DIARY – SANDOWN PARK SEASON FINALE
– CELEBRATING THE CROWNING OF A
NEW CHAMPION JUMP JOCKEY – RICHARD JOHNSON
SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2016
|
Champion Jockey Richard Johnson
is interviewed by Channel 4’s Alice Plunkett
following his win aboard Menorah.
Winner
of the Grade 1 Celebration Chase – Sprinter
Sacre ridden by Nico de Boinville The
Sandown Park finale has become my annual farewell to the current season since
it became an all jumps card in 2014. I
attended alone in 2014, but last year and this I was accompanied by my friend
Lesley. Being April, the day will
always be prone to showers, but one has to be forever hopeful that it might
be warm and sunny as it was in 2008 when I undertook my first trip to the
Esher track. In fact that was my first
ever visit to the races and, of course, the first time I ever saw Choc in the
flesh. I miss him ... sigh. Lesley
had arranged to pick me up at around 10:00; in the event it was 10:25. The previous evening she’d attended a dance
show at St Albans City Hall – showcasing Strictly’s
Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite; I had been asked, but felt unable to fit in both
events on consecutive days. In fact by
this stage of the season I felt I needed a holiday to get over my Cheltenham
and Aintree holidays!!! As
it was cold today, I wore three thermal t-shirts – violet, grey with black
doves, and purple, a bright blue BHS cardigan, a M & S purple fleece,
tweed M & S double-frill skirt, purple thick BHS tights, teal BHS jacket,
black Hotter ‘Cannes’ boots, a
River Island scarf, also a black snood with white horses design, plus a
purple Kipling handbag. I think it was
a ‘full house’ for my skirt this
season – I’d worn it to the Hennessy Gold Cup, King George VI Chase, Cheltenham
Gold Cup, Grand National and now the Season Finale. Anyway,
we set off via Highfield Park and the London Colney roundabout to reach Junction 22 and join the
anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25.
There had been an accident close to the slip-road at Junction 21A
involving three or four cars; there were emergency vehicles in attendance and
cones prevented any vehicles leaving the motorway to join the A405. We
continued on our way, without any holdups until we approached the M3
junction; at this point we came to a standstill. There was also a warning of a road closure
on the northbound A3, and we had no idea whether this would affect us or
not. Later research suggested it might
have been connected with the A2043 at Maldon, so this would not have caused a
problem to us had we remained on our original route. But, without a map or satnav,
we had two options. Either
head up the M3 in a north-easterly direction and leave at Junction 1 to
travel via Kempton Park and Hampton Court, or remain on the M25 with the
possibility of travelling at a snail’s pace for two junctions and then not
knowing if a road closure would also delay us. We chose the former option. However,
that would have been all well and good, had it not been for the fact there
were two sets of road-works on the route between the M3 and Hampton Court;
the latter close to Tagg’s Island! We were thus stuck in two queues for ages
on each occasion. Having chosen this
route, it then took us via the Scilly Isles roundabouts ... but, having seen
but not followed the temporary signage indicating the route to the Sandown
Park car parking area, we discovered there was a tailback all the way along
Esher High Street to the aforementioned traffic islands. Fortunately it was not too late to re-route,
and we did a 360-degree turn at the roundabouts and headed back in the
direction we’d already come from! We
then followed the signage along Weston Green Road, which subsequently took us
along Lower Green Road, under the railway line and into More Lane, which
meant we approached the entrance to the free car park from the opposite
direction! I’d always been curious to
try this alternative route, and today was that day! Gates
opening time was 11:30; we arrived at 12:10.
This being the case, we were too late to find a space on the tarmac
area adjacent to the golf range.
Stewards directed us to park on the grass, near the far rail, in the
first row directly facing the tarmac car park. Having left the car, we headed along the
driveway to the pavilion marking the entrance to the Premier Enclosure; I’d
purchased our tickets for £22.50 each, taking advantage of a reduced price
during an early offer period prior to 01 April. A group of punters in front of us were
directed to the other entrance, as they had grandstand tickets. Our
tickets were scanned and we headed across the home straight upon a track of
plastic pontoons; these protected the turf from heavy footfall ahead of
racing. Our route then took us up the
pathway beside the rhododendron walk and into the Grandstand Enclosure; we
stopped opposite the winners’ podium which had been erected in the centre of
the Parade Ring. Shortly
afterwards, whilst Lesley saved our space, I headed over towards the entrance
opposite the main car park, to purchase two race-cards; £5 each. Once I returned, Lesley set off to buy
coffees, etc. As
always on the final day of the season there is a Champions’ Parade; however,
this year, Champions were a little thin on the ground because many of our
feature races had been won by Irish-based horses, including the Cheltenham
Gold Cup and Grand National. And,
others had prior engagements, such as Cue Card travelling over to Punchestown the following week, and Thistlecrack
had an issue with pus in his foot.
Also, Sprinter Sacre would be running in the
Celebration Chase, the third race on the card. There
were six horses listed in the race-card as taking part in the parade; one of
these was a no-show, namely Blaklion, winner of the
Cheltenham Festival’s Grade 1 RSA Chase.
However, Smad Place did attend; having won
the Hennessy Gold Cup last November.
Also Altior, winner of the Grade 1 Supreme
Novices’ Hurdle. The others were
retirees ... Balthazar King and Bobs Worth having retired at the end of this season,
together with Looks Like Trouble who is now 24 years old. The latter won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in
2000, partnered by Richard Johnson; having been trained by Richard’s
father-in-law Noel Chance, he’s now the Johnson’s family pet! Richard
Johnson’s trophy as Champion Jockey would not be presented until later in the
afternoon, and the Champion Trainer’s trophy was still being contested
between current Champion Paul Nicholls and his challenger Willie
Mullins. I suppose it should not have been
a surprise that Gigginstown Stud, in other words Michael O’Leary, was
Champion Owner this season, having won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Don
Cossack and the Crabbies Grand National with Rule The World. Michael wasn’t in attendance, but sent a
female representative instead. The Sandown Park special
contribution to the racing industry award was presented to Nicky Henderson;
he was surprised, and recalled the day earlier in the season when he’d
jokingly told Willie Mullins to ‘go
back to Ireland’; but many a thing said in jest! I had no idea who the Champion
Conditional jockey would be; it turned out to be 22-year-old Craig Nichol
with 36 winining rides. His closest
challengers were Harry Cobden and Sean Bowen; the latter was last year’s winner.
I thought there was a trophy for
‘Horse of the Year’ but, although
Colin Tizzard was interviewed and mainly about Thistlecrack I recall, there
didn’t appear to be a presentation.
There definitely was last year, with Many Clouds taking the accolade. I know I voted for Cue Card this year ...
so it’s a total mystery. There was a fairly heavy shower
whilst these presentations were taking place.
Lesley had her Percy Pig umbrella with her, I’d left my umbrella in
the car, preferring to rely upon my black faux fur trimmed waterproof hat
which I’d worn at Aintree on Grand National day. She admired my hat, saying she’d like one
similar to wear whilst walking her dog Max!
