rebelfm

I couldn't find this in the archive so I have added it in as I am getting the near of the whole journey

On entering the course I thought I had wondered into Hellmand Povince. I haven’t seen so many commandoes in one place since I visited an aunt in Fermanagh on election day back in the 1980s. Was it intelligence which had suggested a mass revolt against the local library closing with Cairo style repercussions? I somehow doubt it as this is Liberal territory and I am sure they are fully supportive of their man’s backing of a rake of stuff most of the electorate in this neck of the woods hadn’t voted for. Ah well so much for democracy as they say in North Africa. In fact it turns out this is a benefit meeting for some of the charities which the commando units support. The sort of high regard which the average Brit appears to now have for squaddies makes you start to believe it might not be too far-fetched for a military bloodless coup in this particular rock. Who would blame them on the evidence of the dogged way the troops conduct their affairs with limited resources apart from the abundant goodwill of the masses. Politicians beware, it might just happen.

Taunton always takes me back to an episode of my Dad’s. His best mate helped him manage a shop in The Potteries. The pair of them were always thinking of money making ideas almost Delboyish but this was 1970s and times were pretty tough in S-o-T at the time. I was working on the local power station with some relatives over from Bishopstown so couldn’t skive off. The local factories including potbanks, shoe-makers, GEC and the brewery were all closing in the wake of Mags and the Unions power-struggle so any work was better than no work. Anyway the latest scam involved picking up seconds from the work’s shop (not Wedgewoods but a div 2 basic pots and plates emporium). Then hot footing to Holidayland to flog replacements to end of season hoteliers and BnB ladies. They had figured Rhyl and Blackpool would be saturated markets. How about Western Super Mare? Of course no self-respecting Stokie would be seen dead in such a southern den of inequity. After several fruitless hours trudging the streets of this Somerset playground, our intrepid entrepreneurs had hoisted the white flag. The small about of money burnt deep against their arse pockets. By luck they had selected a raceday at Taunton for their mission of mercy. So off they went. The story related back was of a quagmire hellhole with a rickety contiboard stand where the only protection from horizontal hail was the tarpoling woven together with the same yarn which was used to tie to the locals’ courderoy trouser legs to stop rats nipping at their swollen testes. They lasted three races where nags with more duckeggs than something with a lot of duckeggs kept winning. Each win was to the vocal delight of the rat tag band of harvest casuals and sheepshggers. It was as they say a long journey home in a car which truth be known almost consumed as much oil as it did petrol.

The Course

A few miles outside of Taunton and easily accessible to the M5 without having to go through the town, this is a nice country racecourse. It is well supported by the locals and has a great atmosphere on the three times I have been here. They say this is one of the friendliest tracks and to be fair I usually get talking to people easier here than at a lot of other courses. The facilities appear modern although I didn’t pay the premium to get into the Portman Stand so not sure of the standard in that stand. For the Tatts there is bugger all. Getting into the tea room was a real task and there wasn’t much in the way of food. However the real value is parking in the middle. It is such a tight track you can walk around and get several close up views of the action during the same race. The paddock is not too difficult to see from here and the snap van had tea for £1 and proper bacon cobs for a couple of quid. Great-value. The track is a squashed oval covering not much more in its circumference than the Western Road dog-track. As such the turns are very, very tight, the slight bends in the squashed bits adding to the awkward nature of Taunton and a couple of minor undulation in an essentially flat terrain makes this yet another idiosyncratic circuit which makes racing in these islands such a compelling hobby.


The Portman Stand which I tight-fistedly refused to pay the £3 supplement to enter as seen from the centre of the track

The Racing

The opener on the card was a low grade claiming hurdle over 17f which was won in comparatively good style by the Evan Williams trained Chyrsanda.  Last run he had won over course and distance and had benefited then by wearing a tongue strap and visor, a combination again successful today. He has done even better over fences in the past and it might be worth a switch back to chasing in handicapping company. The runner up was the patiently ridden to no great effect Sweet World. There is a recurring theme of held up and produced too late evident. Perhaps this difficult ride would benefit from a more talented jockey. Certainly a track like Taunton requires a bit of knowledge and expert timing to produce a late runner as a leader can fly the nest and they do not stop quickly here due to the nature of the track. Additionally it is interesting to note that his last two flat wins were secured when making all. Maybe a horse which takes a keen hold might in this instant be given a bit more reign. If stronger handling, racing up with the pace a bit more and entered in claimers he would have a realistic chance. Olivino was the better fancied of the Bernard Llewellyn horses but finish third and also behind his second placed stablemate Sweet World. Racing up with the pace he was just not good enough to give Chrysanda a race. Probably needs better ground and is a bit high in weights (ideally around the 102 mark). Of the others Abstract Art was the only one to interest the market being third favourite. However supporters could beat the queue at the bar when Aiden Coleman was unseated at the first. Has now failed to get around in half of the eight runs he has competed in since his last win at Bangor. Suits these sharp tracks, is on a handy mark (106) but still a question mark over completion rate!

The second race was a well contested and eventful maiden hurdle over 17f. The winner was the Paul Nicholls trained four year old French bred Brampour. He was a well backed second favourite today after a promising debut over hurdles. Ridden up with a strong pace he led from 2 out and stayed on well despite not always being fluent. The chaos behind him at the last did not affect the winners position, it is certain that Brampour was staying on well enough to hold any late McCoy charge and Scudamore’s horse was plodding on when he fell. Can he shoulder a penalty? I would have thought there is every chance of that especially if sights are not raised too high. Second home was Clowance House who was plodding on minding his own business when chaos ensued ahead and suddenly he was second and in a race for £600 rather than for feck all. Flat form suggests he might be better on a firmer surface and more testing track, hurdles ok and could come in at a small track in the spring. Not sure what to make of Bold Identity. Has moderate flat form in Ireland, is out of a listed winning dam but was easily held despite finishing third in debut over hurdles in previous effort. Best to say appears promising but would need to show a bit more or that the second home shows a bit of form as I would put the pair on a similar level at the moment with Bold Identity having more scope and Clowance House requisites clearer. The David Pipe trained favourite Trop Fort was too strong for Tom Scudamore to stop him falling heavily at the last! He had led and hurdled ok if lacking fluency for most of the race. But was well held at the time and it is likely he would have finished third. I would not fancy his chances of following this run up with a win. However McCoy’s mount First In The Queue was very unlucky when being hampered and then brought down by Trop Fort at the last when travelling nicely. This was a decent novice hurdle in terms of quality, he had previously run well in his debut, would have preferred a more galloping track (flat form best at Newbury) and given these conditions looks a ready-made winner.

The third race was a 3 mile novice chase appearing at the mercy of favourite Lake Legend.  In the event it was won in dogged style by the odds on shot who had looked a decent chaser in the making when I saw him finish third at Doncaster a January. That race has since had the winner as an entry in the RSA and the second winning well in company probably better than today’s field. As such it is true to say that this race was not of the same class as at Doncaster and the winner was again not exactly fluent. As such I think Lake Legend will find carrying a penalty difficult. Second home was Persian Run who was showing much improved form only going down in a tight fight by less than a length. On the basis of this race I would not be hurrying to take a short price next time out but he did show some promise. The pair finished clear mainly because Earth Planet fell 3 out when apparently going well. I would not have been shocked had he got up. He has now had six runs in novice chases without luck and this defeat may herald a return to hurdling where he appears stronger. This left third to the extremely one paced Top Benefit who is still not that fluent over his fences.



Spiders! An apparently eight limbed Lake Legend (blue) hunts up a similarly equipped pacemaker on the way to the fourth

The fourth race on the card was a novice handicap hurdle over 17f. This provided yet another intriguing event and had a pretty unusual finale. Making all the running and then pulling smoothly clear 3 out Arrayan had just skipped over clear at the last when inexplicably Conor O’Farrell seemed to lose his irons, then his balance and then fell crashing to the floor. He was clearly devastated. I had watched this from the turn into the straight to see how the tight bends were navigated. I saw how well Arrayan had been ridden, kicking clear and seemingly invincible. I had thought ‘this lad is going to the top, he’s going to land a tasty handicap at Cheltenham, I hope David Pipe puts him up on Dynaste in the Martin Pipe’. Imagine how flummoxed I was on seeing the big screen replay. Put it this way Conor is still going to pick up something at Cheltenham and Arrayan is a winner without a penalty. It was a bit of a scramble home after the fall. Highway Code benefited most and this was a bit of role reversal having looked a likely winner when falling in his previous run! Second (Lidor) and third (Up to the Mark) seem pretty modest. Biggest disappointment was Cambridgeshire winner Credit Swap who was made a warmish favourite in such a competitive handicap. Raced prominently but just didn’t appear to stay. He has won in softish ground on the flat, so the going wasn’t the concern. I would say he just didn’t seem to stay and will probably hope to be in a muddling race restricted to pseudo sprint conditions and as such today’s strong gallop just didn’t suit. 


