DIARY – KEMPTON PARK – WINTER FESTIVAL
BOXING DAY – FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2014
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The horses parade ahead of the King George VI Chase Today was my seventh consecutive
Boxing Day trip to Kempton Park and my 31st visit to the racecourse; excluding
attendance of one bead fair last August!
Choc was absent this year, due to an ongoing injury to his neck and
spine sustained last April. He had
missed the fixture in 2009 as he rode at Wincanton, and again in December
2011 due to injury (a broken arm).
There was still no news regarding whether or not he would be able to
return to the saddle but, regardless, he was in the process of setting up a
yard having visited a number of bloodstock sales, including Newmarket,
Cheltenham and Paris during the late autumn.
The next scan of his C7 and T1 vertebrae was due on Monday 05 January
2015; my birthday. Boxing Day fell on a Friday this
year, so I had half a day’s leave on Christmas Eve, followed by Christmas Day
spent with mum and my younger brother and his family in Bedfordshire; also my
sister-in-law’s parents. Having become
engrossed in games played on a Nintendo Wii, which of course I lost because
I’m not practised like them, and also having watched a recording of Strictly
Come Dancing’s Christmas Show whilst there, I didn’t arrive home until
22:05. And I don’t believe I got to
sleep until 23:45. My alarm was set for 06:30 on
Boxing Day, if not slightly earlier; I got up at 06:45. Having showered and washed and dried my
hair, I applied my make-up and ate porridge for breakfast whilst watching the
first half of Channel 4’s The Morning Line.
Early week, the forecast for
today was an overnight frost, both ground and air, followed by a dry sunny
day with temperatures around 6 degrees.
This being the case my outfit today was black thermal vest, plus three
long-sleeved thermal t-shirts – violet, plum and purple. My black M&S frill-edged rib cardigan,
purple fleece, black fleece gillet, dark grey tweed double-frill hemmed
skirt, grey thermal tights, burgundy ankle boots, socks, black faux sheepskin
coat, large black polyester handbag, capacious but prone to leakage in wet
weather; as it turned out the wrong choice today! Plus a shades of burgundy Rico Pom Pom
scarf, plus long hand-warmers and black/white horse design snood. My plan was to leave home at
08:45; in the event it was 08:55. But,
not to worry, it only takes around 50 minutes to reach Kempton Park if
traffic is flowing smoothly. Gate
opening time today was 10:00. My route took me along the
ring-road; part of it had recently been resurfaced but, further along, its
state of repair was diabolical. I had
to wait for the traffic lights to change to green at its junction with London
Road; it was a cold morning, but evidently not too cold for a couple of
blokes to be out jogging! Having
reached the roundabout on the A414, I headed down the London Colney bypass
where, at the beginning of which, a foreign car driver didn’t appear to have
a clue about which lane they should be in. At the far end I negotiated the
Bell roundabout, headed over the bridge, turned right at the next roundabout
and then right again to enter the slip-road onto the M25 anti-clockwise
carriageway. David Beckham was
involved in a car accident in the vicinity on 29 November, having collected
his son Brooklyn from the Arsenal training ground which is situated close
by. More Rumour also has it that he’s
been seen shopping in the nearby Colney Fields branch of M & S! Traffic was moving freely on the
M25 motorway and I’d soon reached Junction 12; I took the slip-road onto the
M3 and headed towards London. There
were crazy car-parking arrangements this year for the main car park. Park and ride traffic was instructed to
leave at Junction 1 so, as per usual on Boxing Day, I had to travel to the
next junction, exit via the slip-road, do a U-turn around the roundabout
below the dual carriageway, re-join the aforementioned and take the first
slip road on the left. At the subsequent
T-junction I turned left and headed over the railway bridge. On
the previous years when I’ve purchased a badge for the main car-park, I’ve
been able to enter via the gate on the left-hand side around 100 yards
further on; this year it appeared that only those wishing to park in the
centre of the racecourse free of charge and horseboxes heading for the
stables were permitted to use this gate.
So I continued along Park Road to the T-junction with Staines Road
East; but there was a long queue of traffic so I decided to turn around and
head back to the usual entrance thinking that this couldn’t be what they
intended, because why send vehicles with parking labels via a different route
if they end up back on the route they would have taken if left to their own
devices! When
I arrived back at the ‘horsebox’
gate, there was a long argument taking place between a steward and the driver
of another vehicle. I must have waited
for five minutes before I could clarify my route with the steward – no, I had
to use the main entrance on Staines Road East. So I turned around again, slipped out into
the queue of traffic on the main road, drove another 100 yards, turned into
the main car park, drove around the perimeter thereof only to arrive back at
the original gate. But I then had to deal
with the added problem of negotiating vehicles crossing my route which had
entered via the aforementioned Park Road gate! There
was a delay whilst a couple of vehicles manoeuvred in the thoroughfare, and a
steward opened the second of the pair of gates to enable one of the cars to
exit onto Park Road. I double-checked
my route with this steward “Straight across?” I asked. “Are you here all day?” Err, yes!
The parking arrangements were organised chaos. Anyway, I decided to park in the third row
of cars in the designated area of the main car park because, at the end of
the day, I’d be able to drive straight out, rather than back out of my
parking space into what might be gridlock.
It
was now 10:00, so the gates were open.
