DIARY – SANDOWN PARK SEASON FINALE
SATURDAY 29 APRIL 2017
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The star of the day ... Menorah won the Grade 2 Oaksey Chase for the fourth
consecutive year and now heads into an honourable retirement The 2016-2017 Jumps’ season had flown by in a flash;
my trip to Sandown Park was my 11th trip to the races during this
period. The previous season I’d been
to the races on 13 occasions, 6 days racing before the New Year and 7 after;
this time around, just 2 before but 9 after.
In fact the 9 days had all occurred during March and April! Amazingly, too, I cannot remember any serious
weather issues during my race-days this season – no downpours or freezing
cold conditions either. The worst that
was thrown at me was drizzle after racing on Cheltenham Gold Cup day! As I write this, I still have a lot of work to do
on my Cheltenham and Aintree diaries, not to mention the uploading of my
photos. Another long summer, full of
website updates, beckoned as a result.
Anyway, I’m now just 11 fixtures short of 200 racecourse visits! The previous fixture had been all three days of
the Aintree Festival, but I’d been busy in the interim. I attended the Lambourn
Open Day on Good Friday, went with Lesley to see Strictly’s
Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite’s dance show, and also attended Pasha Kovalev’s dance show.
Gate opening time for Sandown Park’s Season
Finale fixture was 11:00, so I arranged for Lesley to collect me between
09:45 and 10:00. It’s always best to
state an early time, as she always runs late!
This being the case I didn’t need to set my alarm clock to wake me on
Saturday morning, but rose at my normal time of 06:45. I showered, washed and dried my hair and ate a
breakfast of two croissants. I applied
my make-up whilst listening to The Opening Show; it was broadcast two hours
earlier than usual because of ITV4’s coverage of the Tour de Yorkshire
cycling event. I was ready to go at 09:35 … Lesley texted me
shortly afterwards to say she was just leaving home. As she lives the other side of Dunstable, I
now didn’t expect her to arrive until well gone 10:00! Today’s outfit was two thermal T-shirts –
turquoise and purple; M & S Limited Edition pull-on skirt coloured
turquoise, purple and black; granite-coloured tights. Viridian coloured Per Una
frill-edge cardigan, black Hotter ‘Danielle’
ankle boots, mauve Per Una raincoat, multi-coloured
River Island scarf, plus mauve Kipling Defea
handbag. However, having been stood
waiting by the roadside for a few minutes, I decided it might be a little
chilly today, so I went back to find my mauve BHS cardigan too. Better too warm than too cold! Lesley arrived at around 10:20. After being briefly delayed by temporary
traffic lights due to road-works, our route took us via Highfield
Park – fortunately we saw more than one magpie! We then headed down the dual carriageway to
join the M25 at Junction 22. Traffic
was running freely until we neared the M40 junction, after which it was slow moving
until we were beyond Junction 11. It
had been slow-moving last year, so-much-so that we took a detour via Kempton
Park and Hampton Court on that occasion!
It then dawned on me that this was a Bank Holiday weekend too, so
traffic was bound to be heavy as people made the most of their time off. This year we persevered and left the M25 at
Junction 10; the A3. Traffic was
flowing freely here too, until we left the carriageway to head into Esher
upon the A244, Copsem Lane; in fact it was queued
all the way back to the roundabout beneath the A3! It didn’t take too long to reach the High
Street however, and we headed straight across into Church Street, through
Esher Green and into More Lane.
Shortly afterwards, we turned right and entered the grounds of the
racecourse. It’s so convenient to park in the centre of the
racecourse, and free too, unlike the Portsmouth Road car park. Having crossed the track, we headed down
the tarmac drive to where a steward was directing cars to park. It was around 11:30 when we arrived and
we’d missed the opportunity to use the tarmac area adjacent to the golf
range; it was full. Fewer than half a
dozen cars were parked on the adjacent grass, beside the rails which bordered
the straight 5-furlong flat-racing track.
Fortunately there hadn’t been any recent rain, so the ‘going’ was dry and Lesley’s recently
purchased, brand-new car, remained clean. We set off across the nearby tarmac car park,
heading up the driveway to reach the ‘gazebo’
denoting the entrance to the Premier Enclosure. Having purchased two race-cards and had our
tickets scanned, we headed across the track upon a walkway of plastic
pontoons. We then continued alongside the rhododendron
walk, before heading across the pathway at back of the main grandstand and
entering the Grandstand enclosure. A
large podium had been erected within the Parade Ring, in preparation for the
Season-end prize giving; we stopped opposite it.
The seats which
had previously occupied positions along the perimeter on the grandstand-side
of the paddock had been removed. They
were still in place along the side close to the Weighing Room. Lesley popped away to buy coffees and snacks,
whilst I remained to reserve our place.
She returned with Costa coffees and chocolate brownies. I saved the latter for later; the next
morning in fact! Unfortunately the squidgy coffee cup had been filled to the rim
and coffee ran down my left hand and onto the sleeves of both my cardigans as
soon as I took the lid off to add sugar.
Drat. An extra laundry task for
Sunday. Fortunately it didn’t affect
my coat. A number of tissues and
wet-wipes later, the issue had been sorted to my satisfaction. There was a trophy display in the main entrance
foyer (that of the Betfair Chase, King George VI
Chase, and Cheltenham Gold Cup, plus the trophies to be awarded today) but I
didn’t venture inside to see it. Nor
did I join the long queue of race-goers waiting for Richard Johnson and Aidan
Coleman to sign their race-cards! A number of presentations took place in the
Parade Ring, commencing at 12:35.
