DIARY – CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 2
WEDNESDAY 11 MARCH 2009
|
Another early start, I set my alarm for 05:30,
showering and washing my hair. Today I
left home at 07:10, having already been outside wearing my dressing gown to scrape
ice from my windscreen – the perils of a clear night at this time of the
year. I took almost the same route as
Tuesday, with traffic moving well until I reached Aylesbury, when it slowed
down on the A41 into town. Having driven around the ring-road, there was also
a hold-up to re-join the A41 to the west of Aylesbury. The journey was good
to Bicester and the A34 was moving freely
today. I’d reached Oxford by
08:30. However, there was very slow
moving traffic on the A40 westwards out of Oxford, just 10 miles an hour in
places, but I overtook a number of slow vehicles once I’d reached the dual
carriageway. I made very good time after that, arriving to
park in the South car park at 09:45.
As it was still early I walked into town to visit the Cheltenham
branch of the recruitment agency I work for, as I’d only ever spoken with
them on the telephone. I had a long
and enjoyable chat, and a cup of tea, before walking back up the hill to
enter the racecourse at around 11:15. I purchased a race-card and went to sit by the
Parade Ring. I noticed David Pipe
being interviewed at one stage, and also saw Lesley Graham chatting on her
mobile. The sun was shining and it was
pleasantly warm. Typically, I forgot
to wear sun-block today. In the Parade Ring at around midday there was a
presentation relating to the Morgan Motor Company Centenary
Celebrations. This was followed by the
daily presentation of the Guinness award to the individual making the most
outstanding contribution to Tuesday’s first 4 races. Racing journalists having made their
nominations and the public given the opportunity to register their
votes. Then it was time for the Parade Ring Interviews,
with Ian Carnaby and Jonathan Powell being joined
by the day’s leading contenders. At
13:30 it was time for the first race of the day.
As the race started in the mid-course chute, the
horses crossed the course and galloped along the horse-walk beside the top
bend to reach the start. Then they
were off. Alan King’s Pangbourne
led them off, followed by Parsons Pistol.
Can’t Buy Time was restrained at the back of the field. Horses which made bad errors during the
first half of the race were Carnival Town, Tank Top, Parsons Pistol and Le
Beau Bai.
Tank Top then succumbed to another error at the 17th fence, when he
fell. Fair Point also made a
mistake. Pangbourne
retained the lead until crossing the water-jump for the final time. An Irish raider, Forest Leaves, took up the
running as Alan’s runner faded.
Another Irish runner, Drumconvis, made a serious jumping error 5 fences from home. However, Tricky Trickster was travelling
smoothly, and took over the lead before 4 out, at which Parsons Pistol fell, then Coe fell at the 3rd last obstacle. Tricky Trickster, Drumconvis
and Can’t Buy Time were all in with a chance as they came up the final
straight, with the former running on well to win. Drumconvis
finished in 2nd, Nine de Sivola ran on the finish
3rd, with Can’t Buy Time fading into 4th.
A winner for Nigel Twiston-Davies and ridden
by Sam Waley-Cohen.
Alan King’s other runner, Itsa Legend,
pulled up, having got barely a mention in commentary. Pangbourne was
also pulled up.
It was now
time for the 2nd race of the day. Until
recently Choc’s ride in this race was to have been Karabak, but the horse was recently purchased by JP
McManus and, although remaining with Alan King, it was to be ridden by AP
McCoy as JP’s retained jockey. This
meant that Choc’s mount would now be stable-mate,
Junior.
The start of the race was in the mid-course
chute, so the competitors cantered across the course and around the top bend
to reach it. Then they were off. Quwetwo
led the field, with Dorset Square in last position. Richard the Third then pulled himself into
the lead, Choc and Junior taking a centre course near the back of the
field. Quwetwo
regained the lead, with The Nightingale, Karabak
and Mikael d’Haguenet taking
close order. Mad Max was in rear but
by the time they turned away from the stands, Barry Geraghty
had pushed him up the outside to take much closer order. As the field reached the end of the back
straight, Junior was struggling and being ridden along, and Richard the Third
was tailing off. At this point Ruthenoise with Tom Scudamore
aboard had taken over the lead. The horses descended the hill with 8 or 9 runners
in with a chance. As they turned into
the home straight, Diamond Harry took the lead, with Mikael
d’Haguenet cruising at his hindquarters,
Mad Max was just in behind, as was Karabak. Diamond Harry didn’t jump the last very
well, diving at it. Karabak tried to catch Ruby’s mount but was always held.