I ate a couple of cheese rolls which I’d brought with me; whilst doing
so I noticed a number of horses boxes arrive; large and small, namely Colin Tizzard, Paul Nicholls, Jonjo
O’Neill, two from Lambourn Transport, and one from
Taunton. Also, Clive Smith with
family/friends; he’s the owner of Kauto Star who
would be making an appearance at the fixture today. There was also a newly installed statue of his
horse to be unveiled in the Parade Ring.
Shortly
afterwards I put on my coat and boots and headed to the South Entrance; it
was not easy ducking underneath the guide ropes marking out the areas of the
car park. Having reached the Paddock
Enclosure turnstiles I walked through the passageway between two of the
kiosks, had my ticket scanned (it was No.1 for that enclosure!), collected a
William Hill diary from one of the female representatives who were handing
them out to punters, and bought a race-card too; £3 today. As it turned out, there was no
sun during the day, in fact rain arrived from the west mid-afternoon. But, looking on the bright side, there was
no noticeable breeze and thus no windchill factor. But, as my handbag was
heavy, I had decided to leave my umbrella in my car; wrong decision! Having
visited the little girls’ room within the ground floor of the main
grandstand, I returned to the main concourse once more. It’s been a Kempton Park drought for me since
March this year, due to Choc’s injury. However, as mentioned earlier, I did visit
the racecourse in early August to attend a Bead Fair! And it certainly costs me more money to
visit one of those than it does to go racing for the day, as I just cannot
resist buying beads. And that’s
including the cost of attending any one of the days of the Cheltenham
Festival. I
was expecting the Kauto Star statue to be
officially unveiled today, but he already was! And Desert Orchid had been spruced up as he
always is ahead of this particular fixture.
Dessie is situated on a slightly raised area
of ground just to the south of the Parade Ring, whereas Kauto
Star’s statue has been sited within the Paddock itself. And he stands on a plinth too. A Welsh couple asked me to take a
photograph of them standing in front of Dessie
using the guy’s phone. I
took a number of photographs of the new statue and of Dessie
too. Personally, I prefer Dessie! There was
currently controversy regarding Clive Smith’s decision to send Kauto Star to learn dressage following the horse’s
retirement. This was a result of the equine’s
apparent reluctance during a recent demonstration at the Olympia Christmas
horseshow in London. Personally I’m
not a fan of dressage, but it must be difficult to decide what to do, as
surely the horse’s iconic status rules out anything which might be considered
too risky. I
then decided to head to the course-side rails where I would remain until
after the feature event of the day.
The free of charge car park in the centre of the racecourse would
continue to fill up throughout the morning, and some punters even failed to
get as far as the main enclosures before the first race had been run! Pontoons had been placed across the track
to protect the turf from their footfall.
Following the overnight frost, covers had been placed on the landing
sides of the fences; those protecting the final fence and final hurdle were
removed just before 11:00. Today
was aimed at family entertainment, with a falconry display, pony rides and
animal petting area beside the Weighing Room.
I noticed a number of people had brought their very young infants
along to the races; a couple with a baby boy in a pram stood close by me from
quite some time before the first race until after I left the course-side
rails at around 15:30. Isn’t it too
cold for a child of that age to be outside for that long with just two or
three blankets over them and the occasional cuddle? He didn’t cry at all, but
nevertheless. Whilst
I was waiting beside the course-side rails I saw Barry Geraghty
jog by, he was on the far side of the track from where I was standing and
well-disguised but the giveaway was the fact that he slowed down as he ran
past the large screen, turning around to jog backwards to view the film of
Kicking King winning the race in 2004/2005 – he had piloted the dual-winner
to victory! Barry continued for a second
circuit, returning at walking pace; he doesn’t quite stay 3 miles! Nico de Boinville also walked the track. And, finally, there was a group of five
guys who returned from a course walk, including Sam Twiston-Davies,
Nick Scholfield and Tom Bellamy. Denise
also texted me to say thank you for her Christmas
gifts; she’d not opened them until Boxing Day! I bought her a gardening voucher, a blue M
& S scarf with an owl design print, and a pair of dichroic
glass earrings. The
real Kauto Star was paraded around the Paddock
prior to noon by his ‘carer’ Laura Collett. Although
Laura continues to compete in eventing, she is now
blind in her right eye following a serious fall during the cross-country
phase at the Tweseldown Horse Trials in July
2013. Having chosen my location for
the afternoon, I didn’t return to the Parade Ring to see Kauto
Star, fully expecting him to lead the parade of horses down the racecourse
ahead of the feature race. But it
didn’t happen ... Alan
King had just two runners on today’s card; Uriah Heep
ridden by Tom Bellamy in race 2 and Carraig Mor ridden by Noel Fehily in
race 3, the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase
formerly the Feltham Novices’ Chase.
Wayne Hutchinson was riding at Wincanton today. The
starting gate for the first race of the day was at the far end of the home
straight, the horses cantering down past the grandstand to reach it. Punters were still arriving as the horses
prepared for the off; those parked in the centre of the racecourse had to
wait on the far side of the track for the action to complete before it was
safe to cross to the grandstand side of the track. The
favourite for this race was the Harry Fry trained Jollyallan,
ridden by AP McCoy; price 5-4.
The
runners either walked or jogged in to the start as is stipulated in the new
rules and then they were off. The
field was led away by Arzal, from Dusky Lark to the
nearside and the favourite Jollyallan to the far
side; they were followed by the Irish-raider Sempre
Medici; bringing up the rear were Zip Top, Abuelo
and the very keen grey Bringithomeminty. They all cleared the first flight safely
and headed to the second, where Sempre Medici was
less fluent than his rivals. The
leader was around five lengths clear as the field headed up past the
grandstands and winning post; one circuit to go. Bringing up the rear as they negotiated the
top turn was Zip Top. Having crossed
the first of the all-weather areas on the bend, they headed across an area of
turf which forms part of its in-field, before crossing the all-weather once
more and heading to flight number three.