Firstly a cheque for £1000, which was profits raised from March’s
Cheltenham Festival Preview, was donated to the Injured Jockeys Fund; it was
presented to Sir AP McCoy, the President thereof. There were 8 horses taking part in this year’s
Parade of Champions – namely Ballyandy, Bristol De
Mai, Buveur D’Air, Cue
Card, Might Bite, Sire De Grugy, Sprinter Sacre and Willoughby Court. Sadly no Grand National winner again this
year, as One For Arthur had been touring the Scottish racecourses instead,
prior to going on his summer holiday. Following this, the Champion Jumps Jockey trophy
was awarded to Richard Johnson, the Conditional Jockeys’ trophy to Harry
Cobden, the Sandown Park ‘Special
contribution’ trophy to Sprinter Sacre (the
horse returned to the Parade Ring for an additional tour thereof), the Horse
of the Year trophy which was awarded posthumously to Many Clouds. His trainer Oliver Sherwood accepted the
trophy; Many Clouds had received 65% of the votes, a record; I voted for him
too. The Champion Jumps Owner was JP
McManus. The Champion Trainer
presentation would be made later in the afternoon, once Nicky Henderson’s
lead had become unassailable. Those making the presentations included Nick
Skelton, members of the women’s GB Gold medal-winning hockey team, and
ex-footballer Wayne Bridge. And who should I spot in the Parade Ring but Choc’s ex-wife, Meally (that’s
short for Amelia)! Her skirt was very
short, as usual; she seemed conscious of the fact too, especially as her coat
was split to the waist at the back. Presentations completed, and a number of horses
having arrived in the Parade Ring, we headed briefly to the Premier Enclosure
steppings before crossing over to the rails beside
the rhododendron walk in preparation for the horses to leave the paddock
ahead of the first race. I thought
Fixed Rate was very pretty! But being
pretty doesn’t necessarily mean you can run fast! Strangely, his dam is named Pretty Face …
so he’d obviously inherited his looks from her. Gregarious was slightly delayed; the horse stood
beneath one of the huge gnarled trees within the post-race unsaddling area
whilst trainer Lucy Wadham adjusted his
tongue-tie. The grey horse was also
wearing a hood. Jockey Leighton Aspell waited patiently by, before being legged up and
the partnership then began their journey down the rhododendron walk. Once he’d made his way past us, we headed down
the hill beside the walkway, to find a space at the top of the slope
overlooking the racecourse beyond the winning post. I think it was probably
ahead of the first race that we actually matched strides with Paul Nicholls
and his party; they were also heading to down the pathway en route to view
the race. The race favourite was recent French import, Call
Me Lord, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Daryl Jacob; price
5-1. He was top weight. Alan King had a runner in this race, namely
Fidux ridden by Wayne Hutchinson; he was a 16-1
shot having disappointed in recent runs, including in the Cheltenham
Festival’s Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. The starting gate for the first race was at the
far end of the home straight; this being the case, the horses headed down
beside the rails in front of the grandstands to reach it. They circled within a small enclosure to
the inside of the hurdles course until it was time for them to exit back onto
the track as the off-time approached.
Gregarious was on his toes and kicked out a number of times;
fortunately he didn’t land a blow upon any of his rivals!
And then they were off, with I See You
Well leading narrowly as they headed towards the first flight; he was flanked
by Lambeau Field to the inside and Gregarious to
the outer. The second-favourite, Dolos, travelled just behind these. Fixed Rate jumped the obstacle a little
slower than his rivals, having put in a short-stride before take-off; he was
rousted along for a few strides afterwards. I See You Well continued to lead as
they headed over the next, with the hooded Vincent’s Forever bringing up the
rear. The runners continued up the hill
and past the winning post with one circuit now to travel; Fidux
was being held-up three from the rear of the field. The horses had soon headed across the driveway
entrance, now covered to prevent injury to the competitors. They then headed downhill led by I See You
Then, from Lambeau Field, Gregarious, Dolos, Hazamar, Call Me Lord
matching strides with Fixed Rate, Landin, Fidux, Hollywood Road, Quids In
and Vincent’s Forever. Having turned into the back straight, Fidux was a little slow at the first flight therein. The runners continued to the next, which
they all cleared well. However, a few
strides after the hurdle, Fidux stumbled and lost a
couple of lengths as a result; he’d possibly clipped heels. I See You Well remained at the head of affairs
as they jumped the fifth. Fortunately Fidux was soon back on an
even-keel once again and was in touch at the rear of the main group; in
contrast, Vincent’s Forever had lost touch with his rivals. Today’s hurdle route involved crossing the chase
course between the water-jump and the first of the railway fences; so it was
three hurdles and then one today, as opposed to two and two which it seems to
be earlier in the season. Anyway, the
horses soon arrived at the final obstacle in the back straight, with I See
You Well continuing to lead from Dolos and Hazamar. The
detached David Pipe runner jumped out severely to his left over this one. Having dropped to the rear of the main group, Landin received reminders as the runners headed into the
far turn. Meanwhile, up front, the
long-time leader was joined by Hazamar. Room was a little tight on the bend, with Fidux slightly inconvenienced as Hollywood Road began to
back-peddle. However, having entered the home straight, the
runners were soon able to fan out, and with the running rail terminating, the
favourite was able to slip up the inside of the field to commence his
challenge. Wayne Hutchinson also
decided to take this route, although his mount wasn’t so quick to respond. Thus, heading to the penultimate flight, it was Dolos to the nearside that came to challenge the
long-time leader and he took the advantage as they cleared it. The dark grey Hazamar
had dropped back quickly and was pulled up before two out by Paddy Brennan. Daryl Jacob hadn’t yet asked any serious
questions of his mount Call Me Lord, and continued to travel well in third
position. However, as had been the
case throughout the race, he wasn’t always fluent at his jumps, and he had to
be shaken up as they approached the last in order to overtake I See You Well
and close the gap upon Dolos. Meanwhile, behind the leading three, Fidux continued to stay on up the hill having overtaken
Fixed Rate and Hollywood Road. Call Me Lord and Dolos
jumped the final flight in unison, but the former wasn’t fluent. However, Daryl had soon galvanised his
mount and he took the lead as they continued up the hill to the line; he won
by 3¾ lengths going away. Fidux
kept on up the hill and mastered the gallant I See You Well to claim 3rd
place by half a length. Quids In was 5th, Fixed Rate 6th, Landin
7th, Hollywood Road 8th, Gregarious 9th and Lambeau
Field last; Vincent’s Forever also having been pulled up before two out.
