rebelfm

UTTOXETER
31ST DECEMBER 2012
Heavy

2 MILE CLASS 5 MAIDEN HURDLE 4YO+

SHUTTHEFRONTDOOR (pos)

Bit weak in the market and was returned the 15/8 favourite after opening around 5/4. This was in the face of good support for Key To The West. Was a very good bumper horse last year winning all three events including one around Christmas at Ascot when he looked very useful. He did not race after February including all the so called championship races. He reappeared when very hot favourite on his debut in public over hurdles. He did not jump that well that day and was a disappointing third. Today he started a little careful and slightly jumped to the left at his first couple of hurdles. Was racing prominent for much and was pulled wide to get a good look at the obstacles and also raced on the better ground. His hurdling improved throughout and his pace was far superior to the rest and he soon found himself ahead and pulled clear to win easing up for a comfortable 16 length win. He is now entered for the Supreme Novices and I am sure he is going to win plenty more races. However, it is noticeable that he has not been tried at an undulating track before and I think he will be worth taking on at Cheltenham. I think there are plenty of decent novice races at flatter tracks and I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him do well over at Punchestown.

2 MILE CLASS 5 HANDICAP HURDLE 3YO+

GO ANNIE (pos)

This handicap was not entirely satisfactory with Tackswop again coming under orders and refusing to race and to make matters worse was joined in these antics by McCoy’s ride Light The World. It was won by the well fancied Pickles in an enthralling battle over the last. However it was the mare Go Annie who I have as a positive coming out of the race. First thing to remember about this 5yo mare is that she is still a novice. Her only rules win to date was in a Newbury bumper last season. Fair in novice events early in this campaign when finishing second and third. The first of these was against a Henderson hot shot Cape Express who has progressed to 135 so no disgrace being beaten 10 lengths. The next was tried in tongue strap which coincided with being pulled too far off the pace and showed some very good late progress which suggested that she has a bit of pace. Was out of depth a bit in first two handicaps before today and being tried in cheek pieces was probably because she looks a bit of a tricky ride needing to be produced late. She was held up today off a slow pace being pulled wide for the better ground. Was travelling strongly from about 3 out and held every chance 2 out. She stayed on fine but was a bit scruffy at the last two which I think may well of contributed to her defeat. She’s a tricky ride I would say and has won for today’s jockey Richard Johnson. She has gone up three pounds for today’s runner up position. Despite this fact I think that in the mud she is difficult to back against over the minimum trip. Clearly suits flat tracks.

3 MILE CLASS 5 HANDICAP CHASE 4YO+

LANDENSTOWN STAR (neg)
This was not a great race on the face of it. The second favourite Wherrimon had shown best form at specialist Fontwell and looked on the downgrade, Master Conor looks practically useless and Salut Honore had moderate form despite picking up a couple of modest wins in novice chases.  This was a race run at a slow pace given the ground conditions that was to be expected. Landestown Lad was restrained and has the tendency to jump a touch to the right. His jumping did not appear too accomplished and he hardly looked a natural jumper. Held every chase approaching two out but weakened to a slow slog and clambered over the last to be a distant second with the other two competitors pulled up a fair distance from the end. He has not been successful under rules until winning at Ffos Lass on Boxing Day and it could well be that he run came too soon for him today. However I think he is unlikely to progress too much from what I saw in the jumping department and as such I have him as a negative going forward in novice and handicap chase events.

2 MILE 3 AND A HALF FURLONG CLASS 4 HANDICAP HURDLE 3YO+

LOVELY MUCK (pos)

This was a fairly good handicap hurdle with some decent horses at this grade. The joint favourites were the decent mare Be My Light who ran a good race off top weight today to hold every chance at the last which she hit quite hard and reduced her to third at the line, and the novice Kings Sunset who had an encouraging second on only his third effort over timber after shifting from Irish points last year. Second home was the useful class 3 handicap winner on the flat Always Bold who is consistent so a fair yardstick and one to keep an eye out for when running at Fontwell over hurdles. The winner was the McCoy / McManus axis Award Winner  who has plenty of good form being once rated 124 over hurdles and good enough to be close second to Sunnyhill Boy over fences. Fred Kennet also ran with merit being off the track for 449 days and stuck in a hood for the first time he ran a very promising race today. However it was the mare Lovely Muck who caught the eye. Her three previous efforts had been littered with errors but plenty of potential. Today she was held up and although a bit novicey still she took closer order with a mile left appearing to be going well and taking her hurdles with more confidence than in her earlier runs. She was caught a little flatfooted when the pace was upped 3 out and she was not given a hard ride at all once it was clear things had slipped from her grasp.  In a decent and competitive event I think she will come out of it well and I would suspect she will be better on good ground.

2 MILE CLASS 4 HANDICAP CHASE 4YO+

SAWPIT SUPREME (pos)

This was a fair enough handicap of its class and the winner, Anay Turge,  has taken well to fences and as a consequence has risen sharply up the scale to a point where I think he will struggle in the future to win. It was the unlucky runner up Sawpit Supreme who caught the eye the most and despite being 11 years old I think there is still a race or two in the old girl yet. As usual she raced prominently for much of the race. I thought she did look not entirely straight forward and raced towards the end as if not concentrating so might benefit from headgear of some sort or else racing in larger fields and covered up a bit. As this was a small field it could well be that she needs the latter. Got a bit hampered and all in all I think she was the better horse at the weights.

3 MILE CLASS 5 HANDICAP HURDLE 4YO+

BALLY SANDS

Runner up Gwladys Street has since won and I did have him down as a positive but filed too late and wouldn’t want to be cast as an afters merchant. Very steady gallop to this stayers hurdle as expected in the deep ground. Bally Sands hurdled well throughout and was restrained for the first circuit. Was going so well that he jumped himself into the lead just after halfway. Carefully ridden by the useful claimer Ed Cookson. Driven from the run to last where soon asserted for a win with what I think is a little in hand of the assessor. Bally Sands is approaching his previous best when rated 123. This rating was achieved in running midfield in top races such as The Challow behind Reve De Sivola and Albert Butler at the festival. As such 110 rating should hold no fears at Towester or such testing tracks over the three miles.

2 MILE CLASS 6 BUMPER 4,5,6YO ONLY

SALTO CHISCO (strong positive)

This is a useful bumper as two years ago several winners came out of it including this year’s Welsh national winner Monbeg Dude. So worth more than a casual look. There were several really nice types here especially Queen Olivia who could go on in the future to win races. However there were two horses who were head and shoulders clear and who both look nailed on to be good class when jumping over sticks. The winner due to more experience and probably preferring the deep ground was Horizontal Speed. Quickened up nicely to land this one in style. It will be the runner up that I will be following with keen interest as Salto Chisco showed plenty of promise. Looked a very smart type but appeared uneasy in the mud going down.  Didn’t settle brilliantly on this his debut effort. The pace of the race was pretty good for a bumper as many are a crawl for a mile and regress into a six furlong dash. Made smooth progress to pull clear of the rest with the winner and when Horizontal Speed began to assert approaching the final furlong Salto Chisco was not given a hard time of it. By a good sire in Presenting and the mare’s only other foal was the top class hurdler Dato Star.

SUMMARY

UTTOXTER 31/12
SHUT THE FRONT DOOR        1    1    0
Flat tracks                      1/5    9/2    X

GO ANNIE                       0
16f strong jock flat mud        X

LOVELY MUCK            0         0   
Good or faster            X         X

SAWPIT SUPREME            2        1         DONE       

LEICESTER WINS THE 2011 MILLWALL STANLEY AS BEST NO-ONE LIKES US: WE DONT CARE COURSE

I was at Leicester today to award the Millwall Stanley for the inaugural No-one likes us we don’t care trophy. It went to the much maligned track in sunny Oadby. There are several courses which I see get periodic stick from various sources. The ones are notice most often are Leicester, Southwell Pontefract and Redcar. This is generally because they have had less investment, they are often in an industrial setting and the standard of racing is not always that hot. I think that of these four the clear winner of the award on the basis of it might have been warranted in the past but it isn’t now is Leicester.

This second visit in a short period of time was on a quite raceday but there was still a very healthy crowd here today. There was one bad peice of news and that is the excellent little cafe underneath the stand known as the Quorn Room was shut until further notice. I hope this is only renovations rather than a permanent plan. Also I hope that the changes do not precipitate a significant change in the ambiance. 

The car park today was a little less frantic to get out but still slow. The features of the course worth reiterating are the fine paddock having several decent trees within them, the elevated view over the final chase fence is the best place to view racing and the conservatory styled cafe area under the new grandstand I discovered since the Quorn was shut. There were few concessions around today but there was a donut van, the decent steak sandwich provider and some books / clothing on offer at the other one.

Getting in for a decent card including a racecard was only £12 and this gave access to all areas which was very good value so well done Leicester. The racecard was all in black and white but was ‘free’ so no quarrels from me on that score. However I would have been a bit miffed at paying £2 if there was a need to purchase an additional one. The racing today was another varied card. We had a novice hurdle and a feature novice chase worth decent money well above the tarrif for its classification. There was a seller and three handicaps two of which were chases.

The first up was the two mile  novice hurdle which had a weak favourite in the David Pipe trained Kazlian who took a big walk in the market from an opening evens to 7/4 before returning 13/8. He had won very easily last time out but that was on an easier track. Plus his hurdling had looked less than fluent. Today he motored clear for a very comfortable win. This was not a bad run for a juvenile as I thought this race looked a decent test. He hurdled much better today and it would be interesting to see how he gets on if he was upped in class. However it is worth looking at the rest of the field to gather a realistic opinion on his future possibilities. The only serious contenders today as the race turned out were strong staying types who will need further. The two mile specialists were beaten out of sight as Kazlian outpaced them with a decent turn of foot.  Cost a lot of money off the flat. I cannot make my mind up about this one as he really was hacking all over them today and should be a big positive but I will hold fire.  The one big positive was third home Enroller. He was held up towards the rear and was slowly bought through. He was never near enough to threaten and had a relatively easy race. I am sure he needs at least two and a half miles, is improving all the time and his excellent flat form of winning a group 3 means he has plenty of class. He must win when tried over the longer trip and I make him a very strong positive. High On A Hill is sort of the fly in today’s ointment on the basis that he didn’t look too hot on his modest flat mark of 74 and not too exciting a hurdling debut. However he did run with promise and was close enough two out before being outclassed. Could be OK but I have a nagging doubt about this form in relation to his relative position and distance behind the winner as I think he was a touch flattered. However he is not a negative. Of the rest the biggest flop was Tuscan Gold who held every chance and hurdled fine but was outclassed today. I thought he had run with promise on his debut at Huntingdon. I think he is not as good as that form appears and is best avoided. Eurythmic has a good class pedigree including El Gran Senor as a relative off the dam line. However hurdled scruffily again today. Hidden had been second on his debut in what is turning out to be a very ordinary race and he looked moderate today. Oriental Cat has not transferred a bit of promise from the flat over sticks and again looked to lack aptitude for this game. Status Symbol was useful on the flat including when third in a listed race. Raced prominently making most of the running but wilted in the straight after a series of mistakes however this was a promising debut and could well go close when tried over further but will need to sharpen up on his hurdling as he clobbered a few today. Swaling did not transfer the good second to a decent sort in a bumper last year in this outing and finished distressed today. Miss Hilton was completely outclassed.

Race 2 was a two and a half mile handicap chase at class 4 level won Travalo. Ridden ably by young claimer James Best. Stalked long term leader and old man of the party Kerkabellic until produced for a decisive run between last two fences. Has got quite a decent pedigree with his dam being a half sister to Ardross and Gesedeh. Not sure what this says going forward but this was an odd race in many ways. The well fancied Paul Webber horse Edgebury ran absolutely no kind of race at all and was tailed off before making a futile late flurry. He has been mulish before and looks one to lay more than back so is a negative going forward. We lost Le Reveur early, Phar Again looked a bit one paced but was handicapped out of it really on his current mark being 7lbs off last years’ win in this event. Morentito looked to have the race won when leading into the straight but was collared late on and has previously found two and half in soft ground difficult (he comes out of this well given better conditions and maybe a bit less than his current 103 rating). Jockey was banned for 7 days for whip abuse. Moscow Chancer again showed that he runs all over the place, bumping / hampering other horses and is a difficult ride. He has ability but did the same as he did at Haydock and was a decent lay today on the evidence. A bad horse to back this one and will continue to be a negative.

Race 3 was the two and a half mile seller where we had a very hot 1/2 favourite in previously good class juvenile of 2010 Westlin’ Winds.  He had been dropped in trip for today’s event and looked thrown in. Came through to lead over the second last and held clear advantage on run to the last but was not kicking on under hard driving. I don’t know whether he is just paceless or mulish but this was a clear winning opportunity, his juvenile form at handy tracks suggests he has speed, I thought he was well ridden to hold every chance and his hurdling was not bad at all. Therefore I can only guess that he is a bit of a hard horse to get right. He must have showed something though as he was claimed for the six grand by someone who had seen something more than I had. I wonder how much he would have gone for through the ring is he had of won? In my book though he is a negative as too high in the weights to do it in handicaps and sellers are tricky races for this sort to win.  The winner was a tall big old thing called American Cricket who has not had much racing of late and hurdled well picking up the favourite on the line. He is an eleven year old and attracted no bid. The one positive has already been picked up in previous posts and that is Group Leader. As suspected he didn’t stay this 2m4 and really needs two miles. He ran well today giving himself every chance from three out but didn’t stay the final half mile. I think he will win when put over the appropriate trip. The other three looked moderate and unlikely to be a threat even at this level.

Race 4 was a class 4 handicap chase over two miles. It was an exciting race for the neutral but a terrible race for me. I had two in the race as serious lays. One was favourite Kenalek who I had also laid at short odds on to be placed. The race started brilliantly from my betting point of view as this ex pointer demolished the first to such an extent that it was out of action for the rest of the day. He then proceeded to jump poorly until being eased down at the end of the back straight. I hope the horse is fine but these fences are stiff and I was not surprised that he found them tricky (reported that lost two shoes leading to poor display, sounds like typical trainer fob-off to difficult owners been there on that one before). It could also be the case that the chestnut was miffed that there was an interloper in the ring before the race when the number four in the fifth race, Valid Choice, was also there despite being a bay. It took the officials ages to spot the error even though several racegoers including myself tried to point out to the stable lad that he was a race too early to be in the paddock.  Retribution for me followed though as a horse I thought to have been a jammy winner last time out and a consequential lay just got up. I didn’t lay Smart option much but at 12/1 I didn’t need to. All the gains from Kenalek whipped out! Share Option now has a double to his name and this wasn’t a bad race of its sort. I know hat-tricks are uncommon but I think discretion being the better part of valour I will take him off my negative list on the basis that he hurt me bad today. His jockey the claimer Lee Edwardsagain rode a well timed late run on him and he has a bit of style this lad, keep an eye on him. It was a win on merit as Azfal ran a game race and almost held on replicating his effort off a lower mark here over CD in December. Azfal is a good consistent chaser and I would not be surprised if he continues to be in amongst them going forward. Genuine sort. Call It On ran OK to be third but could not keep up with the first two and I think he could do with a bit of respite from the assessor. Olympian was always prominent but his not a great jumper being far too safe. Makes no real errors but spends too much time in the air which affects his chances massively. I doubt he will be able to win over fences at this sort of trip to be honest and might be better over longer trips where others mistakes may provide him with a chance. I will not be too confident of his winning potential going forward. Blossom King again failed to sparkle with his jumping much the same as he did here in December behind Azfal.

Race 5 was the feature race of the day which was a three mile novice chase. It was won by a great show of jumping by the very useful Baille Anrai. He was hunted around for the first circuit, had to be shaken up three out (when leader appeared to have slipped the field) but quickened very nicely to lead half way up the run and score by nearly two lengths. His jumping was very good at pace and I think this is a very useful novice chaser. He had previously run second in the grade 2 Persian War which is a stayers novice hurdle of significance. I have him as a huge positive going forward and I wouold not be shocked to see him has a shot at a festival engagement maybe the Sun Alliance although I personally would channel him to the Jewson. The second was Valid Choice who did well over hurdles and this was a very nice run over fences. Possibly a little flattered by proximity to the winner but so what as the jockey rode a judicious effort. He jumped fine and I think he has potential. The unlucky loser was  Soir D’estraval who was going OK but was chopped for space around the final turn as it became apparent that Valid Choice wasn’t stopping. How can you get hampered in a four runner chase over three miles. Like we say in greyhounds he looks the sort to find trouble in a solo. The Hemmings owned Larks Lad again jumped without fluency and his chances in novice chases based on the penalty accrued for his walkover win will be at the hard end of the difficult scale. He may be better off handicapping.

We closed off with a competitive class 4 handicap hurdle over two miles. It was won in decent style by Mujamead who triumphed by four lengths. He had previously won off 111 over CD a few years ago and today’s 79 looked tempting with 8/1 a good price. The rest over six months was never going to be a problem has gone well fresh and the return to Tony Carroll where he had been at his best in the past was a positive. Always close up led over the second last and powered clear being another to benefit from highly promising claimer Lee Edwards. Whether he can win again depends on how much the assessor takes into account however has not always kicked on and may well be one best fresh. Second home was Refusal who as a juvenile is coming to terms with this handicapping lark with an improved display. He is not badly in on 100 and considering that the winner was so well in he could be a winner without a penalty if coming out soon. He is still a little bit of a tricky ride as jumps out a bit to the right on occasions and maybe a small novice hurdle would be a better option. Third home Mahfal was given far too much to do by his claimer partner although an early error might have torn up the plans. His 94 rating looks fine and as a juvenile has plenty of scope, one to keep an eye on and despite making late progress I do not think he specifically needs further but maybe if he is ridden closer to the pace that would be helpful. Disappointment of the race was 9/4 favourite Ruby Crown who was pulled up. She doesn’t seem to act well on tacky ground and 105 still looks a generous mark. If she is O, which hopefully she is, I think the money may only be leant.