Jollyallan, who was disputing second place
with Dusky Lark, bunny-hopped this obstacle.
All still standing, they headed down to the fourth hurdle. Bringithomeminty,
who was travelling to the inside in fifth position, appeared to jump this
okay but then knuckled over; a soft fall and he was out of the race. There was a collective sigh from the
spectators. I noticed on the replay that
there was what appeared to be a flattened strip of grass running horizontally
across the course from the outside rail, a stride or two from the back of the
flight. The grey jumped the flight,
bounded forward across this strip and crumpled; strange. It was probably just speed, but looked
odd. Both horse and jockey, Nico de Boinville, were
okay. Anyway,
the remaining six runners headed into the lake turn; Arzal
was still clear of his rivals, who followed in Indian file. Namely Jollyallan,
Sempre Medici, Dusky Lark, the pushed along Abuelo, with Zip Top still bringing up the rear. Exiting the turn, the outsider Abuelo was now the back-marker. Jollyallan was a
little clumsy at the next flight and Ruby Walsh momentarily lost grip of his
right rein aboard Sempre Medici. At the rear of the field, Abuelo received a reminder having cleared the hurdle. Arzal retained a clear advantage as they
jumped the next flight, from Jollyallan, Sempre Medici, Zip Top, Dusky Lark and Abuelo. AP’s mount
had closed the gap upon the leader as they headed into the final turn. Entering the home straight, the favourite
had drawn alongside Arzal, with Ruby Walsh’s mount
just couple of lengths behind them.
Sam Twiston-Davies administered a couple of
reminders to his horse in the hope of retaining the lead, but Jollyallan appeared to hold all the aces and assumed the
lead as they cleared two out. This
left Sempre Medici to pursue Jollyallan
as they headed to the last flight; Ruby Walsh switching his mount to the far
side to challenge. AP’s mount was
clumsy but Sempre Medici more so; the latter almost
losing his hind-legs on landing. This
enabled the Champion Jockey to extend his lead as he headed to line; the
winning distance 4½ lengths from the Irish-raider. Arzal plugged on
for third, 5 lengths back; Zip Top completed in 4th, a further 18 lengths
behind.
I remained beside the course-side rails in order
to retain my position throughout the afternoon. Alan King’s runner in the next race was Uriah Heep; he was the 33-1 outsider of the 9 runners. The joint-race favourites were River Maigue trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty, and Stellar Notion trained by Tom George and
ridden by Paddy Brennan; both priced 4-1.
The starting gate for this event was at the lake
turn; the competitors rode their mounts down past the grandstands in order to
take a look at the final fence before proceeding to the start. There was a slight delay prior to the off; this
was due to swans on the track! You
cannot be too careful with regards to these birds, recalling the ‘swan’ incident on May Day Bank
Holiday this year when the rider of the ill-fated Dark Energy (Harry Beswick) was unseated when the horse collided with one of
the birds as they travelled around the lake bend! The horse was uninjured on that day, but
died having sustained an injury at Wincanton in October.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Stellar Notion, behind him, from the inside The Skyfarmer,
Generous Ransom, Quite By Chance and Liberty Court. Followed by Knock House beside the rails
and Katgary to the wide outside; sharing last
position Uriah Heep to the inside of River Maigue. There were
no problems at the first fence, or the second, although the Alan King runner
jumped out to his left at the latter. The
third obstacle is an open-ditch; again no jumping errors, although Liberty
Court did nod slightly on landing.
Having negotiated the fence, Uriah Heep
received a reminder from his jockey as he was now a clear last by two or
three lengths. River Maigue was a little less fluent than the others when they
jumped the fourth. The
nine competitors headed around the turn and into the home straight on the
first occasion. Stellar Notion was
four lengths ahead of his rivals and enjoying himself bowling along at the
head of affairs. Disputing second
place were Knock House against the rail, to his outside Quite By Chance. Behind these, from the inside, The Skyfarmer, Generous Ransom, Liberty Court and Katgary; bringing up the rear River Maigue
and Uriah Heep. The
runners cleared the first in the line of three without incident, and the
next, although Quite By Chance did seem to catch his off-fore against the birch
but it did not affect his momentum.
There were no problems at the fence in front of the packed stands;
Uriah Heep still brought up the rear of the
field. The
horses headed up past the winning post, now with one circuit to go. They swung out a little wide on the top
turn, but that is due to the tightness of the bend, the chase course being on
the inside of the hurdles track.
Stellar Notion, winner of three of his last four starts, continued to
lead the way. Generous Ransom made a
slight error at the next fence; he was now one from the back of the
field. Fence
number nine is the second open-ditch.
There were no jumping errors at this fence, but the leading six were
beginning to put pressure upon The Skyfarmer,
Generous Ransom and Uriah Heep as they headed into
the lake bend and, at one point, they looked in danger of losing touch. The Skyfarmer
received a reminder, and Tom Bellamy continued to push his mount along; they
closed the gap again. Stellar
Notion remained at the head of affairs, from Knock House and Quite By Chance
as they headed towards the first in the back straight. They runners cleared the next two obstacles
without incident; River Maigue had improved into
fourth by this stage and even Uriah Heep improved
to take a position within the main group of runners. The
fifth from last is the final open-ditch; Skyfarmer
was slow here, and River Maigue stumbled after
landing and was soon under pressure.
