DIARY – NEWBURY – HENNESSY GOLD CUP
SATURDAY 01 DECEMBER 2012
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Jockey
Barry Geraghty celebrates his Hennessy
Gold Cup win aboard Bobs Worth With just one riding engagement for
Choc on Friday, I had decided to give the middle day of Newbury’s Winter
Festival a miss. I have to rest and
recuperate sometimes! I occupied
Friday by going shopping during the morning, and watching the racing on TV
during the afternoon. I also selected
and uploaded the photographs I’d taken at Newbury the previous day. By the end of
Friday, Choc had not been fortunate enough to ride a winner at the fixture;
he’d not even made the Winners’ Enclosure with any of his four rides. However, the Alan King yard had been
successful when Bless The Wings, ridden by Wayne Hutchinson, won the Sportingbet Open Handicap Chase yesterday. Upon checking
the runners and riders for today’s fixture, I discovered that Choc had four
riding engagements, all for Alan King; the trainer had six horses entered to
run during the afternoon. Call Me A Star
was to run in race 2, the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed). In race 3, Choc would ride Godsmejudge; whilst Charlie Huxley would be aboard Patsy
Finnegan who was returning to chasing following an unconvincing first season
over the larger obstacles. Choc was
engaged to ride Ardlui in the Handicap Hurdle, the
horse having won a flat race at Newmarket this autumn. His final ride of the day was aboard Hold
On Julio in the Hennessy Gold Cup; thought by the stable to be their best
ever chance in the big race. Alan’s
final runner of the day was Oh Crick in the two mile one furlong Handicap
Chase which rounded off the card; riding him would be amateur Mr Joshua
Newman, claiming 7lbs. With his book of
rides today, I was hopeful Choc would finally ride that elusive Festival 2012
winner. Although the going conditions
at the course were definitely against many of the runners, regardless of
their stables. With the heavy rain
experienced during the past couple of weeks, the ground was mainly soft. This was compounded by dry and cold
conditions during the past two or three days, the course having been covered
by fleeces to prevent frost damage.
This meant the ground was soft but sticky. Today was
forecast to be slightly colder than Thursday, but I’d been ‘roasty toasty’
in the outfit I’d chosen to wear on that day. So today’s outfit was very similar; M
& S thermal vest, M & S long sleeved thermal vest, BHS long sleeved
thermal vest, purple sweater, a new M & S purple fleece, burgundy Per Una cardigan, black gillet,
black woollen tights, brown leggings, long black handkerchief hem skirt,
black faux sheepskin jacket, Katia Big Snow ‘Flint’ coloured scarf (black, white
and brown) and a M & S brown with sparkly gold Trilby hat (which I
noticed someone else was wearing today too – I must have good taste!) And I remembered
to wear a necklace and earrings today ... a square pendant in lilac, with a
silhouette of a horse and the words ‘Keep
Calm and Ride On’ upon it. I
choose to wear my sensible M & S engineer boots; the heels are ‘clumpy’ being only 2¾ inches high
with a ³/8 inch platform. I’d worn my
granny boots on Thursday and my feet were numb by the end of the afternoon;
it might have been something to do with the 4 inch heels with no platform! It’s a fact that
feet spread if one wears sensible shoes too often; no wonder I have a problem
getting my feet into high-heeled sandals which fitted perfectly less than five
years ago! After Thursday’s
fiasco of a journey to Newbury, I decided to aim for an early arrival at the
racecourse; perhaps even before gate opening time. With this in mind, I set my alarm for 05:15
to allow just over two hours for preparation prior to departure. I showered and washed and dried my hair,
ate a breakfast of toast and croissants, applied make-up and was ready to set
off by 07:45; slightly later than expected due to a malfunction with one of
my disposable contact lenses. I wasted two
lenses as, believing I’d inserted one against each pupil, I couldn’t see
properly out of my left eye. I then couldn’t
feel a lense when I tried to remove it hoping to
insert a different one. My first
thought was that perhaps I’d dropped one on the floor; so I inserted another lense but that felt very uncomfortable. So I removed it and then discovered the
original one was in my eye after all ... so I had to take that one out and
put in a third one. Although I had
enough fuel to drive to Newbury and back, I decided to fill up the tank
before setting off just to be on the safe side. The petrol station I always use is located
close Junction 22 of the M25, so it was on one of my two possible routes to
join the motorway. Having paid for the
fuel I walked out the door and bumped into an ex-work colleague, Lynsey. She was
obtaining money from the cash machine ahead of a trip to a London market; her
mum was accompanying her. Lynsey had been a colleague for around 5 or 6 years, and
left us in October. I was very pleased
to hear that she loves her new job and the people she works with are nice too
... I shall make no comment about my place of employment!!! I set off from
there at 08:03. It had been overcast
and very cold in Hertfordshire, around zero degrees in fact. As I drove around the M25 it became misty
too, and remained so until I reached the Reading area, when the skies became
blue with a few patches of cloud. The
journey went smoothly, with no holdups whatsoever. Even the white lines had been painted on
the road at Padworth, the cause of a 30-minute delay
on Thursday due to carriageway resurfacing work. I parked up at
09:25, five minutes before gate opening time and was instructed to park at
the end of the row again – I hate that!