We had a mare handicap hurdle over 3miles as our fifth race which was won in consummate ease by the useful mare Molly Round who is currently racing off a very nice mark. The manner of this win hurdling well and taking it up a mile out suggests she has up to a stone in hand of the handicapper. She was very well fancied by connections last week at Towcester where I saw her fall in a handicap chase on her debut over the larger obstacles. The connections were very bullish about her prior to that race saying she only needed to stand up to win, On reflection of today they were probably right. She is a workmanlike tough looking mare and must be followed in mares’ events in soft ground until she loses. The runner-up was the gambled on and one paced Saulty Max. She is said to have temperament issues and is best left. She is clearly out of favour with the handicapper. Aeronautica ran ok being up with pace until weakening so appears to need a shorter trip.




The sturdy mare Molly Round leaves the paddock after a facile victory, she can follow up against her sex again before the handicapper takes too much note


The closing chase was a six runner class 4 handicap which was won by a Polish bred gelding Jeczmien. Always leading and jumping well he pulled clear 2 out for a comfortable win. The battle for runner up was a close call with The Darling Boy just getting up and therefore the better of Playing With Fire. The fourth home Lord Singer was not that far adrift either. Difficult to gauge as to potential of this field



Jeczmien in green (Polish for plumber?) comes over here and nicks the money from the local bred runner up.

To close off an eventful meeting was another of those interesting hands and heels events over 17f for conditional jockeys. A key feature of the meeting was seeing three stars for the future. The pretty well established Ed Glassonbury, the emerging star ready to pick up a major race in Conor O’Farrell and the younger Twiston-Davies who gave every indication of being an even better prospect than his brother (who is pretty useful anyway). It was Ed who won on the front-running ultra game mare Calico Rose outgunning in a desperate fight the Twiston-Davies ridden hold up horse Prince of Denial. Posh Emily plodded home in her own time for third and That’ll Do Boy ran in snatches to be fourth. The favourite in a tight market Beside The Fire was top weight but soon seen off and mudlark Smokey George, who had been in grand form around New Year, looked a bit overcooked for now.



Over the first in the last, a hands and heels event


Notebook

Chrysanda (P) down £21
P 1 10/11 1 Evens 5 3 2
Won twice on sharp courses after Taunton then moderate runs at more galloping circuits. Returned to form when second at Bangor but now left

Sweet World (P) up £135
5 1 7/2 0 3 25/1 0 2 16/1 1 11/1 1 11/2 1 5/1 0
On second effort won well then good 6th in decent Aintree event. Followed with three good runs on the flat at long odds making fair each way punting fresh from flat did quick hurdle double before slipping in on the flat. Highly tried in class 3 over sticks latest and now left

Brampour (P) up £165
0 0 1 13/2 1 12/1
Not disgraced in top novices at festivals. Returned to handicapping with two good wins including the Greatwood. May well progress even further but he owes me nothing

Clowance House (P) down £10
4
Blundered chance away on only subsequent ride and on that basis I have binned him

Trop Fort (N) up £30
0 0 0
Continues to look poor but best leave now as is the sort for Pipe to slip into a 2m hcap as 117 looks fair and must have shown something in the past to suggest talent so leave alone now.

First In The Queue (P) (levels)
1 9/4 0 U 4 1 7/4
Won despite not hurdling well next time out. Was very novicey in three subsequent efforts. Came good again in the summer but still not fluent and then I binned him. He has since run at the Galway festival without running too badly and might pick up a handicap of current fair mark but not with my urging

Lake Legend (N) up £30
2 0 0
Proved himself to be a jumper of limited ability in subsequent three runs including getting stuffed at 4/11. I doubt he will win unless in a particularly poor race but I have had my bit from him and will leave him to other layers

Arrayan (P) down £10
Well publicised hcap snip when thrashed next run. Not seen since so assume something array. Leave off list now

Molly Round (P)(levels)
1 3/1 2 0 B
Came out and won next run followed with a decent second. Ran sixth in a big event for mares before starting this autumn off with an unfortunate BD. I will leave her alone now

Saulty Max (N)up £20
F P
Followed up by losing next two runs when failing to get around despite being favourite. Looks useless but I will leave her alone now.

Hereford provides the final Midlands track on the marathon excursion to get to every GB course in a year. We now have only four left to complete on time and only the weather can beat me.  The trip today was through some fog and at one stage I thought perhaps the racing was going to be abandoned at worse or marred because of poor visibility at best. However the fog lifted before mid-day and it turned out to be a nice November day, quite mild, dry and overcast. Hereford is an unfussy course but nicely laid out with key stuff easily accessible. Facilities are not great but at least good viewing stands if a bit remote from the course as set back a fair distance from the racing.

The course is just to the north east of the town and as such you can avoid the town centre which is handy from a traffic perspective. It is within walking distance so no liberty taken with the course names.

The track has a nice positioning of the pre-parade ring (which had a couple of fine trees including a decent Silver Birch which would have needed further consideration if its roots were in the main paddock), right next to it is the main paddock (no tree, not even a scrub) and a winners’ enclosure. This was all tidy and allowed a good view of the horses before and after the races. Although no award this was a decent set up.

No water feature at all that I could see, no arty bits and bobs at all and nothing imaginative in the architecture.

The going today was officially good to soft but I thought it was perfect ground and as such I thought it was good going. Plenty of grass covering and little sign of horses going in too deep. The good weather has helped groundsmen although getting this ground still takes skill so fair play to the Hereford team.

The approach to the track is not that encouraging as the access road to the car parking was clearly designed and maintained with off road vehicles much loved by the rural swaggerhunds very much in mind. The potholes were truly epic and are of such regularity and quality that must have been engineered. On the plus side was that the car parking was within a 100 metres of the entrance, so no hike around to get in.
The entrance to the course is boring nothing of note but nowhere near the sinking feeling approaching the giant that is York. When you get in though it is a spacious yet intimate course and that is a rare combination. No artefacts and the stands are pretty bleak really in design terms. There are a number of building now idle and some of the timber on one of the stands needs a bit of maintenance. But it did not have a run-down feel at all.

I had a frantic search for a decent cup of tea. The cafes all had those dreadful machine things which spit out unpalatable and often scalding slop. However I did find a fair cuppa at the burger van and they had made an effort to provide real milk. The price at £1.40 was OK and only 10p more than the machine. On the food front I thought the pie / pasties looked fine including the famed Chicken Balti. I was not that hungry so at £3 I had a big bowl of pasta and spicy tomato sauce. Very nice, cooked fresh so good value. All in all I thought the food on offer was good and there were other restaurants including a Silks which is generally of a high standard. The restaurant wasn’t too full but at least there was plenty on offer for the racegoer. Private dining in suits such as The Bregawn completed the facility review. Not bad at all then

The card today was not bad really with two female only races added to the interest. The cost though at £16 was maybe a bit too big. This does need to be balanced with the fact that there was an access all areas strategy which is always very much appreciated. So on the value front not too bad but I have had much better days for less.

Communication was not great as there was a fairly perfunctural feel to the commentary from the usually good value Kat. The racecard at £3 needs to have  a bit more to it than the usual mix of runners and adverts. So not great on the customer care front. There was though plenty of promotion of a disabled peoples’ charity backing one of the races. There was plenty of fund raising going on and the attendance was swollen by some wheelchair bound people attending who seemed to have a great time. It is one of the major successes of the racecourses that wheelchair positioning is often at some of the best viewing areas. These are often left vacant even when it is clear that there are not that many spectators who would be permitted to view from there. Typical of racegoers in general is a gene which discourages rule-breaking.

Just past the winning posts and beyond a side entrance is a car park easily accessible for the general public. This gives ideal freemans territory. On the day of my visit there were no takers for this so there you have it. One aspect which always gives me a bit of a downer on the course is where there is no access to the centre of the course. No sign here that you could get in the middle which seemed to have a large golf course and a couple of all whether multi-use games areas each having floodlights.   

It is a long drive from London to Hereford. Despite this it is still worth these effort. The drive takes you through Cheltenham. This is a town I have only visited when racing is on. Today was the first time I had passed through on a working day. It has to be said that it is a lot less charming than during the festival. This is especially the contrast as you drive through town by following the A40. Here you go past the famous Cheltenham College and before long you drive through a comparatively run down area.

There are only two roads to remember on this route they are the A40 and the A49 so even I couldn’t get lost. Once on the A49 you will go along the Wye Valley which is picturesque. Hereford itself is a good size market town in the very agriculture driven region. The drive through to get to the racecourse which is to the north of the town means you go along Edgar Street passing the famous Hereford United football ground home of one of the mast memorable football matches when the non league dumped the Fancy Dans from Newcastle out of the FA Cup along with their England international centre forward Malcolm MacDonald. As you head north from here signs for the racecourse become more evident and soon you reach a roundabout where the right hand turn takes you to the track. Getting to the course from the north via the A49 is a lot easier as there is no need to go through the town.