With the race over, we headed back up the hill to
find a space beside the rhododendron walk so that I could take photographs of
the runners as they headed back. It
was slightly worrying that Lesley was able to keep pace with me today;
presumably I’m beginning to slow down due to old age! Reports from the
Stewards’ Room: Race 1 - 1:50pm The Stewards held an enquiry to consider why HOLLYWOOD ROAD (IRE),
trained by Don Cantillon, entered the Parade Ring
after the signal to mount had been given. Having heard his evidence they
found him in breach of Rule (B)27.5 and fined him
£140. Paddy Brennan, the rider of HAZAMAR (IRE), which was pulled up,
reported that the gelding stopped quickly. The Veterinary Officer reported that FIDUX (FR), placed third, trained
by Alan King, lost a left-fore shoe. During the interlude between the first and second
races, we headed to the ladies loo. As
I wasn’t sure about the location of the facilities within the Premier Enclosure,
we visited the ones in the main foyer.
However, Lesley dropped a safety pin which was
securing her trousers and she couldn’t find it. Oops.
She was currently ‘in between’
sizes. The new solution was to turn the waistband over and hope for the best! Stupidly, neither of us carries a sewing kit in
our handbag; they usually contain a safety pin. My emergency sewing kit resides in my new
vanity case … not a lot of use when it’s at home! The favourite for the next was Traffic Fluide, trained by Gary Moore and ridden by Joshua Moore;
price 15-8. Also taking part was
Menorah which had won the race for the past three years! Having arrived back in time to see the runners
head down the rhododendron walk, we then headed down the hill and passed
between the Eclipse Pavilion and the main grandstand to reach our viewpoint
beyond the winning post. The horses had already headed to the starting
gate which was at the beginning of the back straight.
And then they were off, with Josses
Hill and Art Mauresque leading the way. Third Intention travelled in third, from
the grey Vibrato Valtat to the inside of Menorah
and Traffic Fluide bringing up the rear. However, Josses Hill was hesitant over the
first and dropped back to third place, with Menorah soon closing down upon
the leader. Once more, Josses Hill was hesitant as they
cleared the second; in contrast, Menorah flew over it and took the lead. The third fence is the first of the
open-ditches. Richard Johnson remained
quiet upon his mount and this enabled Josses Hill to jump back into the lead
once more. The runners then headed
towards and over the water-jump.
Josses Hill led from Art Mauresque, Menorah
with Third Intention; Vibrato Valtat and Traffic Fluide matched strides at the rear of the field, three
lengths off the leading group. Nico
de Boinville’s mount continued to lead, ears
pricked, as they headed to the first of the railway fences; all six runners
took it in their stride. The
experienced chasers cleared the two remaining railway obstacles without issue
and headed into the far bend, still led by Josses Hill. The next was the Pond fence and, once
again, the competitors cleared this well, with Traffic Fluide
just brushing through the top of it. Mind you, for some strange reason, the Pond Fence
hardly ever causes a problem; even less than ‘once in a blue moon’ in fact!
Occasionally it has to be bypassed because it’s the one fence at
Sandown Park which can be affected by low sun during the winter months. The runners continued their journey into the home
straight, clearing fence number nine without incident before veering across
to their left to take the open-ditch option at the next. They then headed up past the grandstands
with one circuit now to travel; the horses travelled two-by-two, Art Mauresque upsides Josses Hill, Third Intention to the
nearside of Menorah, with Vibrato Valtat and
Traffic Fluide bringing up the rear. Having reached the top of the hill, they crossed
the entrance roadway which leads to the free of charge car park before
heading down the slope to the next fence.
Josses Hill held a one-length advantage as they jumped it, with
Vibrato Valtat having to make the most effort to
clear it. The six runners then began
their journey down the back straight once more. Approaching the next fence, Menorah crept up into
second position and then, clearing the following one, he nosed ahead of his
rivals. Vibrato Valtat
got a little close to this one and, as a result, lost a couple of
lengths. Traffic Fluide
had begun to make a move from the rear of the field by this point. Josses Hill and Menorah jumped the final
open-ditch in unison, with Art Mauresque and the
favourite in close touch, although Nick Scholfield
was bumping his mount along intermittently as they headed towards the
water-jump once more. Menorah held a
slight advantage as they cleared it. The runners continued to the first of the railway
fences. Richard Johnson’s mount led
over this one, from Josses Hill, Traffic Fluide,
Vibrato Valtat, the now weakening Art Mauresque and finally Third Intention. They progressed to the middle one, with Art
Mauresque jumping it in a laboured manner; he had
now been relegated to last place. Having cleared the last of the railway fences,
Menorah headed into the far turn with a one length advantage over Josses Hill. The favourite travelled two lengths further
back and he was ahead of Vibrato Valtat. Third Intention was no longer on terms and
Nick Scholfield decided to pull up Art Mauresque before the next. At the crown of the bend, Richard Johnson glanced
beneath his left arm to check on his nearest rivals. Traffic Fluide
had now joined Josses Hill, but both of these were now showing signs of
distress. They headed towards and
jumped the Pond Fence with solely Menorah travelling well and he began to
stretch his advantage even more as they continued towards the penultimate
fence. The leader did get a little close to this one,
with the jockey going to the buckle end of his reins, but he’d soon
re-gathered his ‘knitting’ as
Menorah headed to the final obstacle; the only thing now between him and
certain victory. Meanwhile Traffic Fluide had finally mastered Josses Hill but posed no
danger to the leader. In contrast to his jump at the previous fence,
Menorah flew the final obstacle and continued up the hill to the line; never
threatened although tiring as he did so.
Traffic Fluide had stayed on after the last
and closed down upon the leader but was still beaten by 4½ lengths at the
line. Josses Hill completed a further
16 lengths back, just 2 lengths in front of Third Intention; Vibrato Valtat completed the course too. It was the 12-year-old’s fourth consecutive win
in this race. What a horse!