I’ve owned it two or three years, and purchased it from BHS ... where
else? And, in light of more recent
events, I won’t be able to buy anything at BHS any more ... so where am I
going to buy my cardigans and coats? L The initial presentations over,
we headed back into the Premier Enclosure and stood at the top of the
steppings overlooking the Parade Ring; at one point Lesley went to put a bet
on her selection in the first race, Duke Street. Earlier she admitted to having placed a bet
on Rule The World in the Grand National; she’s a Take That fan ... the
connection hadn’t even registered with me, as I’m not!!! We repositioned to a vantage point beside
the rhododendron walk just prior to the horses leaving the Parade Ring; this
enabled me to take photographs of the competitors. The favourite for this event was Voix Du Reve, trained by Willie
Mullins and ridden by Grand National winning jockey, and nephew, David
Mullins; price 9-4. The Wylie-owned
horse had fallen at the last when running in the Fred Winter Juvenile
Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, and would probably have won that day. Representing Paul Nicholls in the Champion
Trainers’ battle was second-favourite Tommy Silver. The horses having all exited the
Parade Ring and headed down to the racecourse, we walked down the concourse
to find a space at the top of the grass slope beside the main grandstand from
which to view the race. The starting gate was at the far
end of the home straight, with this and one full circuit to travel; having
circled within the pen to the inside of the track, the runners were called
out onto the racecourse.
Initially it appeared that the jockeys were
approaching the tape too quickly, with Big McIntosh bounding forward, but the
Starter released the tape and then they were off; first time. The aforementioned led the runners away,
from Duke Street and Nabhan. However, at the rear of the field, Harry
Skelton was glancing down, as his mount seemed to be having an issue with its
hindquarters; Ashoka didn’t appear to be
sound. Harry pulled him up before he
reached the first flight. It didn’t
appear to be too serious though, as the jockey was able to stand within the ‘island’ enclosure, holding his mount,
whilst the race was in progress. There
was never any suggestion that green screens needed to be erected. Meanwhile, Big McIntosh had set up a clear lead
having jumped the first flight, with the hooded and keen Doubly Clever soon
taking second place at the head of the main field; at the rear was Sikandar. Having
cleared the next flight, the leader had soon set up an advantage of around 10
lengths as the field continued up the hill and past the winning post with one
circuit now to travel. Leading the
main pack was Duke Street, from Doubly Clever, Nabhan,
Darebin, Tommy Silver, Voix
Du Reve, Wolf Of Windlesham,
Deebaj and, slightly
detached, Sikandar.
Having reached the top of the hill, the runners
turned right-handed, crossing the track which leads to the centre of the
racecourse car park, before heading downhill and bearing right again to enter
the back straight for the one and only time.
The leader wasn’t as far ahead now, as they jumped the third flight;
there were no jumping issues at the hurdle, although Deebaj
had now been relegated to last position. The runners continued the short distance to the
next, with Big McIntosh’s lead now reduced to not much more than a
length. Behind him were Duke Street,
Doubly Clever, Tommy Silver and, to the outside, the white-faced Wolf Of Windlesham. The
field headed to, and over, flight number five with Mattie Batchelor’s
mount still leading; both Deebaj and Sikandar were being ridden along at the rear of the
field. They now crossed over the steeplechase track
before reaching the sixth flight; although being ridden too, Big McIntosh led
over this one also. However, a number
of the runners were continuing to stalk him as they headed into the far bend;
going particularly well were Tommy Silver, Wolf Of Windlesham
and Voix Du Reve. Sikandar was
managing to just hang onto the coattails of the main group, but Deebaj’s chance had gone.
Although struggling to do so, Big McIntosh
managed to keep his head in front as they turned the bend into the home
straight, but not for long. He was
swallowed up as Duke Street to the inside and Tommy Silver to the outside,
sailed into the lead. Meanwhile, to
the nearside rail Wolf Of Windlesham was laying
down a challenge, with Voix Du Reve
being urged along by David Mullins and soon taking fourth position. In fact Wolf Of Windlesham
was just the leader as they cleared two out, from Tommy Silver to the far
side and the Irish raider continuing to close between them; Duke Street to
the far side of the Paul Nicholls runner was still a close fourth. The leaders all jumped the last flight well, and
continued their journey up the hill to the line; Wolf Of Windlesham
began to drift right under pressure, with Voix Du Reve continuing to close all the way to the line; Tommy
Silver continued to close too. Phew …
Wolf Of Windlesham held on to win by half a length
from Voix Du Reve, with
the Paul Nicholls runner just a head away in 3rd. It was close for 4th too, with Sikandar snatching that position in the last few strides,
from Duke Street and Doubly Clever. So Willie Mullins had outdone Paul Nicholls in
this one, but it would have been far worse in terms of prize money difference
had the Irish raider won and Tommy Silver had finished 2nd! When writing this diary, I checked Dan Skelton’s
website to see if Ashoka is still listed … and he
is; so I presume his injury wasn’t too serious.
We returned to the area between the Parade Ring and
the rhododendron walk following the race.
I actually followed close behind Willie Mullins and his son Patrick as
they headed back to the Winners’ Enclosure. Race
1 - 2:20pm THE bet365 JUVENILE HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) The odds-on favourite for the next was Valseur Lido, again trained by Willie Mullins. Being a Gigginstown horse, the jockey was Bryan Cooper; price
4-5. Willie also fielded Ballycasey. Paul
Nicholls wasn’t taking any chances and had three runners – Saphir Du Rheu, Rocky Creek and
Wonderful Charm. Making up the numbers
was the winner for the past two years, namely Menorah, and also Colin Tizzard’s Third Intention. The starting gate for the next race was at the
beginning of the back straight; the horses therefore turned left upon exiting
the walkway to head to the start. Once again we watched the race from the top of
the grassed slope beside the main grandstand.
The experienced chasers were very calm as they
approached the tape and then they were off, first time. Third Intention and Rocky Creek disputed the
lead as they headed towards the first fence, from Valseur
Lido, first-time blinkered Saphir Du Rheu to the outside of the field, Ballycasey,
also first-time blinkered Wonderful Charm and, narrowly last, Menorah. Third Intention also sported blinkers. The leading duo jumped the first fence well; in
contrast, the favourite was very ponderous and was now no longer a clear
third. Third Intention had taken a
clear lead as they negotiated fence number two, from Rocky Creek, with
Menorah the nearest pursuer; all seven jumped this one well. The next was the first open-ditch; Rocky
Creek and Ballycasey were both slow here. There was no change at the head of affairs as the
runners headed to the water-jump; Ballycasey
bunny-hopped the smallest fence on the course and dropped his hind-legs in
the water as a result. The runners
galloped across the hurdles track to reach the first of the railway fences; Saphir Du Rheu was now second
from last, with Ballycasey last. The horses all jumped this one well,
although Third Intention showed a preference to jump out to his left. All seven judged their strides to perfection and
thus cleared the middle railway fence without any issues. The runners continued to the seventh, which
they all jumped well, notwithstanding Saphir Du Rheu which went through the very top of the birch. Heading into the far turn, Third Intention
continued to lob along at the front of the field, with Menorah having now
improved into second position. Upon completing the turn, the runners then headed
across to the Pond Fence, which they all cleared well, and with Third
Intention continuing to display a preference to jump out to this left. They then entered the home straight and
headed over the next, which the leader got a little bit low at. The brace of greys continued to bring up
the rear. The jockeys then steered their mounts towards the
near-side of the racecourse in order to jump the second open-ditch. They all cleared this well, with Ballycasey taking a big leap and landing slightly
awkwardly as a result. The runners
continued up the hill in front of the grandstands with Third Intention
leading by two or three lengths from Menorah, followed by Rocky Creek, Valseur Lido, Wonderful Charm, and Ballycasey
with Saphir Du Rheu. Having passed the winning post, with one circuit
to go, they’d soon reached the top of the hill before turning right-handed
and heading across the ‘carpet’
which covered the roadway into the centre-course car park. The track heads downhill on the approach to
the fence on the side of the course; Menorah put in a better jump than the
leader and almost drew alongside.