Notes
Enroller (P)
Edgebury (N)
Moscow Chancer (N)
Westlin Winds (N)
Group Leader (P)
Baille Anrai (P)

LINGFIELD WINS BEST ALL WEATHER TRACK OF THE YEAR AWARD

Consideration of the recipient of the award for top sand track was quite a difficult choice despite there being only four to choose from. I looked at all quite closely during my year long mission and drew up a justification for selection. I thought there was much merit at all the location and having been a bit of a snob towards sand racing beforehand I am much more sanguine towards this adaptation in fact I am not far off being sold on the concept really. I think that the form holds up reasonably well, that the racing is generally quite entertaining with decent fields for competitive racing and it provides a pretty reliable outlet in bad weather. The idea that it is purely a means of offering poor animals the chance to pick up small prize money is unfair.

I settled on Lingfield as my winner because the course itself is high quality all round. The stands are modern and well maintained, the proximity to the racing is reasonably good and the facilities inside the stands are first rate. The day I visited there was a £16 entry which was not bad as this entitled an almost access all areas privilege. The food in the main grandstand was pretty varied from a sit down meal all the way through to a pasty and coffee. I went for the latter option and paid about £5 which I thought was reasonable value as the pasty was proper meat and decent pastry. So on the food front Lingfield did fine.

Of the other three I think Southwell is a little bleak in comparison, Kempton’s track is too remote from the spectators and Wolverhampton is a little bit too much like a really well run greyhound track. I think my choice came down to either Wolvo or Lingfield and I just went for the latter because the racing is generally a bit better in class.

The stands at LIngfield

The paddock and per parade ring are well positioned and give good viewing of the runners. There are some mature trees dotted around on the lawns adjacent but there is not one tree in the paddock. This was a conifer and was obviously not a competitor to the fine ancient tree down the road in Sussex at Plumpton. owever at least there w a tree here. The entry to the racecourse is anime modern wooden facia and it was quite nice really. The journey down off the M25 was easy and nicely signposted from a long way put. The car parking was adequate and just across the road from the entry to the course. The location is simple to find.


The paddock has a decent conifer in it.

There was a nice water feature with running water and several fish.



Race 1 was a class 5 handicap over seven furlongs. It was won in good style by Scottish Glen who was produced from midfield around two out and galloped on for a smooth win by a length and a half. This was his third win and all of them have been here at Lingfield. He has first run on the mare Choral today who could never get close enough to challenge the winner. This her first return to Lingfield and also was stepped back to her best trip. Has previously won off 77 so today’s mark of 73 looked fair.  However needs to be held up and exaggerated waiting tactics are always a negative for serious pun ting in my book. The three behind the winner  all finished in a heap. The other two were Satwa Laird (has won over further but that was a long time ago now with two wins in a career of 32 runs tells its own story) and City Legend who had a troubled race and could be classed as an unlucky loser worth following off current mark. Of the rest Wigram Turn had some bad luck and apparently cracked his head on the stalls coming out and Ezra  Church had some hiccups going around as well

Race 2 was a seven furlong maiden  and was won from the front by Hayley Turner on board Forceful Appeal who was a comfortable two length victor. The runner up was a 8/13 Mark Johnson trained three year old called Henry Clay. He was held up and due to a pretty good ride from Hayley was soon struggling and could never make up the ground lost. I think he needs to be in a good sized field say eight or more so that he can be covered up. He has plenty of ability and is sure to pick up a maiden in a race to suit as such constitutes a positive. The rest were all outclassed really. This includes the quietly fancied  13/2 from 16/1 Archina who I am not sure acted well on this course and I would have thought a straight seven would be more to her liking.

Race 3 was a ten furlong seller at class 6 level; pretty lowly stuff. It was a close finish in the end but the photo did not involve the first two in the betting. It was won by Wisecraic who prevailed by a neck. I thought that Marvo was cantering all over them coming around the bend and was sure to storm clear but he found absolutely nothing under pressure. He never winning on a beach before and his last success was in 2009. I think he is a difficult ride and I cannot see him winning anytime soon. Represents a lay. The favourite was Kidlat who was well backed and has recently been successful in up to class 4 so clearly above plating. Is on a really decent mark of 70. Is a positive but beware if tried over hurdles as has not jumped well in two attempts. Peppertree Lane opened favourite but took a massive walk. Was beaten when hampered by some scrimmaging about four out.

Race 4 was the feature of the day being about five grand to the winner class 4 over ten furlongs. It was won by 22/1 (was available at 33/1) outsider Thunderstruck who was top rated by Timeform. It was a good battle down the straight with Ariyfa. The runner up ran well she opened 7/2 fav but drifted to 6/1. Has done well since coming over from Ireland and this 76 mark looks winnable especially if tried short of this trip and given running around a mile she is a positive. In a good race there were others to mention. Aerodynamic was made favourite but after trying to make most was run out of it in the final quarter of a mile. Focail Maith ran really well looking like taking a hand coming wide off the final bend but may have just a bit more weight than ideal. I had seen him finish second at Ayr in the summer and has won over CD since. That was off 68 and today’s 73 may have done for him.

Race 5 was a five furlong maiden and was won by 2/9 favourite Pale Orchid in an absolute canter. In fact it might have been trotting for the final half furlong given the ease this lot was put to bed. Had two previous efforts on sand since coming over from Ireland. I can see this 73 being a simple task to pick up a handicap. Also has done OK in turf racing and a sprint handicap in the spring for decent money might be worthwhile . In any event I expect more victories and Pale Orchid is a positive.

Race 6 was a seven furlong class 6 handicap for three year olds. It was won in a blanket finish with two lengths covering the first six home. Good grading as they say. A well graded finish to an A8 rarely unearths an improver and there was nothing from here that I will follow lay or back.

Race 7 was a seven furlong apprentice handicap set at class 6 level. It was won in very commanding style b y 5/4 favourite Cut and Thrust under a confidet ride by claiming apprentice Nicole Nordblad. Sure to go up in the ratings as the 60 set to shoulder now is well off the original level of 74 not so long ago.

Notebook

Henry Clay (P)

City Legend (P)

Marvo (N)

Kidlat (P)

Ariyfa (P)

Pale Orchid (P)

There was no specific reason for visiting Leicester again in respect of awards following the review of each GB course other than it looked a good card and I fancied going racing over Christmas. Leicester receives a bit of stick on occasions regarding facilities etc but I have found it a really nice racecourse top visit. Today saw a good sized crowd for a Christmas family fun day so was quite a good one to gauge the course by.

The poor aspects are worth pointing out first. These include total chaos in the car park (why are there no stewards to manage the flow of traffic out after racing it was like Wacky Races getting out of a sludgy thus slippery quagmire), the attractions for the kids (they made Radio Chorley Day at the Phoenix Club look enticing) and a lack of food outlets (queues for the four ‘burger vans’ were so long that racegoers missed races whilst waiting for food).

There were some very good points though which included the Quorn tea-room (I really like this little oasis for some reason and although small one you have a table it’s a great place for a quite brew and a cake between races), the atmosphere of a big crowd (it’s nice to be at an event with a bit of buzz) and the was the viewing over the final chase fence (this has been engineered specifically to give the spectators a fantastic almost bird-eye view and is one of the best in the country).

However the best thing about the day’s racing was that we had a really mixed card today making it an interesting card. There were two valuable handicaps being the silver (a handicap chase) and bronze (a handicap hurdle)  fox trophies. There were two novice chases one a handicap. A novice hurdle and a selling hurdle. These attracted in general decent fields because we had good ground. The advertised good to firm in places did not seem to be prevalent.

We started with a  two mile handicap chase for novices at class 4 level. The previous form for all eight runners provided a suspicion that jumping errors were likely and that this would be a case of whoever jumps with fewest mistakes would prevail. In fact that is how it worked out. The length and a half winner was one of the outsiders Azfal. He has shown a preference for going right handed and does not see 3 miles out but does stay up to 19f. Often makes the running but can fade in deep ground. Today he jumped well and made all but benefited from others errors and as such was a bit fortunate just holding on when treading water in the run in. The second home was Surf And Turf who could be viewed as an unlucky loser. Made smooth headway from about four out and looked the winner until an awful blunder two out where Richie McLernon did remarkably well to hold on appeared to have sorted him. However got going again and way catching the winner up but just failed to haul him in. On the basis of this you would have him down as a positive from this race. This was only his second chase and he showed his jumping is improving and these are quite stiff fences. He may even prefer a longer distance as his hurdle form suggests 20f is well within his scope. The pair was eight lengths clear of Edgebury who ran OK but never really threatened. His breeding (close relative to Deep Sensation) suggests can make the mark over fences but there have been doubts over his temperament. Of the rest only Russian Conquest showed any potential staying on pretty well and thus giving the impression that further would be preferred. He has also run well here in the past.

We then had a two and a half mile selling hurdle where the favourite was Belle De Fontenay. She opened at 4/7 and then took a walk in the market to 4/5 before some late money led to a SP of 8/15. I had seen her run twice before with the most recent being a good effort to make all in a handicap where she was taken on for the lead and thus probably was made too much use of. Today there was a complete change in tactics with her and she was held up. I cannot understand these tactics as in my opinion all she does is gallop resolutely but without a change in gears. She led for a few hurdles entering the final mile off a modest gallop and when the leaders quickened she was completely one paced and plodded home a remote third. She was a stone better off than the winner and to be frank this smelt a bit. Keep an eye out for her as she is much better than this and needs to dictate affairs to be seen at best. I am not putting her down as a positive as this was such a disappointing run but she looks a plot horse somewhere soon. The winner was the lightly raced Ministry Of The Interior who was held up and quickened well off the slow pace. Best in the blinkers which were applied today and had in the past won after a long break. Previous run had been marred by poor hurdling and probably picked up an injury. Because of his history you would suspect that he cannot stand an awful lot of racing but was bought in for 5,000 guineas so is well thought of by connections. The runner up was Small Fry who was held up and quickened up with the winner from two out but couldn‘t maintain the pace and was eased when beaten. Form has been best on fastish ground and may have been flattered by the bare bones of the result. Of the remainder Madam Molly looked fractious in the paddock and mucked about at the start refusing to race and the 4/1 second favourite Dots Delight appeared to be having problems with the bit / tongue strap before entering the paddock and fell when going well at the 6th. I would forgive her this one and she could go close in a seller. However nothing of note out of this race.

The Lefeuvre Family  Help The Heroes novice hurdle over 2m4 followed. This was a great innovation comprising of an auction to have a race named after them plus attend the meeting dishing out the pot. The money raised is donated to this very worthwhile charity. What a brilliant idea and well done the LeFeuvre’s for bidding most for what I am sure was a highly enjoyable day. There are far worse ways of spending your money I would say. The race itself was a very decent quality. It was won by the Nicky Henderson trained Hilton Indiana who jumped very nimbly and stayed strongly to score by about two lengths. I had seen his debut months ago and had him down as one to follow especially over a distance of ground. I have also formed the opinion that he will make a good chaser in time. Difficult to fail to be impressed although did hit the last when fiddling it a bit. This was a strong gallop playing into the hands of those with stamina. I am looking forward to seeing him chase next season. The runner up was the Tom Scudamore ridden Bygones Sovereign. He made most until challenged for the lead two out. I thought he had enough in the take to reel the winner in approaching the last but stayed on at the one pace. He will be better over further and I have him as a positive after this race and can win a novice soon as this was a pretty decent event run at a true pace. The third home was the hot 13/8 favourite Medanas who had some decent form coming into this race so set a good standard. I think this third place today was another step forward and was beaten by some novices with plenty of potential. The trio were well clear emphasising that this was still a very decent effort so despite being beaten I would not being laying him next run. The rest were all pretty well tailed off including the well fancied Black Noddy who didn’t show anything like the potential it had on hurdle debut so it may well be that he was outclassed today. A second one to note from this race today was Wood Bank who is very closely related to Denman. He has not given a hard race at all today on his hurdle debut when finished a remote fifth. Clearly needs three miles and thus this was way too short but ran with much promise. Once in the right race he is sure to pick up a hurdle and obviously can be reasonably expected to do even better over fences with time.

The first of the features was the class 4 20f handicap chase for the Leicestershire Silver Fox. It produced a pulsating finish with three horses locked together over the last. It was a tight race on the book and little to suggest much of note going forward. The winner was Cootehill  which is named after a border town in County Cavan. Not the most memorable of places although has a decent limestone quarry. Cootehill was close up throughout and jumped more than competently to power up the straight and just hold on by a neck. I was surprised how well he jumped in comparison to some less than impressive efforts. Is now getting close to his useful hurdle form. Would not be a shock if went on from this especially over this 20f which suits him well. The runner up Forty Five also ran with much merit being yet another second for JJ O’Neill and McLernon. Is still a maiden over the fences and this effort being much more fluent than of late and is a positive. His 108 mark looks lenient and 20f going RH looks ideal. Third home was Quackers who had some really good form in 2008 winning a string of races and being rated 140. However encountered breathing issues combined with this severe rating led to a fallow time. Now down to 118 which is a wining mark he ran very well being run out of it on the run in. I think a stiff 20f is just too far and maybe 18f on good ground is optimal. I would not put anyone off backing when encountering optimal conditions. Of the remainder Nothingbutthetruth had some fair form but ran poorly suggesting that he needs to be ridden closer to the pace than this held up display, Thats The Deal come here off a decent run but this is too far and is better off over two miles who ran as well as could be expected but a couple of errors knocked him out of it down the back straight, Double dizzy went well but looks one who is best at those cross country races. There were a couple I had seen in the past. Quel Brure tried to force the pace and is best over three miles. However is very inconsistent. I had seen Roc De Guye win at Fakenham and I think that easy LH track is much more to his liking than this stiff RH test. 

The three mile novice chase was a decent event. It was won in fine style to complete a Nicky Henderson trained double in the form of Loose Performer. I had seen his hurdling debut back in January at Doncaster where he looked a future chaser. He has only had the two efforts over hurdles and you would suspect that he had shown plenty at home ahead of this chase debut. Front runner  and was jumping the rest into the ground when made a horrendous blunder on the tricky uphill fence along the back straight. Somehow the partnership remained intact. I thought he would then potter home from there as he emerged third. However he was soon back in a good rhythm and back at the fore turning for home jumping the remainder very well for a noteworthy win. I think he can carry a penalty and was impressive. The second home was the well bred Quentin Collenges (Heroes Collenges is a close relative) who came here having a decent chase debut when third to Wayward Prince in the book. He ran well to be second behind a progressive sort but his jumping is not fluent enough yet. I think he is a good novice but I cannot get too positive until there are signs of fluency. I think he will prefer going left handed with time as well. Third home was the experienced Ackertac who ran well but was not up to the class of the first two. Kauto the Rock has yet to show anything like the ability of his illustrious relative but ran OK for fourth.

We closed off with the class 3 Leicestershire Bronze fox which was a two mile handicap hurdle. This looked a very competitive event with plenty having good recent form and looking fairly treated. In the circumstances the acceleration shown by the winner Grammes And Ounces to quickly put this event to bed was impressive. This run was off 106 after a facile Hereford victory. Clearly goes best RH is still only on 109 and there is a valuable class 2 handicap on Saturday at Sandown which he is down on the entries as 109 avoiding a penalty but may end up out of the handicap if Afsoun takes his place at the head of the weights. He has two other engagements but both lead to a 7 lbs penalty. I think he is a strong positive until the assessor gets hold of him. The second is also a positive. Royal Opera looked the sort to suit a sharper track than this after a good run at Musselburgh. So a second to a handicap snip based on Timeform assessment must be viewed as a noteworthy effort. However he is now up to 124 on the basis of recent form which is a seven pound lift. On that basis he is a bit toughly dealt with but I would be keen to back given the right track. Of the rest I thought Binend was in the process of being given an easy after falling in decent company at Ascot last run but tipped up two out. Clearly got jumping faults but has plenty of promise. Pepite Rose ran well for fourth and is on a decent mark now. She is one which now that V Williams string is hitting a bit of form could well oblige.

Notebook

Surf And Turf (P)

Hilton Indiana (P)

Bygones Sovereign (P)

Loose Performer (P)

Grammes And Ounces (P)

Royal Opera (P)

Mission accomplished and I am now back at base. All the GB courses covered in a year. It was often a delight but on occasions it was a chore. However what a great track to finish off the proceedings. This is a really special place and the redevelopment is fantastic. This was the first time I had had the chance to wander around and have a bit of a close look and I have to say this place is brilliant in most respects. There are a couple of niggles I will go into but it puts Ascot right up there on the shortlist for top southern track. I have one big plus to say and that for the price this was simply very good value for money. Compare £22 including racecard here to £22 at Bangor a couple of days earlier and it doesn’t take the sharpest of odds compilers to see where the relative value is.