Uriah Heep’s challenge fizzled out too,
having jumped this fence. Stellar
Notion was still clear of his rivals as he cleared the last fence in the back
straight; Knock House and Quite By Chance continued to dispute second. Generous Ransom had improved through
runners and now held fourth position from Katgary,
Liberty Court and the now fading Nicky Henderson runner. There were further reminders for both Uriah
Heep and The Skyfarmer as
they struggled at the rear of the field. Stellar
Notion continued to hold the advantage over Quite By Chance as they entered
the home straight; Knock House the first of the leading group to come under
pressure. Generous Ransom was a few
lengths behind, but he had clear daylight between himself and the remaining
runners. Daryl Jacob’s mount got to
within half a length of Stellar Notion clearing three out but, despite the
jockey aboard the leader becoming more animated as they approached two from
the finish, his mount began to pull away from his rivals once more. He was three lengths clear of his nearest
pursuer clearing the fence. Paddy
Brennan was working hard to keep his mount going but, although tired, he
retained if not extended his lead down to the final obstacle. However he got a bit close to the fence,
which stemmed his momentum; this allowed Knock House, ridden by the Champion
Jockey, to lay down a final challenge.
But it was to no avail; Stellar Notion held on to win by 1½ lengths from the Mick Channon
runner. Generous Ransom finished 2½
lengths back in 3rd, with Quite By Chance a further 1¾ lengths away in 4th. Uriah
Heep was pulled up two out; River Maigue before the last.
As
mentioned before, I remained beside the course-side rails. The
favourite for the third race of the day was the Paul Nicholls-trained Saphir Du Rheu ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies; price 11-8. Noel Fehily rode
the Alan King runner, Carraig Mor,
price 16-1. Martin Keighley also had a
runner in this race, Creepy ridden by Conor Shoemark. Martin
trained last year’s winner of this Grade 1 event, Annacotty.
The
starting gate for this race is the same as the one for the later King George,
being at the beginning of the side straight.
The horses cantered down past the grandstand to view the final fence
before heading to the gate.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Coneygree; to the rear of the field,
against the inside rail, AP McCoy administered a few taps down Warden Hill’s
shoulder, followed by a vigorous fore-hander, then a backhander to ensure his
mount set off in close attendance with the others. The runners crossed over the all-weather
track and arrived at the first fence, over which Coneygree
led, from Creepy to the wide outside, Carraig Mor, Virak, Sausalito Sunrise, Saphir Du Rheu and Warden Hill;
the favourite was a tiny bit clumsy here. The
horses headed to the second fence, the first of the open-ditches; Carraig Mor jumped up into
second place over this one. Compared
to the others in the race, Virak appeared a
pint-sized pony! Having cleared the
first two fences without incident, the runners headed around the lake turn to
arrive at the third fence. Coneygree continued to hold a narrow advantage over his
rivals, the Alan King runner more fluent than Creepy at the fence. They
headed to the fourth; by which time Carraig Mor had joined Coneygree at the
head of affairs. Unfortunately Creepy
hit the top of the fence and stumbled on landing; jockey Conor
Shoemark briefly losing his right iron. He dropped to the rear of the field as a
result. The next fence was the second
open-ditch, which they all cleared without incident. Coneygree and Carraig Mor had now set up a
four or five lengths lead over Virak, from Sausalito
Sunrise, followed by the favourite a few lengths behind these, then a further
gap back to Warden Hill. Creepy was
now some distance behind and, jumping the next slowly, was in danger of
losing touch. The
Alan King runner held the inside rail advantage as they headed around the
long right-hand turn into the home straight on the first occasion. Coneygree
travelled at his quarters, with Virak and Sausalito
Sunrise disputing third place three lengths behind them. Saphir Du Rheu travelled in fifth position, from Warden Hill, with
Creepy being pushed along in last place. The
field headed over the seventh fence.
However, the first casualty was Saphir Du Rheu; he hit the top of the fence, slithered on landing
and catapulted Sam Twiston-Davies over his right shoulder
as he struggled to retain his footing.
There was a collective sigh from the spectators as their money went
west! Sam actually landed on his feet
and was able to grab hold of Saphir Du Rheu’s reins before his mount was able to gallop off into
the sunset. Both appeared fine after
the incident; Sam led his horse back to the nearside of the track. The
remaining six runners continued to the middle fence in the home straight; Carraig Mor with a narrow
advantage over Coneygree. However, the Alan King runner put in an
extra stride, got too close to it, hit the top and Noel Fehily
was sent flying over his head. Creepy
was pulled up at the ninth fence, having failed to recover from his earlier
error. So then there were only four! Coneygree led the
remaining runners up past the main grandstand; he was three lengths ahead of Virak and Sausalito Sunrise who disputed second position,
with Warden Hill trailing the others by around eight lengths. The rider-less Carraig
Mor was quick to notice the exit point as they
turned the top bend; he veered off to his left and headed back to the
horse-walk to be caught. Nico de Boinville’s
mount continued to lead as the field headed to fence number ten; in rear
Warden Hill jumped out to his left. AP
McCoy continued to push his mount along in rear. The horses also cleared the open-ditch
without incident before heading into the lake turn once more. Although Coneygree
continued to bowl along in front, Sausalito Sunrise and Virak
had closed down upon the leader approaching the next. Warden Hill was now 20 lengths behind
them. Having
cleared the fence, the Philip Hobbs runner moved into a clear second place as
Virak began to struggle. But disaster struck at the next, with
Sausalito Sunrise hitting the top of the plain fence and falling. This left Coneygree
well ahead of his two remaining rivals and he cleared the final two fences in
the back straight without problem.