Shortly afterwards, the field headed into the back straight for the
final time; one circuit now completed.
The dual winner continued to stalk the leader as
they headed over the first in the back straight; they were three or four
lengths clear of Rocky Creek, Valseur Lido was
within a length of him, with Ballycasey, Wonderful
Charm and Saphir Du Rheu
two or three lengths behind that duo.
The pace was increasing as they jumped the next, and Menorah drew
alongside Third Intention as they headed over the final open-ditch. The leading duo was six or seven lengths ahead of
their rivals as they headed to the water-jump once more. All seven cleared this without incident on
this circuit, and they then crossed the hurdles track on their way to the
first of the railway fences; both Third Intention and Menorah were a little
bit awkward at this one. At the next,
the Colin Tizzard runner jumped to his left once
more, and Menorah made another slight mistake. The others were closer now, with Valseur Lido in third, followed by Rocky Creek, Wonderful
Charm, Ballycasey and Saphir
Du Rheu. Menorah was half a length up as he jumped the
final railway fence. Third Intention
stuck with him as they headed into the far turn, with Valseur
Lido travelling well just behind him and the remainder now under
pressure. At the apex of the bend,
Richard Johnson glanced under his right arm to check on his rivals. Valseur Lido was
not far behind, but probably not going as well as connections might have
hoped. The leader flew the Pond Fence, with the
favourite in hot pursuit; Third Intention was now in third position, from
Rocky Creek, Saphir Du Rheu,
Ballycasey and Wonderful Charm. Valseur Lido was
carrying his head on one side as they approached two out. Having jumped it, Bryan Cooper’s mount
gradually closed the deficit and was alongside Menorah as they took off at
the final fence. However, the latter
put in the more fluent leap and gained the upper hand once more. This left him just over a length in front and he
battled up the hill bravely to repel Valseur Lido’s
continued challenge; Menorah won by a length at the line. The horse loves this race, run on good
spring ground; his third victory in three renewals! And with the new Champion Jump jockey
aboard too. Although having no chance with the leading pair,
Rocky Creek kept on under pressure to take 3rd, 10 lengths back. Third Intention finished 4th, with Saphir Du Rheu 5th, Ballycasey 6th and Wonderful Charm 7th. The first six won prizes and for the second
race in a row, Willie Mullins didn’t pick up the biggest one! The trainer, Philip Hobbs, put the victory down
to the horse being fresh (140 days since he’d last run) and being trained
with this race in mind. He said he
wouldn’t call Menorah ‘soft’ as
such, but he just needs a race to ‘go
his way’, which it did today.
We
left our course-side viewing point, to walk up the concourse in order to reach
my favourite vantage point beside the rhododendron ahead of the horses
returning. Race 2 - 2:55pm THE
bet365 OAKSEY STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) No Stewards Enquiry. The Veterinary Officer
reported that VALSEUR LIDO (FR), placed second, trained by W P Mullins, lost
a right fore shoe. It
was at this point in the proceedings that Richard Johnson was presented with
his Champion Jump Jockey trophy. As
had happened last year when AP McCoy received his 20th and final Championship
award, jockeys, friends and colleagues lined up to provide a guard of honour leading into the Parade Ring. Richard’s three children, Willow, Casper
and Percy also joined the line. As
had happened last year, it was impossible to find a viewing point opposite
the Parade Ring podium, as all space was already taken. So, once again, we stood upon the raised
area to the side of the paddock, just a few strides away from the
rhododendron walk. Being
a friend of Richard’s wife Fiona, I spotted Choc’s
ex-wife Meally in the Parade Ring too. She appeared to have come to the races
accompanied by a couple of her friends.
She sported a small hat, and her dress sense hasn’t changed … her
skirts are still far too short; she must be 35 now – as I believe she’s an
Aries born in late March. The favourite for the next race was the ‘Comeback King’, Sprinter Sacre. Evidently
he’d been in such good form since regaining his Champion Chase title in
March, that trainer Nicky Henderson said his hand had been forced into
running him again today … he just couldn’t not do it! Today Sprinter Sacre
would be ridden by Nico de Boinville,
as he had been all this season since Barry Geraghty’s
appointment as JP McManus’ retained rider.
As today’s favourite, his starting price was 11-10. The horse was on edge today, the paddock
pundits put this down to the atmosphere and noise in the busy Parade Ring
following the presentation of Richard Johnson’s Champion Jump Jockey
trophy. The horses taking part for Paul Nicholls were
Dodging Bullets, Solar Impulse and Ulck Du Lin;
with Willie Mullins solely represented by Un De Sceaux. There were a total of 6 runners, with
former Champion Chaser Sire De Grugy (2014) being
the other one. And, of course, Dodging
Bullets is also a former Champion Chaser (2015). Again, once the horses had exited onto the
racecourse, we set off down the concourse beside the rhododendron walk to
find a vantage point at the top of the slope adjacent to the main
grandstand. The two mile starting gate is positioned at the
far end of the home straight, the horses cantering down past the grandstand
to reach it.
With girths having been checked, the runners were
sent away from the start; in fact they headed back beyond the Pond Fence
before turning and approaching the tape.
They took another two turns, with Dodging Bullets on his toes the
most; before heading around a small fenced enclosure within which was the Starters
rostrum. And then they were off, first
time. Heading towards the first fence, Un De Sceaux took the lead from Sire De Grugy,
Ulck Du Lin, Sprinter Sacre;
Solar Impulse disputed last place with Dodging Bullets. All six runners cleared this well before
bearing to the left slightly in order to take the open-ditch option as the
second fence. Again they all cleared
this well; although the Grand Annual winner, Solar Impulse was a bit slow at
both. The runners then continued up the hill in front of
the grandstands, with the Irish raider holding a length or two’s advantage
over his nearest rival, Ulck Du Lin. Having passed the winning post with one
circuit to go, the leading four were well grouped as they approached the top
of the hill before bearing to their right and crossing the ‘carpet’ ahead of their descent to the
next. Dodging Bullets was now five
lengths behind them, and Solar Impulse the same again. Wary of Un De Sceaux’s
occasional jumping issues, Paul Townend eased his
mount back as they approached the sometimes tricky downhill fence; his
enabled him to meet it on a good stride.