Winning owner Grahame Whateley
was in tears after the race, when interviewed by a member of ITV Racing upon the
rhododendron walk. He announced that
this would be the veteran’s last race; Menorah would spend his final days
living at the farm of regular jockey Richard Johnson. The Champion jockey
looked forward to hacking him alongside his children, Willow, Casper and
Percy, on their ponies. The Racing Post race notes state “… tired and driven out from last but kept
on splendidly, retired with honours”. Having stayed to take photos of the horses as
they returned, we then headed to the Winners’ Enclosure. The race being named in honour of Lord Oaksey, his daughter Sara Bradstock
and widow ‘Chicky’
presented the mementos to the winning connections. We then returned to the rail beside the
rhododendron walk ahead of the next race.
The favourite for this event was this year’s Champion 2-mile Novice
Chaser Altior, trained by Nicky Henderson and
ridden by Nico de Boinville;
price 30-100. He had three rivals –
the winner of this season’s Champion Chase Special Tiara, San Benedeto which had won a Grade 1 Chase at Aintree on
Grand National Day although fortuitous in that Politologue
stumbled and fell having cleared the final fence with the race in the bag,
and the talented Vaniteux too. Lesley placed a bet on Special Tiara; it’s not
worth betting on an odds-on favourite and there’s no challenge either! The starting gate for this race was at the far
end of the home straight, so the competitors cantered down past the
grandstands to reach it. Again Lesley
and I headed to the slope above the track, just beyond the winning post, to
view the event.
And then they were off, with Special Tiara taking
the lead from Altior, San Benedeto
and Vaniteux.
It didn’t seem like the break-neck speed displayed by the Champion
Chase victor when running at Cheltenham, but perhaps that was because it had
been a long season by this stage. The
leader put in a prodigious leap at the first fence. Both Special Tiara and Altior
took off a long way in front of the second fence, an open-ditch, but they
cleared it well. It was Indian file as
the runners headed up past the winning post with one circuit now to travel. Having reached the top of the hill, they
swung right-handed to descend towards fence number three. They gained speed as they approach it and all
cleared the obstacle well. The runners
then headed into the back straight for the one and only time. Altior cleared
the next in better style than the leader.
All four jumped the fifth fence well and then headed to the final
open-ditch. There were no problems
here, with the front two drawing away from their two rivals slightly. All four hopped over the water-jump and continued
on to the first of the railway fences.
Special Tiara didn’t quite meet this one right, but shortened up
nicely in order to clear it. The
leader continued to jump slightly left-handed as he headed over the next; San
Benedeto had to put in a short stride to meet the
final of the three fences but continued in third position as they entered the
far turn. Special Tiara continued to lead as they headed
towards the Pond Fence; the pace still seemed quite sedate and none of his
rivals had been dropped. Aidan Coleman
became more animated aboard Vaniteux as the jump
approached. The favourite drew almost
alongside having cleared it. Vaniteux also followed through, relegating San Benedeto to last at this stage. Altior
was shadowing the leader as they cleared the second last; Nico
just waiting to press the ‘booster’
button. He then moved smoothly into
the lead, as they headed towards the final fence. Altior got a
little close to the fence but it was not enough to stop his momentum and he
galloped up the hill, stretching the margin, to win by 8 lengths at the line.
Vaniteux
and San Benedeto held their own private battle for
the remaining places, with the latter staying on up the hill better to claim
3rd, 4½ lengths behind Special Tiara.
On
this occasion we didn’t return to the Winners’ Enclosure following the race;
instead we remained beside the rhododendron walk. Meanwhile, the trophy for the Trainers’
Championship was presented in the Parade Ring, to Nicky Henderson; his lead
now unassailable. Reports from the Stewards’ Room: Race
3 - 3:00pm The Stewards noted that ALTIOR (IRE), trained by Nicky Henderson,
would wear earplugs. It was now time for the feature race of the
day. The favourite for this event was Doing
Fine, trained by Neil Mulholland and ridden by Tom Scudamore;
price 9-2. Last year’s winner The
Young Master was taking part again, as was Just A Par which had been
runner-up in 2016 and had won in 2015.
Lesley placed two £2 each-way bets, on The Young
Master and Henllan Harri. I’m not sure what drew her to the latter
apart from the fact his name was the only one ‘over-the-page’ in the race-card!
Anyway, he was out of the handicap and a 40-1 outsider. Usually there is a pre-race parade ahead of the
bet365 Gold Cup but, with just 13 runners and the smallest field for a decade
evidently, the first of the runners were already heading down to the starting
gate at the far end of the home straight by the time we arrived at our
viewing point.
And then they were off. The field was led away by Sugar Baron and
the blinkered Henllan Harri;
also keen to be up with the pace were Le Reve and
Present Man. Sugar Baron jumped the
first a little skew-whiff. Although
seemingly making no error, jockey Sam Waley-Cohen
was thrown forward in the saddle aboard The Young Master. The horses continued towards the first
open-ditch; Henllan Harri
hesitated slightly before jumping it and the favourite brought up the
rear. Heading up the hill towards the
line, Sean Bowen’s mount stretched his advantage over the field. Following him was Present Man, Sugar Baron
and Le Reve.
After these travelled Whats Happening, the
sole grey Vyta Du Roc, The Young Master, Rock The
Kasbah, Just A Par, Benbens, Theatre Guide, The
Druids Nephew and Doing Fine. Having reached the top of the hill, the field
swung right-handed to head down the slope towards fence number three. Sugar Baron was a little hesitant at this
one; at the rear of the field Doing Fine was detached. Henllan
Harri continued to lead the way as they entered the
back straight, and Present Man was briefly restrained for a few strides. All thirteen runners cleared the next in
their stride before heading to the following fence, where Whats
Happening was a little slower than his rivals. The race continued to the second open-ditch
which they all cleared without problem; Doing Fine remained at the back of
the field. The next fence was the water-jump, where Le Reve made a strange shape in the air. They then headed to the first of the three
railway fences, where Whats Happening and Doing
Fine were less tidy than the others.