I have been here on many occasions including several times for the Royal meeting. The race which I think of as my highpoint of visits here is back in October 1983.  It was a qualifier for The Haig Whisky Novices Hurdle Series over two miles. The winner was trained by David Elsworth and ridden by Colin Brown. The gelding had the unpromising form figures as a juvenile of F020 and this was his seasonal reappearance. The form summary said; ‘Possibly unsuited by heavy ground and well Behind Destiny Bay at Newbury last March’. It was the great desert Orchid’s first victory. The sponsors in those far off days included tobacco company Imperial. How times change. How long before alcohol goes the same way.

So what of today’s visit. Well what is it all about banning these Helium Ballons which is written larg and prominently on the ascotracecourse website? For the sake of accuracy I reproduce in its entirety. The Royal Ascot  Helium Balloon Policy no less as it is grandly entitled.

'Racegoers are not permitted to bring helium balloons into the racecourse. Helium balloons, if in close proximity to horses or to the racing, can distract the horse or ‘spook’ them. This could have an impact on crowd safety if it happened in the Parade Ring and could change the outcome of a race if it occurred close to the track.

If you have booked a hospitality venue or box for the day, celebration balloons can be pre-ordered with your booking or catering order. The balloons are not permitted to leave the facility.

Should customers arrive with a balloon at the turnstiles it will be taken away by a member of Ascot staff and stored in the racecourse offices. Racegoers may collect the balloon at the end of racing from the Main Racecourse Reception.'

I thought it might just be drunken revellers sucking the gas into their lungs and then trying to sound like Speedy Gonzales leading to the spectavle of seeing their crippled bodies and contorted features as they twitch in spasms of grunting laughter like astronauts cut adrift in space opening their helmets for one last scream.

Also Santa, what’s that all that about on a school day when the place is populated with early darters on the last weekend before the festivities kick in. Now I’m not adverse to supporting the big lie that is Father Christmas as a means of bullying adrenaline filled seven year old fresh from the money making scam which is wobbling out their milk teeth for financial gain. But if you’re going to have a Santa he’s got to be fat, he’s got to be jolly and he has got to resist saying that he is not on tomorrow but another Santa is. Especially in these financially constrained days the last things a racegoer who has just seen Hazy Tom get stuffed is for someone selling Big Issue to request purchase when clearly freezing their proverbials off and you haven’t got much more than the price of a pint left in your pocket,  a pack of drunken filing clerks from the local council office meandering their way towards you resplendent with helium balloons liberated from the gatekeepers hut and least of all fecking red coated a la coca cola fat gutted guttural chortling Santas imploring you to have a Merry Christmas whilst jangling a bucket in which he is suggesting that you might wish to deposit any shrapnel into for some obscure charity.

Scran looked good. However I have a much better plan for Ascot racing. There is a brilliant cafe called Ascot’s about 100 metres from the main gate. You can get a first class full breakfast for a few quid. It has a great atmosphere and trust me on this one you will not even think about getting anything else to eat or drink that day. You can thus settle on the important stuff of the racing. You have got to try it.

Grandstands; The massive new one at  Ascot is absolutely brilliant. I have heard it mentioned in disparaging tones in the press and on websites. However I have to tell you that I reckon it is brilliant. There is plenty of room, the armchairs are proper sink right up to chest comfort, there are plenty of bars, restaurants and it doesn’t feel like you’ve just walked into a betting shop (yes Ayr I mean you). I have heard it referred to as an airport terminal lacking any atmosphere at. Forget all that tosh, this is by far the best facilities anywhere in GB. You can get to the paddock, the viewing steps, the winners enclosure easily. The view from the premium balcony of the course is absolutely fantastic. There are some things I am not keen about at Ascot. However the fundamentals of view, racing and price this track is clearly the best. 

Water Feature, from my eyrie high up in the stands I spied the lake in the centre of the track. It looks not too bad really but it does not dominate the way it does at Catterick, it is not a feature as it is at Folkestone, it is not landscaped at it is at Fakenham and there isn’t a fountain to be seen as it is at Kempton. Therefore Ascot is not in the running for the award.

The Paddock is a decent size with good viewing steps and access to the stands. But there was no tree to be seen. I am sure tea was nice as well but didn’t have any so cannot comment.

Communication  was not quite as good as I would have hoped really. Nowhere near as good as Bangor and I think the racing public could do with the sort of after race interviews which I have heard at some of the gaffs. In this respect they just seem to try that much harder. The racecard was £3 but at least it was formatted more like a football programme. However if you look at what you get for that price in that game you begin to see that these things are a complete ripoff in this game. The prelim tells us some stunning bits of insight eg grade 2 events are only one step from the top, thanks for that. The staged photo for Imagine your event at Ascot shows an interloper at a black tie event about to be outed by a vivacious bird who is thankfully tethered to her chair by jewel incrusted handcuffs.

Entrance to the course is very modern and very grand. You cannot fail to be impressed . Artefacts are around in the entrance there were some of these warhorse things, there is the very impressive statue of the great flat horse Yeats and there is the less than flattering one of Frankie which looks like he has encountered a scorpion whilst on the crapper. Architecture is modern and fresh but I would have liked to see some of the old stuff woven in. There may be some examples of such however I couldn’t find them.


No one can go away from Ascot considering whether the deferential patronage central to the British social system is a quaint anachronism or a flaw stifling the people. Ascot particularly during the royal meeting is a microcosm of the nation. The exclusion and the gatekeepers all designed to separate the sub tribes would be humourous if not an impediment to the development of this state. Writing now in 2009 my views would not have changed from that overcast and showery day in the early nineteen nineties. A recent television programme charting the pivotal year in English history 1066 makes a suitable precursor for why we are as we are. From the Romans onwards the method of plunder by victorious invaders was not the systematic ethnic cleansing of the celts  but a garrison process and regional administration sending back harvested resources from this attractive wet green rock. The Saxons followed a similar path and in fact DNA of the average Brit today would find a total or sizable influence of celtic and especially Welsh blood in Englishmen. In other words we have since the Romans drove out the Celts into Wales and  Cornwall whilst pushing the Picts into Scotland we have been managed by a small ruling elite. The English mentality encourages the authoritarian leader particularly if this position is by slight of birth rather than a democratic or even a military putsh. It is likely and evidenced that the country has a series of cultures. The dominant English culture of process and patronage clashes with the more underground anarchic and fluid. My experience has been that the former are likely to be from saxon roots and the later from celtic roots. Hence the forces for change tend to come from areas with heavy celtic influence such as Liverpool, Glasgow and Cardiff whilst the complicit south tends to be support the forces of inertia.

Racing

Race 1 was a maiden hurdle over 2m6 at class 3 level. It was run at a moderate pace which was sensible given that these were inexperienced horses running in quite deep ground. It was won by debutante Hadrians Approach who was patiently ridden by Barry Geraghty but was very green and idled when had race in the bag edging into the runner up a bit. There was an enquiry and it concluded that this had not affected the placing which was the correct decision. However this is clearly a hurdler of promise and can be expected to do better with time. He is from the same family as Feathered Gale, Approaching and Adamant Approach so coupled with clear ability shown today is a positive. The second home was Fighting Flynn who benefited from his previous fair fourth at Lingfield to improve on that today. Was hampered a bit heading home but you always felt that the winner had his head in front on merit at the end. This was another step up and must be in with a chance next run. Came with every chance heading around the final bend stayed on OK. Of the rest the second favourite Arbeo is worth a few seconds pondering as looked on the book to have a fair chance but was mid division until weakening four out not appearing to either like the ground or stay the trip. My view on the basis of his form being fine in the mud is that 2m4 is his maximum trip and he didn’t appear to stay this trip today. He does not merit a negative on the basis of this run as can open hurdling account over shorter. One to note from behind this lot was Winning Habit who is closely related to staying chaser Big Fella Thanks. He was not given a hard ride at all and could be seen staying on through the beaten horses looking like the exercise had not taken much out of him. Stayed this fine and a three mile maiden is well within his scope I would have thought.

Race 2 was a class 4 handicap chase for novices over 2m1. This was a particularly uninspiring lot on the basis that they were pretty novice in their recent form and therefore the chances of mistakes etc was very high even for this type of race which is usually well worth avoiding. It was won by All For Free who fairly scooted clear from two out and looked relatively impressive in doing so. However none of these jumped well with the winner probably jumping the best of the lot. This was the first time he had not thrown in a few major errors as previous three chases had been littered with mistakes. Second home was Cheney Manor who was having first ever effort over fences and seems to be better suited to them than hurdles. Having said that his hurdling is particularly moderate and quite how the assessor determined the 115 mark on the basis of some very remote finishes is beyond me. Still sure to stick to the bigger obstacles I would have thought. The rest all put in more errors than is reasonable to expect novices to do. Celtic Wish (jumped out to the left and was not really fluent), Scoter Fontaine (succumbed and not before time when managed to dislodge jockey 3 out), I Can Run Can You (not fluent), Osmisia (jumped several poorly), Border Station (jumped awkwardly throughout) and Drumlang (was never fluent). No positives from this one.

Race 3 was the Grade 2 novice hurdle Kennel Gate over two miles. This race has a great history with winners including Deep Purple, Medermit and the great unfulfilled talent that was Sun Alliance winner Monsignor. So the winner of this needs to be taken very seriously and we had at least two very interesting competitors in this race today. First off and this is no excuse for the beaten favourite I think the positioning of the chase/hurdle course dividing rail off the final bend led to some problems today as it looked difficult to find the line off the bend and hold the rail. Perhaps there could have been a taper off the main running rail for this race? Anyway it was won in great style by Molotof who was battling hard and looked to have the race in the bag when splayed his legs like Bambi over the last losing loads of momentum but quickly got himself back on an even keel then reasserted for a victory distance of a length sand a half. I was impressed in general with his hurdling but it was his attitude plus pace which marks him down as one to follow. He won The Newton novice hurdle which is listed status previous run at Haydock. He did compete for the Triumph last season with little effect and therefore it could be argued that he is unproven at Cheltenham, In fact it could be that he is unsuited to it. Alternatively he may have been too immature as a juvenile. My guess is that he had run very well in The Adonis beforehand and that he is much more at home going right handed and/or on flat tracks. He is a positive but on conditions that suit. Second home was Peckhamecho  who was the one who missed the optimum racing line coming into the straight and caused a bit of bumping. He rode that well and battled on gamely. Although not of the same class as the two principles I think that this race showed he is a thoroughly genuine type and has a good hurdling technique for a novice despite fiddling the last a bit. I have him as a positive as well coming out of the race particularly if still racing off 135 as I would think there is a good handicap on a flat galloping track to be had. The third home was the odds on favourite Hazy Tom who came here with very nice form. However he failed to sparkle today having every chance in the straight. He reached for a couple of hurdles and was a bit hampered by Peckhamecho’s junking into the straight. However the defeat cannot be laid at that door. It might have been the ground it might have been going right handed for the first time or it might be that he was not up to the class of the other two on the day. I think it might be the latter but I will not mark him down as a negative on the basis of this one modest run. None of the others disgraced themselves including Binend who fell two out when looking likely to finish fourth he one to keep a bit of an eye on for the future is likely to be Nazreef. He showed a much improved effort in comparison to his debut and I would not be surprised if he won next time up so I have him as a positive as this was a nice race. He was fair on the flat rated 97 on the sand so no slouch. As is improving I think we could see him win. 

Race 4 was The Noel Novice Chase over 2m3 set at grade 2 level. Although this looks a very high class race the history of winners has not been outstanding for whatever reason so be guarded as to the form level. It was won with a return to form by previous high quality Triumph winner and third in the Champion Hurdle Zaynar who put in a bolt jumping front running effort. He only put in a couple of hairy jumps and for a novice this was a very good run. I know he is a decent sort and that he had plenty of pace as a hurdler but I cannot get carried away with this one as I am not convinced this was a stiff test for the grade. Thus treat with caution. I am therefore loath to do it but because I think he will be chalked up shorter than he deserves for this run I am going to put him down as a negative.  Second home was Kumeshwar who made a few errors and was held up. Was staying on well at the end without ever looking like a threat.  Not a bad run for a four year old to be fair and he has plenty of pace as was second in this year’s Anniversary Hurdle at Aintree. Third was Frascati Park who was bought wide and lacked real fluency. He looked like finishing second but was at best one pace heading home. I was not that keen on his jumping I thought it was a bit too steady for me. Yet had looked the part in two moderate events at Carlisle. Fourth home was previously decent hurdler Michael Phips who was yet another to fail to impress with jumping technique. Won the Lanzarote last year so might well prefer Kempton’s tight course. Chablais jumped scarily. Pacha De Polder had jumped markedly to his right on previous race. However I thought in general he jumped the consistently of the lot today. However it looked more like a straightening school than a balls out effort and a couple of minor errors let to him being bought home in his own time.

Race 5 was a class 3 handicap hurdle over 2m6. There was a substantial gamble on the winner Our Father who went off at around 11/8 which for an 18 runner event is plenty short enough.     Timmy Murphy rode a patient and well timed ride today and he won with any amount in hand looking sure to follow up with another similar event. He looked quite classy to be honest and could step up to run well in graded class. This was only his fourth hurdle race he raced off 129 and I am sure he can win off a least another 7lbs.  As a consequence of this it is really difficult to rate the others. Second home Shoreacres ran very well and would have walked this if it wasn’t for catching a tartar today. He wasn’t bad in the past including a fourth in the champion bumper, good run in the Supreme when 12l behind Go Native who was one of the better winners of that race but was then campaigned over the fences with less luck. He is off 127 and it might be that the assessor has to peg the winner to justify giving this one a fair crack of the whip. The comments in the Racing Post suggest a more strenuously fought final furlong. My view was that the jockeys had accepted the result a furlong out. Shule Royale who I had thought ran well in good novice at Stratford in October ran well today to be a decent third. He made a hash of a couple and is still learning. I thought he stayed on well suggesting that he should have a pop at three miles. He should stay as there is plenty of stamina in the family including a Welsh National winner.

Race 6 was a listed bumper over two miles. The winner was the excellently bred for the game Shutthefrontdoor. The race was run at a fair pace but typical of bumpers these days ended up as a half mile sprint. However I think the form will hold up well. Could this be a champion bumper winner in the waiting? I would not be in the least bit shocked and as such he is a big positive from me especially once jumping a fence / timber. For me in this game you cannot go far wrong with an Accordian / Strong Gale mare link. Whatever he does in bumpers this could be a real top class one for the future.  Second home was the 6/4 favouritte Claret Cloak who looked to have the race in the bag two furlongs out when the winner whooshed by.  He is a good sort and with Decoupage in the family is another with a good future jumping ahead of him. Of the rest Josh Dreamaway raced awkwardly looking a difficult ride and third home Pianoconcerto ran with credit showing he had progressed from debut when raced very green. Looks sort to pick up a bumper in due course.

Notebook

Hadrians Approach (P)

Winning Habit (P)

Molotof (P)

Peckhamecho (P)

Nazeef (P)

Zaynar (N)

Our Father (P)

Shutthefrontdoor (P)

  David Ashworth might say that Bangor is one of his favourite courses but he has a warm press room for inter-race hibernation and like as not gets in for free. Mere mortals pay £9 to park up in a largely facility desert and have what can in all honesty be said to be an awful view. One feature was somewhere to pick up a racecard which was priced at the very top of the shop, £3, for what exact benefit versus say £1 at Sedgefield?  Better to have a £20 entry with racecard  and  parking gratis. In the car park one bookie had paid his badge fee to try to persuade seven other miserable souls who have made the stand against this pricing policy to part with a few pounds. This is my second trip here and, let’s put it gently, there are others I will be going back to first.


However surely there are some plus points. Well it didn’t rain . . . much. It wasn’t bitterly Arctic-like cold although it came quite close.  There was big video screen up which was angled so you could see it from the car park.  Cup of tea was sound and there was Bovril available for a cold day. My views on catering are taken from my previous visit when I partook of the main enclosure and they were positive. I noted that there was great communication provided by The Course via some excellent interviews after each race. These were some of the best and most informative cross-examinations that I had heard this year. So a big plus

However there didn’t appear to be any water features, there was no sign of a tree in the paddock. There are no grandstands and precious little cover. A series of marquees is about as close to a covered stand as you will get here.  There was a freemans for those in the know. What you do is abandon your car on the main road and then simply saunter in to the exclusive car park. No money changes hands, you get exactly the same view as the urban  saps and in fact you can then pay into the ‘posh’ bit for a tenner which is almost the same as the parking. 

The commentator was good although I would say the announcer going full pelt frog on the first three home in race two was a bit petty really, like saying the commentator was an ill-educated oik. The winner Quincy Des Pictons (alternative pronounciations quin-see des pick tons or con-zee d peaktaw) Jeanry (Jean Rey or shone gwey) and Or D’Oudairies (Ore Do Dairies or O Doh Dahgwey). It was only pity which led to Rigadin de Beauchene falling early and sparing the pain of getting some more gallic enunciation. To be honest the commentator struggles with the old French quite a bit, but the nags are racing here and their home country names always get strangled. Who can forget Lean on the aga rather than ‘Lan-arrigh’
   


Bangor on Dee is set close to the English border within 6 miles of Wrexham. The route from the M6 Stoke South junction takes you around the Shropshire towns of Market Drayton and Whitchurch before you get into Wales. The course is in the foot of the Welsh Cambrian Mountains which provides a dramatic backdrop to the circuit. The layout is pear-shaped with the tight paddock bend a specific feature of the mile and three furlongs circumference configuration. The other bends on the track are more gentle but still essentially tight. The course ends with a short home straight and run in. There are some significant undulations. The general nature of the circuit puts the premium on speed, agility and the ability to take tight left hand bends with ease. The fences did not appear to be too hard. In general course specialists in terms of horses, jockeys and trainers do well here. However decent horses seem to run well here despite a lack of track knowledge or robust conformation.

