths
at the line, easing down. Perpetual
bridesmaid My Tent Or Yours came through in the last 75 yards to claim the
runner-up spot, with The New One 1½ lengths behind him in 3rd. Old Guard was a further 11 lengths back in
4th. Rashaan
completed in 5th, with Identity Thief last.
Nicky
Henderson explained, post-race, that My Tent Or Yours has been particularly
chilled-out this year; he no longer pulls.
This being the case, the trainer was sure he’d get the extended trip
well today. We
chose to remain at our chosen vantage point ahead of the next race. Race 4 - 3:25pm THE BETWAY AINTREE HURDLE
(CLASS 1) (Grade 1) The Stewards noted that
BUVEUR D’AIR (FR), trained by Nicky Henderson, would wear earplugs. It
was soon time for the fifth race of the day; the Fox Hunters’ Chase for
amateur riders which is run over the Grand National fences. Never beaten over these unique fences, the
favourite for the next was On The Fringe trained by Enda
Bolger and ridden by Mr Jamie Codd, aka The Coddfather! His
price was 7-4; rather short having been placed only 4th in the Cheltenham
Festival Foxhunter this year. Age
appeared to be catching up with the horse; he was 12 now. Sandra’s fancy was Black Thunder ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen; my selection, although I didn’t place a bet,
was the ex-Alan King-trained Dineur, runner-up last
year and now trained by Peter Bowen’s son Mickey. Also taking part was 15-year-old Big Fella Thanks; a veteran of Grand Nationals in his heyday. He was currently trained by Tom George and
today ridden by son Noel who was only 17!
The winner of this year’s Cheltenham Foxhunters, and placed in this
event in previous attempts, Pacha Du Polder. Mendip Express, another horse which had
previously been placed over these fences.
Also Balnaslow, representing Northern
Ireland, which had given punters an excellent run for their money when making
most of the running in this year’s Festival Foxhunters too; he’d finished 5th
that day. Rebel Rebellion was competing
also; another horse with proven Aintree experience over these fences. There were no greys. All of the jockeys taking part in the race wore
black arm-bands in memory of rider James McNeile
who had recently lost his life as a result of a point-to-point accident at Larkhill. The
start of the race was at the far end of the home straight, with 2 fences to
jump before The Chair; having reached the starting area, the riders took their mounts to look
at the first obstacle, before having their girths checked prior to the
race.
It will come as no surprise that the riders were
too keen when approaching the starting gate; the Starter instructed the
jockeys to pull-up! Typically, instead
of asking their mounts to line up either to the outside or behind those
already stood at the post, a number of jockeys decided they’d like to back
into non-existent spaces in order to retain their advantage at the
start. Total chaos reigned. The riders were asked to take a turn, but they didn’t
go very far from the tape before returning.
It remained gridlock close to the rail, with one or two facing in
completely the wrong direction.
Finally they were ready to go, from a standing start; with Fitz Volonte more slowly away than his rivals. Standing starts don’t suit every horse. The runners headed to the first fence, with Dineur, Pacha Du Polder, On The
Fringe and Mendip Express amongst those prominent as they cleared it. At the back of the field, Broken Eagle
jumped it a little awkwardly but there were no casualties at this one. Travelling towards the next, the jockey
aboard Fitz Volonte glanced back a couple of times,
first over his right shoulder and then his left; there was only one behind
him, Broken Eagle. The runners headed over the second, with Top Cat
Henry, Mendip Express, Pacha Du Polder, Balnaslow and Poole Master
leading the way; Balnaslow took this one slower
than his immediate rivals, and Loch Ba hit it, but
everyone survived to continue their journey to The Chair. Fitz Volonte had
been relegated to the rear of the field once more. The first casualty was Katie Walsh; Distime hit the fence and catapulted her over his
head. Then, to add insult to injury,
her mount also trod on her. Ouch. Also with less than perfect efforts were On
The Fringe, Vincitore and Loch Ba. Meanwhile the remaining 27 runners continued
their journey to the water-jump; Mendip Express and Top Cat Henry were
disputing the lead as they jumped it and Pacha Du
Polder was a little bit slower than his rivals when negotiating it. The field then headed around the bottom
bend and had soon passed beneath the Grand National starting gate. On The Fringe had dropped back noticeably
through the field, and Richmond now brought up the rear. Having crossed the Melling
Road, the horses soon reached the fifth fence; Mendip Express and Top Cat
Henry continued to lead, with Rebel Rebellion now close up to their
outside. All of the runners cleared
this one safely, although Mr Moss made an error and a number were already
beginning to lose touch. The field then headed over the next; Darwins Fox made a significant error here and pecked on
landing when travelling just behind the leaders. Also, in the fore-front of mid-field, Flash
Garden hit it and fell, thus hampering Decade Player, with Mr Moss even more
so in the process. The next fence was an open-ditch; known as Westhead. Poolemaster was slightly hampered here, having bumped
into the rear Mendip Express on landing.
