The racecourse at Windsor sits right on the River Thames. There is a riverboat taxi from near the railway station which takes racegoers too and from the events. There are also river cruises which start from Maidenhead. Having been on one I can say they are very good value and great fun. However there is a bit of celebrity lifestyle envy attached to the trip as part of it is a pointing out of palatial residencies for the trippers to mull over. It is in other respects a relaxing and enjoyable way of treating yourself every now and then to a bit of luxury.
The course is pretty close to the centre of Windsor so there is no misleading naming which is a good plus to start with. There the car parking is either a bit pricey right by the entrance, not bad value if you take advantage of the picnic facilities or free is you don’t mind a five minute amble. Even the walk was hardly a real strain so I think the parking side of thing is fair.
Main tsands viewed from the centre of the course
The entrance to the course is a modest but as set in a parkland approach with plenty of well established mature trees it was not too utilitarian. Inside there were no specific aspects of note from an architectural or artistic perspective. Just and expanse of asphalt as you head to the grandstand. Entry for some modest fare was a bit on the heavy side set as it was at a gut churning £18. That was for the Grandstand and for a further undisclosed sum you could transfer into the club enclosure. The grandstand was pretty poor value in truth; you can get to the paddock, winners’ enclosure, the grandstand which was modest quality and a bar / cafe which was a bit low on capacity. All in all it was disappointing with the club facilities occupying a sizable area. I skipped into the Silver Ring which although still a bit expensive at £10 was far better value, the cafe was very modern and spacious, the stand was OK and best of all you get straight into the centre of the track which had a seating area smack on the winning line and a great view throughout. As such I am in a bit of a dichotomy here as the grandstand was rubbish but silver ring excellent. In the event it was neither bad enough value to get the Virgin Rail Cup nor good enough to seize The Jam.
Expansive lawns between paddock, pre-parade ring and the grandstands
The course has some elements which look more dated than quaint but it does not feel rundown. It has the downside of a sizable club enclosure which rather constrains the great unwashed and requires some unspecified dress code to gain entry. I think these are fairly variable as I saw one skinny old fell wearing jeans and a scruffy polo shirt gain entry, although he may have been checking the plumbing I suppose. So hovering in the orbit of Colonel Blimp but not in the Thirsk league. The racecard at £2.50 wasn’t the worst value, it did have a two year old foaling date which is always a grateful touch and there was some pre race commentary from that dark haired woman on At The races as well as a pre meeting summary from the always entertaining Barry Dennis. His request for ‘Where are the high numbers in this one Cat, on your left or on your right’ as he tried to work out who has the advantage with some greyhound trap analogies. He is always worth listening too. For example in the first ‘The Stout thing, no-one can work out whether it’s any good or no good so I will ignore it’. So good effort on the communication front and the top area of performance from Windsor today but I still love the Towcester TV channel when I was there and it keeps the BBC for now.
The paddock is a good size and is ringed with stout trees but as they are outside do not qualify for the Dobbies, in the ring was a dainty Silver Birch surrounded by some flowers in bloom. A good effort this and a fair challenge but East Sussex is still in poll position with only ten more courses to go. No water feature at all bar the washing down hose adjacent to the paddock, but that hardly counts.
In summary there are some pluses at Windsor including good communication and very good value in the Silver Ring which I was impressed with, however the Grandstand was poor value, the facilities in general are better elsewhere and the view of the racing is very moderate. As such Windsor does not impress better than current favourite racecourse Salisbury.
New Year Hurdle
One of the disappointing aspects of how limited the careers of top class jumpers are these days is the way some old trials have diminished in their value. The New Year hurdle at Windsor is one of these races which have often thrown up placed horses at the least in the eighties. The race appears to be off the fixture list since 1998. Before that it had ended up as a limited handicap and was last a listed race in 1990 it was won by the prolific Aldino who amongst other wins was victorious in the Grand Annual at the festival and before that in 1989 it was won by Wishlon who went on to win the Tollworth. It then lost listed status but not the class of winners which were Royal Derbi (won Bula, Fighting Fifth and Ekbalko) and Shu Fly (beaten only a head in the grade 2 Maghall novice chase at Aintree) before it then became a limited handicap. Muse (won two grade 1 including Kempton Christmas Hurdle), Flakey Dove was second carrying 12 stone in the year she won the Champion Hurdle, in 1998 Halona who was a prolific Windsor winner was successful off a low handicap mark. It was taken off the list as a fixture in 1999 after two abandonments in 1996 and 1997. However it had good record and it is a shame to see it go in total.