Travelling around the final turn, still at a strong gallop, he was now
25 lengths clear of his nearest rival. Although
tiring a little bit as he headed up the home straight towards the winning
line, the only dangers were the three obstacles therein. But, as throughout the race, these posed
absolutely no problem to him and he completed a clear round to win by 40
lengths at the line, easing down! Virak had continued to tire and Warden
Hill stayed on as they headed up the home straight; the latter joining the
Paul Nicholls second-string as they jumped the last. The excitement held by this race wasn’t
over yet, as they battled to the line for runner-up honours. It was no surprise than AP won the day, and
claimed second prize by one and a half lengths. Sam
Twiston-Davies had stopped upon the racecourse in
front of me whilst the remaining three runners completed the race; he kept a
tight hold upon his stationary mount. He then continued to lead his mount
back to the horse-walk exit point. Sausalito
Sunrise appeared fine; he had cantered away following his fall and eventually
headed up the home straight past the grandstands to be caught. A couple of teenagers standing beside me
did mention his wide angle rear gait; but I think
he’s just built like that! One of the
vets did check him before the stable lass led him away. Coneygree is a
half-brother to Carruthers. If I was a betting person, he would have
been my bet of the day. I saw him win
the Grade 2 at Newbury on TV, a race in which Saphir
Du Rheu had unseated. I know the Paul Nicholls runner had won at
Exeter since, but I still would not have trusted his jumping; I was proved
right today! Coneygree had missed 671
days prior his Newbury run having badly cut one of his hind-legs in a freak
accident at home. Presumably that is
why he now sports bandages on his hind-legs for added protection when racing.
I
remained beside the course-side rails ahead of the next race. However, presenting the prizes for this
race was Eastenders actor and Strictly Come Dancing
semi-finalist Jake Wood who today was attending the races with his family. Six
of the seven jockeys got into trouble at the start of the Grade 1 Novices’
event: The Stewards held
an enquiry following a report from the Starter that Noel Fehily,
the rider of CARRAIG MOR(IRE), Nico de Boinville, the rider of CONEYGREE, Conor
Shoemark, the rider of CREEPY (IRE), Sam Twiston-Davies, the rider of SAPHIR DU RHEU (FR), Tom
O'Brien, the rider of SAUSALITO SUNRISE (IRE), Nick Scholfield,
the rider of VIRAK (FR) and A P McCoy, the rider of WARDEN HILL (IRE), had
cantered in anticipating the start. They interviewed the riders and the
Starter, and took evidence from a Steward who had been positioned at the
start. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the start the
Stewards found the riders Noel Fehily, Conor Shoemark, Tom O'Brien,
Nick Scholfield and A P McCoy in breach of Rule
(D)44.4 and suspended them for one day as follows, Friday 9 January 2014.
They also found Nico de Boinville
in breach of Rule (D)44.4 and suspended him for two days as follows, Friday 9
and Saturday 10 January 2014, this being his second offence in the previous
12 months. The Stewards accepted Sam Twiston-Davies'
explanation that he had made every effort to restrain his mount. The
odds-on 4-11 favourite for the Christmas Hurdle was Irish-raider Faugheen, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie
Mullins. The horse was unbeaten and
had won the Grade 1 Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham
Festival; also a Grade 1 at the Punchestown
Festival. He’d already won a Grade 2
event at Ascot this term and had returned to plunder another English
prize. The
two mile starting gate is situated at the far end of the home straight, so
the runners cantered down past the stands to reach it. I noticed the first spit spots of rain as
the runners headed down to the start.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Blue Heron, now ridden by Paddy Brennan in place of Harry Skelton; the
latter had been listed in the race-card.
He was tracked by Faugheen, then Purple Bay,
Irving, Sgt Reckless and Sign Of A Victory.
The runners cleared the first flight without incident; Barry Geraghty’s mount appearing quite keen at the rear of the
field. Blue Heron led over the next
and held a two lengths advantage as the runners headed up past the main grandstand
with one circuit to go. They
then set off down the side of the racecourse, crossing the all-weather
sections of the track in the process.
There was no change at the head of affairs as the horses jumped flight
number three; in third place Purple Bay was a little clumsy at this obstacle.
Continuing their journey and clearing flight number four, Irving was now at
the rear of the field. Having
completed this section of the track, the runners headed around the lake turn;
Nick Scholfield encouraged Irving to take closer
order as they did so. Moving into the
back straight, Blue Heron had extended his lead slightly over Faugheen, then Purple Bay, Sign Of A Victory, Irving and
Sgt Reckless. The latter rapped the
fifth hurdle as he jumped it. The
runners continued along the back straight to the third last flight; Blue
Heron still with a clear advantage over this pursuers led by Faugheen. Heading
into the home turn, both Irving and Sgt Reckless were being pushed along at the
rear of the field. Purple Bay, in
third position, received a reminder from AP.