Also Never Complain blundered and unseated his rider; he was
travelling close to Poolemaster at the time, so his
departure may have been influenced by a lack of room. Within this scrum, Bear’s Affair made an
error and Broken Eagle was fortunate not to tread on the prostrate jockey. Meanwhile with a clear passage, Sizing
Solution had advanced to the inside of runners and one of the loose horses
decided to call it a day when refusing to jump said ditch. The remaining 25 competitors continued to the
next fence, with Rebel Rebellion now leading from Sizing Solution. There were no additional departures at this
obstacle. The following fence was the
one before Beecher’s Brook. Premier
Portrait blundered and unseated his rider when travelling in mid-division; Damiens Dilemma also made an error but he survived. The horses continued their journey towards
Beecher’s led by Sizing Solution, Darwins Fox,
Mendip Express and Rebel Rebellion.
The leaders cleared this one safely but, further back in the field,
both Broken Eagle and Sam Cavallero departed. Horses and jockeys were quickly to their
feet with no harm done. With no change at the head of affairs, the
survivors then headed to the Fionavon fence. Travelling to the rear of mid-field, and to
the wide outside, Mr Moss blundered here; it definitely wasn’t his day and
he’d probably lost all confidence by now.
The rider aboard Sizing Solution tacked out wide as they approached
the Canal Turn; this would enable him to cross the fence at an angle and thus
reduce the severity of the 90% turn.
The inside rail is also placed to encourage the riders to do this. Thus, Sizing Solution led over this one, from Darwins Fox, Mendip Express, Rebel Rebellion, Dineur, Mr Mercurial, Pacha Du
Polder, Big Fella Thanks, Top Cat Henry, Tony Star,
Poolemaster, Bear’s Affair, Decade Player, Black
Thunder, Balnaslow, Fitz Volonte,
Loch Ba, and On The Fringe. Mr Moss almost missed the turn and ended up
in last position as a result having been ‘undertaken’
by the three tail-enders; namely Damiens Dilemma
which hit it, Vincitore and Richmond! The runners had soon arrived at Valentines, where
Top Cat Henry blundered and Black Thunder fell having put in an extra stride
and landed too steeply, the latter hampered Damiens
Dilemma in the process. The remaining
horses headed on towards the next, with Darwins Fox
leading them over this one; there were no departures here. At this point Balnaslow
was just beginning to make progress to tag onto the rear of the leading
group. In total contrast, On The
Fringe continued to toil amongst the backmarkers. Darwin Fox’s rider saw a good stride as they
reached fence number fifteen and he flew over it in style. There was just one more fence to negotiate
before the second Melling Road crossing and they
all cleared this, although Richmond was a little awkward near the rear of the
field. Darwins
Fox continued to lead, from a loose horse (it was actually Never Complain),
followed by Dineur, Rebel Rebellion, Mr Mercurial,
Big Fella Thanks, Mendip Express, Pacha Du Polder and Balnaslow
as they headed around the home turn.