When I visited in 2009 I used the other  course entry which enables you to park your car in what would be the silver ring with a decent view of the track. This costs £9 and there are fair facilities here but no cover. However for an extra £10 you can get into the main enclosure which has better viewing despite not being in line with the finishing pole, facilities and the paddock. The catering was good in this area and for less than a fiver a decent meal of cottage pie, vegetables and a cup of tea can be bought.

Some guidebooks compare Bangor with a well run point to point. This is probably on the basis that many people turn up in cars with picnics to watch the racing and that there is a lack of grandstand and cover. My view is that if this is an example of a points meeting than it is significantly better than anything I have attended. No, Bangor is a well run operation. It has a similar feel to Chester probably because it is under the same management but with its own charm. The viewing area is a natural amphitheatre and just because you cannot see the action in the home straight from a side-on perspective, the head-on view provides a different dimension to the events.

The second race when I visited here in 2009 was a novice handicap chase which developed into a match between the top two in the betting. The conundrum was would a 2 mile course specialist have enough stamina when confronted by an in form 3 miler over the intervening distance. The betting also threw up one of the rules, never back odds on in a novice chase. The result was that the stayer just got the better of the ‘sprinter’ in what coursing men would call a fine buckle. The race was further complicated by an announcement when the runners for the third were happily completed yet another circuit of the paddock. The course commentator stated that there had been an enquiry into the running of the second race. They had viewed the head on camera and identified that Sam Thomas , rider of the winner, had struck the runner-up Carrietau on the nose with his whip close home. Despite this no advantage was gained and the places remained unaltered. The finishing distance was a neck so quite how much distance was lost by being thwacked across your nose requires some research. Perhaps those bookies who laid the odds on the winner Tarsus could conduct this study on Edward Dorell and his team of stewards.

The Tin Man

When I visited Bangor a couple of years ago it coincided with the course’s 150th anniversary. To commemorate this fact a small exhibition was staged. Several interesting aspects of racing at Bangor could be identified. One eye-catching note was the part Bangor plays in the career of one of the very best flat race jockeys of all time. Many think of Lest Piggott as the best. This is probably due to it being within the memory of many. However, Fred Archer’s record and the articles written about him suggest that there is little to separate these two icons of the horse-racing world.
Fred Archer was a legend in his lifetime, and has been ever since. Intelligent and ambitious, he was a natural horseman who understood tactics too. He was simply the best all-round jockey that the Turf has ever seen, wnning 2748 races, including 21 Classics. He had been Champion Jockey 13 times when he shockingly took his own life at the age of 29.

Fred Archer was born in Cheltenham, the son of William Archer (winner of the Grand National on Little Charlie in 1858). He was apprenticed to the trainer Mathew Dawson as an 11 year old boy. His first important win was in the 1872 Cesarewitch, and his first Classic in the 1874 2000 Guineas, after which he became Lord Falmouth's retained jockey. Lord Falmouth was Dawson's principle owner and the Archer/Dawson/Falmouth combination became amazingly successful. Over half of Archer's Classic victories were for Falmouth, although it could be said that he might have won even more had he not been restricted to Lord Falmouth's horses.

Archer lived at Mat Dawson's stables, Heath House, until he married Dawson's niece Helen Rose in 1884. He then built Falmouth House (now demolished). The expenses of this, together with unfounded suggestions that he had pulled certain horses, and the pressure of remaining at the top of his profession, may have contributed to his suicide. However, the loss of his first child and then his wife during the birth of their second child must have been a major factor. On top of this Archer had a great deal of trouble maintaining his weight. He was 5ft 10" tall, and had to resort to sweats and a strong daily purgative to ride at around 8st 6lb.

The National Horseracing Museum displays a selection of Archer memorabilia, including the gun with which he shot himself during a fit of delirium.

Types for sharp tracks

The variety of track configuration in the British Isles is one of the factors which add a dimension to form reading. There are a great number of circuits which are sharp in nature. Of these Kelso, Bangor, Stratford, Aintree Mildmay course and Kempton come to mind when considering jump racing. So what types of horse do well at these tracks? One thing to take account is that the best horses seem to act on any course. When you consider Bangor which has a tight layout and some significant undulations you would have thought this would be a real specialist course. However great horse like Denman have won here as have at least two recent Grand National winners in the forms of Amberleigh House and Comply Or Die.

Death of slate

The great recession of 2009 will lead to a radical rethink of how the global economy functions. In all the recessions I have worked through in the past the maxim to remember is that how we came out was entirely different to how we entered. The fact followed that the deeper the recession the greater the change. The recession of 2009 will be so deep that the changes can be predicted as being significant. Wales was dependant on agriculture, tourism and quarrying for many years. One of those industrial staples has been hit for six during the recent decades. Slate mining in the north-west of the country dominated many of the communities such as Bethesda. Giant heaps of slate waste and off-cuts look like mountain ranges with the towns literally in their shadow. If there is a more depressing post-industrial scenery in the islands I have yet to see it. So what happened to slate and is there any hope for it in the future?

Race 1 was a class 4 2m1 novice chase which was run at a slow pace. It was won in fair style by the useful hurdler Skint at odds on. Skint had previously won a grade 3 hurdle last year at Sandown although the rest of his racing has been confined to tight tracks. In the main jumped well but took liberties on three occasions and as such was a touch sketchy. These occurred when the pace increased and as such I have some doubts if he can step to tackling a penalty next time out. I certainly will not be backing him and if at short odds he is a decent lay I would say.  Second home was the more experienced Ultimate. He was a fair handicap hurdler and ran 5th in the Imperial Cup and tenth in the Greatwood. He had now had three chases, winning a fair debut from Australia Day and then was  bit outclassed by Al Ferof around the tough Sandown course when attempting to step up to grade one company. This was a big test carrying a penalty and he made the well fancied winner fight hard. Strictly on the book Ultimate would have the call off levels. This tells me that he can win again in this sort of company with the penalty so is marked down as a positive today. The other four all jumped poorly and showed little to encourage going forward.

Race 2 was a class 4 handicap chase over slightly in excess of 2m4 which was run at a fair pace. The winner Quincy Des Pictons was well backed (9/2 from 9/1), always prominent he was produced to lead around 3 out and had to survive the attention of the loose horse who did him no favours. Kicked on to run on well and was a comfortable winner. There was a change in tactics today as was ridden much more prominently than during his recent defeat  when tailed off at Warwick last time out. The hold up strategy had been previously employed in his hurdle victories but maybe over fences he needs to be ridden at a fair pace to take the obstacles more fluently. This was his first win in thirteen efforts and I am not sure that he could win with the penalty off the 95 mark and I expect he will be assessed around the 100 point which I think  is very likely to anchor him. The runner up was Jeanry who had a series of interruptions avoiding fallers and loose horses, but then when you are a restrained horse these impediments are likely to occur. Problem today was that the winner had flown before he really got going and despite hard driving from two out he was never going to put pressure on the winner. I am not saying that the claimer rode a bad race but that I am sure he will learn from it. This is not intended to be a snipe at C D Timmons but it is worth reflecting on the fact that he has yet to be successful in a chase and he was on board Jeanry when he threw away what looked like a winning position here recently. That was on 10-10-10 so there you go. Perhaps when he saw that the leader who had slipped him was number ten he knew his fate. I would have him as a positive if someone else was up. Of the rest the favourite Go Get Em Kid was a big disappointment and was beaten six out, ran as if something was wrong, Arctic Ben made some late and eyecatching progress to be fourth and Drom was prominent or led until weakened from before four out. Of these the only likely positive was Arctic Ben however he was running through beaten horses and has only won once in his life that being a bumper on his debut. On the plus side is the fact that he gives the impression he will stay further and that he was not inconvenienced by the holding ground today.

Race 3 was a class 4 handicap chase over the marathon trip of 3m6. It was run at a modest pace which was sensible given the trip and the ground. It was won by Detmatologiste who was not entirely fluent throughout. Is a hold up horse and despite the failings in technique shown by the mare Paul Moloney rode a well judged race to knick it on the run in. This was a big turnaround in form and you would have thought that a chat with the trainer to enquire why might be in order. Certainly suits softer fences and has done ok in points of late. Not one to get overly excited about I would say. Second home was another with plenty of good point to point form which was Jaunty Journey. Had what looked a winning lead over the last but just ran out of juice close home. Jumped better than of late. Of the rest fourth home was last year’s winner  Incentivise who had looked well when I saw them enter the track down the chute from the paddock and raced prominently but should not  have been unsuited by the deep ground as has a good record in the mud. Third was Rapid Increase who had sweated up beforehand and as usual was not disgraced over extreme trips with soft ground,  Rebel Swing was the well backed favourite and was up there for the first mile or so but was soon under pressure before weakening, blundering and pulled up (he is subject of an enquiry), Shes On The Case was held up not jumping fluently at all and when produced around four out looked like she might play a part but quickly folded and Guydus jumped out to the right. No positives out of this race and I would have the winner Dermatologiste as a negative if I thought he would be returned at shorter than 10/1 in subsequent races.

Race 4 was a class 4 novice hurdle over 2m1 which was run at a good pace. It was won in fine style by the strong favourite Magnifique Etoile who was held up produced four out, challenged next and was clearly in charge approaching the last which he fiddled a bit but kicked on again to be an impressive winner. Has now set up a hat-trick of wins around sharp tracks. Must step up in class I would have thought and a run around somewhere like Aintree or most likely Kempton to be on the list. One to be positive about as can step up. The one downside is that this does not look the strongest renewal of a  race has thrown up some super novices in the past including last season’s winner Backspin. But keep him as a positive I would say. Second home was Amron Lad who made most but was not always fluent. However this was his debut and I think he will win as will learn from this. One to add to the positive list.  Third was Billy Merriott who was staying on very nicely and looks to need a return to a longer distance or being raced at a stiffer track. Fourth home and subject to an enquiry was Cousin Khee who looks a very difficult ride and once he had made an error late on was eased down as a consequence of which was caught for minor honours. Ballyclough did not suit the track and after being hampered when swerving to avoid a faller four out and was caught out by the change in pace. I had seen him win a Haydock bumper in good style earlier in the year and then he follow up in a Folkestone novice so I was a bit disappointed in his effort today. He does though have the ability to win again on the right type of track. That is ideally a flat gallop such as Newbury. A positive from this race was the strongly staying on Orangeaday. He was a bit ponderous early but once he got into the swing of it he hurdled fine and looks the sort to now go on and win over 2m4 plus. I had seen him run well behind Sizing India in a Ludlow bumper and had him as a positive going forward. Needs much longer distances and is very nicely bred with the very good indeed Anzum one of the luminaries. Keep an eye on him when tried over much further as is coming on very nicely.

Race 5 was the feature race of the afternoon being a class 3 handicap hurdle over three miles which was run at a good strong pace. It was won by Dais Return despite an error at the last.  Second was Devotion To Duty who stayed on well and maybe this will encourage a more positive approach to riding him in the future as clearly stays OK. Third home was Cloudy Too who yet again blundered away good position as he was clearly second best on the day but threw that position away by a mistake at the last hurdle. The one to watch out for going forwards was top weight Aachen trained by Venitia Williams. He was previously owned by Harry Findlay and was laid out for the County Hurdle a couple of years ago. He was very useful in France including when only beaten around a length in listed company. He then run up a hat-trick of novice hurdle victories in the mud. Rather than go the supreme route the connections dabbled with the county but 142 was a bit high. However he was still punted hard and as such there must have been a view that he was of this level of ability. Now down to 128 you have to conclude that he is on a decent mark ready for a pop at something. He ran well in the Coral last year and another run in that may be on the cards. He is suited by stiff tracks in my book as has run OK at Cheltenham and his best run today was in the mud at Towcester.

Race 6 was a class 5 handicap hurdle over 2m1 for conditional jockeys. It was won by Lee Edwards on board Share Option. He was held up in midfield and produced from four out. Came through smoothly to lead on the run in despite an error two out. Calm and noteworthy ride by the jockey. He has not had as many chances over fences as I would have thought his talent suggests. His 93 mark is pretty low in truth and I would not have thought this would escape the assessors’ attention and as such I would not give him much chance next run. Because this was a dreadful race of its type. He rates a negative going forward. Second was Pampelonne  who looked all over the winner over the last but landed all wrong and lost any momentum and was caught on the line. This would have given Kielan Woods a double on the day. The mare was a touch unlucky but has temperament issues and is prone to errors. Do not over estimate this run as was a very modest event and she constitutes a lay even if pitched with her own sex. Third and staying on to very good effect was Santo Thomas. Again this one had run so poorly in the recent past that it is logical to conclude that this was not a good race at all so any thought that this staying on third constitutes a positive over say 2m4 must be banished from your minds.

Race 7 was a 2m1 bumper. It was run at not too bad a clip for a bumper so the form might well turn out to be reasonable. It was won by the hot 4/6 favourite Nelsons Bridge who was in truth pretty impressive. Whilst he is capable of carrying a penalty I will have him as a positive more in mind of his future efforts over hurdles. Looks a fair sort when he hurdles in the future and his pedigree all round gives optimism especially over 2m4. The other positive from this bumper was the tenderly ridden third home Dorset Naga is very closely related to festival bumper winner Mucklemeg and raced as if the experience would put him spot on next time out. This was no easy introduction and I expect him to follow up and win. He outstayed the more experienced Islandmagee when coming home so a stiffer track might be an idea. Islandmagee had run well in a decent bumper at Punchestown ahead of being bought for a lot of money.

Notebook

Ultimate (P)

Skint (N)

Quincy Des Pictons (N)

Jeanry (P)

Dermatologiste (N)

Magnifique Etoile (P)

Oranegaday (P)

Amron Lad (P)

Aachen (P)

Share Option  (N)

Pampelonne (N)

Dorset Naga (P)

Nelsons Bridge

The awful weather did not detract from a great day’s racing at this radically improved course. It is deservedly now one of the very best racetracks in the country to visit. I was impressed all round today and with only Bangor to visit for the North, Aintree is very much on the shortlist for my award.

So how does Aintree they stack up today in my other categories and can they pick up some of the prestigious gongs going about. The paddock is situated a bit too far from the stands really but is a nice tranquil setting. No trees visible though so no chance of picking up silverware as the race enters its final stages Plumpton looks to have this right in their sweaty Germans. The stands have been all renovated and they look brilliant. The Earl Of Derby and Lord Sefton stands with their head on down the straight vista, proximity to the national start and flanking the walkway to the winner’s enclosure make this the perfect position to be in if you want to get here for the really big meeting in April. The old County Stand retains its open top terrace and is a super old building enabling Aintree to retain its heritage. The new Princess Royal stand has several concourses and a nice lounge with access to a balcony overlooking the last furlong and The Chair.




Enclosures were not demarcated today and I am not sure if I was entitled to but I didn’t find anywhere bar some pre-booked restaurants or some hospitality specific boxes anywhere off limits. This made it a great day with none of the fussing around that some tracks love to perpetuate. Stand names are to be honest pretty safe and based around upper crust aficionados of the game so no prizes for making me enquire ‘what’s that all about?’




Architecture is a strong suit here. Either the modern structures or the old fashion County would be good examples. However the old winner’s enclosure / weighing room is the centre of much Grand National folklaw. It could have been washed away in the tide of modernisation when it was re positioned and the area turned into hardcourt for burger vans. But instead it has been turned into the Winners’ Bar. It retained all the facade of the previous building and is a feature which looks sympathetic to my eye. This puts it right up there with Ripon for my category award.

Artefacts abound, there are a few dotted around however the one that takes the eye most is the statue of Red Rum. It is first of all a decent bronze on a nice plinth. What sets it apart from other horse tributes is the fact that it is in a very nice quite lawn where you can have a bit of peace and quiet. So I liked this more than most I have seen. However for impact I still have Goodwood’s bizarre head as leader with only two courses left to visit.



Red Rum

Aintree is exactly where the course is and as it is also called Liverpool in some papers the name could not be more descriptive of its location. It is dead easy to find being motorway almost to the Ormskirk Road. It has great public transport links including a railway station just across the way. There are no excuses in using your car and I strongly urge you to consider using public transport if you intend to come to the Grand National meeting. The entrance to the course is OK nothing too out of the ordinary but not dowdy. In the past I have struggled to get anywhere near Aintree for parking but today there was access to the free parking by the second last. This made for a short walk to the entrance. I thought this would be Aintree’s Achilles Heel but not at all. The food and drink available was very good. I had a turkey casserole and mash for less than £4 and it was hot and very tasty with plenty of meat. The burger van foot was substantial and the burgers had thick beef in them. The cup of tea was OK and at least you had real milk on offer, could have been hotter and stronger though. So all in all pretty good effort on the food and drink front.