Hereford is pretty well a right handed square with minor undulations. However it takes a bit of riding and the run in from the final turn is very short with just the one jump. It looked like you needed to be well positioned coming to two out to have any change. Nothing made ground from off the pace after this point. Most races seemed to be run at a moderate pave until entering the back straight which is around four out. The fences looked modest with few mistakes and the fallers in the novice handicap chase were very poor so it could hardly be a pointer to the stiffness of the fence.

The course is run by the same organisation as Uttoxeter and the professionalism shows. The branding is similar and is a neat racecourse. The crowd was large for a mid-week fixture. It maybe school time but the last couple of races attended have been decent crowds which makes you think either the recession hasn’t hit yet or that racing is going to be strong despite the hard times ahead. The expansive lawns on slightly raised ground make this a good viewing track and an open policy makes moving from one enclosure to another easy. The view of the final fence is good with a stand sited opposite. There is a picnic area which is before the bend out of the home straight where you can park a car. This is where I would normally head for but I fancied a change and opted for the enclosures for a change today. Parking elsewhere is pretty good and free.

Like most tracks it does offer opportunities for specific horses. Hereford being a right handed track with the emphasis on keeping up with the pace and having some undulations make it different to most. It is also one where the uphill sections are in areas where a horse can have a breather  this then means that the downhill from 3 out to the home straight put an emphasis on speed rather than stamina. When I was here in 2009 there was one course specialist who exemplifies the statement regarding the course. He came to Hereford having won three times here ran in the three mile plus handicap chase is worth looking at to demonstrate the speed element of this course. His form did not suggest he would easily get the trip as all the wins had been over a shorter distance. He was up with the pace for most of the race, generally leading and was one of two that pulled clear. Although beaten into second he stayed the trip here.


In 2009 when I came here soon after the national local handler Venetia Williams bought her national hero to the track. After Mon Mone was introduced to the throng the following race was a seller and the winning horse was ridden by Liam Treadwell. The commentator probably had rehearsed for this moment as coming to the last and clear  he trumpeted ‘ … and over the last comes Liam Treadwell grand national winners or selling hurdle victories they all come the same to this great prospect’, or words to that effect. I bet he dreaded what to say if he had pitched on landed and unseated.

The final race that day was the maiden hurdle. In this race was a very talented staying flat horse called Greenwich Meantime. I had seen him win the Chester Cup which is a race which takes some winning. He was up against some fairly useful sorts. Despite that it appeared that he was clearly head and shoulders above the rest on class, looked well and had made a promising debut where his hurdling was less than fluent. So the question was can the class horse brush up enough on his hurdling to beat others who appear to be more natural jumpers. The answer was; no he couldn’t. Despite in general hurdling ok he ‘missed’ 4 out when the pace was upped, collided with the horse adjacent and never recovered. The winner called The Treacle Eater hurdled well and kicked clear before 2 out. The clear message was when assessing a race over the sticks class amounts to little if the horse cannot hurdle or jump fluently.

The first race back in 2009 was won by Harry Skelton whose son is the famous show jumper. I have seen him a few times and he looks very useful well worth his claim. In fact the trend recently has been the amount of good prospects around such as Rhys Flint, Aiden Coleman and Danny Cooke. In the past I have tended to dismiss five and seven pound claimers as being in the sack of spuds category. However there appears to be significant improvement in comparison to years gone by with many of these lads well worth their claim.  One interesting aspect of that card was several Irish horses were entered. These were in the handicaps and the seller. Generally in the past a horse sent a long distance would command a second look. An Irish horse sent over to run in a modest seller would have set alarm bells ringing. However none of them appeared to be well backed and none of them got anywhere near winning. I think the travel factor has been eroded as a point of reference. In the distant past this would have been one of the golden rules. Another was to look to see if the horse was plated up. It was thought that aluminium plates were expensive and weaker than iron but were so much lighter as to provide an advantage for the horse. It was relatively easy to spot the plates as they shone much more than the relatively duller iron ones. However it is so rare to see plates other than aluminium ones that it’s hardly worth making a note. Another rule dissolved. In terms of travelling it could well be that owning a racehorse does not deter sending it great distances to race if it gets a run into the horse even if it hasn’t been laid out for that particular race.

But will the testing times we are set for over the next couple of years or so change this. Will the development of the old fashioned gambling stable return. I think it will. Despite all the controls out there in terms of vigilance and rules there are gaps. There are opportunities. The task is to try to spot how the gambling stables operate and even who they are. Desperate owners and trainers will be scrapping for the inches to enable the scoped to be successful. This is the same in business. Scrapping for inches trying to differentiate coming up with that new way to get ahead and keep ahead. This will be the new environment. In general there has been 10 years of easy meat under labour with overheating financial, property and consumer markets propped up by overheated labour market and freedom to easy borrowing. That model has changed and with it a far more competitive market. The next few years new gambling trainers will emerge with new stratagem those that spot what is going on will do well.

As I noted earlier when I was here in 2009 the local Herefordshire trainer Venetia Williams had won The Grand National the previous weekend as only the second women trainer to do so. It is strange to see that the horse training game is still very male dominated whereas the greyhound racing world has long had the likes of Nora McKellistram, Linda Mullens and Carley Philpot at the top of its tree. The local course took the opportunity to present the winning connections to the lord mayor of Hereford. Williams did a good interview, Liam Treadwell the jockey got asked whether winning it was better than sex and the horse paraded in the paddock and on the course.

When Williams trotted through Mon Mome’s CV it made you wonder just why he was 100/1 on the day. One striking observation was that he isn’t all that big looking more like a handicap hurdler than a specialist four and a half mile chaser. What is also well worthwhile pointing out is the enterprise of the Hereford management to spot a good bit of marketing. To bring the stars of the previous Saturday’s high profile race to a local audience. Ask yourself what image would the occasional or first time racegoer at Hereford today go home with? It is long odds on that this would be remembered as the day they saw the Grand National winner in the flesh.

The grumpy quarryman’s award for the most interestingstand name has a good entrant inHereford as one of the stands is named after Colonel Corbett. Here is the one I think it is named in honour of:
Lieutenant-Colonel Uvedale "Streak" Corbett, who has died aged 95, won a DSO in France in 1944 and was elected Conservative MP for Ludlow in the following year.



The Colonel Corbett stand

In August 1944, during the capture and defence of the Orne bridgehead, Corbett, who was by then already a lieutenant-colonel, acted as the Commander Royal Artillery's representative with 176 Infantry Brigade. He occupied an Observation Post in an exposed situation and during the repeated attacks of the 12th SS Panzer Division on the bridgehead, he came under almost continuous artillery and mortar fire.
Finding that he required a better view, Corbett climbed on to the top of his vehicle in the open and continued to direct the fire of the divisional artillery with complete disregard for the enemy shelling.
He was awarded an immediate DSO.
Uvedale Corbett was born near Shrewsbury on September 12 1909 and educated at Wellington before going to the RMA, Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1929 and subsequently attended the Equitation School at Weedon.
It was compulsory to hunt five days a week and, on one occasion, Corbett was hauled up in front of his commanding officer for missing a day. His plea in mitigation, that he had gone racing instead, was accepted, albeit with some reluctance.
It was at Weedon that he acquired his nickname. He was unable to resist a flutter on the horses and sometimes bet more than was prudent on a subaltern's pay. His fellow officers described him as a "long streak of misery" when his horse was pipped at the post. At the end of the course, however, he passed out top and was awarded the Sword of Honour.
After serving with the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) at Newport, Monmouthshire, Corbett was posted to India for a spell, before returning to England and joining 149 Regiment RA. He commanded 432 Battery and swiftly acquired a reputation as an outstanding trainer.
In 1942, Corbett took charge of 141 Field Regiment RA (Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry) TA, before assuming command of 116 Field Regiment RA in Normandy in July 1944. Early in 1945, he took command of 3 RHA and served with this unit until the end of the campaign in north-west Europe.
Corbett was determined to leave the Army as soon as the war ended and he obtained an automatic discharge by standing as Conservative candidate for the Ludlow Division. He became an MP in the (Labour landslide) general election in 1945 and held the seat for six years.
Corbett then decided to devote himself to farming in Herefordshire. He subsequently co-founded the West Midlands Broiler Hatchery and built a new hatchery north of Hereford.
The broiler industry expanded fast and in 1960, together with a group of breeders and growers, he founded Sun Valley Poultry. By the end of the following year, its new purpose-built factory was processing 50,000 birds a week.
Union International, a company owned by the Vestey family, purchased a half share and by the 1970s Sun Valley Poultry was a leader in its field. Corbett was a talented judge of people and liked to bring ex-Army officers into his team. He did not baulk at giving hitch-hikers a lift and more than one owed a long career at Sun Valley to such a chance encounter.
When the economic climate deteriorated, the company ran into serious cash flow problems; but the relationships that Corbett had forged with Marcus Sieff and Michael Sacher of Marks and Spencer resulted in a rescue operation that enabled Sun Valley Poultry to retain much of its independence.
In 1980 Sun Valley Poultry was sold to Cargills, a large American private company, but Corbett stayed on as chairman for another three years before retiring.
He was appointed CBE in 1984 in recognition of his work for the poultry industry.
Streak Corbett enjoyed hunting and was an excellent shot. He also devoted more than 30 years to establishing an arboretum at Shobdon, in Herefordshire.
Racing, too, remained an important part of his life, and he had some remarkable coups against the bookmakers. On the occasions that he went home lighter in pocket he consoled himself and his friends with a bottle of Champagne.
Shortly after the war, he attended Goodwood week - and by the second day he had made enough money to educate his three children privately. By the end of the meeting, however, the bookies had come out on top.
He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Hereford and Worcester in 1983.
Streak Corbett died on September 1. He married first, in 1935 (dissolved 1952), Veronica Whitehead. He married secondly, in 1953, Patricia Jane Walker, who died in 1985. He married thirdly, in 1987, Peggy Roberts, who died in 1997. He is survived by two sons and a daughter of his first marriage.