Having faded quickly since the third last, Sizing Solution was pulled
up before two out. So too, were Decade Player, Fitz Volonte
and On The Fringe. Mr Moss had been
pulled up before three out. Darwins
Fox retained an advantage as the remaining runners jumped two out; Dineur, Mr Mercurial, Big Fella
Thanks, Pacha Du Polder and Balnaslow
his nearest pursuers. They continued
to the final fence, where the leader dislodged quite a lot of spruce having
begun to tire; Dineur found himself a little short
of room as they headed away from the obstacle, wedged in behind Darwins Fox and hemmed in by Mr Mercurial at that
point. The loose horse travelled to
their inside. Fortunately James King was able to force his way
through as Mr Mercurial began to wither and Darwins
Fox wandered off a straight line; the Irish challenger wanted to follow the
rider-less Never Complain. Dineur
was in front when they reached the commencement of the rail, with Big Fella Thanks a little short of room at his quarters and
having to switch to the outer shortly afterwards; he did stumble slightly in
the process and there was a different loose horse to his outside at this
point (Premier Portrait in fact). Dineur
was able to extend his lead on the run to the line, the loose horse his only
companion. Meanwhile Balnaslow continued to stay on and had soon mastered
every rival bar one, but the line came too soon on this occasion, with Dineur triumphing by 1¾ lengths. The veteran Big Fella
Thanks completed 1½ lengths away in 3rd, Pacha Du Polder was three quarters of a length 4th,
Mendip Express just touch off Darwins Fox for
5th. Sixteen crossed the line to complete the race,
the last one being Top Cat Henry. The
winning jockey’s father is a reporter for the Racing Post, namely Andrew
King. Dineur
did, however, finish lame and thus didn’t return to the Winners’ Enclosure
which was a shame. When translated Dineur is Diner … which I suppose isn’t a surprise! The loose Never Complain actually re-jumped The
Chair, this time at a 45-degree angle, having trashed the guiding tape and
seemingly well-able to take an alternative route between that and the Mildmay fence.
However, perhaps he was put off by activity surrounding the green
screens which had been erected around the prostrate Katie Walsh on the
landing side of the fence; no doubt someone will also have waved their arms
to deter a more sensible route.
Subsequently he’d also crashed through the plastic rails and headed down
the unused strip of track to the inside of the current route to the line;
crazy herd animals! It
had been an excellent run from the 15-year-old veteran Big Fella Thanks to finish in third place. However, he suffered a career-ending injury
at Cheltenham’s Foxhunter’s evening fixture a few weeks later and was thus
retired.
And
those which did not finish:
We
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure following the race, hoping to see the
winning horse arrive back. However, Dineur had finished lame and was thus taken back directly
to the stables to be assessed by the veterinary team. Race 5 - 4:05pm THE RANDOX HEALTH
FOXHUNTERS' OPEN HUNTERS’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) The Stewards held an
enquiry into the use of the whip by Mr James King,
the rider of the winner, DINEUR (FR), after the final fence. 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 King for 2 days as follows:
Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April 2017. The Stewards held an
enquiry into possible interference in the closing stages. Having heard their
evidence and viewed recordings of the race they found that the winner, DINEUR
(FR), ridden by Mr James King, had interfered with
BIG FELLA THANKS, placed third, ridden by Mr N.
George. The Stewards found King in breach of Rule (B)54.1
and guilty of careless riding in that he had allowed his mount to drift left
without sufficient correction. They cautioned him as to his future conduct in
races. The Stewards held an
enquiry following a report from the Starter that Mr
Derek O’Connor, Mr Alex Edwards, Mr N. George, Mr S. Waley-Cohen, Mr Joe Hill, Mr N. Orpwood, Mr Barry O’Neill, Mr D. Peters,
Mr James King, Ms K. Walsh, Mr
J. Martin, Mr T. Hamilton, Mr
J. Jackson-Stops, Mr D. Maxwell, Mr J. Nailor, Mr J.J. Codd, Miss B. Frost, Mr Matthew Hampton, Mr R.O.
Harding, Mr Kit Alexander and Mrs
Claire Hardwick had cantered in at the start. They interviewed all of the
above riders, with the exception of Ms K. Walsh owing to injuries sustained
in a fall, and the Starter. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings
of the start the Stewards found all riders in breach of Rule (D)44.4 and
suspended them for 1 day as follows: Friday 21 April 2017, with the exception
of Mr James King, Mr T.
