folkestone is back !

Why is - Mr Whley-Cohen - not riding - Long Run?


12:00 Folkestone  24 DEC 2023

2m Race to resolve production issues (3yo+)

Card  Pro Card  At-a-glance

0  Long Run (91F) 5 - Yusuke Wada  -  -  -

One of the great milers made his debut @ Folkestone.

kris?

tell a lie it was his second race.

was it leicester first ? amazing isn't it how ,regardless of the thread fit, we can't help but go back to the days henry was king . i do the same with jumpers ; having a conversation with a chap at ludlow in the week who had seen both arkle and kauto in the flesh but i soon steered him onto wayward lad !

I remember been there in December 2012 the penultimate meeting a 7 runner maiden hurdle one of jonjos making his debut with Richie mclernon on board 6/1 out to 20/1  not only did he win that day he went on to win the stayers hurdle

Yup was Kris. Debut was @ leicester think he won a couple more as 2 yr old including Horris Hill. Bolted up in Greenham but got nabbed by Tap On Wood in Gns ridden by some yank "newcomer" called Cauthen.

Geoff one of my all time favourites kris I actually went to see him at the plantation stud when he was around 20 years old he still looked the part .

He injured himself at Folkestone and didn’t race again until york in October.

Yes me 2 Jimnast. I think his full brother Keen ran 5th in one of the great guineas behind El Gran Senor/Chief Singer/Lear Fan/ & Rainbow Quest. Not a bad quartet .Wouldnt have a clue what 2nd /3rd/4th in this years Gns.

glad it went imagine todays pundits on one of the worlds greatest golden highways depending on ground and  where the stalls were positioned

That has pleased me, the old brain still working ok

That’s correct Geoff keen ran in that great guineas.

That high class nag debuted at Folkers


https://www.racingpost.com/results/19/folkestone/1999-04-20/266303

Good 1 Cardinal. Cant recall that. WOuld have gone for Newmarket.

tap on wood won 2000 gu trial at thirsk, i think , race no longer even  exists

Correct 1st time. Green & Black stripes of tony shead.

Tap on wood beat dickens hill as a 2 yo to win the national stakes at the curragh,the horse he beat at thirsk went on to finish 2nd in the 1000 then run on a Thursday two days before tap on wood with the greatest of all flat jockeys on board was allowed to go of 20/1 in the 2000

Can’t be sure ged or onlooker might confirm but I think tap on wood ran at Salisbury the day stevie road marquee universal

Tap On Wood by Pall Mall who also won Thirsk Classic Trial on his way to his Guineas win.

cant match the dates up but seem to remember that marquee universdal day starting very early /lunchtime,FA cup maybe but that would be may,and wasnt it pouring down at salisbury horses came standside,memory probably playing tricks again

Yes 1st time poster it was shocking ground they came up the stands rail the bbc covered the meeting can’t recall the start time ,but cup final day was generally bangor and thirsk in the morning.

BEVERLEY ?

Not sure really 1st time poster I should think a few did race cup final morning bangor seemed to do it every year,

Regarding Salisbury racing cup final day in 1979 it wouldn’t be that as I watched Salisbury on the tv and would have been at Wembley for United and arsenal

Correct - jimnast - re: Tap On Wood running at Salisbury on the same day as Marquee Universal.

Marquee Universal Won the first race on the card - and Tap On Wood was 4th in the 4th race on the card - The Salisbury 2000 Gns Trial - Won by Lake City from Saher.
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Isn't it wonderful how these Threads can grow - and become somewhat self-fulfilling.

It started with Kris - and the Greenham got mentioned -  and the we moved on to Tap On Wood ... and then, Marquee Universal, and Steve Cauthen, were highlighted by jimnast - with reference to Tap On Wood at Salisbury.

Let me take you back to Kris .... because Marquee Universal - was actually 3rd to Kris in that Greenham  (after his Salisbury win) .... and, can you believe - Marquee Universal then Won it's next 3 races - ALL Handicaps ...

The Esher Cup - The Thirsk Hunt Cup - and The Ripon Bell-Ringer (in which, he amazingly went of 7/2 second fav - in a field of 6) - Tesoro Mio having gone Off Evens FAV - carrying an 8lb Penalty for winning the Magnet Cup, from Major Hern's Town And Country.

Great Days, indeed.

Brilliant post onlooker I had no idea marquee went that route I was aware he was behind kris at Newbury but the handicap route no.

The Salisbury Meeting - was on April 7th, 1979 - The first race (Marquee Universal) was 1:30pm.

I have a feeling that the BBC were not scheduled to show the race - until it became known that - 'The Kentucky Kid' - would be having his first ride in the UK in the race.

cheers

Just like it used to be on here

Yes well done Windsor for starting although I haven’t got a clue what your talking about

Think Lake City was Ryan Price trained & owned by Harry Demetriou. Saher    possibly Ron Sheather???

Can anyone tell me which horse Cardinal posted at 623 post please

Kalanisi    : Jimnast debut for Cumani.

Thanks Geoff he ended up lowering the colures of montjue in the champion stakes

Regarding lake city it was Ryan price who trained him don’t know who owned him,in my garden shed I have lots of memorabilia hung up including the board markers wall sheet from the 1979 derby lake city is priced up at 50/1

I dont recall Lake City, sure there was a Salt lake City seem to remember run at Royal Ascot as a 2yo, dark and light blue hoops, anyone?

geof m - Yes and Yes .... like you from memory, though.