As
the bend began to run out, Faugheen drew alongside
the long-time leader; Purple Bay under pressure to make his challenge but a
few lengths adrift. The Irish raider soon
cruised into the lead, and was already four lengths up as he jumped the
penultimate flight. Purple Bay had
joined Blue Heron as they cleared it. Faugheen continued to draw away from his rivals heading
to the last; although he wasn’t totally fluent at the flight. Half
way up the run-in Ruby checked over his left shoulder, then his right, for
any dangers; he had a number of lengths in hand so eased down a few strides
from the line. The winning distance
was 8 lengths over the runner-up Purple Bay.
Blue Heron completed in 3rd, 9 lengths away. It was 14 lengths back to the fourth, Sign
Of A Victory. Irving
was pulled up on the home turn and led back for part of the way. Nick Scholfield
had thought his mount wasn’t moving right, but nothing wrong could be found
when examined. However, it was later
discovered that Irving had an abscess in one of his hooves; evidently he has
regular issues with his feet.
I
remained beside the course-side rails ahead of the next race. The
favourite for the King George VI was the Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti, biding to win the race for the second
year in a row; price 15-8. The second
favourite was Irish-raider Champagne Fever.
Being
the feature race of the day, there was a pre-race parade; Al Ferof at the head of the line, being first in the
alphabet for this conditions race. The
horses were led down past the grandstands; their jockeys then took them to
look at the final (and 9th) fence before cantering back to the start at the
beginning of the side straight. As
mentioned earlier, Kauto Star did not head the
parade this year. It
was raining properly by this time and the quality of the light was
atrocious.
Then
they were off. The ten runners for
this renewal headed away from the start, across the strip of ground denoting
the all-weather track to approach the first fence. Holding the slight advantage as they rose
was Silviniaco Conti, from Champagne Fever to his
outside and Cue Card to his inner. At
the rear of the field, Wishfull Thinking was the
least fluent of the runners. The
horses then galloped towards the first open-ditch, fence number two. The runners cleared this without incident
and headed into the lake bend; Silviniaco Conti
marginally the leader from Cue Card.
They were followed a couple of lengths back by Champagne Fever, then
Al Ferof, Dynaste and
Menorah line across the track; bringing up the rear, also line across the
track, were Johns Spirit, Wishfull Thinking, Double
Ross and Wonderful Charm. Entering
the back straight, Champagne Fever pulled his way up into second place behind
Silviniaco Conti as they jumped the third. Having jumped the fourth fence, Wishfull Thinking was now the clear back marker. The horses headed to the second of the
ditches, which they all cleared safely; last year’s winner continued to set
the pace by a couple of lengths from the Willie Mullins runner. Cue Card was close on the heels of the
Irish-raider, with a three of four lengths gap back to Dynaste,
to his inside Al Ferof and outside Menorah. They were followed by Johns Spirit and
Double Ross; Wishfull Thinking at the rear. Having
also negotiated the final fence in the back straight successfully, the
runners headed around the long home turn and into the straight for the first
time. Champagne Fever continued to
take a strong hold just behind the leader.
The competitors cleared fence number seven without incident; Cue Card
made an error at the next and surrendered his position to Dynaste. Silviniaco Conti continued
to lead as the runners cleared the final fence in the home straight and
headed up towards the winning post; one circuit to go. The Irish-raider retained second position,
from Cue Card who had regained third place; they were followed by Dynaste and Menorah.
Three lengths behind these were Al Ferof,
Wonderful Charm, Double Ross and Johns Spirit. Wishfull Thinking
was detached and struggling in rear. The
horses swung quite wide on the top turn, it being a tight angle as compared
to the hurdles track; but it is taken upon a stretch of the all-weather so
poses no problem. The runners headed
down the side of the course, over the second all-weather strip to arrive at
fence number ten; they all jumped this safely, Wishfull
Thinking slower than the others in rear.
The next obstacle is an open-ditch; all the runners jumped this with
aplomb. The
field then headed into the lake turn, last year’s winner still leading by a
couple of lengths from Champagne Fever.
He was pursued by Cue Card and Dynaste disputing
third place; close on their heels, Al Ferof and
Menorah, Johns Spirit and Wonderful Charm.
Wishfull Thinking was pulled up at this
point. Entering
the back straight, Wonderful Charm began to struggle having cleared the first
fence therein; after the next, Double Ross was being pushed along, both at
the rear of the field. The runners
headed over the final open-ditch. Silviniaco Conti continued to lead from Champagne Fever,
Cue Card, Dynaste, Johns Spirit, Al Ferof, Menorah, Wonderful Charm receiving reminders and
Double Ross. The
leader wasn’t particularly fluent at the fourth last but, back in the field,
Menorah clouted the fence and pitched on landing; jockey Tom O’Brien was
lucky to survive having been shot up the horse’s neck for a few strides. As a result he dropped to the rear of the
field. The
leading group of six were closely packed as they headed around the final
turn; Silviniaco Conti continuing to hold the advantage
over Cue Card and Champagne Fever, with Johns Spirit, Al Ferof
and Dynaste on their heels. It was the three greys against the chestnut
and two bays. The leading group headed
over the third last, with the Jonjo O’Neill runner
making an error here and soon struggling.