Hamilton and Mr J.J. Codd.
Mr James King was suspended for 1 day as follows:
Sunday 23 April 2017. Mr T. Hamilton and Mr J.J. Codd were suspended for
2 days as follows: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April 2017, due to this being
their second offence within the previous 12 months. The evidence of Ms K.
Walsh will be heard at a later date. The Stewards gave
permission for BROKEN EAGLE (USA), trained by Alan Hill, to go early to post
and be mounted in the chute and noted that PREMIER PORTRAIT (IRE), trained by
Dr Charles Levinson, and TONY STAR (FR), trained by Mickey Bowen, would wear
earplugs which would be removed at the start. The Stewards noted that
the winner, DINEUR (FR), trained by Mickey Bowen, did not enter the winner’s
enclosure on veterinary advice, due to being lame on its right fore. The favourite for the next race was Bun Doran,
trained by Tom George and ridden by Adrian Heskin;
price 6-1. There were no greys in this
race. My non-betting choices were Parsnip Pete and Doitforthevillage, trained by Tom George and Paul
Henderson respectively. The starting gate for this event was in the far
corner of the track; the cross fence being the first obstacle.
There were lots of white socks visible as the
jockeys jogged in towards the starting gate; Rock on Rocky was led in. And then they were off, first time,
although Alisier D’Irlande
was slow to stride and lost his initial place in the front line of
runners. The first obstacle was the
cross-fence and the flashy Gino Trail held a narrow advantage over Foxtail
Hill and Bun Doran as they jumped it; at the rear of the field, Doitforthevillage was a little clumsy. Gino Trail continued to lead as they swung into
the home straight on the first occasion.
Travelling in mid-field were Rock On Rocky, Double W’s, Parsnip Pete, Theinval and Romain De Senam. Again Doitforthevillage was less fluent than his rivals as they
cleared the second fence. The next was
the first of the open-ditches and all fourteen runners jumped this one well,
before heading across the Grand National course on their journey to the fourth. Having been relegated to last place,
Raven’s Tower was pushed along briefly. Gino Trail’s jockey, Jamie Moore, glanced over
this right shoulder as the neared the fence. They all jumped this one in
their stride and continued down past the winning post with just one circuit
now to travel. Thus, heading around the grandstand bend,
Gino Trail led, from Foxtail Hill, Bun Doran upsides Alisier
D’Irlande, followed by Double W’s, Rock On Rocky,
Parsnip Pete, Theinval, Yorkist,
Romain De Senam, Witness
In Court, Dandridge, Doitforthevillage and the
pushed-along Raven’s Tower. Jamie Moore saw a good stride as his mount
approached the first fence in the back straight, whereas Rock On Rocky
appeared to bank it before landing awkwardly; he survived this error although
losing a number of places as a result.
There was no change at the head of affairs as the runners headed over
the sixth fence; a plain one. Once
again the leader cleared it beautifully; Alisier D’Irlande wasn’t fluent here and Foxtail Hill had already
begun to drift back through the field. The next fence was the penultimate open-ditch; it
was Parsnip Pete’s turn to make an error and he almost lost his hind-legs on
landing. Now at the rear of the main
pack, Stan Sheppard decided to pull-up Rock On Rocky; Raven’s Tower continued
but tailed off. Gino Trail got in a
little close to the final fence in the back straight but got away with this
error; at the rear of the group, Witness In Court made a mistake and shot
Will Kennedy briefly up his neck as a result. Gino Trail remained at the head of affairs as
they entered the far bend and journeyed towards the cross-fence; four from
home. The leader brushed through the
top of it and Romain De Senam
made an error here. However near the
back of the group and having cleared the fence just fine, Doitforthevillage
was bumped by Dandridge a few strides after it, and then clipped heels with Yorkist. This sent
him and jockey Tom O’Brien crashing to the ground. Fortunately the horse was quickly onto its
feet and he continued after the field.