There were no water features that I could see. The communication was OK in terms of the PA but the racecard was a bit pricey at £3 for what it was. The Freemans consists of the fact that the free car park gets you alongside the final hurdle and the last two fences so this looks a positive chance. However this car park is not accessible from what I can see during the big meeting so don’t bank on it. Value for money was the name of the game today though on a day when we had high levels of quality racing the track had £12 entry for OAPs, £23 food drink and entry for general public and concessions on food for kids. This was a great day out and one of the best value packages  I have had during the entire odyssey. Well done Aintree. The state of the going was very soft due to the rain we had in the North West during the past couple of days. However it was the strong headwind which I think contributed as much as anything else to the tiring of horses coming home

My first visit to Aintree was back in 1988 for the Friday of the Grand National meeting. It was chaos from the start. First off we parked our car in an official area but it was surrounded with demolition debris. A gang of teenage scallies were leaping about from slab to slab like ETA rebels in that film set in the Pyrenees I remember seeing years ago. They then enquired as to whether we wished to take advantage of a discount offer they were currently running for their highly recommended vehicle insurance policy. We declined on the basis that the premium was too high and if any car in the car park was going to have its contents liberated and subsequent wealth redistributed it was highly likely to be the adjacent BMW than a beaten up old Fiesta. However we wished them much like and commended them on their marketing plan as well as their clear entrepreneurial spirit of the like we had experienced in this fine old port city on many earlier occasions. In fact on one vividly recalled encounter where similar minded businessmen unwittingly damaged said vehicle they we rebuffed with a good old cuff round the Swedes which seriously affected their future reproductive potential. With that we sallied forth with their very best wishes ringing in our ears in the way only the abominable scouse high pitched whiney wingey twang can effect. If only Adolf had secured this asset I am sure his scientists could have produced the first sonic based neutron bomb.

But there was worse or better dependent upon your viewpoint. The main grandstand was rammed and the throng were clearly as much there for the ale as the racing. Towards the end of the day just before the closing bumper event’s **** fell I wished to relieve the old bladder. I saw a long snaking queue and enquired as to whether this was for the urinals. I was informed that indeed it was. Getting closer to the end of the queue I could not believe what I was seeing. The said urinal was a rubbish bin and one that was none too water-tight as the seeping film of frothy putrid liquid bared witness to. The saving grace was that I didn’t witness one of the Liver Birds extending the rip in the crotch of her tights before straddling said bin. I dare say on the basis of this sort of free spirit the award of City of Culture was rightly bestowed.

However I have been here plenty of times since and when I have got in have enjoyed it immensely. There is never a dull meeting here. I have been here when I couldn’t find anywhere to park and had to go back home, I have been here when there were no cash entries and had to watch from a freemans zone near the Melling Road, I have had the excitement of wheeling a pushchair attempting to get to the enclosures when suddenly the runners for the Foxhunters whizzed passed barely two foot away. When things work well here they work brilliant. There used to be a great park and ride from a schoolyard which took you to the entry down the back straight. It was perfect and made the travel and getting in absolutely great. I used that several times. This year expecting the same I was astonished to see it was no longer running and severely upset my plans.


Most working class kids’ introduction to horseracing in the sixties and seventies was the one live horse race which captured the imagination, The Grand National. There are so many urban myths and preconceptions around the event and the course that despite years going racing I always shied away from Aintree. The first time I went was back in 1986 visiting the track with my brother and sister-in-law. We never got in! The second time was in 1988 when I went up to Liverpool with a friend from Wimbledon Greyhound track and what an education ladies day at Aintree proved to be. I have since gone twice and grown to enjoy the day although I haven’t ventured on the big day yet and maybe I will one day. 

I know Mouse Morris has tried some of his best chasers here in the past and I have wondered why the great chaser Buck House didn’t run at Aintree in such as The Melling Chase. Buck House was unfortunate to be around in the same era as that great Mare Dawn Run. However on good ground and two miles I think he would have the measure of any of the time. I followed his career avidly from the time I was told he was nailed on for the Supreme in 1983. This is the traditional Irish banker race to kick off the festival and friends from always had told me that this was highly thought of, certain to be the best of the Irish and that the general consensus in Ireland was that the British novice hurdlers of the day were at least a stone behind the Irish. He was then a good fourth in the 1984 Champion Hurdle behind Dawn Run when he looked the only danger coming down the hill over the second last. He then turned his attention to chasing finishing second to Boreen prince in the 1985 Arkle. His big day at Cheltenham arrived in the Champion Chase in 1986 when winning under Tommy Carberry. He then went down by only two lengths in a match against that great tough mare Dawn Run. Within a couple of months of that race the great horse succumbed to colic

An excellent celebration of 150 years of Grand National history was written by Anne Holland in 1988. The first point of reference is the fact that **** Francis alongside Lord Derby and John Smith (Liverpool Football Club chairman at the time) were the trustees when the Aintree course was saved from house developers in 1983. However the whole episode that was Devon Loch is the one to which marks out Francis’ career despite being champion national hunt jockey in the 1953/54 season. There is plenty of speculation over Devon Loch and Holland’s book does a fine job of summarising the possible causes without falling into the trap of opinion.

It is well worthwhile looking through the detailed essays in Timeform related to each year’s Grand National winners to get a flavour of how the debate around the race has bit by bit sanitised the event. In a time where prevention of animal cruelty has been a significant urban intelligentsia (term used with no comment by author) crusade, we have seen some big changes. I recall in the punk rock era of the late 1970s and early 1980s a growth in political activism. Action Directe in France was a radical organisation with anarchistic tendancies and the clarion call of Generation X was Vive L’anarchie. In fact the Sex Pistols seminal piece of art ‘Anarchy in the UK’ was also released as an idiosyncratic French version. In those times the animal liberation type movements were particularly aimed at vivisection which always seemed a bit brutal to the softer suburban cat owning types. However the whole animal rights movement morphed into an increasingly detached from reality pressure entity by the turn of the millennium. This pressure has led to the ban on coursing and hunting with hounds. Coursing still carries on in Ireland with hounds in muzzles. What amazes people when they bother to find out a bit more about the sport is that coursing does not encourage the hounds to catch the hare. In fact the very opposite is true a kill is viewed as completely unnecessary and the slipper applies constraint in terms of the hares to be chased. Rules exist to ensure a hare is only let loose up the course once per meeting to prevent injury affecting its performance. The county sports community has been poor at defending itself and this has led to the demise of centuries of tradition. This slow erosion of culture is a social problem. As the adage suggests a community without a past has no future. For example without national hunt racing and the Grand National wouldn’t our culture in these islands become a bit more eroded? When you consider the numbers watching on telly after having their annual punt, removal of this little piece of what unites surely helps loosens the cement that provides the essence of society?

I was at Aintree in 2005. That year Ginger McCain was signing his autobiography ‘My Colourful Life’. My wife has pregnant and queued for about quarter an hour with our eldest son who was two at the time. When they got to meet McCain he said ‘you’re a handsome lad’ then looking up at my wife and still talking to my son ‘ bet your dad’s good looking!’ You just knew from that leg pull that Ginger’s book would be in keeping with his character. It is a good read.

The Racing

Race 1 was a class 4 maiden hurdle over 17 furlongs. The pace was not that strong and they only really got racing as they came into the straight. It was won by the McCain trained Cinders and Ashes. He is usually a front running sort and again raced prominently today. Hurdled well in the main although has been prone to the odd blunder in the past. Used his strong resolution to outstay Keys in the prevailing conditions. Based on his run in the two top bumpers last year may need time to recover from races so that needs to be taken into account going forward. Looks a top class novice in the making. Keys finished second which was a fair effort at his debut over hurdles. Made a couple of less than fluent jumps. Unbeaten in bumpers last year and looked a live bet for the champion bumper but by-passed that event. Kept busy on the flat since with wins at Newbury and Ascot (class 2 handicap) before being unplaced in Cesarewitch (was over a stone up on handicap entry point). Form took turn for the better when blinkers applied. Maybe he needs to have them applied over the sticks.  Ile De Re  is an interesting recruit being from a family which has produced useful jumpers such as Markila. Won the stayers event during Ascot’s recent Shergar Cup which indicates plenty of potential however the trip today was always  likely to be too short. He hurdled well in the main being in third place just off the pace for much. Never really asked for a serious effort and not given a rough ride once it was clear he was going to be third best. The front three were not eally challenged at all today and were a hurdle clear by the end. Very interesting one to keep an eye on and comes out of this as a positive with a win expected if racing over further than this two mile or if placed to race on a stiffer track.  Going through the rest Magic Cat based on flat form this sprint bred mudlark might find staying two miles a problem. One of the lesser lights I would say and may well struggle to pick up even modest events. High Office is an ex flat racer who has won twice at Musselburgh and best win was a class 3 at Yarmouth. Not won since April but was not disgraced when 4th last time out at Ayr in Sept.  Pedigree gives little hint at jumping promise and was a well beaten fourth today. Raced too keenly for his own good. Manahej was ex Godolphin but looks of limited promise based on debut defeat at Hexham. Well out of his depth today tried to make all but folded tamely before three out, blundered there and was soon pulled up. Pravda Street showed plenty of potential when fifth on debut at Bangor. Travelled well and sure to go from that run. The trip and track today was expected to help offset the stamina limitations which his flat form hints at but to be honest two miles rather than 17f would have been a bit more of a positive towards his chances. Folded when the tempo increased and looks moderate. Has a tendency to jump out to his right.  Tropenfeuer showed no promise at all on debut, was moderate on the flat in Germany and her 66/1 SP at Haydock indicates little confidence during schooling. Was never a factor at all today and looks hopeless. Mahfal is an interesting one as surely there would be easier pickings amongst the juvenile fraternity? Very encouraging debut at Hexham against his peers when given an easy to finish fifth. Not completely useless on the sand this summer but this was a step too far today.



Ile De Re goes well as they pass the stands first time in third place

Race 2 was a handicap hurdle class 2 over two and a half miles. This was raced at a strong pace given the conditions. It was won in the style of a very useful handicapper. Featherbed Lane  was an expensive recent purchase and now with the Hobbs stable. Looked in great nick last time out, resolute sort who needs a bit of cut and stays this trip well. He again looked a picture and powered home for a comfortable victory. He finished the best of any of today’s winners relishing the going. A big improver and at only six is a positive. Second home was Reindeer Dipping who ran well but was beaten by a strong improver and as such was not disgraced at all. He has run very well here in the past over this trip when second during the big meeting. Has run the odd disinterested race in the past so temperament may not be that great although raced fine today. Not given a hard race last time out over too far a trip as 20f is optimal. His current mark of 132 is fair on the best of his form and this is a rack he done well at. His wins have come on flat circuits but generally those of a galloping rather than sharp nature so perhaps a run at say Haydock might be worth considering. Third home and beaten comprehensively was Palace Jester. He is a mudlark and as his form is in and out depending on the ground conditions met it is difficult to work out how well he was treated today. He had previously won with ease in Wales last run and as such continues to interest. However he has gone up about a stone for that win and as good a run as his Ffos win was this was always likely to be a tricky handicap mark against some improvers. His chasing career was short-lived due to poor jumping ability and he is where he should be ie hurdling. Spirit Of Adjisa did well novice hurdling last year and ended up winning a big one at Punchestown when improving by about a stone on what had been seen before. Not always entirely fluent in the past and jumping let him down a lot today. His flat pipeopener in July was not that great. I think his Irish win has been a little over done and his OR of 145 may anchor him first time against more seasoned hurdlers. Alfie Sherrin looked interesting now back over the smaller obstacles. He was a progressive sort and was made very short for the Pertemps at Cheltenham in 2010. Doesn’t stand a lot of racing and needs to be fresh. Was tried chasing last year with some success and promise. Ran very moderately today.  Wyse Tea Bags is a strong front runner who has a very good attitude, has won here as well as at other similar tight flat tracks, suits a bit of cut and ideally suit by 2m4 and a bit more perhaps. Was a big positive on reappearance where he was hampered slightly by the winner coming home. Goes well for Richie McGrath and appeared to be on the upgrade with a potentially winning mark today. However was never really travelling today. Initailly the view was that the going was against him, but because he was hopelessly beaten it may well be something went amiss (reported lated to have scoped badly after the race). Rudanphast’s big problems in the past have been that he is anything other than a fluent hurdler and has had health issues. On balance he is probably unsuited by testing ground. Today’s effort confirmed those views. Fifth home and beaten before the straight was Cotillion. He was previously an encouraging third on handicap debut when it has been suggested that was left far too much to do by his inexperienced jockey in a conditionals event. On the balance sheet though is the fact that his one win at Uttoxeter was pretty workmanlike when looking thrown in and he may well be one that flatters a bit. Fourth and thrashed was Dontpaytheferryman  previously Beat Pokfulham (a Musselburgh standing dish). However that win was 7lbs less than today’s mark and his recent runs over hurdles and on the flat suggest that he is having some problems. A tongue strap has been fitted in the past which makes you suspect a bit of a breathing issue going on. Sam Lord looks more a chaser on his form but on more than one occasion his resolution looked doubtful. Hawaii Klass is not badly treated but needs much further than this and off 119 can run well again once tried over three miles. However his hurdling lacked fluency and I am not convinced he is that suited by the mud.



Early stages with Palace Jester(green/yellow/white) cutting out the pace



The excellent Featherbed Lane pulls well clear to win as he likes



Race 3 was a handicap hurdle class 4 for novices over two and a half miles. This was run at a fairly steady gallop taking into account the testing conditions. The race developed into a duel as the leading pair pulled well clear of the rest of the field. It was won by Native Gallery who continued his recent progress with a gutsy slog home. Previous victories at Uttoxeter and Fakenham  had given the impression that he would be suited by further than this trip and remains likely to be seen to best advantage over fences. I think his Uttoxeter win showed some improvement which he continued today and he looks a live one to continue to improve over 22f plus. I had previously seen runner up Red Rocco in a couple of bumpers in the spring and he always looked a fair hurdling type suited by at least this 20f but in reality I felt he needs further. He ran very well today staying on at the one pace finishing clear of the remainder  and although improving I will leave him until tested further. The remainder were hopelessly thrashed today.  Wadden Prince was bought over from Ireland after picking a solitary win in the Rosscommon stewards room. Promising Cheltenham GB debut when looking short of a run. However in the past has given the impression that 2m4 stretched his stamina and as a keen type may not benefit from this trip as unlikely to be held up. In the circumstances ran in snatches probably because held up to protect stamina so could run better on good ground where his jockey can allow him to race more prominently. Roper is still a maiden and failed to complete last two efforts. He had been promising on first couple of runs and had looked suited to this trip however he was never sited as a factor at any time today. His conformation suggests that he will be better over fences and might be less than nimble over hurdles. Not a likely hurdling giant but could be better suited jumping fences. Silicium is well connected to another element Radium. Both hurdle efforts to date had positives about them and this distance on perfectly decent ground was expected to have shown that he is well treated off the current mark of 115. What A Warrior is closely related to Joes Edge suggesting that this trip will be too sharp especially at this tight track. Not badly weighted on the pick of his form but has failed to travel well in the past and may be a bit of an in and out sort. Not irresolute but may be a bit inconsistent. His run today to finish a plodding on remote fourth confirms impression that he will be better suited by further. Croan Rock  is an improver although looks more a chaser in time.  Didn’t run badly when third at Kempton and then followed up with a better run over this trip at Uttoxeter. However the race was unsatisfactory in terms of pace and how easily he was overhauled. The run today showed he is not suited by a true test of stamina over this trip.  Hes A Hawker is a summer jumper well exposed and gave the impression that he was unlikely to do much in this class today. Ran as if something not quite right last time out in August. Hopelessly tailed off around halfway.  Mabel Tasman bust pelvis and was off all last season. Shaped with a lot of potential when given an easy on hurdling debut and then ran a good second over 22f where her stamina was probably near break point. A drop to 20f today and handicapping for the first time put her shortlist in with a shout but was soon beaten and pulled up. This was far too much a test of her limited stamina. Comeragh King showed more improvement on his third hurdling effort with a somewhat unlucky second at Wetherby. Is on a fair handicap mark and stays this 20f if conditions are not too testing.  Was held up an making progress when a blunder three out knocked the stuffing out of him and he came home in his own time. He could have finished a lot closer and may well pop in soon decent ground. High Hoylander has had plenty of efforts over hurdles but is now beginning to show signs of improvement this winter. His hurdling had been a bit iffy in the past but the two recent runs have been fluent. Made a lot of use today and blew up quickly to finish a remote third. Not a total disaster.  Saint Luke is returning to a better trip after two flops over three miles. Has proven better in the past with a gap between runs and as he had a tough race less than a month ago I would have that as a bit of a negative to his chances. In the circumstances ran no kind of race today. If fresh is likely to show significant improvement on this run. What A Steel appears exposed off current mark and ran poorly.



Red Rocco (yellow cap) prominent throughout ran a very promising race



Native Gallery asserts in a good tussle as the leading pair have pulled well clear

Race 4 was a mares bumper over 2m1 set at class 6 level. Like most bumpers it was slow for the first mile and especially true in today’s draining conditions that made a lot of sense. It was won with a resolute performance leading from approaching 3f out in testing conditions by Russies with Love. This is a nicely bred mare with connections to useful hurdlers and closely related to a French Derby fourth. This was improved form and continues the progress made on most recent second at Exeter. This could prove to be a decent mares event so in the right race she could well defy penalty. Her attitude gives view that she will make her mark over hurdles especially over 2m4 plus. Promising. Second home and the eyecatcher was Bonnie Burnett who was held up before making smooth progress to hold every chance at the furlong stick. Was outstayed by the winner which in the long term is likely to be viewed as a sound debut. I think she will win on decent ground, has a bit of a turn off foot which with falsely run bumpers being the norm will play right into her hands. Looking at her pedigree you have to say why is her first run in a bumper when there are July Cup winners in the family and listed stakes winners. She can win next time out. Sands Of Vatersay only cost £800 but ran OK on her debut today leading into the straight but then outpaced.  Favourite Beattie Green could not reproduce her fair form when winning at Fontwell at the start of the year. Probably set to start hurdling in the new year and pedigree suggests might be better over timber with time. The fancied Sudden Light and Fenney Hill were thrashed and probably were unsuited by the mud. This is especially true for Sudden Light who had looked promising in bumpers run on fastish fround.