However, it also meant that both Sire De Grugy
and Sprinter Sacre landed upsides, before the
jockeys took a slight pull to allow Un De Sceaux to
take the advantage once more. Then,
jumping the fourth, Sire De Grugy landed upsides
him again. At the rear of the field, Solar Impulse landed awkwardly over this
one. The 2014 Champion Chaser was marginally ahead as
they jumped the second in the line of 7 fences in the back straight. Nico de Boinville was happy for his mount to bowl along in third,
three lengths behind the leading duo.
The following fence was an open-ditch, where Un De Sceaux
took off too early and dragged his hind-legs through the birch; his landing
wasn’t perfect as a result, but he survived. The chestnut continued to hold a narrow advantage
as they headed over the water-jump, from Un De Sceaux,
Sprinter Sacre, the improving Dodging Bullets, Ulck Du Lin and Solar Impulse; although the latter three
were a number of lengths detached. The
leading duo jumped the first of the railway fences in unison, stalked by
Sprinter Sacre; Dodging Bullets jumped out to this
left. Sire De Grugy
was ahead slightly as they cleared the next, with Paul Townend’s
mount having to put in a short stride in order to meet these correctly; and
again at the next. Un De Sceaux is not an ‘imposing’
type of horse. Having reached the far side of the railway fences
with all six still standing, Gary Moore’s charge held a two lengths advantage
as they headed into the far turn; Un De Sceaux and
Sprinter Sacre disputed second position, with the
latter against the running rail. This
trio were many lengths ahead of Dodging Bullets, whose jockey Sam Twiston-Davies even checked under his left arm to see
where his stable-mates were; that didn’t bode well! Sire De Grugy was
beginning to tire as they headed towards the Pond Fence, with Un De Sceaux now drawing alongside, and Sprinter Sacre too, to their outside latterly. Nico de Boinville mount wasn’t perfect here, having got a little
too close, but Un De Sceaux’s effort was far
worse! He put in a short stride and
ploughed through it; Paul Townend had to let go of
the reins with his left hand in order to retain his balance, as his mount’s
nose almost kissed the turf.
Fortunately the horse’s head came back up quickly and he was forced
back into the saddle. Sire De Grugy, which narrowly avoided being hampered by this
incident, was left in a clear second to pursue Sprinter Sacre
around the home turn. The Champion Chaser was clear as they headed over
two out, with Un De Sceaux endeavouring to regain
the lost ground but jumping it the least well of the leading trio. However, there was only going to be one
winner if Sprinter Sacre cleared the last, which he
did easily. He continued to draw away
from his rivals, with encouragement from his jockey, on the ascent to the
winning post. He won by 15 lengths. Nico rose in his
irons in celebration as he crossed the winning line. Continuing to battle, Paul Townend’s
mount had pegged back the deficit and was one length up on Sire De Grugy as he jumped the last. In fact it was the fast finishing Dodging
Bullets which proved a danger to his runner-up claims, with Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount staying on all the way to the line;
the Irish raider was just one length ahead as they crossed it. The tired Sire De Grugy
just held on to 4th, with Solar Impulse just failing by half a length to
catch him. No doubt with instructions
that ‘every little helps’, Ulck Du Lin also finished the race under Nick Scholfield, to claim 6th prize; he was 23 lengths behind
the 5th. The horses actually finished in the exact order
that the betting predicted they would! Another stunning performance from the Champion
Chaser and an absolutely amazing season with four from four in top class
chases ... especially following the health issues experienced by Sprinter Sacre since his previous glory days. It looks like Dodging Bullets needs further and,
presumably, will be stepped up in trip next year. And I wonder what will happen when Douvan is thrown into the mix next season?
We
remained in our position beside the rhododendron walk until after the horses taking
part in the next race had exited the Parade Ring and passed by on their way
to the racecourse. Race 3 - 3:35pm THE
bet365 CELEBRATION STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) The favourite for the feature race was Henri
Parry Morgan, trained by Peter Bowen and ridden by son Sean; price 5-1. The 8-year-old had finished 2nd to Native
River in a Grade 1 at the Aintree Festival on his last outing. Willie Mullins fielded Sir Des Champs, who’d
taken a very heavy fall in the Grand National just two weeks ago, and Measureofmydreams, who’d departed at the third fence in
the Scottish Grand National the previous weekend. Paul Nicholls was represented by Southfield
Theatre and last year’s winner Just A Par; the latter had also run in the
Grand National, finishing 15th of 16 finishers. There were others on ‘rescue’ missions today, namely the Topham
Chase favourite Bishops Road who’d unseated at the first fence that day, and
The Druids Nephew who had run below par and been pulled up in the Grand
National. Saint Are and Le Reve had also run in the Grand National; the former was
pulled up before the last and the latter finished 11th. Hadrian’s Approach, the winner of this race
two years ago, had unseated his rider at the first in Aintree’s feature race;
I would never trust his jumping ability! There was a parade ahead of this race, with the
horses exiting onto the racecourse and connections organising them into
number order whilst circling near the top of the hill. Having been led down beside the nearside
running rail, the horses then broke rank and cantered down to the start at
the far end of the home straight.
The jockeys took their respective mounts to look
at the take-off side of the Pond Fence, before returning to the starting area
to have their girths checked, after which they formed into a group to circle
around prior to the off. Harry Skelton
jumped off Le Reve in order to re-saddle his
mount. The Young Master was now
running in the Waley-Cohen colours; presumably his
dad and friends had splashed the cash at some point, to get his son Sam a
ride in the big race! Sounds familiar
territory … The runners approached the starting line in a
sedate and organised fashion, and then they were off, first time. Prominent heading for the first were the
flashy chestnut Drop Out Joe, The Young Master and Saint Are; close-up to
their inside, Le Reve. At the rear of the field were Sir Des
Champs, Seventh Sky, Sausalito Sunrise and The Druids Nephew. Having been shaking his head on the approach to
the first fence, Bishops Road got too close to it and fell; he’d departed at
the first in two consecutive races!
Sausalito Sunrise was lucky to stay on his feet, having encountered
the prostrate horse in his path, and The Druids Nephew had to side-step
too. The remaining 19 runners steered
across to their left in order to jump the open-ditch option at the next
barrier. Saint Are held a very narrow
advantage from Dynaste, Measureofmydreams
and Hadrian’s Approach to the nearside, with Drop Out Joe and Le Reve to his far-side.
The Nicky Henderson representative landed ahead slightly over this
one; there were no serious jumping issues encountered at the fence. Hadrian’s Approach having eased back, Saint Are
and Drop Out Joe led them as they continued up the hill and past the winning
post; two full circuits now to travel.
The former was now in third position, followed by Hadrian’s Approach,
the sole grey Dynaste, The Young Master, Le Reve, Henri Parry Morgan, Southfield Theatre, Measureofmydreams, Gold Futures, Theatre Guide, Just A
Par, Carole’s Destrier, Spring Heeled, Oscar Rock,
Sausalito Sunrise, The Druids Nephew, Sir Des Champs and, finally, Seventh
Sky two or three lengths adrift at the rear of the field. Having reached the top of the hill, the runners
headed around the right-hand bend, crossing the carpet as they began the
journey downhill to fence number three.