Meanwhile the remaining runners headed into the
home straight, with Bun Doran now laying down a challenge to the long-time
leader; the favourite was marginally ahead of his rivals as they jumped three
out. The penultimate fence was the
final open-ditch, with Theinval and Double W’s now
disputing second position with the weakening Gino Trail as they cleared
it. In fact Theinval was
driven into the lead as they headed across the Grand National course on the
way to the final fence; Double W’s had now moved into second position, from
Bun Doran and Yorkist. Theinval was
joined by the flashy chestnut as they jumped the fence and Brian Hughes was
able to drive his mount out to win by one length at the line. Bun Doran finished 3rd, with Yorkist 4th, Roman De Senam 5th
and Gino Trail 6th. Alisier D’Irlande made a very
bad error at the last before completing in 7th. There were 10 finishers, as Raven’s Tower and
Parsnip Pete were pulled up. Meanwhile, in the Parade Ring, one of the two
owners tripped over whilst running around excitedly to celebrate his horse’s
win; although I don’t know whether it was Mr Wharton or Mr Wilson! That’s why the horse is named Double W’s.
We
decided not to return to the steppings above the
Winners’ Enclosure to see the runners return.
THE BETWAY RED RUM
HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) The Judge reported that
the sponsorship in relation to RAVEN’S TOWER (USA), trained by Ben Pauling, did not comply with the Sponsorship Code of Conduct. The
Stewards found the trainer in breach of Rule (A)39
and warned him as to his responsibility to ensure that the correct
sponsorship is carried. The Stewards gave
permission for GINO TRAIL (IRE), trained by Kerry Lee, to go early to post,
and noted that DOITFORTHEVILLAGE (IRE), trained by Paul Henderson, would wear
a hood in the Parade Ring. The favourite for the final race of the day was
Petticoat Tails, trained by Warren Greatrex and
ridden by Gavin Sheehan; price 9-2.
There were two greys in this race, Drops Of Jupitor
and Redemption Song; the former wore a hood. The starting gate was situated in the far corner
of the track.
The runners congregated in the chute,
close to the Melling Road, with Boogie Life joining
them at the last moment; jockey Graham Lee had decided to attach himself to
the front of the pack, rather than the back.
However, just before the tape was released, Boogie Life dodged away to
her right but she was still able to lead the runners as they headed towards
the first bend. She was very keen,
however. Having entered the home straight on the first
occasion, the runners were led by Boogie Life and Redemption Song. Behind these travelled Dame Rose, Mountain
Path, Martello Park, Polly’s Pursuit and Petticoat Tails. At the rear of the field, Drops Of Jupitor was very keen too and she was weaving away as
Noel Fehily tried to restrain her. Further down the straight, at the point
where the Grand National course joins at the elbow, Daryl Jacob decided to
ease back Monar Rose to allow the grey to travel to
his outer. Passing the winning post with one circuit to go,
Boogie Life was disputing the lead with Dame Rose. Now without cover, Drops Of Jupitor began to make progress on the outside of the
field. The runners soon entered the
back straight, with Dame Rose now holding a half-length advantage over her
nearest rival. Boogie Life continued
in second position, from Petticoat Tails, Redemption Song, Mountain Path,
Polly’s Pursuit, Maria’s Benefit, Scorpion Princess, Martello Park, Donnachies Girl, Drops Of Jupitor,
Skewiff, Shearling, Oscar
Rose, Sweetlittlemystery, Sassy Diva and Irish Roe;
Monar Rose brought up the rear. The runners continued along the back straight,
passing between the wings of the empty hurdles, and crossed the pathway which
leads to the Steeplechase car park en route too. Two or three runners had received slaps
down their necks during the course of their journey. Dame Rose remained at the head of affairs
as they headed into the far turn, with Polly’s Pursuit now her closest
pursuer. As the fillies and mares continued their journey
across the top of the racecourse, Boogie Life dropped to the back of the
field; Drops Of Jupitor, having travelled far too
freely, joined her in arrears as they entered the home straight for the final
time. Dame Rose remained with the
advantage over her rivals as they headed through the empty wings of the third
last. Oscar Rose had made smooth progress through
runners and was stalking the leader by the time they reached the next set of
wings. Also improving was Sweetlittlemystery to the near side and Irish Roe to the
far side; although Henry Brooke was being far too forceful aboard the
latter. Sweetlittlemystery’s
challenge soon petered out however. Despite being pressurised by her rivals, Dame
Rose continued to lead as they headed through the final set of wings, with
Oscar Rose remaining her nearest challenger.