Today's Racing

Race 1 class 5 handicap hurdle 2m1; Good hold up ride by Hadden Frost. Rolanta made smooth progress from 3 out to lead on the run in for a well earned victory. All wins have come on square right handers on  goodish ground so a clue there maybe to the future. Second was Cruise In Style who held every chance till mistake two out but battled on again to get second. Fair run. Mr Bachster is a consistent hurdler in this class but is a little one paced and finished third after trying to make most. Cider Lolly was prominent throughout and ran a fair race. Aughcarra made a few mistakes and was never near enough to challenge. Eyecatcher on a positive note was sixth home Marju King who was staying on very well without getting too hard a time of it. Not exposed at all as this is his fifth race over hurdles, racing off 94 looks a good mark, has won 12f on flat, always held up and stays on, much better hurdling effort today. Is out of the same line as an Italian St Leger winner so has stamina and by a son of Last Tycoon which is no bad thing for a hurdler. All in all he needs to be ridden closer to the pace or in a muddling race where he can be held up. There were plenty in the race today to be covered up but they did get a bit strung out. Well capable of winning a novice handicap.



Over the last and Mr bachster (yellow ) is about to be sqallowed up by winner Rolanta (green) a couple of scruffy landins clearly seen here

Race 2 a fillies’ juvenile hurdle over 2m1. The winner was the Alan King debutante Reyamour who was the 6/4 favourite on the back of some good reports from the stable gallops. Looked a bit behind in the paddock suggesting strongly that she would be all the better for the run. Ran a bit green, held up in mid division but made smooth progress to challenge at the last and then just get up. Looked a bit awkward but I think that was lack of experience and I think she looks a useful filly who is a positive from the race. She also had the leader Belleau fall when she was upsides which didn’t help her cause much.  Has a super middle distance pedigree and looks to be a brood of the future. Should stay further than this and no reason why cannot run well over 2m4. Captain Sharpe was a winner already and looking fit and well ran another sound race battling on to give the favourite a tough race. The pair were clear emphasising the quality of the winner. Captain Sharpe will continue to act as a benchmark but may find winning again difficult until handicapping. Captain Loui looked dull in his coat but was fit enough. Ran well for a distance third having held every chance two out; made a mistake at the last.   Gud Day looked well in the paddock and was a touch unlucky today as was hampered when long term leader Belleau fell in front of her two out. Stayed on for fourth but chance had gone. Flat form suggests suited by stiff right handers and those two wins were at Leicester so keep an eye out for a suitable race there for her as she has enough ability to pick up a small event. Of the rest Now At Last was not fluent and any case looks more a chasing type, Maratib looked tetchy in the paddock and was soon tailed off,  Our Folly was held up well of the pace and did stay on a bit from about 2 out promising, Umorustic looked in fair nick before was prominent until falling down a hole around halfway. Sing The Praises looked in very well before hand but was green in the extreme even jumping over a path across the course (never the best sign) clearly useless.



Belleau (noseband) led for much till fallingand heads Umoristic with a circuit to go. Sixth (red with white cap) is Reyamour who won despite running very green


Race 3 was a mares handicap chase class 4 over 2m5. First thing to say is that they looked a decent field of mares all looking in very good condition. It was won by Way Back When who jumped well in the main to claim first chase at only the second time of asking. The positive was runner up Daneva who made very smooth headway from 4 out and challenged the winner all the way down the home straight to fail by just over a length. Has the old stringhalt walk thing going on. There is an explanation of the condition at the end of the racing section as I am sure you are frantic for it now. The pair were clear. Playing With Fire finished a remote third having made a right hash of the second last but was probably well beaten at that stage in any case. Favourite Kings Queen raced fine until missed out the third last and never recovered.



Daneva (light blue) taking a fence at halfway en route to an encouraging run

Race 4 was the feature Herefordshire Growing Point novices’ limited handicap chase set at class 3 level over 2m6. This was the aforementioned noble challenge to enhance disabled peoples life using the media of growing plants. There were only three finishers out of seven. Well fancied Nicholls new inmate from Howard Johnsons demise was Doeslessthanme. Never fluent, jumped out to the left on occasions and not unexpectedly clobbered one too many and unshipped Daryl Jacob at the tenth. On this showing it is going to take a very long time to put right so much which is wrong so I have to have him down as a negative going forward. The winner in very fine order and completing a King / Thornton treble in the form of Invictus who despite being obstructed by the fallen Doeslessthanme managed to avoid whithout losing momentum. Soon in charge and by the second last there was not much hope for anyone who had laid this very decent novice. I think he is a positive and will win again even if asked to shoulder a penalty. Won his only point, not too bad over timber winning at Ascot but looks an even better prospect over the larger obstacles when winning at first time of asking. A definite positive as has the ability to carry a penalty and looks sort to do well over enen further as can be expected to stay three miles. Of the other Sherwani Wolf made a mistake at a vital time in the race but was still good enough to be second, Pyracantha tried to make all but was seen off to be the last of the finishers. Present To You finished lame. Get It On was travelling well when fell three out having previously done well over the fences at tight tracks so disappointing not to see him finish.  Not a positive but I would have a crafty look at him next run.



Invictus winning in impressive if nearly unrecognisable style

Race 5 was a novice handicap hurdle over 2m4. It was a good race between What An Oscar (confidently ridden by Sam Twiston-Daview who made all and always seemed to have a bit more up his sleeve when attacked) and Briefcase (given every chance by Con O’Farrell but could not get enough going to worry the winner. No wins but running style suggests could be better suited by 3 miles. Infuriating to back as has been second in three of last four runs. I would love to see him win but he looks unlucky and one paced. Of the others Reginaldinho (cannot  hurdle to save his life based on today where he looked like he had some pace but cannot hurdle at top pace), Runaway Henry (was restrained and tried to get into the race around halfway but soon weakened right out of it) and Hard Tackle (never seemed to be travelling smoothly and was tailed off from just past halfway).



Winner What An Oscar (crossbelts) desputes with ultimate runner up Briefcase (red / green) as an early stage of the race

Race 6  2m novice handicap chase set at class 5 level. It was won in an absolute canter by Alpha Way who basically made all and after quickly drawing clear maintained this advantage. This german bred was undistinguished between the flags. Not that much better in bumpers and in his initial three novice hurdle races. No real sign of anything in the near future must have been the call when he finished in a different parish on handicap chase debut. The favourite Bay Central was very short at 5/4. Was second but not looking like catching the winner when unshipped 3 out. The Grey One had eventually won a chase last run after eleven efforts half of which he had finished in the first two. Not that straightforward and seems to be a bit hit and miss at his fences which was the analysis of his appointment today.


Race 7 and final race was a 2m1 bumper. It was won by Bonne Fee on Jason Maguire’s first ride back after the horrendous injury a few months back... and what a race to bounce back on. Bred for further and stamina was the chief attribute which enabled  a victory as he ran on from a restrained position to collar the leader on the line.  Runner up was the 3/1 favourite Emily’s Flyer who tried to hold back the tied of competitors when he led from three out. A good run but not sure this event will amount to much of the others the third home Petrarchic had on the face of it over exaggerated waiting tactics but when set about his business stayed on well from a hopeless position. He was an expensive yearling but has not lived up to that promise. Easter Dancer had a chance but failed to quicken. All in all a pretty nonedescript bumper I am afraid.