The
long-time leader headed down to two out, and he began to put distance between
himself and his rivals; Champagne Fever was now his closest pursuer, from Cue
Card, Dynaste, Al Ferof
and Johns Spirit. Having cleared the
fence, the gap continued to grow and he was probably eight lengths clear as
he flew over the final fence and was driven to the line. Dynaste was the only
rival to mount any kind of a challenge after two out and got to within 4½
lengths at the winning post to claim 2nd prize. Al Ferof stayed
on to pip Champagne Fever for 3rd; the distances 5 lengths and ¾ of a
length. Cue Card finished 5th,
reportedly having been struck into on his left-fore fetlock; Johns Spirit
completed in 6th. Wonderful Charm and
Menorah also completed; 15 and 18 lengths respectively in arrears. Double Ross refused two out having lost too
much momentum to jump the fence.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure, but not before I’d almost lost my footing
on the steps leading down from the betting ring, to the side of the main
grandstand. It was caused by a group
of people pushing through in the opposite direction to the main flow of
footfall. Thanks guys ... idiots. However,
having reached the area to the side of the Winners’ Enclosure, I discovered
the light had faded so badly by this stage of the afternoon that it was
impossible to take photographs which weren’t blurred. So I had no worthwhile photographs of the
winner and, as it turned, of the presentations either; despite having also walked
around to the far side of the Parade Ring.
It
was unusual to have one chestnut and three greys in the Winners’
Enclosure. But, of course, there are
far more greys around these days, with French-bred horses being
commonplace. It
was raining, I was fed up, so I decided to call it a day and head home prior
to the last race of the day. I will
however describe the final event. The
favourite for this race was the Tom Scudamore
ridden, Martin Pipe trained, Alternatif. Tom had ridden a winner at Wincanton
earlier in the afternoon before being flown by helicopter to Kempton Park to
partner Dynaste in the King George and the
favourite in this race too. The
starting gate being at the lake bend, presumably the horses headed out of the
horse walkway and along the side straight to reach it.
Then
they were off. The eleven runners
headed towards and over the first flight at a steady pace, the first-time
blinkered Kilmurvy leading the way, from Alternatif and the also blinkered Aalim. At the rear of the field were Theinval, Oliver’s Hill and the very unreliable Go West
Young Man; the latter is renowned for throwing away winning chances with
bizarre behaviour! If you saw his race
at Exeter earlier in the season you’ll know precisely what I mean ... The
gallop remained steady as the field headed over flight number two; Alternatif and Kilmurvy still
at the head of affairs, the latter with a tendency to jump out to his
left. Heading around the turn and into
the home straight on the first occasion, the order was Kilmurvy,
Alternatif, Aalim,
Experimentalist, Daveron, A Good Skin, the dapple
grey Tidal Way, Hawaii Five Nil, Go West Young Man taking a keen hold,
Oliver’s Hill and Theinval. The
runners proceeded up the home straight towards the grandstands in the
gathering gloom; all eleven horses cleared the two flights therein without
incident. Alternatif
held the advantage as they did so, with Kilmurvy
losing the lead due to his tendency to jump out to his left. However, by the top bend, he had regained
the lead once more. The
runners headed out into the country for the final time, the field was still
well packed due to the steadiness of the gallop. They were spread wide across the track as they
approached the fifth flight; Go West Young Man flattened one of the
panels. Having jumped the next, the
grey Tidal Way found himself at the rear of the field as they entered the
lake bend. Alternatif lead the field
around the turn, from Daveron and Aalim. Kilmurvy continued to drop back through the field having
cleared four out; Experimentalist was being ridden along and received
reminders prior to the third last and had soon joined him at the back of the
main group, with solely the tailed off Tidal Way behind them. They
headed into the final turn, the favourite continued to lead the way. He was followed by Daveron,
then Hawaii Five Nil, A Good Skin, Go West Young Man, Aalim,
Theinval, Kilmurvy
staying on again, Oliver’s Hill, and the detached Experimentalist and Tidal
Way. Meanwhile
the David Pipe runner powered on into the home straight, Daveron
still his closest pursuer three lengths behind. Hawaii Five Nil was being pushed along and
received a reminder in third. The sole
challenger looked likely to be the Nicky Henderson runner, Theinval, who drew alongside Daveron
at the second last. He continued to
close down upon the leader as they headed to the final flight; Alternatif was still a couple of lengths clear as they
jumped it. Barry
Geraghty raised his whip for one final effort to
close the remaining gap as they headed up the run in; he was closing with
every stride. But it was too late, Alternatif held on to win by a neck at the line. They had pulled well away from their
remaining rivals, with Daveron claiming 3rd place
12 lengths adrift of the second.
Hawaii Five Nil finished 1¾ lengths back in
4th, half a length ahead of Go West Young Man. Kilmurvy and A
Good Skin being the only others to finish; the remainder were pulled up.
As
previously mentioned, I left Kempton Park following the King George VI
Chase. It’s not my usual plan when at
the races, and has never occurred on occasions prior to Choc completing his
final ride of the day. I believe I may
have set off for home early on a couple of previous occasions when at Kempton
Park; definitely from Ascot on the day after the Aintree Festival as Choc had
gone home and it was a boiling hot day.