There were no real issues at the middle of these, but Le Reve dragged his hind-legs through the third one. However, considering he had a bad accident
at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting when causing a melee whilst loose, it’s amazing
he’s still racing. The runners continued around the bottom bend with
very little change in the order. The
next obstacle was the Pond fence and they all cleared this without issue
before heading into the home straight with one circuit now completed. Having jumped the next, there was a little
bit of argy-bargy between Theatre Guide and The
Druids Nephew; it appeared that Paddy Brennan knew he needed to tack across
towards the open-ditch option but Noel Fehily
wasn’t quite so intent on doing so! It was Vyta Du Roc’s
turn to make the first really noticeable error of the race when taking off
too early and landing back on his haunches as a result. Heading up past the enclosures once more,
it was noticeable that Theatre Guide had improved his position and now raced
in sixth position; Henllan Harri
still led. Upon reaching the top bend, the runners headed
down-hill to the fourteenth fence; Whats Happening
jumped this one more slowly than his rivals.
Having turned into the back straight, Le Reve
began to drop back quickly through the field.
There was no change at the head of affairs as they cleared the next;
Present Man, Sugar Baron, The Young Master and Theatre Guide travelling close
on his heels; the latter jumped the following fence more slowly than those
around him. Vyta
Du Roc led the next group, also comprising The Druids Nephew and Whats Happening. Having jumped the final open-ditch, Doing Fine
was no longer at the rear of the field; he was trailed by both Just A Par and
Le Reve. The
latter began to tail off, although Leighton Aspell
continued to persevere. The main group
had soon hopped over the water-jump and were now heading to the first of the
railway fences. Having jumped this,
Rock The Kasbah and Just A Par began to show signs of distress; Doing Fine
was also with them but his jockey was less animated. Thus, having cleared the next two obstacles,
these three runners were detached from the back of the main group; also, with
three fences now to take, the struggling Le Reve
was pulled up. Meanwhile, Henllan Harri continued to lead
the way home, from Sugar Baron, Theatre Guide, The Young Master, Present Man,
The Druids Nephew, Whats Happening, Vyta Du Roc and Benbens. Present Man continued back-peddle as they headed
towards the Pond fence; Sugar Baron was almost upsides the leader as they
jumped it. However, Sean Bowen’s mount battled on to repel this initial
challenge as they headed towards the penultimate fence. Benbens, having
looked to be struggling at the rear of the main group moments earlier, had
begun to stay on and was now in fourth position. The leaders having cleared the fence, Sugar Baron
renewed his challenge on the run to the final obstacle, as did Theatre Guide;
but again Henllan Harri
remained marginally ahead as they jumped it. There was now a posse pursuing
the Welsh-trained runner as he began his journey to the finishing line. He’d soon gained a couple of lengths over
his rivals, but Benbens, Theatre Guide, The Druids
Nephew and Vyta Du Roc were all laying down their
final challenges as Sugar Baron began to fade. And it was the grey Vyta
Du Roc which stayed on the best, gaining with every stride as the winning
post approached. Photograph! In fact there were eight horses which
flashed past the line within four lengths of each other! And that’s what handicaps are all about! It was definitely one for the judge. I think Sean Bowen believed he had won,
until Daryl Jacob said he thought he’d won aboard Vyta
Du Roc. Anyway, the result was soon
announced … it was a winner for the father and son combination of Sean and
Peter Bowen with Henllan Harri;
the jockey was obviously delighted.
The winning distance was a head.
There is always a confusion regarding the winning post at Sandown Park
as there are two, one for jumps and one for hurdles! This is because the chase and hurdle tracks
converge. Theatre Guide was a neck 3rd, and Benbens a neck 4th.
The favourite Doing Fine finished 1¼ lengths
away in 5th, Rock The Kasbah a neck 6th, Sugar Baron a head 7th and The
Druids Nephew a head away in 8th!
Having taken photographs as the horses passed by
upon the rhododendron horse-walk, we then returned to the Winners’ Enclosure
to see the trophy presentation. Reports from the
Stewards’ Room: Race
4 - 3:35pm The Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Daryl Jacob,
the rider of VYTA DU ROC (FR), placed second, from approaching the last
fence. Having heard his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they
found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that
he used his whip above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Jacob for
2 days as follows: Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May 2017. The Stewards held an enquiry into the use of the whip by Sean Bowen,
the rider of the winner, HENLLAN HARRI (IRE), from approaching the last
fence. Having heard his evidence and viewed recordings of the race, they
found him in breach of Schedule (B)6 Part 2 in that
he used his whip above the permitted level. The Stewards suspended Bowen for
2 days as follows: Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May 2017. When interviewed, Sean Bowen said that there had
not been many front-runners in the race so nothing wanted to take on his
horse and he enjoyed himself up front.
Earlier in the week, the jockey said he’d thought his dad was a ‘muppet’ for entering
his horse in the race, but today he was confident that he’d run well despite
being 4lbs out of the handicap. Henllan Harri is related to the
Grand National winner, Silver Birch. It had been Sean Bowen’s best season yet, with 79
winners to his name. I returned briefly to the area above the Parade
Ring, opposite the horse-walk, whilst Lesley went to collect her winnings …
she’s won over £100! The next race was a Grade 2 event, and it was the
Twiston-Davies’ vs. Nicky Henderson vs. Paul
Nicholls! The favourite was The New
One, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and ridden by
son Sam; price 5-2. It had been a long
season for the former Cheltenham Festival Neptune Investment Hurdle winner
(2013); he beat Rule The World that day! The four Nicky Henderson runners were Rather Be,
Beat That, L’Ami Serge and Volnay
De Thaix; representing Paul Nicholls were Old
Guard, Ptit Zig and
Modus. Ptit Zig (aka Ziggy) won the race
last year. Beat That is a half-brother to Might Bite; their
dam being Knotted Midge. He was
returning from a racecourse absence of 849 days. Beat That’s mane could only be described as
wild and free, unlike the usual turnout of the Seven Barrows’ runners which
always make their racecourse appearances with plaited manes! Paul Nicholls charges don’t have their manes
plaited, nor do Alan King’s; this carries on to their former assistants –
Jamie Snowden’s horses have plaited manes, whereas Noel Williams’ runners
don’t! Nigel Twiston-Davies’
staff plait manes and tails, as with The New One, and
so does Fergal O’Brien’s team!