And I hate it that one particular Didicoy
still patrols the free car park on big race days, making a nuisance of
herself by accosting punters and asking if they’d like to buy a sprig of
lucky heather. I managed to be
surprisingly polite to her today; especially considering that on one previous
occasion she’d had the nerve to actually open my car door whilst I was still
sitting in the vehicle! And on another
occasion she invaded my personal space, by standing far too close behind me,
whilst I was rummaging in the back of my car trying to retrieve a cardigan,
coat, and scarf. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
it makes me so angry! Having left my
car, I proceeded along the roadway to the Grandstand Enclosure entrance,
where my pre-purchased ticked was scanned at the turnstile. I then purchased a race-card before heading
along the concourse. Having paid a
visit to the little girls’ room, I eventually decided to walk down to the
course-side rails, thinking that it would probably be warmer than waiting
beside the Parade Ring. The course had
been covered overnight by frost protection covers and these, having been
removed ready for racing, lay in ‘snowdrifts’
around the outside of the rails.
Repairs to the track divots were still underway. Cars were being
parked in the centre of the racecourse too, although not in the section where
the diggers had been preparing the ground.
It’s all part of the redevelopment scheme which will see around 1,500
homes built within the current ‘footprint’
of the site.
More From viewing the
artist’s impression of the finished dwellings, I gather the car park where I
currently park free of charge will be re-located, but a new bridge will be
built at the eastern end of the site to allow for easier access to the
racecourse. That will be a relief, as
it can be very much a bottle-neck. Glancing up at the sky, I think
the clouds were Altocumulus, varying in colour from white to grey. TV presenter Emma Spencer was
undertaking her favourite hobby, shopping, by visiting the Christmas Jumper
stand and trying on one of their items.
Newbury is also offering a special discount on Premier Enclosure
tickets, purchased on the day, for their 29 December fixture; and it all
revolves around the wearing of a Christmas jumper! More I don’t have a Christmas jumper,
despite them being in fashion this Festive Season; and I’ve only once had a
ticket to Newbury’s Premier Enclosure, when Choc treated my friend Lesley and
me to free entry to a fixture in March 2010 when we did our second course-walk! Unfortunately the Shopping
Village was located inside the Premier Enclosure, so I couldn’t visit it even
if I’d wanted to! Emma also visited
the icerink and Farmers Market, which were located within the Grandstand enclosure. Needless to say, I will be giving icerinks
a very wide berth following on from my very painful experience on a wet
pavement in October 2009! Once again, Newbury had
organised a Behind The Scenes Tour and trips to the start. Been there, done that! A number of book signings would also take
place during the afternoon; by Richard Hughes, Felix Francis, Clare Balding
and Paul Nicholls. It was announced that Tom
Scudamore would be taking over the rides aboard Star of Angels in the fifth
race and The Package in the Hennessy Gold Cup. Their original jockey, Timmy Murphy, having
sustained a back injury in a fall during the final race the previous
day. I set off for the Parade Ring
shortly before the Mark You Card feature began at 11:45; taking part were
Sportingbet’s Russ Wiseman and Mick Fitzgerald, the presenter being Emma
Spencer. It was soon time for the first
race of the day, the Amateurs Riders’ Hennessy, run over the same course and
distance as the main event.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Present To You, from Flying Award, Ballyegan, Ceepeegee, Hunters Lodge, Old Wigmore,
Red Mile, Ballyoliver, Rey Nacarado,
Minella Stars, Lady Karinga
and Joaaci. Ballyegan blundered at the second fence and unseated his
rider; the loose horse causing slight interference to the runners as, ahead
of the field, he ran down the remaining fences in the back straight. Fortunately, after that, he bypassed the
obstacles and stayed out of trouble. Ceepeegee held a slight
advantage over Present To You as the field progressed up the home straight on
the first occasion; Ballyoliver now holding closer
order. The eleven remaining runners
were well grouped. No
change at the head of affairs as they headed down the back straight again;
Rey Nacardo’s distinctive one-sided blaze clearly
visible just behind the leaders. Ballyoliver disputing third position as the runners
cleared the cross fence. Ceepeegee and Present To
You led into the final straight, the former giving way as David Bridgwater’s
charge went on, soon joined by Rey Nacarado to the
inside and Ballyoliver to the outside. Rey Nacarado came
under pressure shortly afterwards and dropped back, Ballyoliver
taking a very narrow advantage from Present To You over 3 out, the final
open-ditch. These
two continued to battle over the final two fences, the very game Present To
You only losing out on the run-in, where Ballyoliver
asserted to win by half a length at the line.