Notebook

Marju King (P) UP £35
B 1 9/2
Only got as far as he second next time when unluckily bought down. Next run was when forcing the pace and then very easily winning and as long as mark does not go up too far can win again

Reyamour (P)down £10
0
Very disappointing next run cannot believe that is her form and perhas the run came too quick or Leicester is a stiff test and she prefers something easier

Davena (P)




Doeslessthanme (N) up £10
2
blundered any chance away and still not confident that he has brushed up on his jumping

Invictus (P) up £17.50
1 7/4
ran up his nattrick with another impressive win this time at Plumpton


‘Stringhalt is a myoclonic affliction of one or both hindlimbs seen as spasmodic overflexion of the joints. The etiology is unknown, but lesions of a peripheral neuropathy have been identified in the sciatic, peroneal, and tibial nerves. Severe forms of the condition have been attributed to lathyrism (sweet pea poisoning) in the USA and possibly to flat weed intoxication in Australia. Horses of any breed may be affected; it is rare in foals.
All degrees of hyperflexion are seen, from the mild, spasmodic lifting and grounding of the foot, to the extreme case in which the foot is drawn sharply up until it touches the belly and is then struck violently on the ground. In severe cases, there is atrophy of the lateral thigh muscles. In Australian stringhalt and lathyrism, the condition may be progressive, and the gait abnormality may become so severe that euthanasia is warranted.
Mild stringhalt may be intermittent. The signs are most obvious when the horse is sharply turned or backed. In some cases, the condition is seen only on the first few steps after moving the horse out of its stall. The signs are often less intense or even absent during warmer weather. Although it is regarded as unsoundness, stringhalt may not materially hinder the horse’s ability to work, except in severe cases when the constant concussion gives rise to secondary complications. The condition may also make the horse unsuitable for equestrian sports (eg, dressage).
Diagnosis is based on clinical signs but can be confirmed by electromyography. If the diagnosis is in doubt, the horse should be observed as it is backed out of the stall after hard work for 1-2 days. False stringhalt sometimes appears as a result of some temporary irritation to the lower pastern area or even a painful lesion in the foot. The occasional horse with momentary upward fixation of the patella may exhibit a stringhalt-like gait.’
When intoxication is suspected, removal to another paddock may be all that is required. Many of these cases apparently recover spontaneously. In chronic cases, tenectomy of the lateral extensor of the digit, including removal of a portion of the muscle, has given best results. Improvement may not be evident until 2-3 wk after surgery. Prognosis after surgery is guarded—not all cases respond. This is not surprising because the condition is a distal axonopathy. Other methods of treatment include large doses of thiamine and phenytoin.

Where the fecking hell is Fakenham you might ask and I have beaten back the frontiers of development and discovered that it is in the hindquarters of that bumpy bit on the right hand-side of England.  But don’t take my word for it; get there yourselves because it is worth the battle as this is a course to visit having its own unique rustic appeal.  It doesn’t quite come up to the same level as current favourites for best midlands track which appears to be a battle between Uttoxeter and Cheltenham but I would look forward to going  there again. It is very well supported by locals and on an unseasonably bright mild November Tuesday there was a healthy crown who had flocked to the venue. We have been very lucky with the weather so far as by this time last year hell had frozen over by now. 

The course is easy to find given you have deduced that the town is near King’s Lynn and are observant enough to catch sight of the signposts. From my own spectacular lack of any sense of direction I have calculated that the course is set to the east of the town of Fakenham but is not that far away (perhaps a mile or so) to prevent a nice stroll to the action. There were plenty who I passed doing just that. Many looking like they had either just done a shift at the pig farm, taking their bike for a walk like an Edwardian servant heading back for mothering Sunday or hardcore ramblers on the trail of a lesser spotted woodpecker. So the location was in keeping with the name of the course with no confusion once you had worked out yes indeed Norfolk has roads. To be fair pretty good ones at that
   
Trees in paddocks has been a penchant of this visit after the delights of Plumpton. Many don’t even bother, some have telegraph poles in them and others are planted saplings for future prizes. What did Fakenham do? Well I have to say as a starter that the paddock was a bit on the small side but as least even the plebs in the centre can get to more than half the paddock which is brilliant value. There were three trees of about a metre high. They were in pots and two of the fir / pine variety had some red tinsel on them for some obscure and probably a local pagan tradition thing going on. So no challenge to the might Plumpton here.

Catering for the course plebs was not bad really. There was a restaurant which was selling some decent scran mainly seafood from what I could see. However I availed myself of the Norfolk Produce snap wagon. I had a bacon roll. The bacon was thick cut, had the rind still on it, was coated in a black goo. The roll was soft and dry falling apart with little effort. The serving of bacon was very generous indeed for the £3.50 it cost and the meat was good quality. So mixed review there really but all in all tasty plus value. The lady serving had a bit of a problem with mental arithmetic and the pricing became a bit of a Dutch auction until after three efforts she alighted on the correct price to enable the transaction to be completed. Amusing as this happened concurrent to the auction for the winner of the seller. All in all no Homer grease level for poor quality nor cloche winner in the high value stakes.

Tea was taken at the butty bar and was hot, had fresh milk and was a reasonable taste. Downside was that the teabag had been left in and the cup was one of those soft polystyrene efforts which always feels like it is about to collapse leaving the contents in the consumer’s lap. The value at £1.30 was fair and thus not in the insect ridden Salisbury league.

The layout of facilities is nice and basic, we have a good value for money course enclosure with a beaten up but serviceable stand which is more than you can say for many similar spaces on tasty courses. The main grandstand seemed to have a reasonable if basic stand in fair repair. The members had the most up to date facility. There were a few more enclosures than you find on a more access all areas approach I have found at many tracks to date, but not in the same class as the pernickety efforts of Thirsk for example. Artefacts were nonexistent unless I missed one so we still have Goodwoods weird as feck head in the lead. Architecture: The one stand which stood out was the ‘new’ Price of Wales Grandstand. This looks like grand-design chic means Ikea flatpack mass marketing. It looked like it was built for racing in Bergen and the wooden cladding made me think that the flower-talker himself had a bit of a say in this. At least it was not another non descript concrete and steel standard issue structure much loved by middle of the league football clubs relocating to a local out of town shopping mall. But I have Ripons chalkboard ahead on points.



Prince of Wales Grnadstand

Entrance to the course was not that memorable both from an aesthetic and utilitarian perspective. So the dour York and the art deco Pontefract are still well clear on both ends of the scale.

Water features are often hard to find but today I managed to find one. The drainage ditch was very deep (which appears mainly to preserve the condition of the greens on the in-field golf course) provides a  potential hazard for the unwary particularly if stumbling around drunk at the end of a winter’s card. It then flows into the pond and I assume this is drawn from to help watering. However I noted that the Environment Agency had withdrawn permission to water to get slower ground today so there must be an issue locally with aquifers and available water. The pond was in general a nice feature with the only distraction being the concrete housing for the high level outlet valve which was scruffy. There were some gorse, some small trees / scrubs and sculptured to give a natural feel. Not bad effort but not quite good enough to push the front runners Folkestone, Kempton and Catterick 



Nice pond but disfigured by outlet housing

Going today was on the fast side of good. That would normally mean mass defections, decimated card and issues around safety. However because the grass covering was so good the moisture was held in the ground and from my view I think this led to satisfactory racing. Given that the EA had refuse to allow watering it was a good effort by the groundsmen to get this condition and given that I am seeing nice covering of grass on the NH courses so far this winter, we must have had a good growing season this summer / autumn and with no real frosts yet the grass is on good nick.

Price to get into the centre including access to paddock was only £8 which I reckon was very good value for money. We had quite a varied card today with a seller, juvenile fillies’ hurdle, decent novice chased and some interesting handicaps. I think they worked hard on the card, the races were over a number of trips so decent value today.  Car parking appeared to be very close to the entrance in all respect and as you can park all the way around to about two furlongs out the view from the second last was very good. So no Kip Keano award here then.

The track itself is a tight flat left hander of only about a mile around. This means they go around a few times so mental arithmetic is a must for any jockey intending to make all here. The fences caught a few out but looked to me to be on the soft side. The tight nature means that there is a straight of only a furlong so timing your run is key and the inside offers some benefit. It is obviously one to suit tippy types. It has a fence directly in front of the main grandstands pretty close up as well which is a good feature from a spectator position, but no water jump. From the centre of the track you can get right up to the races without too much hassle and because of the layout walking around from fence to fence from the middle to see the action is easy. Good track in this respect

Racecard and communication were pretty reasonable the card cost £2.50 but had a useful guide to pointing in East Anglia which was well put together and included a good review of the previous meeting at Fakenham. On the communication front we had Thommo on the mike and he is always value. So good effort on this front from Fakenham.

History 1884 and is Norfolk’s oldest existing course but then it only has Yarmouth for company in that respect. The West Norfolk Hunt Meeting, the oldest horse racing event in the Norfolk area, was introduced in 1884 and originally hosted at East Winch near King's Lynn. However, a search for a new venue to improve racing conditions was finally successful in 1905, when the National Hunt racing moved to the location we now know was Fakenham Racecourse. The first race was conducted on Easter Monday - which is still a major event on the Fakenham racing calendar today - with an impressive 37 starters in the tracks inaugural race.