Drop Out Joe and Saint Are continued to lead as all nineteen runners
cleared the obstacle successfully; they were already quite strung out by this
early stage of the race. They then
swung right-handed to enter the back straight, with seven fences ahead of
them therein. Theatre Guide was a
little slow jumping the first of these; the horse is always vulnerable to
errors until he warms up! Sir Des
Champs appeared to be losing ground on the field, although he was still ahead
of Seventh Sky. The horses jumped the next without incident;
there was no change at the head of affairs, with Hadrian’s Approach
travelling in third position, just ahead of The Young Master. The following fence was the second
open-ditch, with Theatre Guide again slow, and Oscar Rock a little awkward on
landing. The middle fence in the back
straight was the water-jump, with the sole chestnut holding a narrow
advantage as they cleared it. Their route then took them across the hurdle
track before they reached the first of the three railway fences. Would any of the runners be caught out by
this sometimes tricky ‘combination’,
with stride pattern at a premium?
Saint Are rose marginally ahead at the initial one; they all jumped
this one without problem and the next one too. In fact it was a clear round for everyone,
having negotiated the final one with no noticeable issues. There was no change at the head of affairs as the
runners headed into the far turn; The Druids Nephew wasn’t travelling
particularly well three from the rear, with Sir Des Champs and Seventh Sky
still slightly adrift. The next
obstacle was the Pond Fence, which again they all jumped without an issue; although
Dynaste was possibly a little short of room in
midfield. Turning into the home straight for the
penultimate time, Saint Are led them over the next. Clearing the thirteenth fence, an
open-ditch, Gold Futures and Carole’s Destrier had
a bit of a ‘coming together’ in
mid-air. Wayne Hutchinson’s mount
continued to lead as they headed up past the winning post with just one
circuit to complete. Drop Out Joe lay
is second position, from The Young Master, Dynaste,
Hadrian’s Approach, Henri Parry Morgan, Theatre Guide, Le Reve,
Southfield Theatre, Carole’s Destrier, Gold
Futures, Sausalito Sunrise, Just A Par, Measureofmydreams,
The Druids Nephew, Oscar Rock, Spring Heeled and, still detached, Sir Des
Champs and Seventh Sky. (My short-term
memory is okay, as I just identified each horse without further recall to the
race-card!) Having reached the top of the hill, again they
crossed the carpet and headed down the slope to the fourteenth fence. Due to the momentum, the field bunched up
as the obstacle approached, but every runner cleared it okay; although Gold
Futures wasn’t the most fluent and Spring Heeled had to be ridden away from
the fence, receiving a slap from his jockey’s whip too. Heading over the first obstacle in the back
straight, Saint Are led from Drop Out Joe and the improved Theatre
Guide. The Young Master jumped up into
second position at the next. Wayne
rode his mount into the next, the final open-ditch, in order to take off on a
good stride. Nineteen were still
standing as they headed towards water-jump for the final time. Theatre Guide was narrowly ahead of the
field as they cleared it; Oscar Rock, near the rear of the field, appeared to
land awkwardly, and The Druids Nephew was untidy too. All, bar Bishops Road, having completed a clear
round so far, another was about to blot its copybook. And it was the favourite, Henri Parry
Morgan, which ploughed through the first of the railway fences and threw Sean
Bowen over his head as a result; unseated rider. The jockey went under the hooves of
Southfield Theatre, hampering him slightly but Sean was on his feet quickly,
with little damage appearing to have been done. Travelling not far behind the leaders, Le Reve blundered badly at the next, with Harry Skelton being
forced to the buckle-end of his reins as a result; following this error, the
horse was being ridden along. Saint
Are still hadn’t relinquished the lead as they jumped the final railway
fence, but he was being closely pressed by Dynaste,
Theatre Guide and The Young Master. Wayne managed to keep his mount going until
they’d almost reached the Pond Fence, at which point he was swallowed up by
Theatre Guide and The Young Master.
There were a number of horses laying down their challenges just behind
the leading duo as they jumped it, with Sausalito Sunrise looming up to their
outside as they turned into the home straight. In fact The Young Master was only marginally
ahead of Richard Johnson’s mount as they jumped two out; only a length behind
them were Southfield Theatre, Hadrian’s Approach, Theatre Guide and Just A
Par. However, heading to the final
fence, a number of challenges began to falter, with The Young Master and
Sausalito Sunrise still neck and neck at the head of affairs, but with solely
last year’s winner Just A Par continuing to close. Sam Waley-Cohen’s
mount was the least fluent of the three jumping the last, and it appeared
that his two rivals would be left to fight out the finish. However, sandwiched between the two
challengers, the weight began to tell aboard Sausalito Sunrise and it was
left to Just A Par and The Young Master to battle up the hill to the
line. And it was neck and neck all the way … a
photograph! A couple of minutes later
the result was announced; The Young Master had triumphed by a
short-head. Sausalito Sunrise finished
2¼ lengths back in 3rd, with Southfield Theatre 4 lengths further away in
4th, The Druids Nephew 5th and Hadrian’s Approach 6th. Sixteen runners finished the race, with Le Reve pulled up before 3 out, and Sir Des Champs the same
before the last. So, with Paul Nicholls’ runners finishing 2nd and
4th, and Willie Mullins’ Measureofmydreams only
12th and Sir Des Champs pulled up, it became mathematically impossible for
the Irish trainer to win the Trainers’ Championship. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! The winning trainer, who also ran The Druids
Nephew and Carole’s Destrier during the race, said
that The Young Master had originally been purchased to run on the flat, as he
had more of a sprint pedigree! The
plan is to run the horse in next year’s Grand National … and he pointed out
that it wouldn’t be the first time a ‘sprinter’
had won the Aintree feature – referring to the greatest winner of them all,
Red Rum!
Having
returned to the rhododendron walk ahead of the horses returning, we didn’t
even attempt to go to the Winners’ Enclosure following the race. Race 4 - 4:10pm THE
bet365 GOLD CUP STEEPLE CHASE (HANDICAP) (CLASS 1) (Grade 3) With the 2015/2016 Trainers’ Championship
decided, the trophy presentation took place in the Parade Ring following this
race. With Willie Mullins vanquished, for this season
at least, in a fit of pique the Irish trainer decided to withdraw Vroum Vroum Mag
from the next race and save her for the Punchestown
Festival the following week. I imagine
she would have been a short price odds-on favourite had she run. This left just six runners, three from the
Paul Nicholls yard – Ptit Zig,
Silsol and San Benedeto. The others were Ubak,
winner of the handicap hurdle on Grand National Day, Vaniteux
returning to hurdles having unseated in the Arkle,
and Court Minstrel. After the defection, Ptit
Zig became the race favourite; he was ridden by Sam
Twiston-Davies and priced at 7-4. We
had returned to the top of the slope adjacent to the main grandstand in order
to view the race. To
reach the starting gate, having turned right upon exiting onto the
racecourse, the horses cantered down past the grandstands beside the
nearside-side rail. They then turned
the corner just beyond the Pond, headed across the hurdles track and onto a
narrow, railed track across the centre of the racecourse. Cones marked out the route as they crossed
the flat sprint track, and again as they cantered across the golf course to reach
the back straight. The competitors
then turned left to reach the 2 miles 4 furlongs hurdles starting gate.