These had drawn 7 lengths clear of Hunters Lodge, earlier outpaced,
who stayed on to take third, with the 3-1 favourite Rey Nacarado
in 4th. A
winner for Venetia Williams and amateur pilot Will Biddick;
the jockey had ridden as a professional for a couple of seasons before losing
the battle with his weight.
I
returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the horses arrive back. It
was soon time for Choc’s first ride of the day,
aboard Call Me A Star. Being an
excitable type, she was mounted on the walkway; Alan King and Matt Howells,
the Travelling Head Lad restraining her before Choc was legged up into the
saddle as they approached the exit onto the racecourse. She was also keen heading down to the
start, located part way down the home straight; there being one flight to
negotiate before heading out on one complete circuit of the course.
Then
they were off. Eleven Fifty Nine led
from Ma Filleule, Was My Valentine, She Ranks Me,
who jumped the first slowly, and September Blaze. Choc held up his mount to the inside, near
the rear of the field. Eleven
Fifty Nine continued to lead, setting a reasonable pace around the top
turn. She was three lengths ahead of
Ma Filleule, the latter the same distance clear of
the remaining four runners. By the
third flight, Was My Valentine had begun to lose touch. AP McCoy and Choc decided to take closer
order as the runners headed over the fourth flight, September Blaze also now
losing touch with the leading four. Eleven
Fifty Nine hit the final flight in the back straight but retained her 3
length lead, her nearest rivals travelling in a group behind her. Eleven Fifty Nine led into the home
straight, the others now nipping at her heels. The leader rapped 3 out; Call Me A Star not
responding to Choc’s urgings was soon overtaken by
She Ranks Me, the latter then becoming Ma Filleule’s
biggest danger as the long time leader faded. The
grey Ms Filleule led over the last, AP McCoy urging
his also grey mount to challenge all the way up the run-in, gaining the upper
hand as she stayed on, to win by a neck at the line. Call Me A Star finished 7 lengths back in 3rd,
the long time leader Eleven Fifty Nine 3½ lengths away in 4th. A
winner for Donald McCain and the Champion jockey.
I returned to the Winners’ Enclosure to see the
placed horses arrive back. Choc,
having unsaddled and de-briefed connections, returned to the Weighing
Room. Alan King had two runners in the next race, the
fancied Godsmejudge to be ridden by Choc and
outsider Patsy Finnegan returning to the bigger obstacles today. The starting gate for this event was near the end
of the back straight, with one fence to negotiate before the far turn, then up past the winning post followed by one complete
circuit.
Then
they were off. The field was led away
by Sir Kezbaah and Sherwani
Wolf, with Godsmejudge to their inside. Close to the pace were Rolling Aces, Bennys Mist, Merry King and Handy Andy. Near the rear of the field, Patsy Finnegan
blundered and bumped into Gores Island at the first fence; but Charlie ‘jockey
style’ Huxley soon re-gathered his ‘knitting’. Alan King’s second string also made an
error at the next obstacle. Turning
into the home straight on the first occasion, Sir Kezbaah
and Bennys Mist disputed the lead, with Godsmejudge in third position. The runners were closely grouped as they
travelled up toward the winning post on the first occasion, Gores Island at
the rear of the field. Heading
into the back straight, Bennys Mist, Godsmejudge and Sir Kezbaah
continued to dispute the lead. Choc’s mount jumped the first of the line of five slowly
and dropped back, regaining ground on the leader before the ditch, but he was
slow here too. Bennys
Mist led the runners to the end of the back straight, Sir Kezbaah
having already dropped back to mid-field.