Personally I don’t mind either way regarding manes, but I don’t like
to see plaited tails! The starting gate for this race was part-way down
the back straight; the horses would jump 3 of the four flights therein. This being the case, the competitors headed
up around the top bend to reach it.
Meanwhile, Lesley and I headed down the concourse to find a good
vantage point upon the slope above the track, just beyond the winning post.
The experienced hurdlers approached the flag at a
collected walk and, having skirted to the outside of the first hurdle in the
back straight, they were off. The
runners were led away by The New One, with Old Guard almost upsides; L’Ami Serge brought up the rear. Old Guard was a little slow when clearing the
first flight and this enabled the keen Modus to briefly nose ahead of
him. At hurdle number two, once again
Nick Scholfield’s mount cleared it more slowly than
his rivals and Volnay De Thaix
made a slight error too; this relegated the latter to last place, marginally. The eight runners then crossed the chase course
to reach the third obstacle, after which The New One led the runners into the
far bend pursued by Old Guard, the hooded Modus, the blinkered Ptit Zig, Rather
Be, Beat That, Volnay De Thaix
and L’Ami Serge. Heading into the home straight on the first
occasion, 9-year-old The New One continued to bowl along at the head of
affairs, ears pricked. Rather Be was a
little awkward at the first flight therein and Jeremiah McGrath briefly shook
his mount up to ensure their position within the field was retained. The runners continued their journey up the home
straight and all cleared the next obstacle in their stride. Sam Twiston-Davies’
mount remained a length or two ahead of Old Guard, followed by Modus, Rather
Be, Ptit Zig, Beat That, L’Ami Serge and Volnay De Thaix as they headed past the winning post with one
circuit now to travel. The eight runners headed to the top of the hill
before they swung right-handed to travel down the slope and into the back
straight. Having turned the corner, L’Ami Serge improved his position to the outside of the
runners; he was still quite keen. All of the competitors negotiated the next flight
without issue and The New One continued to lead the way to flight number
seven. Having jumped this hurdle Beat
That and Volnay De Thaix
had become slightly detached at the rear of the field. There was no holding L’Ami
Serge as he joined Modus and Rather Be to dispute second position having
landed over the next flight. The runners headed across the chase track to
reach three from home. Daryl Jacob
endeavoured to restrain L’Ami Serge but without
success; he was upsides the leader, wide on the track, as they jumped the
flight. Modus had also been lit up by
this move and was narrowly in third position, but he bunny-hopped the flight. Heading into the final turn, L’Ami
Serge now shared the lead with The New One; behind these travelled Rather Be
with Modus, Ptit Zig and
Old Guard, followed by Beat That and Volnay de Thaix. Beat That
was bumped along by Aidan Coleman on the bend and Old Guard was being pushed
along; however none had actually been ‘dropped’
as such. Mindful of his mount’s tendency to flatter to
deceive, Daryl was keen to hold on to L’Ami Serge
for as long as possible; he remained half a length down upon the leader as
they approached two out. Having
appeared to be travelling well in third position, Rather Be made an error
here and then began to struggle. Daryl pressed the button as they headed down to
the final flight and took the lead.
Meanwhile The New One battled on to the far side, with Ptit Zig, Modus and Beat That
also laying down their challenges; Volnay De Thaix was staying on from the rear of the field as Rather
Be and Old Guard now brought up the rear. However today, having cleared the final flight, L’Ami Serge put his best hooves forward and none of his
rivals could catch him; he won by 1½ lengths from the staying on Ptit Zig. You have to say connections deserved it,
following a number of near successes this season; admittedly everything has
to go his way, and today it finally did. Volnay
De Thaix, having appeared outpaced earlier in the
race, stayed on up the hill to finish 3rd, 6 lengths further back. The New One claimed 4th following a long
season, with Modus in 5th and Beat That in 6th; the latter showed a lot of
promise considering the amount of time he’d been off the track. Old Guard completed in 7th, with Rather Be last. My selection in the race had been Rather Be, and
Lesley’s was Old Guard … I didn’t place a bet, I’m not sure if Lesley
did. But, obviously, we were both
rubbish with our selections! Rather Be
is a half-brother of Sign Of A Victory.
We didn’t go back to the Winners’ Enclosure
following the race. Reports from the
Stewards’ Room: Race
5 - 4:10pm The representative of Nicky Henderson, the trainer of RATHER BE (IRE),
unplaced, reported that the gelding made a noise. During the jockey’s de-brief with Nicky Henderson
following the race, Daryl Jacob said that it had been Plan Z as far as
tactics were concerned. The trainer
had expected more pace today, and had been worried that his charge was racing
like a 2-miler. Nicky was also very
pleased with Volnay De Thaix
after an unsuccessful foray into steeplechasing
this year, and obviously with Beat That too.
Connections will try L’Ami
Serge over fences again in the future, but Nicky did explain that the horse
needs to run left-handed over jumps because he tends to hang out to his left;
in his words, they can ‘get away with
it’ over hurdles! In June, L’Ami Serge
won the Grade 1 Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil, in other words the French Champion
Hurdle. Thus it is two years running
that the horse which has won this race went on to triumph in the same race in
Paris, Ptit Zig having
triumphed in both in 2016! The favourite for the penultimate race was
Shantou Village, trained by Neil Mulholland and ridden by Noel Fehily; price 3-1.
I like Theinval; he’s very game and consistent. Although he had been unlucky of late, with
a runner-up spot in the Red Rum Handicap Chase at Aintree and two runner-up
positions at Ayr on consecutive days.
However, Jeremiah McGrath was aboard Kilcrea
Vale today, and Nico de Boinville
aboard Theinval.
The starting gate for this race was just prior to
the first of the railway fences, so the horses cantered down past the
grandstands and around the far bend in order to reach it. They used to head across the course via a
pathway within the golf course … but not any more evidently! Once again we headed down the concourse to find a
vantage point on the slope just beyond the winning post.
And then they were off, with As De Mee, Casino Markets and Shantou Village disputing the
lead as they headed over the first obstacle; Kilcrea
Vale landed a little steeply here.