Russie With Love returns having won the mares bumper

Race 5 was the Becher Chase a class 1 handicap having listed status run over 3m2 and was run on the national course. It was run at a fair pace given the very soft ground underfoot. This race has produced two recent winners of the Grand National so it is work keeping an eye as this is a reasonable trial for the big one. The changes to the conformation of the fences and they might be safer but they are still a good test. The winner was the previously slightly inconsistent West End Rocker. He could not have run a better trial jumping the fences very well indeed. This was a good renewal and in the circumstances this must be a live option going forward. Second home was Niche Market who has been a very good chaser in his past. Jumped the fences nicely and was not given the hardest race imaginable and although well beaten he had been pulled back off the pace so never really in with a major chance of winning. Is on a good mark and I have him as a positive coming out of this race. Ballyvesey was way out of the race for much of the second circuit but stayed on from way out to just get up for third. He was flattered by this position and I would not be too interested in backing him next run. Always Waning was fourth finishing very tired and was picked up late for the minor place. He had not been fluent for much of the race, was pushed to challenge and I think he will struggle to win if bought out too soon as he had a very hard race today. Rare Bob was prominent for much of the race and still had every chance approaching three out. He weakened quickly but I think the toll of not really taking to these fences finally let to almost finishing at walking pace. Tried his heart out but I would not be backing him if returning to these fences.  Of the rest Hello Bud ran very well leading for much and going nicely until error at the Canal Turn and unshipping Sam T-Davies, Swing Bill didn’t seem to like the going, Nicto De Beauchene was prominent for much and ran OK in the circumstances, Shalimar Fromentro is worth a specific mention. Only five (although as a French bred would have been well experienced in jumping) he jumped superbly throughout racing prominently. He just over pitched on landing a smidgen at Becher’s Brook and fell. It was one of those unlucky falls that nine times out of ten a more experienced horse would nod or find a leg. All things considered it would not put anyone off backing him next race and could well develop into a national horse on the basis of this as I think he is not unsuited by these obstacles and finally Another Palm didn’t seem to act on either the going or the unique fences.

Race 6 was the highest quality race of the day being a grade 1 listed chase over three miles. The favourites flip flopped with the weak in the market Nacarat jumping more clumsily than usual and although still in the lead three out and still held every chance at the next quickly folded. My view is that he is on the downgrade now and will find winning very difficult. He emerges as one to lay going forward and thus rates as a negative. The winner was the progressive seven year old Master Of The Hall who was one of last season’s top staying novice chasers having won the Reynoldstown at Ascot by a comfortable six lengths. Today he put up a good round of jumping in the main (couple of minor errors which did little to slow him down). He was produced to lead approaching two out and then ran on well for a very easy win. Difficult to rate this but has plenty of potential. The second home was the in and out performer Tamarinbleu who ran in snatches. Although a top notch chaser capable of giving all bar the very best a good run for their money you never know which one is going to turn up the very good one or the very bad one. Today we had both in the same race.




At an early fence the two principles are still closely matched

Race 7 was the class 2 handicap chase over the nation fences with the distance to be covered of just over 2m5. There were several abortive efforts to get this one off today and whilst I am not saying that there is a competency issue with the starter here it does appear more likely to have a messy start than at other courses. The race was won by ex Arthur Moore trained Stewarts House who was up with the pace throughout, jumped the fences very well indeed and showed great battling attitude to last home in very testing conditions racing into the teeth of a strong wind up the home straight. I liked this horse. It is also worth noting the ride given by Aiden Coleman who nicked the inside on the elbow off Carberry which I think gave at least a length advantage as the runner up had to switch to come wide. On the face of it that was decisive but to be that simplistic misses the point of the winner’s gutsy attitude (Coleman was foound guilty of over use of the hwip). Is in great form at present and whilst his mark of 134 is obviously going to be reassessed, I think he will continue to be a formidable foe in middle distance chases when conditions are stamina sapping. The runner up was one currently trained by Arthur Moore and was heavily gambled on. The Irish raider Linnel made a string of mistakes, including the one over the last, but was only beaten a neck. He can win off this 111 mark but I have doubts as to whether these fences suit him. Third home was Buffalo Bob who was held up for a change (reportedly forced on the jockey by the messy start). He jumped these fences very well indeed  once he got over making a bit of a error at The Chair which knocked him on his heels. He slowly but surely got himself into the race. However the front two had established a good lead and Buffalo Bob never really got into a position to challenge them. I thought he had quite an easy race in the circumstances. Clearly acts on soft is on a great mark as down another two pounds and has plenty going for him. In the past there has been evidence that the National can suit two and half milers, he looked to be on a reasonable mark anyway off 124 and he was behind two that were clearly very favourably handicapped. On the basis of all this I have Buffalo Bob as a positive and would be considering the National itself if I was Mr Bailey. Fine Parchment is quite highly tried off 138 and ran OK but I would say the ground wasn’t ideal. Nomecheki folded tamely as if something had gone wrong with him. Santas Son made a lot of the running but was outpaced from about 4 out. The Sawyer got himself into the race and had every chance four out but was held by the time they jumped the next. Got Attitude was prominent but was never jumping that fluently and fell six out. Frankie Fogg pushed the pace and ran and jumped OK. It must have been the ground contributed to his downfall in part. Nikola never really got going. Pilgrim Lane fell at the chair (3rd). Sun Tzu was not up to this class in any case but is a better horse on firm ground. A bit high in the weights off 125. No Panic was soon tailed off. High Jack fell early in the race and never looked at ease over these fences.



As dusk begins to fall so does the hapless Pilgrims Way at The Chair

Notebook

Ile De Re (P)

Featherbed Lane (P)

Bonnie Burnett(P)

Niche Market (P)

Shalimar Fromentro (P)

Nacarat (N)

Buffalo Bob (P)

On a grim day with two million marching to protect their pensions and the recent autumn statement which really couldn’t have been bleaker what better than to go to the very best racecourse in the English Midlands and close off the first of the blogs awards. There is little doubt in my mind that Uttoxeter is the finest course in the area and I intend to visit each of the courses which have awards bestowed upon them.



Bye Bye Britannia

The reasons for my decision are that i) This is a family friendly course and has great facilities for kids, when they run a family day there is stacks of stuff for the youngsters, ii) the facilities are great with big in door areas for food and drink plus decent viewing stands, iii) the racing is generally very competitive and they have a good number of high class handicaps including some of the best summer jumping, iii) there are some reasonably priced hospitality features including some great little function rooms adjacent to the paddock which really provide a great setting for a special event, iv) the course enclosure is very good value having good facilities no hassle about how close you want to park to a fence plus great viewing of the whole track v) well maintained facilities vi) adjacent to the railway and easy access to the M1 M6 linkroad. This is a diamond track. Sad though to hear that The Brittania are pulling out of sponsorship. They have been a great force supporting Staffordshire sports in the past and it would be good to see them back again some day but may be its a sign of the time for the financial institutions.

Racing

Race 1 was a 2 mile class 5 maiden hurdle sponsored by a local pub The Dapple Grey which is a fine drinking hole engineered around a family ethos. It was run at a good pace with Scales pulling hard and trying to make all. He has previously been successful in a Stratford bumper when held up and you would think that those tactics would be better employed than trying to make all as seen today. Looks a right handful and must learn to settle better. Of the condition of the horses beforehand I particularly liked the look of the grey filly Double Silver by that great sire Silver Patriarch. Breeding suggests she should stay further than this two miles and there is some decent sorts in the family such as Into The Shadows. She is improving and after being held up in mid division made some headway to get into a bit of contention coming out of the back straight but it was short lived and she finished in her own time for a promising sixth. I would like her to have another shot at around the 2m4 and I have her as one of two positives coming out of this race. The other positive was one which also caught the eye of the stewards and quite rightly so.  Off The Ground made eyecatching ground from miles and miles away when he came into the home straight, from my vantage position in the centre of the course he was going noticeably quicker than any other horse until eased approaching the last. He had no chance of winning and the fourth position was probably as close as he would have got even if Timmy Murphy had ridden out rigorously so I cannot see any justification if there is any verdict under the non triers rules. However he looks a talented sort, appeared to hurdle much better than on his debut, should be better suited by 2m4 plus and comes out of the same family as the great Imperial Call. There was money for him today suggesting that there was a measure of confidence and I would say this one will win very soon. However the winner on merit today was Poole Master who was the one with the best form in the book and the only negative beforehand was that you needed to take on trust that he had got over a well publicised injury. Always close up was produced with a good run entering the home straight, pulled clear from two out for a good victory against a strong field for this sort of event which is likely to produce winners in time. He had ended up last season with an injury after a fine effort in a very good Newbury maiden won by Minella Class. Second home Jackson Cage stayed on OK and had the stuffing knocked out of him at the last on the backstraight. Has done well on tight tracks so maybe a trip back to Bangor,  his bumper winning venue. As Bangor is well liked by his trainer it might very well be a return is going to be on the agenda. However either way he does not merit backing if his hurdling does not improve as he has made errors on both of this outings to date. Third home Achimota went down impressively looking a decent sort. A bit one paced today a trait he has shown before so maybe he might need a bit further. Not badly bred being from the same family as smart jumper Fredcoteri however cost bobbins as a foal. Of the rest Gumball pulled far too much for his own good, Dirty Bertie was up with the pace but failed to quicken so might need a stiff testing track to be seen to best advantage although this was an improved run and Sonofagun lacked fluency today. It would be remiss not to mention a runner today from The Queen. I cannot remember one of hers turning up at Uttoxeter in the past and have to say she wasn’t anywhere to be seen in the tearoom before the first. I suspect she was on the picket line with the other public sector employees, fair play m’lady The Workers United Will Never Be Defeated. However her Open Hearted ridden by AP certainly was beaten, and well before clattering two out and landing in a heap. Took a walk in the market so the much vaunted ‘said to have schooled well’ was probably a bit of a myth. I recon we ought to have a close inspection of Buck House’s Betfair account just to look at any irregular laying noted.



Double Silver takes a hurdle in the back straight

Race 2 was a two mile selling hurdle. Probably because there is no money around the quality of non handicap sellers is improving significantly. That is even though for three thousand sovs could get you a decent nag now who’s got the cash?  As such a useful hurdler like Just Rob, a bit over rated at 120 having won class 3 handicaps as well as decent juvenile hurdles in the recent past. He had also run with some promise in the triumph. So little wonder he went off the 4/9 favourite today. It almost sounds like a prelim to him sauntering away with this and following up on a Market Rasen victory earlier in the month in a similar event. Not today, his hurdling was less than fluent and he could only finish second. The winner was another who is well rated, off 115 and with a three pound pull that put him two pounds shy at the weights. On that basis 13/2 was a very fair price for Goodwood Starlight. No slouch himself on the level winning fair races at Goodwood and a good quality class 3 at Ascot as well as fifth in the Cumberland Plate. Chucked right in the deep end over hurdles when comfortably beaten in a listed event but has now won three hurdles this season being a Fakenham maiden, a Sedgefield novice and now today’s victory. He hurdled well today and looks to have a more progress in him. Of the rest poor Sally’s Idea unfortunately fell and died at the first and Budva was completely disinterested in everything. Group Leader looked like he would greatly benefit from the run and made some late progress to be third and he is a little bit of an eyecatcher. He has been off the track for thick end of a year but best hrdle form was back in Feb 2010 when he ran well in two Doncaster novice events and was rated 115 off the back of that. Never got to that stage again and now down to 102 and on the face of it ran up to that earlier rating today so off this base can go close in a small selling handicap especially if at a flat gallop like Donny.  There was no bid for the winner and no claims for teh other participants.



Just Rob - Behind bars after this

Race 3 was a class 5 chase over two and a half mile. It was run at a sedate pace.  It produced a really exciting three way finish all the way to the run in. The winner by half a length was Dont Tell Sailor. He wasn’t entirely fluent but stayed on well having been prominent for much of the race. Both of his wins to date have been her although the previous win was over three miles. 11/10 favourite North Stack looked the winner when taking it up on the run in but was caught close home. Had shown promise despite mistakes on his debut and probably improved today as well. Third and only a  head behind North Stack was Royaume Bleu who made many mistakes and in the circumstances did very well to finish as close as he did. This is as close as she has got and the forward mark of 73 chasing looks tasty if only she could jump with consistency. Still in an Exeter novice handicap on Saturday which could be interesting as will still be on this mark. Kirkhammerton is an old hand at this and finished fourth but was very very one paced and at nine his chances going forward have got to be seen as bleak. Of the rest Airdrie jumped slow and gave no hope in the immediate future, Backstreet Billy looked promising but then blundered away any hope at a couple of fences and early leader Grenoli weakened before they had come out of the backstraight.



Milling around before the third

Race 4 was a two mile mares handicap hurdle race set at class 4. The two pacemakers pretty well cut their own throats. In the circumstances third home Belle De Fontenay ran a very good race today indicating promise despite being a six year old. Has only the one Worcester maiden hurdle victory to her name after eleven attempts. Generally attempts to make all and gets reeled in over the last. Today she had Fakenham winner White Diamond (suits sharp tracks better) and saw that one off two out. The winner was the gambled on Illysantachristina who was bought with a well timed run by seven pound claimer R J Williams who according to the stats was recording only his third win under rules from 43 races. Williams looks one for the future. Second was Edgefour also riden by a 7lb claimer. This one had plenty of hard luck, probably produced a touch late, got plenty of traffic problems but was making up ground only going down by a couple of lengths. You would have thought all the credentials for an eyecatcher and thus a positive. But she’s seven and has two wins out of 37 in her career. Forget it.



The front runners probably didn't do each other any favours today and their running not an indicator of their ability

Race 5 was a class 5 handicap hurdle over two and a half miles. The winner and 15/8 favourite was Trafalgar was prone to errors made most and stayed on strongly. All in all not bad for his third race over hurdles. The second home was the very consistent Be My Light who runs well here and acts as a good benchmark. Off 111 and beaten three and a bit will give a sound idea as to how well the assessor views the winner next time out. Ebony River stood out as one to watch for. Was a little sloppy but once chance had gone was eased down. Had previously run a decent second at Hexham. I think he is capable of much better than this, is under exposed and comes form a good staying background with useful jumpers in the family ie Will Be Done. Is in the entries for a novices handicap at Aintree on Sunday and that is the sort of track that I think will suit; tight. Of the rest third home Night Alliance was plodding on through beaten horses, Molko Jack hurdled slowly, Alcalde was prominent or led until weakened quickly before the straight, Bardolf was soon outpaced, Sumak / Speedy Directa were hopelessly tailed off quickly, Runaway Harry was beaten before halfway and Not So Sure D!ck failed to stay.



Ebony River rna with plenty of promise today

Race 6 was a class 5 handicap chase over two miles and was won with a super show of jumping from Qualitee who won this race from a long way out by her superior technique. This was only her second race over the larger obstacles and is thought to be better suited with time to two miles four by her trainer. Although I am only an amateur in comparison I thought she was the epitome of a two miler, fast jumping, front running. Anyway suffice to say most here today were mightily impressed and it would be good to see her go on from this.Phoenix Des Mottes tried to go with Qualitee but was beaten into submission when then came into the straight, Bankstair was made 5/2 favourite but made errors and was tailed off when pulled up at the last fence, Salybia Bay jumped slow and Shelomoh was one paced.



Qualitee was a class act today

Final race of the day was a class 5 handicap hurdle over three miles. It was a driving finish between market rivals Derwen Pride and the 7/4 favourite Another Miracle with the former getting up by a head on the line and then surviving a justifiable review by the stewards into possible interference. It was a good race between the pair and they only had competition from third home Acosta who clobbered the seventh which did her chances no good but six lengths adrift was no disgrace and she was plenty clear of the rest to indicate the 79 mark is interesting going forward. She is unsuited by fastish ground  and has done well on right handed courses. I think three mile plus in the right circumstances she could very well go in soon. A speculative and controlled positive from me. Forget the rest on this evidence.

Notebook

Double Silver (P)



Off The Ground (P)


Group Leader (P)


Ebony River (P)


Qualitee (P) up £30
1 3/1
Easy winner over 20f. Although up 10lbs on Uttoxeter effort still a positive as hasn't stopped improving

Acosta (P)
Well placed in 3m2 at Hereford on a good mark and will be suited by track, distance and going

A visit to Sedgefield does not sound the most inspiring of days out but with only four more tracks to get to it was off to County Durham. The drive up was in thick fog and as usual there were plenty of crashes and delays. I did have the new Half Man Half Biscuit CD to listen to which made the time fly and I have to say it is one of their best if not the best from the Wirral lads to date. It has the usual observational anecdotal picture painting which is their forte. The tracks including prefacing the soon to be competed Futsal Euro with the observation that ‘some teams have very very good players and others are a crock of sh!t’, a homage to the actress who played Glenda Brownlow in the super-soap Crossroads now sadly a deluded shell of her former self still agonising over her husband’s infidelity and the loss of her dad in a freak car accident, plus critiques of Soccer AM (much needed) and Family Fun Days. Buy it you’ll like it as the adman says.