Godsmejudge received reminders shortly
before the end of the back straight; he was now in fifth place and appeared
to be struggling. No
change at the head of affairs over the cross fence, Merry King now in
second. Patsy Finnegan and Sir Kezbaah were now tailing off in rear, soon to be pulled
up; Sherwani Wolf having already been pulled up
after the previous fence. Turning
in, Rolling Aces and Gores Island were making notable progress in behind the
leaders; but the latter made an error four out and faded. Bennys Mist still
held the advantage from Merry King; Rolling Aces closed in on them, so these
three were neck and neck heading to the last.
The long time leader was the first to give way, Merry King and Rolling
Aces jumping the final fence in unison; Ruby Walsh driving the latter out to
win by ¾ of a length at the line.
Handy Andy finished 3rd, Listen Boy 4th and Bennys
Mist 5th. Godsmejudge completed in
12th, last of those which completed.
With Choc’s mount
finishing unplaced, I decided not to return to the Winners’ Enclosure on this
occasion, and would not do so until after the Hennessy Gold Cup had been
completed. The starting gate for the next event was located
half-way down the back straight, with two flights to negotiate before the far
turn.
Then
they were off. Big Buck’s and stable
companion Five Dream led the way, with Fox Appeal in third; Reve De Sivola brought up the
rear. The pace was steady, the horses
travelling well within their comfort zone.
Having turned into the home straight on the first occasion and cleared
the third flight, Five Dream’s jockey, Ryan Mahon, glanced behind to check on
the progress of their pursuers; presumably relaying the information to Ruby
Walsh upsides him. Cruising up towards
the lollipop, Ruby checked behind too. Heading
down the back straight, the stable mates continued to match strides; Reve De Sivola, still in rear,
landed flat footed over the 6th flight.
Midway down the back, Ryan Mahon checked their rivals once more. There was no change around the far turn and
heading over 3 out. Dougie Costello then angled Fox Appeal across to the
stand-side rails to make his challenge, but he blundered two out and lost
momentum. Big Buck’s now cruised into
a clear lead as Five Dream faded. Ruby
Walsh’s mount hopped over the last and went on to win by 9 lengths easing
down. Reve
De Sivola stayed on under pressure to take second,
Fox Appeal completed in 3rd with Five Dream last. It
was Big Buck’s 18th consecutive victory.
Er ... is it just me who finds these races
boring, as no horse is currently getting anywhere close to challenging him,
let alone beating him?
It
was now time for Choc’s third ride of the day,
aboard Ardlui; the horse was one of just two
4-year-olds competing against their elders in this race. The
starting gate for the next race was at the far end of the home straight, with that and one complete circuit to travel.
Then
they were off. The cheek-pieced Passato led them away, Ardlui
upsides to his inside; they were followed by Hunting Tower, Scots Gaelic, At
Fishers Cross, Princely Player, Salubrious, Star Of Angels, Kingcora, and Topolski. At Fishers Cross, ridden by AP McCoy, made
an error at the second flight. Daryl
Jacob’s mount continued to share the lead with Ardlui
as the runners passed the winning post and headed out into the country for
the first and only time. Salubrious
and Topolski continued to bring up the rear. Passato held the
advantage over Ardlui as the runners headed down
the back straight; At Fishers Cross close up in third, blinkered Star Of
Angels leading the remainder of the field.
AP’s mount made a further error at the 6th flight, slightly losing his
momentum. The
runners were still well grouped as they headed around the final bend;
although both Scots Gaelic and Topolski were being
ridden along by this stage. Choc sent Ardlui into a narrow lead over three out; in rear Topolski unseated his jockey, Tom Cannon. However,
At Fishers Cross, carrying the JP McManus colours, was travelling well and
joined Ardlui as they crossed two out. Ruby Walsh had got to work aboard the Paul
Nicholls’ representative Salubrious and they were now in third position and
mounting a challenge. AP’s
mount led over the last, drifting towards the stand-side rails shortly
afterwards. His jockey drove him out
to win easily by 6 lengths, Salubrious completed in second; Choc’s mount just 1¼ lengths
away in third. Star Of Angels was 8
lengths back in 4th.