Owning with Friends
On one visit to Windsor I joined a friend of mine who had joined a partnership with a business colleague in a filly. On another occasion I went to Windsor with a different friend who had a leg with some friends in a filly called Floreat Floreat. I suspect this is probably Latin species naming for Camel Toed Crab. The connection here is that they were both almost useless and the post race euphoria about finishing fifteenth out of twenty in a seller was based on the way she carved her way through the pack in the last quarter mile and surely a mile and half on a handy mark will see her troubling the auctioneer with trying to extract positives other than if she bent her knees a bit she could make a decent pony for a pre-pubescent schoolgirl. Although I think from observations of these two fillies that should that victorious day ever have dawn they would have traded 1.01 on Betfair for a ‘no bid’ return. However if you can get your modest nag to win a seller makes sure it is a Monday night at Windsor. Why? Because the drink addled city wallahs who appear to de-camp to Berkshire every summer’s Monday see out-bidding as a testosterone fuelled challenge. How else can you explain over 35,000 guineas for a flattering 8 length win? Just because it’s a Richard Hannon machine doesn’t make it a Lowther Stakes contender. My experience of partnerships has only extended to greyhounds. In every occasion we enjoyed success well in excess for the paltry amount we spent on the hounds. Yet we still fell out over absolute rubbish. Usually it was based on who the trainer ought to be, who was getting the best information from the kennel-lass, what distance we should be running the dogs over and on one occasion a list of open sprints for one particular bitch was mapped out by one of the partners for the trainer to follow thus making life easy for him which is very generous. This particular bitch had a unique racing style. She managed to combine electric starting technique with a rare ability to be completely paceless. If only there were markets back then for in-running odds we could have skinned the short odds takers for those leading at the first bend in sprints yet trailing in last. She just about got home over 400 metres but used to get a bit tetchy when challenged by slowish graders and we were advised to try sprinting as she may well have her card marked. Owners of dogs she had a snap at used to get a bit agitated. Supreme optimism followed by painful failure within 15 seconds is the adrenaline of the greyhound owner that eats away at friendships. It’s probably the same in horse-racing. Summary; if you want to fall out get a share in one of God’s animal kingdom athletes.
The Racing
First up was the first division of a divided class 5 over just a couple of yards more than a mile. It was a tight finish between Catchanova and Sasheen with the former just getting up by a head. Fit and well is in great form as this is a third win over the mile from the gelding’s last four runs. Has been going up the weights on the all weather and showed suited by the turf and exploited a seven pound differential which is sure to be eroded. Although in good heart I doubt he has the ability to exceed his OR on the sand of 75. Sasheed dispensed with the pieces today which have been used on her only wins to date. Caught closed home but tried to rally when headed. Not sure if she dosed a bit but that could be the case and a return to using the cheekpieces and the fact that she was only just beaten by a well handicapped in form opponent makes her one to look out for over a mile. It is said fillies come into their own in the autumn and another filly ran better than expected today in Rosedale who won last October over CD off 67 compared to today’s 66. Probably restrained a little too much as took a strong hold early and was doing all her best work late on. I have her as the biggest positive out of the race. Of the others fourth home was the edgy Stoute inmate Crystal Etoile who looks one to avoid as again flattered as did the bandaged up Could It Be Magic (I had seen him disappoint in a poor Chepstow seller last month). The former makes more sense to have as a negative as likely to start at short odds in future runs. Green Earth got warm and quickly faded from a prominent position, Uncle Dermot acted up a bit and was soon beaten, My Vindication had looked fit and well but completely lost his action as was pulled up indicating something went array, Custom House got warm beforehand and was struggling from halfway, Recalcitrant was sweating in the paddock and was soon beaten is a stuffy sort best avoided and fancied Desert Chieftan was a bit tetchy in the preliminaries slow into stride and looked like he would have preferred to do something else than race today.
Spooked Crystal Etoille has the paddock feature Silver Birch for company. She looks one to avoid
Runners cross the line in the opener
The second division was a little bit slower than the first. It was a won by the top weighted three year (which is often a reasonable selection process at the back end of the season) L’astre De Choisir in a driving three way finish. This was a win for the soon to be retired W R Swinburn who is one of the most eloquent of trainers. Limited exposure in five previous efforts showed plenty of battle today to win by a head and a neck. Tap Dance Way and Young Dottie (who I thought looked like she would need this run) both ran with credit. Eastern Gift abandoned held up tactics to be quite prominent and then failed for late toe. A return to previously successful tactics off this OR of 62 and racing on the poly may see the six year old gelding to better effect. One to note is the favourite Aviso who finished fifth have led for much having raced too keenly. Previously won the Group 2 German 2000 guineas and now off a very low mark of 61. Rates as a watch rather than a positive.