After years of nothing but steeple chasing, Fakenham Racecourse introduced Hurdles in 1926 to mix up the racing events and secure the popularity of the sport. Although the racing was suspended during the first and Second World War, Fakenham grew to be a permanent supplier of fixtures on the racing circuit. Today Fakenham is still the proud host of National Hunt meetings throughout the season.

Nearby some 5 or so miles due west on the A148 is Sandringham. This proximity gives the royal connection with the racecourse. Sandringham is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as “Sant Dersingham”, the sandy part of Dersingham, subsequently shortened to Sandringham.  There is evidence of a residence on the present site of the House as early as 1296; prehistoric flint tools have been found in the area and there are remains of a Roman villa quite close to nearby Appleton Farm.  From the 16th century the area passed through two families, the Cobbes who held the land from 1517 and the Hostes who followed in 1686.  The house which the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, found at Sandringham was a plain Georgian structure with a white stucco exterior, built in the second half of the 18th century by Cornish Henley, whose wife was a member of the Hoste family.  Henley died before the house was completed and his son eventually sold it to a neighbour, John Motteux, who had first arrived in England as a Huguenot refugee in 1685. Motteux bequeathed it in his will to his friend Charles Spencer Cowper, the stepson of Viscount Palmerston who was Prime Minister at the time.



In the spring of 1862, Sandringham House with its estate at the time of 2,800 hectares was bought from Cowper as a country home for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who had just turned 21.  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had decided that he should move from the family home to a house of his own.  His principal residence was to be Marlborough House in London but it was felt that he should also have a private house well away from town so that he would be able to escape when duty permitted and enjoy the benefits of a healthy country life.  Many properties were inspected and the search was still in train when the tragic and premature death of the Prince Consort brought it to an abrupt halt.  However, Queen Victoria decided that everything must go on as her husband would have wished and so the Prince of Wales prepared for a visit to Sandringham.  On inspection, the property was decided to be most suitable and so the purchase was concluded a few days later.
 
The Prince made the old house habitable and moved in with his new wife, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, three weeks after their marriage in 1863.  It soon became evident that the old house was too cramped for the Prince’s growing family; it was demolished to make way for a new house, designed by a Norwich architect, AJ Humbert and built by Goggs Brothers of Swaffham.  The main house was completed in 1870; a ballroom was added in 1881 and a new guest accommodation wing in the 1890s.

After King Edward VII’s death in 1910, one of his friends wrote, “Up to the last year of his life he was continually improving his domain, repairing churches, spending money on the place in one way or another.”  His son, King George V, wrote, “Dear old Sandringham, the place I love better than anywhere else in the world,” and his grandson, King George VI, wrote “I have always been happy here and I love the place.”.  It is evident from the amount of time that the Queen and her family spend here that this affection continues as strongly as ever.

The gardens at Sandringham were first opened to the public by King Edward VII in 1908, and in 1930 the Museum was opened with an admission charge of 3d.  Her Majesty the Queen opened the House itself to the public in her Silver Jubilee year, 1977.


The Racing



Race 1 Selling handicap hurdle over 2m4; easy winner Mongonel well ridden by Tom Scu clattered two out. Bon Speil tried keep tabs but gave up the ghost four out. The rest were hopelessly thrashed with Pobs Trophy coming home like Steptoes Hercules with the jockey resolutely refusing to administer even one slap. Nothing of note. No bid for the winner. No claims made.



Mangonel skips well clear towards the last despite a blunder two out

Race 2 Conditional Jockeys handicap chase class 5 over 2m4; soundly judged race by Robert Kirk and repeat win for Roc De Guye. Betty Browneyes tried to make all but weakened approaching 3 out. Finnegans Rainbow jumped without fluency but stayed on ok for second. Orpen Wide stayed on at the one pace and I am not convinced this track suited. Nothing of note



Roc De Guye (yellow/purple) stalks then in third on the way to a repeat win of this event



Bay Central had to be coralled by a hunter after running a couple of times around the course after unshipping Conor Ring at the first

Race 3 Juvenile Fillies hurdle 2m; So Is She acted up badly at the start looking mulish and was a bit lucky to actually start. Raced well though and was bought through smoothly from two out to lead over the last. Not a bad effort at all. Hope point had to be led in to start, was close up throughout but lacked the winner’s turn of foot. However good effort under a penalty. Bernisdale tried to make all and went off at a strong pace. Was collared approaching the last fair effort under a penalty. Nothing of note here.



Bernisdal established a long early but ultimately futile advantage

Race 4 Novice chase class 3 over 3m1; the giant Helpston looked very well in the paddock and put in a good round for a novice. Can continue to be hard to beat if not too highly tried. Could go handicapping if holding the 128 OR. Positive. Larks Lad stayed on ok, previously walked over when only other entry scratched on the day at Southwell on previous victory. Bottman has won here but made errors and lacks fluency. Worth opposing so a negative.



First circuit positions



Helpston (pink cap) was impressive today

Race 5 handicap chase class 4 over 2m6; The Laodiciean was slow at a couple of fences and weakened from 4 out. Investment Affair was hard driven from 2 out and won well with a bit in hand I would say but at 11 you wouldn’t think there was too much improvement in him which makes you think the others are moderate / poorly handicapped at the moment. Leapold was tailed off at halfway. Morenito tried to make all but was headed about 4 out. Grenoli led from 4 to 2 out but looked a sitting duck for the winner from 3 out. Nothing of note here



Eventual winner Investment Affair (green with yellow cap) taking the fence in front of the stands



Passes the post for a comprehensive victory

Race 6 novice handicap hurdle class 4 over 2m; great news for me as I had noted White diamond earlier in the season and she was available at a juicy 9/2 on one board. Made most breather four out slipstreamed around final turn produced to lead on run in. She is a tricky ride but has ability. Clearly suits tight tracks cheekpeices helped. Diamond Twister showed good pace from a held up position, to my eye needed the run and I have him down as  a positive from this off his 94 mark.



One of my ones to follow White Diamond (cheekpieces)at the start en route for a sound victory

Notes

Helpston (p)


Bottman (n)

Diamond Twister (p) down £10
0
Ran poorly next and is now aimed at a Lingfield race on the sand. Let's see how he does before going againover hurdles as the mark over hurdles is now tidy at 88

For the final time in this expedition I reached a Scottish racecourse. This course was the one I was probably looking forward to the most when I embarked on my mission. The signs were good, there was a decent quality card, the weather for the time of year was fantastic and the reputation for the atmosphere at Kelso is high. In fact the packed crowds and the bustle around the place was much like a top class country fair with many people knowing each other that it is clear that Kelso is a key element in the border culture. As such it has a friendly aura which many courses strive for but few will ever attain because this sort of ambiance cannot be manufactured. It is one of the must visit courses in my opinion and makes the choice of favourite Scottish course a real battle as all were enjoyable for several discrete reasons but Kelso and Musselburgh stand out as the top two.



Kelso is a small borders town close to the River Tweed. It’s not too difficult to get too. If coming from the Yorkshire direction you head through Coldstream and you find that Kelso is well signposted. From Carlisle you might as well head to Corbridge and use the best free fun run rollercoaster in England.This is shown on the roadmap as the A68. When you get to Jedburgh you will find that Kelso is well directed. From central Scotland it probably makes sense to get around the Edinburgh City by-pass and use the Dalkeith by-pass down to Lauder and then Kelso is clearly marked. The racecourse is on the Edinburgh road just to the north of the town. Whichever way you go the countryside is phenomenal. But make sure you’ve enough fuel as it was miles from Kelso to Lauder without a filling station so on my virtually empty tank the last few miles must have been like hoping Sharpo could stay a mile!

The Borders has its own culture really as is a little remote from the rest of Scotland. It is real hunting country and many of the towns in the area such as Hawick, Selkirk and Lauder have horse festivals known as common ridings. I attended Selkirk many years ago and it is a really good day out. The festivals have their roots in Scottish / English struggles in the past. For example Selkirk’s celebrates the solo return of the town clerk from the disastrous Battle of Flodden Fields. The Hawick Common Riding is steeped in tradition and involves church blessings, obscure food and riding around the town boundary marshes without getting the English colours or flag muddy. It could only be Britain. Inevitably the final day involves significant amounts of drink which is fair enough.

This part of Great Britain has been the recipient of development funds in the past. The most notable of these was the major construction managing the Rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees. The head of this scheme was to Bakethin Dam set smack on the border near Keilder Castle. The flagship of the whole project is the impressive Keilder Dam near the Bellingham which is known as either the beginning or end of the Pennine Way depending on whether you’ve walked uphill or downhill. Prior to the development The Pennines was the main draw from a tourist perspective. Other features are a leg of the World Rally Championship (which lost nothing by being staged in the middle of the night when I watched it in the 1970s) and The Bellingham Show which is a typical rural celebration and seemed to centre around sheep, more sheep and drink.