Having
remained beside the course-side rails once more, I had a good view of the
pre-race parade which took place ahead of the Hennessy Gold Cup. Although it would have been even better if
the horses had been led down the flat course and thus closer to the
spectators as had been advertised in the race-card! As
with the first race, the starting gate for this event was at the beginning of
the back straight, with almost two full circuits to travel.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
off by Diamond Harry and Alfie Spinner. In rear, Frisco Depot made an error at the
first two obstacles. Choc’s mount, Hold On Julio, who travelled at the back of
the main group, wasn’t fencing quite as quickly as those just ahead of him
over the first couple of fences. Alfie Spinner blundered and unseated his jockey, Mark
Quinlan, at the third fence. Customary
front runner, Fruity O’Rooney now took up this mantle. The next casualty was Saint Are who, when
in mid-division, fell at the 5th; he also caused interference to Harry The
Viking. Fruity O’Rooney
and First Lieutenant headed the field as they approached the first in the
home straight, followed by Diamond Harry and Soll. Carruthers was at
the rear, although Mattie Batchelor soon cajouled him to progress a number of positions through
the field. One
of the loose horses (Alfie Spinner) was with the
leaders but didn’t interfere with them as they cleared the next few fences
and headed towards the water-jump. He
crossed over to the inside and headed through the gap between the rail and
the wing of this fence, fortunately avoiding the photographers who were
standing beside the rail. Diamond
Harry fell at the next fence, the first after the top bend. Fruity O’Rooney
held the clear advantage heading down the back straight from Soll and First Lieutenant; favourite Bobs Worth was in
mid-field, Hold On Julio further back.
Roberto Goldback, stable-mate of Bobs Worth,
blundered and unseated at the 14th, the middle of the line of fences. Hold On Julio soon received reminders but
he did respond and stayed in touch; 2011 winner, Carruthers,
was now tailing off. First
Lieutenant led into the final bend from Fruity O’Rooney,
Soll, Bobs Worth and Teaforthree. Bobs Worth was travelling well and nipped
up the inside of Jamie Moore’s mount as they entered the final straight. Ruby Walsh was kidding Tidal Bay along and
now showed up on the outside of the field.
Hold On Julio was at the rear of the leading group, in 9th or 10th
position. Barry
Geraghty drove Bobs Worth to join First Lieutenant
as they headed over two out, Tidal Bay in their slipstream. The former asserted over the last and
galloped on to win by 3¼ lengths; Ruby’s mount challenging and getting the
better of First Lieutenant on the run-in.
The Package finished in 4th. Having
jumped the last in equal 8th position, Hold On Julio stayed on to finish 5th. The remainder completed in the following
order – Teaforthree, Fruity O’Rooney,
Soll, Harry The Viking, Ikorodu
Road, Duke Of Lucca, Magnanimity, and Carruthers. The
winner won £85,425; Hold On Julio’s prize was £4,020.
I returned to
the Parade Ring to see the horses come back.
The connections celebrating their win with enthusiasm. Having unsaddled
his mount and debriefed connections, Choc headed disconsolately back to the
Weighing Room, dreams dashed for another season. L
I do get fed up
with the stables of Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson sweeping up the
majority of big prizes because they have the best and most expensive horses
in the country. But at least it means
far more when Choc gets to ride a big winner; it’s not ‘ten a penny’ like it is for Ruby and Barry. In my personal view, Barry is a better
jockey than Ruby! But, having said
that, I wouldn’t swap my lovely Chocolate for anybody!!! It was now time
for the seventh and final race of the day, in which Alan King was represented
by Oh Crick. Amateur jockey Mr Joshua
Newman taking the mount, and claiming 7lbs to give his ride a new lease of
life in handicap company. Daryl Jacob
replaced Ruby aboard the 2-1 favourite Ulck Du Lin,
the latter jockey having injured his thumb in a fall the previous day and not
wishing to aggravate it further today; the former putting up 1lb
overweight. Jamie Moore then took over
aboard the mare Kateal. The starting
gate for this race was part way down the home straight, with two fences to
negotiate before passing the winning post and then travelling for one full
circuit.
Then
they were off. The runners were led
away by Falcon Island, from Takeroc, and Renard. Tatispout, who has in the past been temperamental at the
post, refusing to race, consented to run on this occasion and was slowly
away. Kateal
made an error at the 2nd fence; Oh Crick travelled in mid-field. Comehomequietly
soon came to join the leader and landed slightly ahead as the runners cleared
the water jump. Entering
the back straight the order was Comehomequietly,
Falcon Island, Renard, Manger Hanagement,
Ulck Du Lin, Oh Crick, Takeroc,
Gus Macrae, Kateal, Fiftyonefiftyone, Consigliere, Micheal Flips, Tatispout, West
With The Winds and On Trend. The
leader reached for the open-ditch but got to the other side safely, he then
stepped through the next, leaving a gap in the birch. Although the partnership had survived the
error they began to drop back through the field. Oh Crick’s white face was clearly visible
just behind the leaders as they reached the end of the back straight. Renard led over the
cross-fence; On Trend made an error and fell here. Into the home straight, Venetia Williams’
charge still led from Falcon Island, Manger Hanagement,
Ulck Du Lin, Oh Crick and Gus Macrae;
ten runners had drawn away from the remainder of the field. Ulck Du Lin had improved to join Renard approaching the penultimate obstacle and then took
the advantage having cleared this fence; with the latter now disputing second
position with Oh Crick and Falcon Island.