The runners approached the tape, with
Silsol waiting to lead, but San Benedeto
looking less than keen and being kicked and cajoled by Nick Scholfield in order to take his place beside the former.
And then they were off, with these two named horses leading the way to the
first flight; they were followed by their stable-companion Ptit Zig, from Ubak, Vaniteux and Court
Minstrel. Silsol
took off quite a long way from the first and, as a result, San Benedeto emerged as the leader having jumped it. The leading duo were
matching strides as they cleared the second flight. The runners then headed across the
steeplechase track, before reaching the final hurdle in the back straight;
all six runners cleared this without incident. The hooded chestnut continued to bowl along in
the lead, accompanied by the blinkered Silsol to
his outside, as they headed into the far bend. The leading duo had set up a clear
advantage by the time they turned into the home straight and were soon
heading to the fourth flight; Silsol was slightly
ahead as they jumped it. San Benedeto and Silsol rose in
unison as they cleared the fifth hurdle. The six runners continued up the hill to the
winning post; one circuit now to travel.
There was no change at the head of affairs, with Ptit
Zig and Ubak matching
strides four or five lengths behind the leading duo, following by Vaniteux, then Court Minstrel. The gallop remained moderate as they
reached the top of the incline, before turning right, crossing the carpet and
heading downhill. The pace increased
on this stretch and they’d soon reached the back straight, with San Benedeto and Silsol continuing
to match strides, from Ptit Zig
now in a clear third, then Vaniteux and Ubak travelling upsides each other and, finally, Court
Minstrel. Jack Sherwood’s mount was a length up as they
jumped the first flight in the back straight, as Nick Scholfield
had steadied his horse in order to meet it on the correct stride. The runners were very well bunched as they headed
to and jumped the next; where San Benedeto was more
fluent and took the lead. Ubak had taken third position as they proceeded to the
following flight, where Silsol had jumped to the
head of affairs once more, narrowly. The field crossed the steeplechase track, before
heading to the final hurdle in the back straight; three out. Silsol remained
ahead clearing this one, but his rivals were queuing up behind him. Having landed, Ubak
was pushed along as they headed into the far bend; this continued to be the
case and he’d soon dropped back to fifth position. It was San Benedeto
which led them into the home straight; Joshua Moore, aboard Ubak, had persevered with his mount and he’d regained
third position to the outside of the runners at this point. There was a difference of opinion as
regards the ground in the home straight, with San Benedeto,
Silsol, the strongly travelling Vaniteux,
and Ptit Zig deciding to
take the middle line, as did the well adrift Court Minstrel; whereas Ubak was brought over the near side to continue his
renewed challenge. It was Vaniteux, for
Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville
which led over the penultimate flight. A length adrift were Silsol to the nearside and Ptit
Zig to the far side; San Benedeto
had begun to tire but, at this stage, he was still just ahead of Ubak. Heading to
the last it appeared that Vaniteux had the race in
the bag but, as they neared it, his tank was beginning to run dry and both Ptit Zig and Silsol had closed the deficit. In fact, Vaniteux
bunny-hopped it and the favourite was now upsides. Now full of momentum, having jumped the last
well, Ptit Zig’s run took
him clear of his rivals and he headed up the hill to win by
an official 1¾ lengths at the line.
It was his stable-companion Silsol which had
kept on up the run-in to claim 2nd, with Vaniteux
relegated to 3rd, 1½ lengths behind. Ubak completed in 4th, 3 lengths away. San Benedeto
completed in 5th, 12 lengths back, and the always last Court Minstrel came
home in the same position; 27 lengths further away … but, with the defection
of Vroum Vroum Mag, they all won prize money!
At
various times during the afternoon I’d noticed that Paul Nicholls’ nephew
Harry Derham, and what I presumed was his family,
had stood to the left of us whilst we viewed the races. On this occasion they’d been animated as ‘Ziggy’ had
galloped to the line. Today
was Paul Nicholls’ Assistant, Tom Jonason’s final
day in the role; he’d recently got married and set up home in his wife’s home
county of Leicestershire ... too far to commute each day to Somerset! Although, having said that, he’d got a new
job in the City of London!!! But, of
course, you can get a train into work from there. Paul’s new Assistant trainer was none other
than his nephew Harry Derham. Winning
jockey Sam Twiston-Davies was sporting a bruised
right cheek and adjacent black eye; this was presumably the result of his
fall at Chepstow the previous evening when Simon Squirrel had taken a fatal
fall at the final flight. Race 5 - 4:45pm THE
bet365 SELECT HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Listed Race) The favourite for the penultimate race was As De Mee, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Sean Bowen;
price 4-1. However, the horse had run
in the Topham at Aintree just two weeks
previously. The trainer had two
further runners in this race, namely Calipto ridden
by Sam Twiston-Davies and Some Buckle ridden by
Nick Scholfield. I like Viva Steve, trained by Mick Channon at this point; however, with the retirement of
Somersby, owner Tim Radford’s jump race horses would be sold off in the
spring, with Viva Steve heading to the Fergal O’Brien yard! Once
the horses had exited the Parade Ring and headed to the racecourse, we set
off to find a vantage point at the top of the grassy slope beyond the main
grandstand. Having
reached the end of the walkway, the horses turned right and cantered down
past the stands before heading across the golf course to reach the starting
gate; the first fence in this event was the first of the railway fences.
With five seconds to go before the official
off-time, the jockeys and their mounts were waiting patiently for 17:20 to
arrive. Some walked, whilst others
jogged towards the tape and they were away, first time. The runners had actually started the race
from the hurdles track; this meant that the first obstacle was the first of
the railway fences. Having reached it,
Junction Fourteen led narrowly to the inner, with Thomas Crapper to the
outside, and Volnay De Thaix
between them. Just behind the latter
two, Viva Steve was a little short of room at this one. Some Buckle wasn’t the most fluent, and he
also made a small mistake at the second; this left him in rear. Nick Schofield’s mount was also slow at the
third fence and he received a reminder for his troubles. Meanwhile, Junction Fourteen continued to lead as
they headed into the far turn, from Thomas Crapper, Volnay
De Thaix, Viva Steve, As De Mee,
Gentleman Jon, Antony, Blandfords Gunner, Daveron, Calipto and Some
Buckle. Successfully galvanised, the
latter appeared to be travelling far better as they headed out of the turn on
their journey towards the Pond Fence; Junction Fourteen remained ahead as
they all cleared it successfully. It’s
extremely rare for horses to fall at the Pond Fence … although earlier in the
afternoon Un De Sceaux had almost joined that elite
group! The eleven runners headed into the home straight,
with Viva Steve getting a little close to the first fence therein; Blandfords Gunner was now at the rear of the field. The jockeys steered their mounts towards
the left in order to take the open-ditch option at the following obstacle;
they all cleared this well. Junction Fourteen retained the advantage as the
closely packed field continued up the hill to the winning post; one circuit
now to travel. As they reached the top
turn, it was noticeable that Viva Steve had currently lost his place amongst the
leaders; he was now four from the back of the field. Having crossed the carpeted car park
crossing, the pace speeded up as the runners headed down the slope to the
next fence. There were no jumping
issues at this sometimes tricky fence. The runners had soon turned right and entered the
back straight, with Junction Fourteen remaining just ahead of his rivals, the
nearest being Thomas Crapper, Volnay De Thaix and Gentleman Jon.