I have wondered what the driver for the project was in the first place. It was suppose to be water management and the provision of water for the north of England as well as a mechanism for control of the river levels to the major conurbations of Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough. There was also the fact that the resulting reservoir was of a substantial size and would draw tourists interested in sailing, fishing and other water pursuits.  However there is also the fact that the North East of England was suffering high levels of unemployment in the middle nineteen-seventies so a local injection of cash would not go amiss. The Common Market as it was no doubt called in those days was beginning to be viewed as a source of capital to support infrastructure expenditure.

There were not too many funded projects I am aware that predate Keilder but we have seem the acceleration of this source as a fiscal stimulus process. Republic of Ireland is a good example of fund application taken to new heights. It could be viewed that the influx of funds, preferential business corporation tax rates, low inflation/high growth due to Euro membership and export favourable exchange rates with sterling / dollar led to the Celtic Tiger. The fact that despite all these pluses the Irish people voted the European Constitution out in the referendum really rankled in Brussels. But that’s the Irish, never underestimate them as the thick paddy card has been played time and time again against the unwary.

There are no signs of this method of trying to even out Gross Domestic Product per capita within member states losing any momentum. It pays to follow the money and companies negligent of seeing where the best bets are will miss chances. There are other ways of getting stuck into the Brussels Trough. This may seem to be money for nothing but it does serve an important aspect of Europe. The more people trade, transfer knowledge, collaborate and absorb culture the more a European identity is forged. It worth remembering that the main reason around the Iron and Steel Treaty between France and Germany which was the founding process of today’s European Union was avoiding conflict. Europe has seen much tension and turbulence since the end of the Second World War, but we have not seen armed conflict.

So as a businessman I would say support and embrace the European project, identify how you can get stuck into the opportunities and remember that Great Britain is essentially a trading nation which has knowledge as its principle resource

Kelso’s racecourse is about a mile and a  bit for the hurdle course and a mile and a quarter for the chase. The hurdle is a bit sharper than the chase as they take a tighter bend into the country. Although is a tightish track it is not as sharp as say Bangor. There are minor undulations on this left hand circuit and a slight uphill finish. The strange thing is the long run in of about two furlongs has its final furlong following a funnel which narrows to about 8 metres. From that you’d think it would be difficult to make a late run and in fact many winners were nudged along close home looking cosy. The fences looked a bit on the soft side despite many guides describing them as stiff. All in all there are probably tougher point circuits out there. Which is fitting as the atmosphere at the track is friendly and the audience a knowledgable hunting crowd so not dissimilar to a top of the range meeting between the flags.

The layout for racegoers is very compact. Plenty of the areas are given up to members which means a daily badge may be worth considering. I didn’t but soon wished I had as there were precious little seated areas in the grandstand concourse unless you were eating. As soon as you get through the ‘turnstiles’ you are faced with a good sized paddock. The weighing room is clearly the oldest building on the site which was built in the early nineteenth century. It is a typical borders type granite stone ‘fort’ and a real feature. The grandstand or Tweede Stand is very modern and nicely laid out with corporate boxes above the viewing areas.   


In the past there has been criticism of the ground at Kelso. A couple of years ago after overnight rain changed the official going to good, good to soft in places to good, good to soft in places. However the ground appeared false with the top soft but just beneath was firm. The gallop appeared to knock the top 10mm off the turf and therefore it didn’t really suit the soft specialists and looked a touch slippery. This must drive the trainers nuts in terms of what to run and how to race them. In fact one of the trainers commented about this on his way out after the seller. He asked one jockey returning whether it was riding any better. The jockey said not really and the trainer flounced out with an owner muttering that it was a disgrace before chatting through the next day’s entry at Thirsk where the worry as to fast ground was discussed.

At a previous meeting I attended here I looked at the runners and saw that Kelso was mainly supported by border entries with 90% from south of Edinburgh and North of Durham. The jockeys were mainly from the locals with a couple of ‘names’. The first race was a keenly contested novice handicap hurdle.


The track lacked any trees in the paddock unless you count a telegraph pole. The catering was ery decent indeed. I had a hot tasty cup of tea with real milk so a plus there for only £1.30. The food was also nive and a steak sandwich was great at £4 but proper beef so I was happy to pay that. The only water features on offer were one drainage lagoon near the furlong pole and some ornate drainage ditches with bridges in the immacualte golf course. Infact if the trimmed and varied trees around the course had appeared in the paddock then the Plumpton ladies would have had to put the Gordons in the draw.



I also noted a spire over the back straight which looked like it must have been part of a decent Kirk but couldn't be arsed to find out any more.




In recent years we have seen a growth in the trend of horses being bought out of Irish points. Several high profile horses including Best Mate were purchased in this way. Back in the eighties the route to riches was to buy an unbroken four year old Deep Run gelding. The number of these listed in Sporting Life adverts gave the illusion of an impressively virile stud lording it in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains watchful of herds of mustangs prone to skimming the odd barbed wire fence a little too close. The next trend which was a nineties image of picking up a nice young chaser from France. This was on the basis that they did mature a good bit earlier than those from these islands. They also seemed to take to jumping fences better than timber. As there was a very favourable weight for age pull this meant conditions were more open for those with the necessary talent. The Fellow was an early indication of this trend. Many others have followed not least the great Kauto Star. So as these trends seem to be of a ten year duration we must be due a new one. But what will it be? Other sources of thoroughbred may be tapped. The greyhound world has been turned on its head by the influx of Australian lines notably from the phenomenal Top Honcho. I am sure that no one stud has had such an impact on a bred since Eclipse himself. Perhaps a new line will dominate. However the question is how relevant to success is breeding in the jumping game? I would argue that the biggest influence on success has been training methods for example Martin Pipe followed by Paul Nicholls.



The Racing

First up was a half furlong over two and three quarter miles. It was a fairly well supported novice hurdle having thirteen runners. It was run at a fair gallop for the trip and produced a thrilling finish with winner and debutante Rowdy Rocket holding on by a head having joined issue inside the final furlong. Well bred for the game being from the same family as Kopeck. Stays this trip and will probably get three miles as well. Difficult to rate this run as did hurdle well but may find a penalty a push. Second home by a head was the Donald McCain trained Tarlan who tried to make most and ran with much promise on  his debut having shown some jumping ability when winning an Irish point. Cost a few bob although probably as a flags winner than on a glowing pedigree. In truth there was a lot to like about both the first two who were well clear so if one wins next time out it will be a pointer to the other. Nothing like sitting on the fence! One final point is the fact that the good chaser and winner of a novice Smorting Exit was behind and I would say that put these first two on about OR110. The 6/4 favourite Dark Glacier on the basis of some good bumpers wins and a far from disgraced effort in the Champion Bumper. However he didn’t seem to be a natural hurdler and it may be sometime before he is troubling the judge. Storming Exit was carrying a penalty and the eight year old pulled too hard for his own good. He was rated 133 over fences last spring so this could be part of the prep having had a win and a third in novice events at Kelso this autumn so I would say after this that he may be in the right frame of mind to go well in a chase next run. Ravens Secret didn’t seem to stay or act on this tight track in comparison to the 20f second at Carlisle.



The 3 mile 1 furlong class 5 novices’ handicap chase was won in fine style by course winner Super Ally. Disputed throughout and led from about halfway. Appeared to be held approaching last but kept pulling a bit more out to win by over three lengths. Not very expose as this was only fourth chase so there could well be a bit more in the tank. Clearly suited by Kelso and stays at least three miles and can now move up to take on more experienced handicappers. Wins have both been with a slight cut in the ground. However the main positive to come out of the race was runner up Frontier Boy who was making smooth progress before hitting the second last but had enough once momentum was back to come back again and hang on for second. Is going the right way and the current 88 in novice handicap territory looks attractive. Also on the positive side was third home Chicago Outfit who was held up and gradually produced to stay on in strong manner. Looked to be on a confidence booster after unseating at Sedgefield. The well backed Tanzanite Bay was 9/4 favourite but pulled far too hard and was beaten before the last although not disgraced six lengths behind. I wouldn’t be rushing to back him next run.