These three jumped the last in unison; Ulck
Du Lin extended away on the run-in to win by 3¾ lengths from Oh Crick, who
kept on well to beat Reynard by a neck; Falcon Island just ¾ of a length
behind in 4th.
I returned to
the Parade Ring to see the horses arrive back. After racing, a
DBS (Doncaster Bloodstock) breeze-up sale would be taking place in the
pre-parade ring. I have stayed to
watch the early lots on a previous occasion, but it was very cold today and
getting dark of course; besides, my friend Denise was expecting me to arrive
at her home before 18:00. Perhaps I’ll
stay after racing to watch on another occasion. Having returned
to my car, and polished off two cheese rolls, I set off at 16:20. Vehicles were being discouraged from
leaving via the main entrance but the driveway was clear in the opposite
direction so I headed out past the fitness centre and golf-course club
house. The first delay occurred when I
was held up half way down the drive, just opposite the location of the cross
fence. Eventually the
cars started to move again, and I continued down the driveway, through the
far gate, turning left and proceeding through the bridge beneath the railway
line. The road then headed through the
industrial estate, at the far side of which was a queue of traffic waiting
for the temporary traffic lights to change to green. Typically, upon
reaching the front of the queue, the lights changed to red again; one crazy
driver deciding to over-take me as I came to a halt. Even the workman who was manually operating
the lights held up his hands in exasperation at the impatient driver’s stupidity. They must have been the reportedly one in
six people who are not intelligent enough to drive! After joining
the A4, I drove through the multiple traffic light controlled junctions in Thatcham; there were no holdups, despite it being
Newbury’s busiest race-day of the year.
On my first ever exit via this route, on what would have been Hennessy
Gold Cup day in 2008, I must have been held-up for at least 30 minutes by
traffic queuing nose to tail through the town. As mentioned
earlier, on my way home I visited my friend Denise in Caversham;
so I joined the M4 at Junction 12 Reading West, heading in an easterly
direction before leaving at Junction 10, Reading East. The route I always use, through Sonning, had been closed for the past few days due to
flooding, but they re-opened it during the afternoon so I was able to cross
the Thames at this point ... but there were still a number of large puddles
on the lane. Okay for 4x4’s but not so
good for my little Fiesta! With
temperatures dropping, I didn’t fancy my chances of returning via Sonning or travelling via Henley and Marlow in the dark,
despite knowing the road between the two towns quite well; in addition, its
route runs very close to the Thames too, so I couldn’t be sure there would be
no flooding. Denise told me there had
been many traffic problems in Reading during the past week – because in
addition to the Sonning route being closed, the
underpasses on their IDR (Inner Distribution Road) were flooded too. No doubt this added to the delays I
experienced on Thursday when I diverted through the town. Having been fed
and watered by my hostess, I decided to return via Reading town centre and
joined the M4 via the A329(M) once more. There had obviously been an accident
somewhere in the locality, as I was overtaken by two emergency vehicles, blue
lights flashing, as I drove along the motorway trunk road. It
was a pleasure to drive on the M25 late into the evening, the motorway is lit
which helps too. The M4 is lit for
most of the way too, but not for the entire stretch of my journey upon it. I
arrived home at 22:20. Originally I’d
thought that perhaps I’d forego the pleasure of writing a blog before I went
to bed but, in the event, I decided that I would prefer to know what Choc’s riding engagements were for Sunday, so I logged
onto my laptop and wrote an update. I
didn’t, however, decide to upload the photographs I’d taken during the
afternoon; that would wait until the following day. For the record, Choc rode at Kempton Park,
where a ‘Bumpers for Jumpers’ card was
scheduled on the all-weather. It
was 12:40 when I turned in for the night ... accompanied by my hot water
bottle!!! I love my hot water bottle,
and it was a godsend when my back was bad a few weeks ago. |