When I first visited this small compact track back in 2009 it produced a series of polar reactions. For a start the homemade sign announcing this was Caribean night did not seem to be that inspired. The piped music was a lazy low quality calypso, the racecard was a piece of A3 ingeniously folded by an oregano expert and it cost me £14 to get in. The bar was packed and it was difficult to get decent food, the only easy access hot food was basic lay-by specials which didn’t appeal. The view of the racing was moderate not aided by the absence of a large video screen. Finally the management pushed the race start times back by five minutes in its entirety for no particular reason. However on the plus side there was plenty of free parking, this wasn’t the most expensive grandstand / paddock ticket I had bought, the racecard was free and at least there was a big enough crowd to pack the bars and provide a good atmosphere. The paddock was right in front of the stands, you could see enough of the races to know what was going on and there were plenty attending who got into the swing of the Caribbean theme by dressing up in fancy clobber to show that the promotion worked.

So has much changed in the past two years or so to report, could Sedgefield get itself on the leader’s board? The course is set outside of the town and a bit of a hike to be honest but not enough to put it in the Ryanair league. Getting to the track by car I was met by the incredulity of a full car park and having to ditch the car adjacent to a farm entrance which did my customary gruff demeanour no favours whatsoever. Tracking through the sludgy potholes strewn throughout this excuse for a facility I could see that there were some spaces and a bit of organisation from the ever helpful car park patrol men would have squeezed the dozen or so abandoned cars in. I think I had a lucky escape in truth as getting out looked akin to some of Mumbai’s very worst bottlenecks engineered and sponsored by the local bodyshop repair company.

Getting in was good value at £15 as there was an access all areas policy bar a couple of hospitality suits. None of this snooty north/west Yorkshire thing going on as seen earlier in the year. Big plus was that the racecard which was only £1 and was a decent quality as well so well done on that front. The PA crackled to life in the early part of the afternoon with some announcement such as details of the two stewards’ enquiry results. The fact that there were two ‘stewards’ in the first two races and then nothing (despite the near death of a member of staff detailed later)  seems to suggest that the old horse wore off as the day progressed and perhaps the stewards box which had been taped off with that red and white stripy stuff beloved of crime scene demarcation was present to prevent errant racegoers per-chancing on the vision of three tweed encased figures sweating profusely and twitching in the foetal position begging for nanny morphine. Nonetheless it all gave me a reasonable impression of efforts to communicate effectively with the customers. Talking about stewards’ enquiry I remember a top jockey being fined £3140 for misleading a stipe. First off this seems a peculiarly exact number and second how did he mislead him. Was it ‘we’ll just plod around today’ which led the stipe to lay leading to a rather unique number, or was it ‘yes there is no talc in it’ which led to the stipe saying ‘I’ll have the lot for all the money I am carrying’. Only to find it was mainly bicarb. Who knows but I think we should be told.

There was a massive marquee as you came in as there was some kind of promotion going on today and this was probably why a nondescript card attracted a big turnout for a November midweek fixture. Notice that this was a public feature was highlighted in the programme by the general manager who urged all to drink responsibly. On review of the Sedgefield team you have to ponder as to whether H2O2 is mandatory and using a black pen to colour the hair in on the thumbnail photos of the group during a whistful wait for the result of the first stewards I concluded that at least two would look particularly attractive if the hair matched the eyebrows and if Phil T also could get the shears out and set them to number 4.

The stands at Sedgefield do not appear anything out of the ordinary but there is a rather unique viewing position from the paddock steps which gives an almost head-on vista that is excellent. In fact the closeness of the racing, the fact that you can see the final fence clearly from the paddock rail and that the position by the bend after the winning line is similarly a decent place to watch from makes this one of my favourite tracks to watch racing from. I have to admit to really liking the general layout in what is a pretty tight pocket of a site.



The paddock was not a bad size considering the dimensions of the enclosures and had a bit of a gradient but nowhere near Downpartick proportions. However not a tree or shrub or potted conifer to be seen.  The paddock did witness a shocking incident during one of the races when a loose horse galloping up the home straight suddenly decided to exit for the paddock, didn’t see the plastic barriers and then crashed through them, taking out a man standing by the barrier and the horse was last seen heading towards the car park where no doubt the patrolmen would have warned him that there was nowhere to park so feck off to that farmer’s field over the road if you wouldn’t mind. The press association’s ticker tape on this one reads; ‘A member of the Sedgefield racecourse staff had to be taken to hospital after a loose horse careered off the course during this afternoon's meeting.
Braddock Island charged off the track, over the rail and into the area between the pre-parade and parade ring - where the middle-aged man was standing.

Trainee clerk of the course Phil Tuck said it was unclear whether the horse or the rail had hit the middle-aged man, who received emergency medical attention at the course and was later taken to hospital.
There was no delay to racing.’



That’s very good news to hear racing wasn’t delayed. The fella clobbered probably was relieved of that but more likely he had the grim vision of seeing the old ‘deathscreens’ come up around him and he must have thought he had suddenly morphed into a poor quality chaser about to meet Mr Cattleprod for possibly the first but definitely the last time 

The entrance to the course was hardly enticing but not downbeat in my opinion and there were neither artefacts nor architectural features to mention.  No water features could be seen so featureless is one way of summarising the experience. The going was good to soft and in truth looked perfect jumping ground with a good covering of grass.

The food was a great improvement on the previous visit where I was less than impressed. There was a van selling generous sized pork rolls and baguettes which were a little pricey at £4.50. A cup of tea was nice and hot, decent teabags used and fresh milk so for £1.40 I thought it was a fair price and good quality. Still not keen on some of the more flimsy cups you end up getting. I had my scran from the marquee. Even though there was plenty of demand I didn’t hang around long in the queue as the staff were very efficient and got things moving in a quiet way. The food was mince pie and peas plus I put some mint sauce on the side which is exactly what you should have with peas. It was hot and very tasty so for £2.90. I was more than happy. Great effort and pushing for the old cloche I would say.


It is a quirky course. It has plenty of undulations especially down the home straight. Here there is a significant hill providing a drop down to the second last. It flattens out up to the last and there is final uphill ramp halfway along the one furlong run in. The bend immediately after the winning line looks very tight but all the horses in the handicap hurdle handled it well. The view as the run from the third bend to the final bend of this one mile two furlong oblong track is spectacular. If you are here for an evening meeting  as the light begins to wane the runners silhouetted as they galloped along what looks from a distance as a ridge is an enduring image of a special little track. Sedgefield appears to be a tight circuit being left handed and its short run-in would make you think it would not favour a hold up horse. However with the exception of the very useful all the way winning novice hurdler many winners from both visits here have come from off the pace. Typically the winner would be produced from the top of the hill to lead at the last maintaining momentum.

Sedgefield will be always synonymous with the election of Prime Minister Tony Blair and the whole New Labour phenomenon. But you cannot move off the New Labour story without recourse to Baron Mandleson who was one of the gang of four alongside Prescott and Campbell. So is it out of synch with socialism to accept peerages? Is it incongruous to be a Londoner and then parade around with your Hartlipool United scarf like some monkey hanging coalfisher? But to be fair to Pete he did have strong left roots, he embraced much of the mantra but got heartily sick of where 1970s Labour was heading and grew up realising that to affect change you need first to secure power and to secure power you need to have a plan to convince the right people in the right numbers to do so.  Whatever you might say about him he is a bright fecker.

The most prestigious race of the year at Sedgefield is the Durham Grand National which is run in April. A list of race winners hand-painted onto a display board is proudly exhibited near the entry to the main grandstand. There have been many interesting horses listed over the years. The most noteworthy is the three times winner and Aintree hero Rubstic who cost 500 guineas as a yearling by a Coronation Cup winning sire (who was third to the great Sea Bird in the Derby by the way) and out of a dam who was also to throw the useful staying handicap chaser Bennachie. Looking through my Timeform annuals the first full season I find is 1975/6 when as a seven year old trained by Penrith handler Gordon Richards Rubstic was viewed as a useful staying chaser rated 134. His form figures for the season were 031122P34. His pipeopener was over two and half miles before winning at Cheltenham and Haydock with placed efforts in high quality long distance events at Newcastle and Haydock. 1976/7 was not a good season for Rubstic where his rating dropped to 107 and was actually thought a better hurdler at this time where 111 was the figure. He started off with two pulled ups and this led to a change of scenery and he was off to Scotland and in particular  Denholm where his  trainer Leadbetter was based. He ran ok over hurdles at Wetherby when third and rounded off with a chase third at Ayr. PP33 looks poor but he ended up well handicapped. So as a nine year old staying chaser he was near his peak for the 1977/8 season. He ended up that season approaching his best rating at 124. He was kept entirely to staying chases and his figures showed a good consistent season of 43431244120. His first win of the year was a tightish finish to a three and a half mile handicap chase at Haydock where he set a new record time for the course and distance. The second was opening his Durham National account by an easy eleven lengths over the three and a half at Sedgefield. His penultimate race was his second runner up in the Scottish Grand National, the first occasion being back in the 1974/5 season behind Barona when trained by Bell. The season as a ten year old is often optimum for a staying chaser. It proved to be the most successful for Rubstic as the results show for 1978/9. Although he ended at a rating of 124 he did win the Grand National this year and ended with form figures of  0420211. This featured a second successive Durham Grand National win at Sedgefield as a prelude to winning the Aintree original. Despite entering the veteran stage Rubstic returned his highest form rating at the end of the 1979/80 season with 140. His form figures were 0433411F0. He picked up a stayers chase at Kelso followed by a hard fought third consecutive Durham National win at Sedgefield. His jumping wasn’t brilliant at his second visit to Aintree where he fell for the first time in his career at The Chair when in contention in third place. He still retained plenty of ability in 1980/1 where his rating only fell to 135. His form figures were 300431000P. His sole win was a sound victory at Doncaster. He attempted Aintree again but was a remote seventh and was not a runner at Sedgefield for their annual feature. By 1981/2 the thirteen year old was understandably on the downward side of the curve although a final rating of 113 is hardly a selling plater classification. The form figures for the year read 00302230 and best runs included running up as a qualified Hunter Chaser at Kelso and Sedgefield. After an absence in the previous year’s renewal of the Durham National, Rubstic returned for another shot at. However he was soon outpaced. His final run of the year was as a distant last in a moderate Ayr handicap. However he retired from racing at the end of the season with a great curriculum vitae as a first rate long distance handicap chaser with a grand national to his name, a track record at Haydock  and a record around Sedgefield which few will ever get near emulating.

Racing

Race 1 was a 2m4 novice hurdle class 4 and was a qualifier for a conditional jockeys’ series. It was quite eventful and resulted in a stewards regarding the riding of runner up Badgers Retreat.  The race was won in very comfortable style by the hot 4/5 favourite  Bound For Glory who is developing into a fairly useful recruit. Had some good form between the flags and a promising runner position on his debut. Fiddled the last a bit but looks one to keep on-side I would say and could well stay further than this trip with stamina being his forte. The second Badgers Retreat continues to improve but was comprehensively beaten so on this occasion I would not have him as a positive just yet but is capable of winning a minor novice event. There was precious little else to debate other than the mare Rosewin is clearly an unlucky sort and was showing much improved form with a chance 3 out when was badly hampered. I think she has the ability to win, has a strong record of running well and winning on the flat at Catterick so a return to that course over timber should be noted and I have her down as a positive. Note the following result of the stewards into the running of this race. ‘The Stewards held an enquiry under Rule (B)11.6 into possible interference after the third last hurdle. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the race they found that BADGERS RETREAT, placed second, ridden by Robert Mccarth, had interfered with ROSEWIN (IRE), unplaced, ridden by Harry Haynes, and that the interference had not improved BADGERS RETREAT’s placing. They ordered the placings to remain unaltered. The Stewards found Mccarth in breach of Rule (B)54.1 and guilty of careless riding in that he allowed his mount to drift left towards the rail causing ROSEWIN (IRE) to unseat its rider. They suspended him for 7 days as follows: Tuesday 6 to Monday 12 December 2011 inclusive.’



Race 2 was a beginners chase at class 5 over 2m4. It was won in battling style by the odds on favourite Tristan Times. He was held up and produced smoothly from between 3 and 4 out and looked to have the race in his pocket when hit two out causing rider to lose irons. Back on an even keel took issue again on run in to run out the three parts of a length victor. In general this was a pretty good performance but then based on his OR he was 23 pounds in hand of the runner up so I would say looks badly treated if handicapping and will find the penalty hard to shoulder if taking on novices again. One to avoid I would say on the basis of that analysis. However the runner up off 107 Dodgey Dream ran a sound race jumped well for a beginner in the main and tried to make all. This was a step up and if the assessor does not take the OR of the winner at face value and assesses Dodgey Dream accordingly then I think he is on a sound mark to move into handicapping. Saw out this trip well and is a positive. I saw him tailed off behind two very useful recruits at Hexham a couple of weeks ago and I would say a stiff course and soft ground are not what he needs.  Of the others Puyol made a few blunders, Front of House was edgy beforehand and didn’t look too fluent, Kings Council kept travelling on and off the bridle suggesting that this undulating track didn’t really suit and the Ferdy Murphy trained Ouest Eclair never jumper.  It was reported by jockey Graham Lee, the rider of OUEST ÉCLAIR (FR), unplaced, that the gelding was unsuited by the good to soft ground. In my opinion he just never really seemed to enjoy jumping being quite deliberate at times so it was ability rather than going that undid him today. The race was subject to an enquiry where the findings were: ‘The Stewards held an enquiry under Rule (B)11.6 into possible interference on the run in. Having heard their evidence and viewed recordings of the race they found that the winner, TRUSTAN TIMES (IRE), ridden by Richie McGrath, had interfered with DODGEY DREAM, placed second, ridden by Dougie Costello. They found the interference was accidental and had not improved TRUSTAN TIMES (IRE)’s placing. They ordered the placings to remain unaltered. ‘



The runners being led in at the start with winner (No7 in red and black) Trustan Time ready to settle in held up

Race 3 was a class 4 qualifier for the John Wade hurdle series for juveniles. It was won by the very hot 1/2 favourite Countrywide Flame in emphatic style. Has already picked up two similar events and ran a storming effort in a listed race when second. Well up to taking on listed again and is clearly one of the best youngsters seen to date. The rest were in the main completely outclassed however one to take serious note of was the runner up Eagle Rock. He had the winner off the bridle which on face of it and the 135 rating was not expected before the race. Attracted some significant support in the market beforehand (so I suppose it is safe to assume had shown something in schooling), was up against a very experienced juvenile and ran with much promise hurdling with some fluency. Had done well on the level including a Ripon maiden win and a good fifth in a competitive handicap at Doncaster with a good level of consistency in all five races looking a genuine sort. As such I have him as a big positive having more than enough ability to pick up hurdles this season.



Debutant Eagle Rock was a positive when finishing second today

Race 4 was a class 5 handicap chase over just a bit further than the two miles. It was won by the Sue Smith trained Tipsy Indian and Harvey himself strutted up the presentation stand to lustily seize the prize of a batch of the sponsor’s ale. The winner had looked well in the paddock beforehand, was prominent or led throughout and when tackled over the last and on the run in battled on well.  I think the runner up Royal Mile was the better jumper ( hence I have as a positive)but just got caught again having looked the more likely to win over the final fence. But it was a really good race and the pair were clear emphasising the case. Of the others the multiple course and distance winner Authentic Act ran as well as could be expected to be a sound fourth and the third home Otto Quercus ran a better race than the bare form suggests as having been held up made an error 4 out when beginning to make significant progress, had the stuffing knocked out of him momentarily but got going again to be eyecatchingly strong on the run in. The 95 he sits on now is down from the hurdling entry point of 115. He ran on well to beat a good horse in his win in France and that one (Bambi De Rheu) went on to win a conditions event on the flat, a conditions event over the sticks, finished fourth in the French champion hurdle and finish fifth in the Grand Steeple Chase. I would say now that Otto Quercus has got his eye in and is off such a low mark he will pick up a chase. He can win over a stiffer track I think rather than  a longer trip and is marked down as a positive. Notes on the remainder are Ice Image looked like he needed the run, Braddock Island looked burly beforehand and exited right towards the burger van on the run in, Lerida was a bit backward in condition, Melange made errors throughout, Frith lacked fluency and Norminster was soon uder pressure and dropped out of it tamely.



Over an early fence with the two eyecatchers Royal Mile (yellow) and Otto Quercus (maroon) leaping over together.