Behind these were Petticoat Tails, then Redemption Song, Shearling, and Irish Roe.
In fact the leading duo continued to battle all
the way to the line, with Dame Rose prevailing to win by half a length. They’d drawn away from Petticoat Tails
which finished 3¾ lengths away in 3rd position. Shearling won the
battle for 4th place, with Redemption Song 5th and Martello Park 6th.
After
this, the final race, we chose to return to the steppings
above the Winners’ Enclosure to see the runners return. The winning jockey, Alain Cawley,
had recently returned from injury.
Martin Keighley congratulated him as he returned to the Weighing Room;
‘Squeak’ had been their substitute
stable jockey during a period of injury for Ian Popham. Winning trainer Richard Hobson admitted to making
a mistake by missing the entry date for a Newbury mares’ bumper in early
March; so he entered her for the following day’s race instead, against the
geldings. She had been unsuited by the
heavy ground that day, but had finished a creditable 5th despite this. She was actually a filly, being only
4. Richard had insisted that Alain ride his filly
today, as the jockey had suffered the injury at Kempton whilst wearing the
same colours; compensation gained.
Richard trains at Little Rissington in the
Cotswolds; it’s a neighbouring village to Bourton-On-The-Water. Race 7 - 5:15pm THE GOFFS NICKEL COIN
MARES' STANDARD OPEN NATIONAL HUNT FLAT RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) The Stewards noted that
PETTICOAT TAILS, trained by Warren Greatrex, would
wear earplugs which would be removed at the start. Noel Fehily,
the rider of DROPS OF JUPITOR (IRE), unplaced, reported that the mare ran too
free and hung right. Sandra
had reserved a table at the pub adjacent to our hotel for 19:45, so we had a
certain amount of time available to watch the beginning of the Goffs HIT (Horses in Training) sale. One of the lots being sold was Just A Par;
he was bought back in by his current trainer Paul Nicholls for £100k I
believe. He held an entry in
Saturday’s Grand National. In
the end we didn’t so much run out of time before we had to depart, as it
becoming too cold to remain upon the steppings! This being the case, we returned to the
Steeplechase car park aboard the free shuttle-bus service. Having returned to our respective cars,
Sandra left just before me and we both headed out via Anchor Bridge, before
turning right at the T-junction with Aintree Lane. Having crossed the swing-bridge over the
canal, the lane soon meets the A506 dual carriageway; I turned left to head
to the M57. However, this is where my
carefully laid plan went slightly awry! I
headed up the slip-road onto the motorway but didn’t realise the exit
slip-road onto the A580 was quite so close.
Too late, I’d missed my turning.
Oh well, I decided to style it out.
There were other exits but I decided to continue to the M62, before
heading east. I then took the
northbound carriageway of the M6, and left the motorway at junction 23; this
meant I was now on the intended A580 and just a mile or two from our hotel. Sandra
had arrived before me, although not that long before, and she helped me carry
the bags to my room once I’d checked in; we used the lift to the first
floor. I was in room 103 this
year. The rooms have been renumbered
since my last visit; single and double digit numbers are on the ground floor,
three digit numbers prefixed with a ‘1’
are on the first floor, and three digit numbers prefixed ‘2’ are on the second floor. I hadn’t occupied this particular room
before, but I had stayed in the one next door, twice! The room faced south and was two along from
the lift. Sandra was across the
corridor, half-way along the landing, in room 112. We
went to dinner at the adjacent Table Table
restaurant at 19:45; unfortunately we were sat at the poorly lit ‘corridor’ table which I’m not
particularly keen on having sat there before.
I chose haddock and chips today, with a Cadbury Dairy Milk sundae for
dessert. Two apple and cranberry J2Os
were consumed too. Having returned to our respective
rooms, I recall it was a restless night; I didn’t sleep very well. |
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