Diamond Harry finished 3rd, with China Rock in 4th. Choc finished 10th aboard Junior.
Disappointment
for Choc, and I wonder if he could have given Karabak
a better ride and have possibly won the race.
The public’s popular choice to win
this race was Carruthers, owned and bred by the Oaksey partnership.
Lord John Oaksey being a very well-known
amateur rider and broadcaster of yesteryear and President of the Injured
Jockeys Fund. At the start, Christian Williams was concerned
about his horse’s girth, requesting that it be checked more than once. Then they were off. Mattie Batchelor
sent Carruthers into the lead,
he was followed by Gone to Lunch, then Lightening Strike and Massini’s Maguire.
Bohemian Lass fell at the 3rd obstacle when in last place. And Davy
Russell’s mount, Siegemaster, came to grief at the
8th. Carruthers
was taking the field along at a very good pace, with Gone to Lunch making a
very bad error at the 9th. Cooldine (in the colours worn a few years ago by Florida
Pearl) was travelling in 5th position, Hold Em and
Casey Jones being the first ones to lose touch. Following his earlier error, Gone to Lunch
also started to lose ground on the leaders.
Hold Em was pulled up. Cooldine,
travelling smoothly, was stalking Carruthers, the
latter making an almighty mistake at the 3rd last fence. Although Carruthers
was able to continue his partnership with Mattie, Cooldine
was sent into the lead around the final bend, jumped the last and went on to
win well under Ruby Walsh. Horner
Woods ran on to take 2nd, with Massini’s McGuire
3rd and Carruthers fading to 4th. It was Ruby’s 3rd winner of the Festival,
and a victory for Irish trainer, Willie Mullins. After the race, the trainer recounted that the
horse had been found to be lame 90 minutes before the race, but the
blacksmith had glued a shoe on, they’d put the horse’s hoof in ice, and it
had done the trick! Sam Thomas received a 2-day ban for failing to
ride out What a Friend for 5th place.
It was now time for the feature event
of the day, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, in which Choc would be riding one
of the Irish representatives, Big Zeb, for trainer Colm Murphy.
Once the horses had exited onto the course,
they were sorted out into number order in preparation for the pre-race
parade. It was noticeable that Big Zeb was on his toes throughout the preparations. Everything went smoothly, apart from a recalcitrant
Twist Magic who reared up and deposited Sam Thomas on the turf. However, Sam jumped back aboard and, with
his feet out of his stirrups, he started to canter
off to the start, regaining his irons as he reached the horse-walk beside the
home straight to continue his journey down the course. Being a distance of 2 miles, the start was at the
beginning of the home straight. The
horses’ girths were checked and they came out onto the course ready to line
up, everyone eager to be off. However,
Marodima, with Nick Scholfield
aboard was especially keen to be off, and he broke the tape and almost
bolted, but his jockey was able to pull him up quite quickly. Time to try again, but unfortunately in an
almost identical scenario, Marodima took off again,
with Nick having to fight even more to regain control, but he did and once
more returned to the others, the majority of whom had also travelled a short
distance up the course. Finally they were off, being third time lucky,
with Marodima being led in this time. Briareus took the
lead initially, Marodima making an error at the 2nd
obstacle before taking up the running.
Big Zeb was in about 8th place, Petit Robin
making a mistake at the fence before the water-jump. But disaster struck for Choc, as he was closing
upon the leaders towards the end of the back straight. Big Zeb, who had
fallen in his last chase and prior to that too, paddled through the 9th
fence, an open-ditch and fell, throwing Choc in front of him. However, it wasn’t so much the fall which
was the problem, but the fact that there were two horses following close
behind, both of which may have kicked him whilst he lay on the ground. I believe the horses were Mahogany Blaze
and Ashley Brook. (One kicked Choc
between the hip bone and ribs, dangerously close to his kidneys, which would
later require him to go to hospital for tests). At this stage I was unaware that Choc had
sustained an injury, as it was announced by the commentator that he was able
to walk to the ambulance. Anyway, as the horses ran down the hill, Briareus, Petit Robin and Master Minded were disputing
the lead, the latter going on to win for the 2nd year running. Well Chief, despite having been off a
racecourse for 698 days, ran on the finish 2nd, with Petit Robin 3rd and Newmill (the 2006 winner) in 4th. Briareus fell at
the last fence having tired.