       Race 5 was another class 5 chase this time over the ‘marathon’ trip of 3m3. An entertaining race developed into a battle between Frontier Boy (a positive by the blog from Kelso earlier in the month and a nice 6/1 for us today however has gone up nearly a stone on the basis of this effort and will not go down as one to continue to follow) and Riskier at the second last with the former asserting and going on to win by a comprehensive eleven lengths with the runner up weakening a bit on the run in when his chance had gone and the winner quite rightly being driven out fully. However the eyecatcher here was the third home Mansonen L’as who looked as though he would need the run today and despite making one error around halfway stayed on well. Is on a handy mark at the moment of 79. I saw him run pulled up in similar event at Hexham and he had previously run his best race over CD in January when second. Still a novice he looks one to do well in a novice handicap chase at extreme distances. One paced but stays forever and marks as a speculative positive. Of the rest Finbin looked in need of the run and was amongst a host who were pulled up, Foxes Delight was soon hoisting the white flag and the tetchy Hathamore jumped slowly and ran in snatches looks one to avoid. Three were reported as having run badly and the stewards reported as such; ‘The representative of Jennie Candlish, the trainer of OLD STYLE (IRE), which was pulled up, reported that the gelding had a breathing problem.  Jane Walton, the trainer of FOXES DELIGHT (IRE), which was pulled up, reported that the gelding had a breathing problem. The representative of Sue Smith, the trainer of CLOUDY DAWN, which was pulled up, reported that the gelding was unsuited by the good to soft ground.’ Of these perhaps the most terse comment I heard someone utter when this was made know was that ‘ The breathing problem for Foxes Delight  is that he is still doing it’. Plus from my vantage in the paddock I concluded that perhaps if Ms Walton’s team hadn’t chucked a load of kids sparkle dust all over the poor creature in what must have been some kind of star constellation thing back in Staffordshire he might have looked a little more like a serious racehorse rather than some show pony for exhibiting at a particularly precious country show.



Riskier leads with a circuit to go from Lindseyfield Lodge who weakened



Race 6 was a class 5 handicap over about the two miles. There was a serious punt on the winner Funky Munky  who looked in grave danger of having the spoils knicked off him through a particularly enterprising ride by Robert Walford who rode a well timed race in second on Short Supply. The main focus though was on the start and the shenanigans of two runners. The Stewards held an enquiry into the start of Race 6. ‘Having viewed a video recording of the start and having heard evidence from Keith Mercer, the rider of SYDNEY COVE (IRE), unplaced, Miss E C Sayer, the rider of ENDEAVOR, unplaced, and the Starter, they forwarded a report to the British Horseracing Authority.’It looked like either the two wanted to ride exaggerated waiting tactics or that the starter did not give them enough time to get organised. Or that Endeavor’s antics took the starters eye of the position of Sydney Cove who was thus disadvantaged. It will be interesting to see what results. Sydney Cove finished fifth without ever having any chance but he has won with similar tactics including last run and it could be that the race was not run to suit such methods. On the other hand Endeavor never got into the race at all. Has proven to be a right handful at the start on many occasions including when winning and has been left behind before now. I assume there will be some issue around the riding but what could Emma Sayer do at least the beast consented to run albeit not at the more favoured tracking leaders position. Plenty of ability but its anyone’s guess whether he will get going in any race quick enough to have an influence on the race outcome.


Notebook

Rosewin (P)

Entered at Catterick on 13/12 so watch out

Tristan Times (N)



Dodgey Dream (P)



Eagle Rock (P) down £10
2
Great run in top notch juvenile at Donacaster when 12/1 behind another of my one to follow Royal Bonsai at 16/1, Nice each way but guess what no forecast. Clearly capable of winning a juvenile soon as hurdling is very good for one so inexperienced

Otto Quercus (P)
runs at catterick on 13/12

Royal Mile (P)
P
Did nt seem to stay 20f next run and made a couple of mistakes

Mansonnen L’as (P) down £10
0
Not backed when racing over 20f next run. made errors but showed some pace. Better over the extreme distances and is no mug retains positive vore

Seems to have gone missing

27 May 11 21:22
The prospect of Southwell and class six racing on a surface more accommodating of a camel caravan may not be as beguiling as York on Dante day but having visited here for the first time in 2009 I was not viewing this as a task to be endured on my quest to visit all GB courses and my favourite ten in Ireland. Southwell has to be crossed off and today is the day.

Southwell is just to the west of Newark and is what is known as a minster town. I went through the town en route to the course. It is a tidy place and the big church in the centre dominates being a noteworthy piece of architecture. The drive from the M1 meant I went through the south and east of Nottingham going past Nottingham racecourse. The roads across to Southwell are generally satisfactory but a lot of it is single carriageway with a fair chance of getting stuck behind some agricultural vehicle so give yourself plenty of time.

The route through Southwell takes you to the longest drive to a racecourse I can remember. It goes on a couple of miles before you reach the ample parking. The entry to the grandstand was £11 with an extra £2 to go into the premier enclosure.




The excitement can be overwhelming

Southwell lies towards the north of Nottinghamshire not far from Mansfield and heading out of town to the north you soon see how close the south Yorkshire city of Doncaster is. This is Scab-land. The county which supported the Thatcher fight with its puppet ‘independent miners union’ leading to a divide and conquer opportunity. Having recently visited two Yorkshire towns and their tracks it was interesting to compare them and their various character. Around Southwell the feeling was subdued but orderly whereas the Yorkshire tracks were very much more vibrant and a bit more chaotic. Perhaps it is possible that even on a small island, even with small distances between communities, there are tangible differences. If so where would you rather be somewhere with energy but with limited affluence or passionless but comfortable? Even though the social troubles of the eighties have a different political context when compared to the economic instability of 2011, is it likely that the divisions will pick up again?


The course is very well maintained with modern facilities. Geared up for moderate crowds but plenty of good areas to eat, drink, sit out in the sun and if you bring the children there is a very good kids play area. To me this looks like a high quality greyhound track. It was like a Hove workaday BAGS meeting. That is no disrespect to the track but it just does. There was a lack of atmosphere even though there was a decent crowd on the day considering it was midweek and outside of the holiday period.



Southwell is well worthwhile visiting

The layout is a very flat oval very easy bends nice long straights and is like Walthamstowe magnified four times. Because it is so flat the view of the back straight can only be clear from the stands as when standing close up the running rails obstruct vision. Although in general the horses drawn high did best today I am not convinced there is much of a draw advantage but then I am not convinced that the going was even and that standard is standard. It looked dry on top and variable. Let’s face it this is beach racing and the so called fibres appear to me to be a bit of hype to differentiate from a dirty sharp building sand. This is not equitrack and certainly not polytrack. You can see why some horses refuse to act on this stuff. But more about sand latter.

Racing


First race was a class six seven furlong handicap. It was won with a decent run off the pace by Blue Charm. He has not been running well of late but had been a course and distance winner back in 2008 off 62 and was on a comparatively attractive mark today of 48. Wins so infrequently as to be a best watched rather than backed and I do not expect any return to winning for some time. The runner up Charlietoo has good form over 6f on polytrack and he ran well considering that this looked beyond his stamina limits to hold every chance at the furlong pole only to struggle home. It will be interesting to see where his OR moves to and if around 47 back on poly over 6f would be worth a bit of an interest. Third was the well fancied St Ignatius. He is a consistent 6-7f gelding on this surface but is slightly high in the weights (OR of 54 and will be seen to better effect off 50) and as a consequence ran his race today. Of the others Wotatomboy did not follow up the promise shown at Brighton when third recently and is on a winning handicap mark. A bit baffling as is a CD here. Moonlanding continues to look useless, Moment of Clarity got into the winners’ enclosure as fourth somehow or other and Eenymac showed a bit of early pace but soon beaten.



Kickback what kickback

Next up was the two year olds maiden. This was won in emphatic style by Basantee. Well backed favourite looked very calm in the paddock and clearly has come on for her Beveley introduction. Came through to lead smoothly about three out and pulled clear with minimum urging. Whilst this was probably a very moderate race I can see her following up if kept away from very good races. Although connections appear to be bullish about a step up to seven I think on running and pedigree 6f still makes the most sense at this stage of her career.  Of the remainder Ingleby Angel had looked a bit spare and weak in the paddock acting a bit green but showed fair pace but was easily beaten. The market vibes for third home and Mark Johnson trained Always And Toujours were not strong. He had looked a big strong type but a bit backward in the paddock. Took some time to figure what was going on in this debut run but was doing all his best work close home almost getting up for second. A step up to 7f may help. The Colbeck Kid continues to run green despite this being his third outing and the other debutantes Mr Mallo and Just Dixie were soon behind and stayed there for the duration.



Basantee was clearly the best horse at Southwell today

A claimer over 1m4 was the third race. This contained the remarkable La Eatrella who was winning for the ninth straight time here at Southwell. He was ridden brilliantly again  by Dane O’Neill who made his move five out to join issue and was pushed out 3 from home for yet another comfortable victory. Surely thre will be a race or enclosure named after him with time as this sort of story helps build the history and credibility of a course and the surface. Of the remainder Cobo Bay who was third was eased once it was clear La Estrella had asserted so I wouldn’t take the distance behind the runner up too literally, Host The Band got her £616 reward for enterprise by the Devonian trainer on only her second ever outing (she is seven so where has she been?) The rest might as well have had a training gallop as they where well held including Cartmel winner Dunaskin who although in a challenging position early was easily and quickly put in his place and it didn’t auger well if the eleven year old shows up in Cumbria at the June meeting. Crystal Celebre was expected to give this a real go but looks a difficult ride pulling hard and not keen to settle.




Cobo Bay looks pensive in the modern minimalist designed pre parade ring before being outclassed

The seller over seven furlongs was really all about the three market principles but none seemed keen to get on and win the race as each looked sure to win at different stages of the final two furlongs. In particular the winner Goal looked a dossy sort in the paddock and ran a bit reluctantly to my eye a clear dodge pot. So Is She is well named as although nice and calm in the paddock ran in snatches whilst the well backed Jay Jays Joy was slow into stride but was produced to hold every chance inside the final furlong but could not go through with his challenge. This mucking about enabled fourth home Dreamweaving to be flattered by proximity. She has been off a long time and on the bare bones of it would not be too badly weighted if going handicapping as the first three are 58 – 66 horses and she is currently 45.



The winners enclosure after the seller

A big field went to post in the mile class six event which was run at American dirttrack flying pace. It was won well by Positivity despite being slightly hampered about two out. Suits pieces (worn today) and this was an improvement for her off 59. She looked alert in the paddock. Second home was On The Cusp who looked fit and well beforehand but ran all over the place for his lady claimer causing interference to a fair few but was second on merit despite this. Third home Hit The Switch was top weight and is a big strong type sort to do well over the sticks. Graycliffe ran a promising race being well out of it early but stayed on through beaten horses to suggest that a move to 1m2 (a trip he has won over on the poly) would be ideal. Of the rest the big mare Tomintoul Star made most but was beaten when hampered. Previously had looked a hold up horse so today’s tactics were a bit of a mystery to me. Elusive Warrior was sweating a bit and although chased leaders was soon beaten and the edgy  I’lldoit ran a similar race as well. Realt Na Mara was prominent for a while as was Helpmeronda who looked very well in the paddock. The disinterested Velvet Band should stick to pickpocketing and fractious Marino Prince was never a factor. Denison Flyer looked a bit burly after a long lay off and was never on the radar.



Don't bother looking for Graycliffe he came from a different parish

A six furlong class six handicap attracted twelve runners with the career runner up Clear Ice having looked nice and clam in the paddock getting his head in front for a merited victory. When horses keep finishing second you think they may be dodging but he won this with sound attitude so I would not sanction such remarks. The runner up was a real eyecatcher. Charles Parnell looked in fair nick beforehand and having missed the kick his 7lbs claimer jockey Lucy Barry did not panic despite this being a sprint. She slowly got him into the race and was finishing very nicely to be runner up and over a bit further or soft ground on the turf looks a ready made winner if the handicapper takes no action on his 53 mark. Lucy is also a jockey sure to make her mark based on this mature ride. Of the remainder Itsthirsdayalready looked fit and well and despite being mid div early made some progress to be third, not a bad run from the top weigth, early leader Steel City Boy weakened to be third suggesting that perhaps OR of 59 is a bit high. Northern Bolt looked bored in the paddock and ran to suit, Real Diamond was sweating a bit beforehand and was soon beaten, Piste was edgy as was the fancied early elader Miss Poly Plum.



Charles Parnell coming from well behind for eye catching runner up
The final race was a 1m3 class six handicap which attracted a first handicap rum for a Sir mark Prescott trained runner Pizzetti. Up in distance which his pedigree suggested would suit, he looked a bit backward in the paddock beforehand suggesting that this race would be needed. Well backed favourite had to be cajoled by his jockey throughout to participate and in the end a fairly close up third was not bad. He clearly needs string handling, would be better off on good turf ground or the poly and stays. He will win off this 58 mark but hopefully the assessor will knock him a couple off for this run. The winner Captain Bellamy was not winning out of turn as had been a sound second in eyecatching manner having been made far too much use of early on. Improved riding tactics assisted in today’s win and emphasised that this was a decent race at this level. 



Pizzetti looked a bit backward and ran ok on handicap debut
The card in 2009 was again modest  but in general quite entertaining. Of the eighty-four runners entered sixteen were representing syndicates of three or more members. Which is about one in five. A pretty high proportion when you look back in time when in the recent past most horses were in single hands of rich businessmen and aristocrats. Now at the bottom of the flat racing heap it is much more the people’s game. In fact the all weather flat is more egalitarian than even jumping, which was thought of as the area where a decent gelding could be purchased for reasonable money. No more is that the case with top Irish bred and French bred jumpers going for six figures.

This was one of the elements which made me think that the all weather game has parallels with greyhound racing. Dog racing has long been the preserve of mates owning a dog together with one keen to take the greyhound home with them at the end of its career. Most knew they would likely have a grader and as long as it was out-graded rather than out-boxed when the racing manager wanted it beaten they were quite happy. If you had a genuine runner you had a fair idea when it was likely to win and a fair idea when it was likely to lose. You don’t need to ‘hook’ a dog up in fact it is not as easy as some think it is to do so. In fact it is much easier to work your edge within the rules. Another aspect of similarity is the number of owner trained horses. This is not unusual in the hunter chase world but professional trainers owning horses implies buy to order but no takers. In greyhound racing owner trained graders are prevalent to keep numbers up for grading strength to enable the wheels of the BAGS machine to keep turning. But why in the all weather game do we see this trend as the eight of today’s runners being of this ilk demonstrate?

All weather – horseracing’s equivalent of the dogs

Greyhound racing at the graded level is a fairly laid back environment where there is much camaraderie between owners and trainers. A typical set of owners in my parallel sport of all weather horse racing could be seen everywhere today. A good example was seen when I visited in 2009. This was a party so enthusiastic about their horse. They were members of a group known as the CW Racing Club. They owned Inthawain, the top weight in the class 6 Dine in the Queen Mother Restaurant Handicap Stakes over six furlongs. I watched the groups in the paddock before this sprint handicap and  this one on particular. There were three men gathered around their trainer. They were close to where I was standing so it was easy to hear what was going on. They were all very happy more interested in craicing on, one dressed in complete contravention to Southwell’s dress code, armed with two enormous cameras. He was snapping away at their horse in the paddock. When Lee Enstone joined them he looked a bit bemused when the talk appeared to be the relative girth of the owners in comparison to his, and posing for shots. Hardly much time for Noel Wilson to go over tactics with Lee. This was clearly a big day for the lads and they were loving it. The race itself was a good tussle. Yet again Phil Makin missed the kick on the fancied Paint Splash for similar connections to the first race. Only the naïve believe in coincidence. A tight finish to a real battle up the straight saw Kings Ace do Inthawain by a neck. The postmorten between Messers Enstone and Wilson seemed to conclude that she needed a bit of a freshen up and come back here to win next time out. They agreed that the going was loose and she needed it to rattle and given that they water the dreaded sand properly you’d think a three year old maiden filly was up her street. The lads were clearly happy with the run but stood off from the ring not sure if they were permitted in the hallowed ground of the winners’ circle. The photographer in their midst got a couple of snaps but not of them all together with their filly. That would have to wait until they were up the stables in Yorkshire the next day. You just hope experience will not knock their enjoyment and you got the feel that is unlikely. With a trainer like Noel Wilson I got the impression things are kept in perspective and expectations managed within the parameters us owners need to be managed within.

Seabiscuit

The dream of owning something a bit better than a plater but bought for platers numbers is the one that drives small owners. The success of the Australian sprinter Takeover Target in the first decade of the new millennium helped to substabtiate the dream. However nothing comes close to the original and genuine article. That was Seabiscuit. The American story set in 1938. As the book detailing this horse’s incredible story sets out in its opening paragraph that ‘In1938, near the end of a decade of monumental turmoil, the year’s number-one newsmaker was not Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hitler or Mussolini. It wasn’t Pope Pius XI, nor was it Lou Gehrig, Howard Hughes or Clark Gable. The subject of the most newspaper column inches in 1938 wasn’t even a person. It was an undersized, crooked legged racehorse called Seabiscuit.’ Perhaps in his own sphere here on the Fibresand of Southwell La Estrella is an incarnation of Seabiscuit!

Notebook

Wotatomboy (N) up £20
003001 9/1 400000
Has been largely hopeless except for a run at her favoured brighton. Still up on the dozen subsequent races and now is the time to turn it in

Basantee (P) up £30
421 9/2 0 0 1 7/2 4
Best over 7f and is on a good mark now so watch if entered on the sand. However I am up overall on him and will elave him alone now

Goal (N) down £145
2 20/1 4 1 11/2 0 2 4 1 18/1 2 0
Dropped a right swede with this one as i thought it was an unreliable jade and turned out to be class 5 handicapper. Very consistent and I will now leave him alone haveing recovered a small amount recently.

Graycliffe (P) down £40
0400
Big disappointment. One decent run when 4th at 40/1 but largely useless and best left alone now

Charles Parnell (P) down £50
000003
Another to have been a disappointment since this promising run. Last time was a fair each wau bet at 40/1 but now to be left

Pizzetti (P)  down £60
000330
Poor since this run with two thirds one at 12/1 so a little each way value there. Looks useless