They quickly moved on to the second fence, where Poker School got a
little too close to it at the rear of the field. Having now warmed up, all ten runners
cleared the third fence without issue. The horses then headed into the far bend led by
Casino Markets, from Shantou Village, As De Mee, Kilcrea Vale alongside Fingerontheswitch,
Royal Vacation, Plaisir D’Amour,
the grey Brother Tedd, Theinval
and Poker School. The field continued
to the Pond fence where Theinval and Plaisir D’Amour almost bumped
in mid-air. Casino Markets led them into the home straight
for the first time, the pace was steady; Fingerontheswitch
got a little bit close to the first fence therein. The field then tacked across the track in
order to tackle the open-ditch option at the next. Kilcrea Vale made
a bad mistake here; he was sandwiched between Royal Vacation and Brother Tedd and took off at the same time as they did, despite
being too far away from the obstacle.
His jockey had to urge him away from the fence in order to not lose
too much ground. Meanwhile, Casino Markets continued to lead from
Shantou Village as the runners headed up past the winning post with one
circuit now to travel. Jeremiah
McGrath continued to niggle away at his mount and this became more pronounced
as they swung right-handed to travel down the hill. As they approached the downhill fence, Paddy
Brennan aboard Royal Vacation glanced down; he was concerned that his mount
had become unsound. He eased back as
the backmarkers swept past him; Paddy guided the Colin Tizzard
runner to the inside of the fence and pulled up shortly afterwards, before
dismounting. The remaining nine cleared the fence without
incident, with Casino Markets remaining at the head of affairs as the runners
turned into the back straight. Fingerontheswitch began to lose ground as Kilcrea Vale continued to be niggled along three from the
back of the field. They cleared the
next two fences without incident, with Fingerontheswitch
now in last place. The next obstacle was the final open-ditch; the
backmarker blundered here and could now be classed as tailed-off. The following fence was the water-jump, and
the leader landed awkwardly over this one.
The runners continued to the first of the railway fences; Shantou
Village now at the head of affairs.
However, he did take a chance when jumping this one, having dived over
it. The horses continued to the middle
of the line of three, after which Kilcrea Vale
began to lose touch too. Shantou Village still held a narrow advantage
over his rivals as they cleared the fourth last, from Casino Markets, As De Mee alongside Brother Tedd,
followed by Theinval, the mare Plaisir
D’Amour, Poker School, the detached Kilcrea Vale and tailed off Fingerontheswitch. Tom Scudamore
decided to call it a day aboard the latter having jumped this fence. As they headed towards the Pond fence, Plaisir D’Amour began to show
signs of tiredness too. Having jumped
this one and entered the home straight, the only one not being ridden along
was the leader Shantou Village.
Brother Tedd, travelling in third position,
didn’t jump the penultimate fence particularly well, but remained in contention,
just behind the leading pair. The runners continued to the final fence, with
Noel Fehily’s mount landing half a length ahead of
Casino Markets, with Brother Tedd half a length
behind him; As De Mee wasn’t far behind too, nor
Poker School and the keeping-on Plaisir D’Amour. It was
now a race to the line. Under a strong drive from Noel Fehily, Shantou Village continued to hold his rivals at
bay as they headed up the hill; Brother Tedd was
his final challenger and he continued to close as the line approached. However, the Neil Mulholland runner just
clung on the win by a neck. Casino
Markets claimed 3rd, with As De Mee 4th and Plaisir D’Amour 5th. Poker School crossed the line in 6th, Theinval some way back in 7th and Kilcrea
Vale came home in his own time in last position.
We
eventually returned to the Winners’ Enclosure; better late than never. As the race commemorated Josh Gifford, the
presentations were made by his son Nick Gifford and widow Althea. Reports from the Stewards’ Room: Race 6 - 4:45pm Paddy Brennan, the rider
of ROYAL VACATION (IRE), which was pulled up, reported that the gelding lost
action. The Veterinary Officer reported that a post-race examination of the
gelding failed to reveal any abnormalities. We headed across to the Pre-parade
ring briefly, prior to heading to the area overlooking the Parade Ring. It was colder and more breezy there, hence
the decision to move on quickly! We’d
spent most of our day sheltered by the mound behind the rhododendron walk and
by the main grandstand too. I’d worn a
raincoat today, along with two cardigans and two thermal t-shirts but, in the
main, I’d been warm enough; it was late April after all! The joint-favourites for this, the final race of the current National
Hunt season, were the Nicky Henderson-trained Thomas Campbell ridden by Nico de Boinville and Wait For
Me trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Richard Johnson; price 5-1. It was noted that Silverhow, a half-brother of Altior,
also has a patch of white hair at the base of his tail! We sauntered across to the horse-walk prior
to the first of the runners exiting the Parade Ring. There was even a German
raider in this event, namely Novalis trained by
Christian von der Recke,
but ridden by Jamie Moore. Former jockey Christian Williams, now turned
trainer also had a representative, namely Limited Reserve ridden by Denis O’Regan. The starting gate for
this race was on the far side of the track, with one hurdle to jump before
the far corner. This being the case,
the horses cantered down past the grandstands to reach it. As the jockeys were required to keep right,
following the line of the chase track, a steward with a chequered
flag ensured they knew the correct route. Once again, for the final
time today, Lesley and I headed down the concourse to find a suitable vantage
point near the top of the grassy slope just beyond the winning post. Lesley had chosen Valhalla in this one.
And then they were off, with Little
Jon leading the runners to the first flight; as in Robin Hood, the horse
wasn’t little, he was big! All sixteen
runners cleared the obstacle without incident and the Nigel Twiston-Davies representative continued at the head of
affairs as they headed into the far turn.