I returned to the Parade Ring. There was then an announcement for Alan
King and Karen McLintock to go to the Weighing Room,
which immediately suggested that there was a problem and perhaps Choc had
been injured during his fall. He was
due to ride Saticon in the 6th race and Bygones of Brid in the 7th race, hence the calls for their
trainers. I also noticed Choc’s valet, Phil Taylor, standing on the steps of the
Weighing Room, he seemed to be looking for Alan. Choc had been picked up by the ambulance, and it
came back, lights flashing, to the area behind the Weighing Room. It was announced that Choc had been taken
to the Jockeys’ Hospital for assessment, having received a kick to the
stomach. There were further bulletins
during the afternoon to report on his progress, although these did nothing to
put my mind at rest. Feeling unsettled and upset, I lost interest in
watching the remaining races, staying by the side of the Parade Ring, just
occasionally glancing at the big screen as the races progressed. So this is where my diary becomes
sketchy...
The 5th race of the day was the Coral
Cup, in which Choc had not been due to ride.
Alan King had two runners, Pouvoir carrying
the minimum weight of 10 stones (hence the reason why Wayne Hutchinson was
riding him) and Franchoek (AP McCoy for JP
McManus). The winner was Irish raider,
Ninetieth Minute under Paddy Flood, 2nd was Mirage Door, 3rd Pause and
Clause, 4th Star of Angels. Franchoek finished 15th, with Pouvoir
in 26th.
The 6th race was the Fred Winter
Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, in which Wayne Hutchinson replaced Choc
aboard Saticon.
The race was won by Silk Affair ridden by Tom
O’Brien, 2nd was Ski Sunday, 3rd was Saticon, 4th
Alexander Severus. Alan King’s Balzaccio under Christian Williams finished 19th.
Martin Keighley’s Benbane
Head, ridden by Warren Marston, ran in the Champion Bumper race, and his
stable-lad, Danny Hiskett, won the prize for best
turned out horse. In an event
dominated by the Irish runners, Benbane Head was
the 2nd English finisher, in 10th place, a head behind the errant Pepe Simo for Paul
Nicholls. As usual the race attracted
‘flat race’ jockeys to compete, as I noticed Richard Hughes in the Parade
Ring who was riding for Charlie Swan. The race was won by Dunguib
ridden by Mr B T O’Connell, 2nd was Some Present, 3rd Rite of Passage, 4th Quel Espirit.
I stayed for a while after racing, hoping
that the cars and coaches in the South car park would clear before I got back
to my vehicle, and because I didn’t wish to go home without knowing what had
happened to Choc. But it was wishful
thinking in both cases, as I still had to queue for ages, initially not even
moving for 30 minutes. So whilst I was
waiting, I tuned my radio to the Festival station hoping to get news of
Choc. They mentioned him as being due
to ride Voy Por Ustedes on Day 3, but couldn’t really give any firm news,
apart from mentioning that he had been taken to Cheltenham General Hospital
for tests. I finally exited the car park, by which time the
roads were clear (as they had been yesterday) and I kept the radio tuned to the
Festival station but it gradually lost signal as I headed eastwards across
the Cotswold hills. I returned via my
usual route, A40 / A34 / A41 / M25, filling up my car with petrol at the
local supermarket before arriving home at 21:00. I immediately logged on to the internet to seek
news of Choc, and there was a quote from Alan King saying that Choc expected
to be fit for Thursday’s racing, although having been kicked in the kidneys
he had been sent to Cheltenham General Hospital for tests. So, having caught up with news regarding Choc,
charged my camera battery and written my blog, I retired to bed hopeful that
Choc was okay. |