Eastern Gift raced more prominently than usual with limited success as finished fourth
The best quality race of the day was the two year old maiden stakes over a mile which had at least four very promising juveniles who may well take good races next season. It was won by the Richard Hannon trained and Alex Ferguson owned Eurystheus who still looked a little behind in the paddock and action looks to be best served by fastish ground. Settled nicely and produced to hold every chance two out. Battled well to hold off challenge close home. Is clearly a genuine type but his pedigree is a bit sprinty and precocious so quite how far he will train on is a slight doubt for me to make him a strong positive. However clearly on the upgrade. Second has the Godolphin trained favourite Yaa Salam who is a big strong individual who looked a bit backward in the paddock and ran green and despite holding head up and not handling the bend too well is probably entirely straight. Has some group class relatives including dam who was group 2 level. There is every chance that he will train on next season and is sure to lose maiden tag if raced on a straight mile course. Is a positive for a successful three year old career. However the biggest positive in the race goes to the third place Balding trained Bank Bonus. Looked backward in the paddock, action suggests will suit firm ground and was given a considerate ride by Jimmy Fortune. Would have finished at least second if had been hard driven and that there was room close home. At two colts require some consideration for their future and immature horses can go off the game if they are exposed to too much hard racing. This run has highlighted plenty of potential and in a field with some useful recruits I think Bank Bonus will emerge the best next year. Looks a useful middle distance at an optimum of one mile two runner next season and will pick up a maiden. The close up fourth also ran with plenty of promise. Prince Alzain looked in good nick in the paddock and his action to my eye suggests that he will be better for softer ground. Failed to quicken probably because the ground was against him a bit and the quality of the opposition. Very well bred and cost a lot of money on America as a foal. Interesting is that there is a bit of jumping in the family and who knows this could a triumph horse in 2013! Of the rest Downton Abbey did well to finish sixth and may pick up a nursery if not highly assessed, Council looks immature and a bit weak but ran as well as could have been expected to be fifth, Silver Samba was on her toes in the paddock and ran green but stayed on suggesting a bit of promise and Kiwayu appeared to be still green and on this his third race ran off the course. It was not clear whether there was a tack or temperament problem.
Progressive Bank Balance led on for third
One for the notebook is Yaa Salam
The claimer over one mile two was an interesting race. The market revolved around the 2/5 and backed Hannon racer Avon River who has a good record recently winning four claimers this season including last couple of runs. and is a good consistent type. Generally races up with or paces the running. However was restrained a little bit today and that did not work quite as well. But that should not detract from the winner Frontline Phantom who was fancied to cause an upset with connections quite bullish when interviewed prior to the race. Well ridden by claimer Martin Harley who had first run on the favourite. Is on a handy mark of 68 and I would not be surprised to see him out in a class 5 (has won a class 4 this year) suits fastish ground and is a genuine battler who goes well for claimers. Of the rest Royal Alcor ran much better than his pretty well p$ss poor previous three raced would have indicated beforehand. Hard to see where the assessor will go on the basis of a finishing distance of just over two lengths and the runner up off 78 giving only 8 pounds. Chances are he will be crippled in handicaps and this looks a bit of a freakish run. None of the others displayed much promise even in this low grade.
Conesuala about to go into the traps
Avon River the unsuccessful odds on favourite is fastest away
The nursery was run over the minimum trip and was won by top weight Ryan Moore ridden Ballesteros. This was a fair race and the winner has plenty of stamina being able to win over six at Haydock. Restrained and then produced from about two out for a well timed strike. Used his stamina to maximum effect. Acts on most going including with a cut. Nice type and sort to train on next season. However only had a short head to spare and in reflection the runner up Blanc De Chine ran a sound race. She is entered in a maiden claimer at Nottingham and that is exactly the type of race she is likely to pick up. Not a strong positive but worth a look if she takes up that option. Of the rest the only one that I thought showed some good potential was the staying on fourth restless Harry. Won a maiden on the poly first time up and again showed that he is likely to need further than this five furlongs when doing best work late on. Cost a lot of money, pedigree suggests should be pushed up to six and will stay middle distance with time. Also has some sound jumpers in the family.
The runners head toward the winning line
The maidens stakes over six furlongs was almost entirely contested by three year olds with the placings filled by the classic generation fillies. The winner Triple Charm was a lengthy unexposed close relative of Carlton House. Galloped well and dominated the race from approaching final furlong to win well. Long striding sort probably be at home at Newmarket. Form suggests does not stay a mile but pedigree plus running style suggests should stay further than this six. Runner up Obiter Dicta is an unlucky sort. I had seen her run very well behind Orpen Harry at Salisbury where the pair were clear and again today raced well and looked a likely winner approaching two out only for the talented triple Charm to swoop inside the final furlong. The problem is what is her best trip and surely off this OR of 65 she is capable of picking up a class 5 or 6 handicap. I would not have her as a positive though. Of the rest who were well beaten I thought the other market principle looked a bit tetchy beforehand sweating up a bit, Dan Donnelly was on his toes beforehand and I think needs to learn to settle to be successful, Cairanne showed a little improvement but not enough to have her as a positive going forward and Moricandor threw her jockey and had to be withdrawn.
We closed off in moderate style with a class 5 handicap over a couple of yards shy one and a half miles. It was a tightish finish with just over three lengths covering the first six home The winner was the produced late Countess Comet. Flying Power was a little unlucky. Well ridden by Ted Durcan, tried to make all and varied the pace but was caught inside the distance. Is progressing well and has run well on all starts over a mile and a half and off the current 71 mark there is likely to be more chances for success. Comes out of this as a positive. Of the remainder favourite Songburst was a disappointment, Chain of Events was a bit of a handful and lost race soon after leaving stalls and Super Duplex had exaggerated waiting tactics applied and was staying on to finish seventh. If continuing to race over this trip will need to be a bit closer to the pace as this run suggests can see out this trip.
Notebook
Rosedale (P)
Crystal Etoille (N)
Yaa Salam (P)
Bank Bonus (P)
Blanc De Chine (P)
Flying Power (P)