The runners sailed over the next fence, with Some Buckle and Blandfords Gunner both becoming detached at the rear of
the field. The following fence was a
plain one, and Viva Steve was now beginning to make progress back up through
the field. The third fence in the back straight was the
final open-ditch and Thomas Crapper was a little slow here; he was then being
pushed along slightly as they approached the water-jump for the one and only
time. Volnay
De Thaix got a little close to this one and Some
Buckle had re-joined the main field once more. Junction Fourteen remained marginally ahead of Volnay De Thaix and Gentleman
Jon as they jumped the first of the railway fences. However, the latter made an error at the
middle one of these, with his jockey Paddy Brennan going to the buckle end of
his reins as a result. In fact, having
cleared the final railway fence, all eleven were still standing, with solely Blandfords Gunner trailing well to the rear of the field. Still not headed, Daryl Jacob’s mount led the
field into the far bend, from Thomas Crapper and Volnay
De Thaix.
They were followed by As De Mee, Viva Steve,
Gentleman Jon, Antony, Calipto, Some Buckle, Daveron and Blandfords
Gunner. A number of runners were soon
being bumped along by their jockeys, namely Gentleman Jon, Antony, Calipto and Daveron. In fact only a handful of the runners were
travelling well as they began their approach to the Pond Fence, the long-time
leader being one of them. Also, Volnay De Thaix, As De Mee and,
surprisingly, Some Buckle; although the latter was still near the rear of the
field. However, having jumped it, Volnay De Thaix was then being
ridden along also. Because both Thomas
Crapper and Viva Steve were responding to pressure to his outside, Sean Bowen
aboard As De Mee found himself stuck in a pocket
behind Junction Fourteen as they turned into the home straight. However, by the time they reached two out
and a gap had opened up, the jockey was now receiving little response to his
urgings. In fact the long-time leader flew over the
penultimate fence and began to extend his lead as they headed to the final
obstacle. Volnay
De Thaix and Thomas Crapper were battling on in
second as they jumped it, with Antony now in fourth, behind him As De Mee and Viva Steve. At the beginning of the run-in it had appeared
that Junction Fourteen would win easily, but Volnay
De Thaix found a second wind under a strong drive
from Nico de Boinville;
in fact the latter was closing the gap all the way to the line and the
long-time leader won by just 1¼ lengths. Thomas Crapper was unlucky, as he was
collared at the winning post for 3rd place by Antony; they were 5 lengths
behind the 2nd. Viva Steve was 5th and
Some Buckle 6th; the latter having blundered away a better placing when
stumbling after two out and unbalancing his jockey. The favourite As De Mee
had flattered to deceive; he finished 9th of the 10 which completed;
Gentleman Jon having been pulled up.
We
decided to return to the shallow steppings above
the Winners’ Enclosure following this race.
Race 6 - 5:20pm THE bet365 JOSH GIFFORD NOVICES'
HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) No Stewards Enquiry. The representative of Paul Nicholls, the
trainer of CALIPTO, unplaced, reported that the gelding had a breathing
problem. The favourite for the final race of
the day … and the 2015/2016 season … was Mad Jack Mytton,
trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by the Champion
Jump Jockey Richard Johnson; price 5-1.
There were three last minute non-runners, namely Alcala for Paul
Nicholls, Burgas for Willie Mullins and Chartbreaker also for Paul Nicholls … well, there’s a
thing! As a result, Bryan Cooper
replaced Grand National winning jockey David Mullins aboard McKinley; it also
meant that Sean Bowen and Tom Cannon didn’t get a ride. Despite the title race being over, Willie Mullins
still had two runners in the race, the aforementioned McKinley and Bellow Mome. Paul
Nicholls also had two remaining, Qualando and Red Hanrahan. In fact
it was a race of multiple entries, with four for Nicky Henderson – Kilcrea Vale, Hunters Hoof, Gold Present and Close Touch;
and even two for Warren Greatrex - Ma Du Fou and Bon Enfant!
So, by my calculations, that’s 10 runners for four trainers, leaving
just 7 trainers with one runner each.
And it would have been even more weighted towards those multiple
entries if the three non-runners had not occurred! This also marked the racecourse return of the
Alan King-trained Wilde Blue Yonder to be ridden by Wayne Hutchinson; he’d
been on the injury side-lines for 749 days but is still only a
7-year-old. His previous run would
have been at Aintree on Grand National Day 2014, when Choc rode him … I know
because I was there! He’d finished 4th
in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle that day; it was a Grade 2 race back then, but
has been upgraded to Grade 1 this year and last. As
Wilde Blue Yonder was led by, I overheard Jamie Insole say that his charge
was ‘gassy’ today. The horse was probably excited to be back
at the racecourse following the long absence. We
headed down the pathway beside the rhododendron walk to reach our usual
vantage point at the top of the slope overlooking the racecourse, just beyond
the winning post. I glanced across to
my right and noticed Alan King’s Assistant Ollie Wardle, Travelling Head Lad
Matt Howells, and the aforementioned Jamie Insole not far away from where we
were standing. Ollie also had a chat
to Warren Greatrex; they actually had a ‘fag break’ together. The starting gate for the final race of the day was situated after the
first flight in the back straight; this being the case, the riders turned
left upon exiting onto the course to canter up around the top bend to reach
it.
The same starting gate was used as for the
previous race, even though that was a steeplechase and this a hurdle
event. The now 17-strong field was led
away by Aintree Festival winner Party Rock, ridden by Sean Quinlan; Lesley
still thinks he’s cute! Prominent were
Dell’ Arca, Gioia Di
Vita, one of the two greys Bon Enfant, and McKinley. Wilde Blue Yonder was in rear, alongside
Red Hanrahan and Bellow Mome;
the latter was a little less than fluent at the first flight. Party Rock continued to lead as the runners
headed into the far bend, closely pressed by the keen Gioia
Di Vita; they had already set up a three lengths advantage over the remainder
of the field. The leading duo
continued to set a good pace as the runners entered the home straight for the
first occasion; it was quite a long run to the next flight, which Dell’ Arca jumped rather extravagantly whilst disputing third
position with Bon Enfant! To the rear
of mid-field, The Queen’s Close Touch was briefly bumped along by jockey
Peter Carberry.