Although - I will have a Tenner on it.
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Kalanisi -  Queen Anne - Champion Stakes - and Breeders Cup - in 2000

Became a better National Hunt sire - than Flat sire

Sire of Katchit (Champion Hurdle)- and Kalashnikov

Lake City won the Coventry Stakes as a 2 year old. Price also won it following year with Varingo  i think.

Why does it flow back relatively easy from 40 odd years ago yet struggle to remember this years winners.

Obrien trained ran in the jersey stakes deptford

I must have got the salt bit from the place near Vegas

Cheers Jimnast

Folkestone was my favourite racecourse

Getting back to Folkestone I'm sure in early 90s it was the final turf meeting of the season on either a monday or tuesday.  And it wasn't a special card or anything just a standard humdrum card.

Memories can play tricks but I'm fairly certain this is right, not sure why?

I liked it Dambuster and would go 4 or 5 times a year and that’s from Manchester,I don’t think those who had never been ever realised what a great place to visit it was.

Dec 22, 2023 -- 8:01PM, dambuster wrote:

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ARC closed the track, who was chairman of ARC when it closed, none other than Michael Howard whoi had been the MP for Folkestone.

In 2023 the site is derelict and in ruin and nothing has replaced the track, an absolute disgrace

What was - Cardinal?    Are you saying that Folkestone hosted the Final Meeting of the Flat Season, then?

1991 Folkestone Monday November 11th

Doncaster and the November Handicap had been on the Saturday so have no idea why this was

Also have no idea why I had dambuster blocked, possibly an error or mistaken identity or some kerfuffle over covid maybe

Final race of 1991 Turf Flat Season ridden by none other than Lanfranco Dettori

https://www.racingpost.com/results/19/folkestone/1991-11-11/107813

Yes absolute disgrace what happened at Folkestone many let the racecourse and the racegoers of Kent down they even announced it on the opening day of London Olympics so not much fuzz would be made

i remember reading about folkestone . you had to get off the train at westerhanger (?) not folkestone . apparently took about 90 mins from london as it stopped every 50 yards . never got there much to my dismay .

I remember playing golf at Princes ,,and could hear the tanoy with at Folkestone races ,,blown on the breeze

Westenhanger was indeed the station you alighted from. It was slap bang next to the racecourse.

Not unlike taking the train to the Derby. You don't get off at Epsom Downs, but Tattenham Corner.

Folkestone was my local track, being a Kentish lad, and I was gutted when they stopped racing there. It was a lovely course, very family friendly, and had some terrific track biases which made punting there very profitable.

More anon !

Loved Folkestone 50 minutes down the A20 door to door, one of my first memories going on a coach from SE London I was about 17 and the coach driver told everyone to back the Cumani horse in the last. He had been told couldn’t lose and was passing on his inside info.
It won at very short odds in a handicap and of course he wanted to know if everyone stepping back on the coach had backed it expecting a drink.
Nice ploy which i didn’t see at the time

The other 5 Coaches all tild their Passengers to Back a different Runner - Each.

Then the 6 Drivers shared the 'Whip-round' between them all afterwards - Whoever Won.....

'Variation on a Theme' 

Folkestone - "Circular course of nearly 1m 3f with easy right hand turns. High numbers in the draw do best. Longest race 2 m 100yds. Straight mile is slightly undulating. Both 5f and 6f events start on a down gradient. Low numbers have a slight advantage. NH course:About 10f round. Mostly flat but undulating on stand side. Last fence is a furlong from the judge: Last hurdle about 250 yards. Right hand turns".   Copes 1958.

Windsor

I would be certain you would have liked Folkestone

The plan before it closed was to change the course to a left handed course with the stands been by the a2 so ground could be realised for property development,I suppose the railway route would then have been less appealing,clearly it never materialised,Barry Dennis was trying to get a group together to save the course but the council as councils are wouldn’t even talk about it.

Barry Dennis said he could make a profit on it if he let everyone in for a fiver.
It was always busy, always friendly and the Lookout restaurant was very nice as well.
I use to take the wife and kids to the restaurant, and my son who was very young and a fussy eater,
they would go and get him sausage and chips from the chip van and bring it in with our meals. and charge the same money.
if i went on my own, i'd walk over to the final fence and watched the jockeys shouting ''Slow down and get out the fooking way''.
as it was the first fence over 2m5f and the last as well.

I always said if i won a chunk on the lottery, i'd try to see if i could buy it
and reopen it.

That would be good Dambuster I would happily make the trip again .

Here's Hoping

I wonder what became of the ornamental pond ?

We use to go there from our Caravan site at Reculver, there use to be at least 2 coaches to every meeting in the 6 weeks holidays.
We'd go in the middle of the course, there were the Boards with all the Jockeys names on them, and a cafeteria ,there was also a big bank that you could stand on to see the horses easier, and i remember the water jump right in front of the stands. There was also a man selling Jockey caps, i always use to come home with one.
Great memories

All these famous flat horses to run at Folkestone are eclipsed by the gelding Iris De Balme.

Took a staying chase there prior to landing the Scottish National from 20+ pounds out of the handicap - never in doubt either.

Was my first (and only) 100+ winner on the exchange - sorry about the after-timing

I also had a share in a horse named Ainsi Soit Il which won twice around the course; very happy memories of the place and very sad to see it close.

Was there when they had the rolling clones on after racing, they were very good

loved the hunter chase night there for many years...did the south east ptp circuit the same period

Yes agree, plenty of money about those nights as well