Also, I recall once prior to the Charity race at the Cheltenham Festival. And Mark once forced me to leave Worcester
early so that we didn’t miss our train to London ... but I’ve always stayed to
see Choc! So I have a good record,
considering I’d been to the races in excess of 150 times! Many other race-goers leave prior to the
final race, having finished their betting activities. Anyway,
today I left via the South Entrance as it was just as quick as exiting via
the North Entrance; probably quicker, as there was no risk of my walk being
interrupted by horses arriving along the horse-walk ahead of the final race
of the day. Having left the perimeter path, I weaved my way through the
parked vehicles, aiming for a tree which I knew was planted in a space within
the row prior to mine. Yep. There is my little blue Fiesta. There
was a group of people standing just to the rear of my vehicle; I gather from
their conversation that someone had mislaid the key to their car! I took off my coat and scarf, laying the
former along the rear seat as the back of it was very wet. I placed the scarf along the shelf below
the rear window. I changed out of my
boots once I’d sat in the driver’s seat; placing them in an empty Really
Useful box which I store in the foot-well behind the passenger seat. My handbag felt wet, so I placed that in
the foot-well of the passenger seat. Having
started the engine and turned on the lights, I turned right having exited the
parking space and drove to the end of the row. I checked to ensure there were no vehicles
coming from my right, before turning left and arriving adjacent to the main
entrance/exit onto Park Road. There
was a queue of oncoming vehicles straight ahead and from my left too. Pedestrians were also wandering through the
queuing cars, so I had to be mindful of them when I turned right and exited through
the gateway. They were also wandering
across the road to reach the pavement on the far side of Park Road; there is
no pavement on the near side. I waited
for everyone to cross, as I don’t think they were experienced
pedestrians! Having
driven over the railway bridge, I encountered a couple of people attempting
to cross from left to right to reach car park C. They posed a danger to themselves because
they were too close to the bridge, the vision of drivers having been
compromised by the contour of the road over it. People who are not regular walkers don’t
have a clue! My pet hates as a driver
and/or pedestrian are darkness, people who use un-dipped headlights for no
apparent reason, drivers/passengers who get in and out of cars parked on the
roadway without even checking for overtaking vehicles, zebra crossings,
cyclists (on roads and pavements) and children riding to school and around
shops on scooters; they are lethal!
Anyway,
having negotiated the pedestrians, the road bears to the left and I joined
the left-hand lane of a double-queue of traffic waiting to exit onto the
roundabout beneath Junction 1 of the M3.
I recall letting one vehicle enter the queue from a road on my left;
there was also an obstruction in the outside lane marked by a cone. The road narrows to a single lane at the
aforementioned traffic lights, so the two queues merged as we approached
them. It was whilst queuing that I
realised just how wet my hair was; the front and top didn’t seem too bad but
the back certainly was ... water was almost dripping down the back of my
neck! Having
negotiated the roundabout I headed up the slip-road onto the M3. Being wet, much spray was being created by
those travelling along the motorway. I
stayed in the inside lane and kept my speed down to between 50 and 60
mph. There were ongoing road-works at
the junction with the M25, verges lined with cones as a result; junction
improvements I believe. As
you can imagine, the driving conditions on the M25 weren’t good; there was
lots of spray. I kept my speed below
60 mph and had moved into the middle of the five lanes by the time I’d
reached the M4 junction; the two inside ones reserved for those wishing to
head east or west along the London to South Wales
motorway. There are four lanes after
this junction, but I didn’t enter the inside one as, further along and prior
to the next junction, this is reserved for vehicles wishing to head west
along the M40. Having
negotiated Junction 16 I moved into the inside lane and remained there until
Watford where, once again, this lane is reserved solely for traffic wishing
to leave the motorway. I had been
tasked with picking up my mum from my older brother’s house in Luton where
she had spent the day. Last year, with
pleasant motorway driving conditions ... if they can ever be described as
that ... I’d headed up the M1 to Junction 10 thereof to collect mum. However, this year as in 2012, I left the
M25 at Junction 21A, and headed into St Albans via Chiswell
Green. I noticed a dog walker and a
jogger as drove over the A414 (ex-M10); crazy people, it was not a fit
afternoon for anyone to be out! Having
reached the King Harry pub, I turned left along King Harry Lane to skirt Verulamium park.
There were a couple of teenagers wandering along the side of the road,
their back to the traffic and outside the barriers, having presumably crossed
the highway via the pelican crossing at the top of the causeway. The car in front of me was wary of them as
they wandered along the side of the roadway; they were wearing dark clothing
too and thus were difficult to see.
When will people learn to be sensible?
Just because they can see us, doesn’t mean we can see them; especially
true of older people as our night vision deteriorates with age. Having
learnt my lesson in 2012 when deciding to drive along the Redbourn
Road and encountering flooding, on this occasion I continued along Batchwood Drive before turning left and heading up
Harpenden Road to, you’ve guessed it, Harpenden! The vehicles ahead of me travelled well below
the 60 mph speed limit along the country section of the road, and Harpenden
High Street was quiet. Their town
decorations were nice though; although later I read in the local paper that residents
had complained about their quality this Christmas. My
route continued along the A1081 to the Newlands Road junction where I turned
left; I reached my brother’s house shortly afterwards. I had arrived earlier than expected,
although I don’t recall the exact time; presumably because I’d foregone the
final race! I was in time to see my niece
Lydia before she set off to drive to her boyfriend’s house. And my sister-in-law Anita loaned me a
hairdryer to dry my still rather soggy hair.
I was offered a cup of tea and I polished off the two cheese rolls
which I’d not eaten due to my hasty ‘traffic-busting’
escape from Kempton Park. Mum
and I set off for St Albans and I arrived home at around 18:30. I filled the clothes-airer
with my wet coat, damp scarf, possibly damp snood, and now empty soggy-bottomed
handbag before logging on to update my blog.
I also recorded today’s Racing UK Kempton Park highlights onto DVD,
not knowing how much of the live action I’d got on my Sky drive; there were
bound to be clashes with RUK broadcasting live races from Kempton, Wetherby, Wincanton, Huntingdon and Market Rasen on Boxing Day! |
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