Wilde Blue Yonder had also improved a few places and was no longer
disputing last position. All the runners cleared flight number three in
their stride, before continuing up the home straight and past the winning
post; one circuit now to travel. The
leading duo were two or three lengths clear of Dell’ Arca
as they reached the top of the hill; they then turned right and crossed the
carpeted track before heading downhill and into the back straight. The pace had quickened due to the descent
and, as a result, the main body of the field had reduced the leaders’
advantage; however, Party Rock and Gioia Di Vita
soon pressed on again. Near the rear
of the field, Red Hanrahan made a jumping error at
the first flight in the back straight.
They continued their journey down to the next, where the favourite,
Mad Jack Mytton, put in an excellent leap to the
outside of the field and improved his position by a number of places as a
result. At the rear of the field were
Hunters Hoof and Qualando. There was no change at the head of affairs as
they jumped the sixth flight, with Party Rock and Gioia
Di Vita clearing it in unison. Having
completed one circuit, the runners headed across the steeplechase track in
order to reach three out; at this point Qualando
received a couple of backhanders from jockey Harry Cobden. Gioia Di Vita
landed a little awkwardly over the flight, but he was still travelling well. So, heading into the far turn for the final time,
the field was very closely packed.
Party Rock managed to just keep his head in front, from Gioia Di Vita, Ma Du Fou with
Dell’ Arca to his inner, Mad Jack Mytton, McKinley, and Close Touch to the wide
outside. Bon Enfant travelled next,
from Gold Present, Kilcrea Vale, Royal Vacation, Matorico, Bellow Mome, Hunters
Hoof, Wilde Blue Yonder, Red Hanrahan and, finally,
Qualando.
The latter two were both being bumped along by this point. Mad Jack Mytton had
lost his place as they travelled around the bend, finding himself stuck
behind a wall of five horses as they entered the home straight. Now under pressure, Party Rock was
swallowed up on the run to the penultimate flight; challenging for the lead
at this point were Gioia Di Vita, Dell’ Arca, Ma Du Fou and
McKinley. Finally in the clear to the
nearside, Richard Johnson was endeavouring to close them down aboard Mad Jack
Mytton; however, his progress was interrupted when
he hit this flight. Meanwhile, at the head of affairs, Gioia Di Vita was battling to hold off McKinley’s
challenge as they headed to the last.
However the latter, which was a bigger stamp of a horse, had just got
the better of his rival as they cleared it.
The runners were tired as they headed up the final stretch of track
towards the line, but McKinley was driven out to win by 1¼ lengths
from the always prominent Gioia Di Vita. Having made late headway, the grey Matorico took 3rd place, 1¾ lengths
behind him. Dell’ Arca
just half a length away in 4th. The
favourite Mad Jack Mytton was a further 2¾ lengths
behind in 5th. Wilde Blue Yonder ran
okay to finish 12th; Party Rock finished last, with one non-finisher, Red Hanrahan, pulled up at the last. Oh well, the Irish had finally won a race … but
it was too late!
Again
we returned to the Winners’ Enclosure following the race. Ruby
Walsh was in the Winners’ Enclosure when McKinley returned; he’d been
saddling the Willie Mullins runners today, although I’d not noticed him
earlier ... despite later discovering he’d appeared in a number of my
photographs! Race 7 - 5:55pm THE
bet365 HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) No Stewards Enquiry. The Stewards noted that CLOSE TOUCH, trained by Nicky Henderson, would
wear earplugs. Last race over, and the final
presentation made to connections within the Winners’ Enclosure, we decided to
sit down for a few minutes upon one of the seats overlooking it. It was great to rest our feet!!! Sensibly,
we visited the loo before departing.
The queue wasn’t too bad, as it ended at the door; sometimes it
stretches into the main foyer. The
Parade Ring area had been much quieter since after the feature race of the
day, so many spectators must have headed home early. Our exit route took us down the steps and
into the Esher Hall, which was almost deserted, unlike the Surrey Hall where
a band was playing. We exited via the
far doors, into the betting ring, and walked down the slope to reach the
gateway which led across the racecourse.
Unlike
those punters who were heading back to the railway station, at the far side
we turned left and headed along the roadway to the tarmac car park, it was
just a short distance across the turf to reach Lesley’s car. I’d
brought along four cheese rolls, two each; we ate these before we set off on
the journey home. Having started the
car, Lesley drove onto the tarmac area in front of us before heading up the
hill to the main driveway where she turned right. There was barely a queue tailing back from
the road, in fact there were just four or five vehicles waiting to exit. However, in More Lane, the queue into Esher
itself was long and tailed back past the gate so, having found a new route,
we eased out through the stationary traffic and turned right instead. This took us down past the luxury
apartments you see when viewing the racing on the TV. Bearing
right, we headed into Lower Green Road with its mock tudor
houses, under the railway bridge to arrive back at the crossroads. Many of the vehicles ahead of us turned
left but, as that route was still beyond our local knowledge, we drove
straight across into Weston Green Road; there are a number of vehicles parked
on the left-hand carriageway so we had to give way to those heading in the
opposite direction. At the far end we
turned left to head back towards Hampton Court Palace. Having
crossed the bridge over the Thames, we turned left at the roundabout adjacent
to Hampton Court Green. Annoyingly,
and despite it being around 19:00 on a Saturday evening, we encountered a
long tailback of traffic from the road-works designated ‘Tagg’s Island’. However, whilst
waiting in the queue, we were able to admire the Palace gatehouse to our
left! One of the locals, a Canada
goose, was feeding on one of the grassed areas beside the river. Once
past the road-works, we’d soon driven through Hampton and had reached Kempton
Park in no time. However, there was
still one set of road-works negotiate and we thus encountered the back of
another queue just beyond the corner beside the main car park entrance. But it was not too late to divert along
Park Road, so we turned right and headed up the aforementioned thoroughfare
and over the railway bridge, following the route I use when exiting Kempton
Park on Boxing Day!!! Who needs a satnav? Having
negotiated the roundabout below the M3, we headed up the slip-road onto the
motorway. Our journey then took us to
the M25, after which we joined the clockwise carriageway (actually referred
to carriageway ‘A’; the
anti-clockwise being ‘B’) to head
back to Hertfordshire. We encountered
no holdups on the motorway and retraced our route back to my home in St
Albans. Lesley
dropped me off at 20:10; that was 2 hours and 15 minutes after the off time
of the final race of the day at 17:55. That was comparable with last year, when I’d
arrived home 2 hours and 10 minutes after the last race off time. So
that was the end of the 2015/2016 season, during which Choc had announced his
official retirement; on 21 September 2015.
However, he’d not been able to ride since his accident on the
penultimate day of the 2013/2014 season.
I’ve
seen Choc 7 times since his accident, including 4 times this season. I wonder what the 2016/2017 season will bring? Click here for photos – Parade of Champions and End of Season
Awards Click here for photos – Race 1 Click here for photos – Race 2 and Race 3 plus Champion Jump
Jockey presentation – Richard Johnson Click here for photos – Race 4 – bet365 Gold Cup Click here for photos – Race 5 Click here for photos – Race 6 Click here for photos – Race 7 |
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