Novalis travelled almost upsides the leader,
from Tree Of Liberty, Valhalla and Oscar Hoof. Bringing up the rear at this stage was one
of the joint-favourites, Wait For Me. The runners had soon entered the home straight
for the first time, with Little Jon leading from Novalis
upsides Tree Of Liberty. Just behind
these were Valhalla, Duke Street and Oscar Hoof. In mid-field were Black Corton,
Thomas Campbell, Pilansberg, Curious Carlos and
Chelsea Flyer. Towards the rear were Stowaway Magic, Silverhow,
Kings Walk, Limited Reserve and Wait For Me. They continued over flight number two without
incident; Novalis now held the advantage over the
field as they headed to the next; Wait For Me made a small error at this
one. The runners headed up past the
winning post before bearing right around the top bend and heading down the
slope towards the far corner; Silverhow, to the
inside of runners, was chivvied along at this point. Novalis
remained at the head of affairs as the runners entered the back straight; he
hit the first flight therein and, further back in the field, Silverhow wasn’t particularly fluent either. Travelling in second position, Valhalla bunny-hopped
the following hurdle. Little Jon was
clumsy at the sixth flight and soon pushed along; Curious Carlos was now
marginally last. The sixteen runners now headed across the chase
track to reach the next flight; they’d completed one circuit. The leader wasn’t particularly fluent at
this one, and Valhalla drew alongside him; Tree Of Liberty had dropped to the
rear and was now tailed off. Novalis
went on again as they headed into the far turn, Kings Walk had made
noticeable progress on the outside of the field, and Little Jon had dropped
to the back of the main group. The
latter would be pulled up before the next, as was Tree Of Liberty. Oscar Hoof also weakened rapidly as they
runners headed to the penultimate flight and, he too, was pulled up. Meanwhile up front, Valhalla had taken the lead,
but there were a number of runners queuing up behind him in order to deliver
their challenges; namely Kings Walk, Black Corton
and Stowaway Magic. Just behind these
were Pilansberg, Limited Reserve and, to the
nearside, Wait For Me. Valhalla was
swamped by his rivals as they cleared the flight; Kings Walk hit this one but
was narrowly ahead of his rivals until overtaken by Wait For Me. They continued the run to the final flight which
Richard Johnson’s mount cleared well; he then pulled away from his rivals as
they headed towards the finishing line.
The winning margin was 6 lengths!
Stowaway Magic got the better of Kings Walk close home to snatch the
runner-up spot. And Black Corton completed in 4th, just a 1¼ lengths behind
them. Limited Reserved finished 5th
and Silverhow 6th. It was fitting that the Champion Jockey had won
the final race of the season, making it a total of 192 wins. There had been no fallers today … which is never
a bad thing; although it does make my race-notes less interesting!
We headed back to the rails beside
the rhododendron walk to see the horses go past. Novalis seemed a
little bit distressed after the race, with Jamie hopping off as they neared
the unsaddling area. We remained until
every horse had returned; I knew there was one latecomer, as I’d not seen
Jeremiah McGrath go by! Reports
from the Stewards’ Room: Race 7 - 5:20pm The Stewards noted that
THOMAS CAMPBELL, trained by Nicky Henderson, would wear earplugs which would
be removed at the start. Brian Hughes, the rider
of TREE OF LIBERTY (IRE), which was pulled up, reported that the gelding was
never travelling. The Veterinary Officer
reported that OSCAR HOOF (IRE), which was pulled up, trained by Nicky
Henderson, lost a left-fore shoe. Anyway, once they’d all returned, we walked over
to the Winners’ Enclosure for the final time today; we waited until after the
presentations had been made. Richard Johnson
was happy to sign a number of autographs for patient punters, before he
headed back to the Weighing Room accompanied by his two sons. Nicky Henderson had already been made favourite
to retain next year’s Trainers’ Championship due to his very strong team of
horses at the present time. Paul
Nicholls remained the second favourite, with Colin Tizzard
as third favourite at 6-1. Rishi Persad expressed an
interest in Dan Skelton winning the title at odds of 25-1 … the presenter
believed he’d trained over 100-second placed horses this season. As we waited for the crowds to disperse, we sat
upon stools to the Weighing Room-side of the Parade Ring, close to the horse
chestnut tree which was coming into bloom.
I just love the ‘candle’
blossom. Having taken photos of each
other, just to prove we were here today, we sat and watched the world go
by. Richard Johnson and his sons,
Casper and Percy, headed up the slope beside the Winners’ Enclosure; there’s
a statue of Special Cargo situated on the lawn and both boys headed playfully
through the gap between the horse’s hind-legs! We decided to pay a second visit to the ladies
loo before departure; better safe than sorry, in case we got caught in
traffic on the way home! Lesley asked
me to keep a lookout for her missing safety pin, just in case I used the end
cubicle. And, guess what? I found it on the floor! Panic over, especially as she was going to
go to the supermarket on the way home and didn’t want her trousers to be
falling down. We headed back through the Surrey Hall and down
across the betting ring in order to cross over the track. Having arrived back at Lesley’s car, we
each consumed two cheese rolls which I brought along with me. The car park was fairly empty, but there
was still a queue to exit; we joined the back of it. Upon reaching the gateway, we discovered a long,
stationary queue heading up More Lane towards Esher High Street. We decided
to turn right, as we were familiar with the alternative route we’d used last
year. We were soon heading along Lower
Green Road towards the bridge under the railway line. The pathway across the racecourse exits
just before the bridge and a number of race-goers were making their way along
the thoroughfare below the embankment, heading to the nearby station. We arrived at a cross-roads
with Station Road, and headed across into Weston Green Road. At the far end we turned left to head along
the A309 in the direction of Hampton Court Palace. Having crossed the River Thames, we turned
left at the roundabout outside the aforementioned Palace in order to drive
along the A308 which runs beside Bushy Park and parallel to the River,
initially. The road continues through
the edge of Hampton and eventually arrives at Kempton Park racecourse. The racecourse and all-weather track occupies
around 50% of the site, so why don’t Jockey Club Racecourses sell off the
land for building which is not currently being used and retain the
remainder? Anyway, we headed around the perimeter of the
racecourse and onwards to the roundabout below the M3. We joined the motorway and subsequently
transferred onto the M25 at Junction 12.
Traffic was moving freely and we’d soon arrived back in Hertfordshire,
leaving the motorway at Junction 22. I
arrived home at 19:30. Not only did Menorah head off for a well-earned
retirement following this fixture, but Sprinter Sacre
also left Nicky’s yard to begin a new chapter of his life with eventer and TV presenter Spencer Sturmey;
the rider lives near Stow-on-the-Wold.
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