The two mile six and a bit class 3 handicap chase was another exciting race on a good card today. The fight out was between long time leader the confirmed front runner and in-form Garleton buckled with hatrick chasing The Panama Kid with the latter prevailing by a length.  Garleton is a game old battler and is in the form of his life approaching eleven up from 111 to 140 since May so might be at the top of his curve. He jumped well and led or disputed throughout. The Panama Kid stalked leaders but looked beaten five out when appeared not to recover from a blunder. He got going again and  picked up well. Came to challenge approaching and lead at the last battling well to hold on to win. Up to 142 now goes best on tight tracks and although clearly talented may well find continuing this fine run difficult. Den of Iniquity lost touch around halfway where it was apparent had gone lame. Fancied Indian Groom was close up until quickly weakened from four out to finish fifth probably better in the mud and two miles. Raysrock prominent and jumped well but failed to quicken being caught for third by Mirage Dore on the run in. Is off 127 at the moment which I think is a bit too high for him. Mirage Dore stayed on well having been held up. He is now off a very attractive mark of 120 and this is a higher mark he won off  over hurdles at Cheltenham. He also has a second place in the Coral in 2009 so has plenty of ability and comes out as a positive today as I would think at a stiffer track would hold a great chance. Douglas Julian made mistakes




The top hurdle of the day was a class 3 handicap over 3m3 so was a thorough test of stamina. The winner was the held up Soprano who came through to lead over the last and was pushed out to win by a comfortable eight lengths. Second was Scotswell who seemed to stay the trip well but lacked the finishing kick of the winner Wins have all been just shy of three miles though and on that basis this was a good run and he might be better campaigned over that shorter trip, however is 110 rated which is much higher than his 100 maximum winning level to date. More Equity stayed on very well and looks like she may be suited by even further. I would prefer to see her have a shot over the fences again but has been a bit of a disappointment since an April win over three miles at Kelso. The rest were all thrashed including the favourite King Fontaine who was staying on well having been held up until but a blunder three out led to being pulled up, returning from a fair effort in the Grand National so it wasn’t that encouraging for the future but the race often knocks the nuts out of horses.





The top race of the day was the class 2 limited handicap chase over two miles. This included the great Kalahari King who looked short of a run, the trip is too short for him but despite being well out paced from three out he seemed to finish OK. However was a long way behind this lot and I would like to see how he runs next time before casting a vote. He is in the Lancashire Chase entries which looks much more his forte. His stable mate was even less impressive being never in the hunt really. The going I think was a bit too soft for him and I know he had fair form in the French mud but my view is he needs good ground but a stiff test of stamina to be seen at best. His fourth in the Grand Annual off his new 137 mark auger well and I think he is a capable of much better when raced over suitable conditions. Despite all this the winner trained by Sue  Smith was Stagecoach Pearl who jumped pretty well throughout and galloped on strongly. Is a more than useful two mile chaser and has only been out of the first three twice in his twelve chases (falling once when likely to be in the frame. Clearly decent but 152 is a lofty perch. Second was Sa Suffit who was probably a bit inconvenienced by the trip as needs two and half minimum really. His 149 might just be in his grasp given the right trip would be very interesting. Tchico Polos wore a tongue strap for the first time so there must have been some thoughts about breathing. Seems better suited by right handed racks, however I think he was given every chance at the weights given that all bar him and KK were out the handicap. A bit disappointing and I think he will find winning hard this year and as such I have him as a negative.




The class 4 handicap over two mile one closed off the steeplechasing for the day. It was won by Storm Surge, was always close up led from about halfway. Fiddled last but kept on. Very well ridden by Lucy Alexander as a seven pound claimer. Pushed up nine for the trouble which will be difficult to pull in. Baaher plugged on OK to be second. Just won one race out of 35 which was a fast going Perth handicap. Cannot see him winning any time soon though. Primrose Time had the momentum knocked out of him by an error at a crucial time but still rallied to finish third. Best suited by a stiff galloping track over this trip and I think a return to say Carlisle off this 105 will see him winning again and rates a positive.



We rounded off with a class 4 handicap hurdle over 2m2 with nearly half the obstacles omitted. It was easily won by Falygrey who was very nicely ridden by Alexander Voy who is a useful five pound claimer to win from leading where two out would have been. He is now up to 107which as an unexposed novice looks winnable. Suits sharp tracks. The favourite Jumby Bay was well beaten back in tenth never in with a chance and it could be that his neck novice hurdle win was not up to much so the 97 may be an over estimation of ability. Inoogoo remains a novice and was outpaced today but it was still a fair effort at the weights. Karmadice  tried to kick on from where the old third last was which was the last today but was caught and  one paced. Relatively experienced in this field and this was a chance today  however clearly 105 is too high in the weights. The five year old Cool Baranca slipped on the final bend and didn’t recover. Unlikely to have been much more than his finishing fifth position.

Notebook

Super Alley (P) up £30
1 3/1
Took advantage of a lenient hurdle mark back ay his favoured Kelso next run however has now had a hike in weights and I would say unless here ar Kelso is well worth avoiding now until mark comes down

Frontier Boy (P) up £60
1 6/1
Mext run was a cracking win at Sedgefield. However subsequently weight has gome up a stone on Kelso run and despite a good effort to be third you couldn't have fancied him and have been ditched now


Chicargo  Outfit (P) down £10
2
Fair second where a couple of novicey jumps at Doncaster he has ability on a good mark in comparison to the first and second out of this race so I am confident he can win a novice handicap chase before long. I know he is a bit chancey with his jumping but that can improve and is worth a few more goes

Mirage Dore (P) down £10
P
Jumped very poorly today and worth binning now

Tchicos Polos (N) up £10
0
Thrashed nrxt run


Baaher (N) down £40
1 4/1
Got that one wrong as a step up to 20f seemed to help despite missing a few out won at 4/1 but upped a bit now in the weights and  I can see him losing a few more

Primrose Time (P)

On a day when it seemed most of the northern half of England was under a gloomy blanket of mist mixed with heavy rain I was up in Northumberland in fantastic November sun and without any rain whatsoever. The natural amphitheatre that makes up Hexham gives great views of the surrounding hills and is one of the best settings there is in Great Britain for a racecourse.

The course is just over a mile and a half around. It is very undulating with a steep climb into the home straight which makes it a thorough test of stamina. The fences do not look that tough but are not easy. There is a water jump which is the second on the home straight although the run in is on a separate a chute which brings the runners very close to the spectators. This course is not for the faint-hearted and it takes a lot of courage to make all here.

To call it Hexham is stretching things a bit. It is over two miles from the mainline railway station and  the walk from there to the course is up some pretty testing hills and the lanes are quite twisty making it slightly on the hazardous side. As such most racegoers either arrive via car, coach or cab.  However it is still technically Hexham in the Hexhamshire area of the sprawling rural town. As such it is not in the Bath or Exeter school so no Ryanair award.

The paddock is quite small and access to view the horses is not very easy but offers great views out over the course from a high vantage position. The paddock did not have any trees, there was no incline and there was no pre parade ring that I could see as the horse went from horsebox to saddling stables and then into the ring

The going today was described as soft after the bit of rainfall we have had recently. There was a very healthy covering of grass and to my eye they were not going in too deep and only tiring when the pace of the race was frenetic. My view is that it was absolutely perfect jumping ground and as such I would say it was good to soft. Well done to the groundsman.

The entry to the course was non descript and none of the buildings stood out as interesting. The main members building looked like an old border fort which was a bit different but hardly eyecatching for anything other than its perfunctory nature. There were bits of objet d’art to comment on although some hedges in the home straight appeared to have been hacked into some kind of abstract shape to convey the random nature of life or else a pitiful attempt as forming the outline of a horse in the manner of a shovel handed navvy in the early stages of a night-school class in topiary.

The stands at Hexham afford little in the way of shelter and most view the racing from the grassy banks. These look to be suffering a bit as they begin to cut up. Because of the stands you are well advised to bring ample protection from the elements. Hexham is close to the massive reservoir at Kielder Water and you do not build a reservoir in dry parts of the country if you can get away with it so yes Hexham is prone to the odd shower but luckily not today and when it is dry this is a great racecourse to visit. Looking at the stands you have to say that the results of a structural survey would be interesting as this course appears to be on the configuration  of where lack of investment charm meets run down shabby. In fact I would not recommend licking the paint here as even the most recently tarted up is likely to have been completed some decades before lead was outlawed. I would not say it is dilapidated in the same way I felt Plumpton appears but I would say it is heading into that territory. There was a very healthy crowd and they were extremely enthusiastic. The level of decorum ranged from the very polite applause afforded to the easy winner of the seller to the airoplane weaving in triumph teenager en route to tell his father ‘Danny fecking John’ after the gamble of the day was landed. His father must of been proud but from my vantage point I thought you poor bugger you’re hooked.

 

The entry today was £10 into the grandstand which was good value as we had a nice varied card. There were two novice events, a seller and four handicaps over a variety of distances from 2mi to 3m1. All in all a good day out. There was little distinction with good areas demarcated for the normal level, a £8 surcharge to get into the members and no silver ring. In fact the previous silver ring is now derelict with the old tote building pretty run down and out of operation. The car parking was free and adjacent to the entrance but was likely to get a bit mudlocked so you might expect the odd car needing a tow when we have some deep boggy condition. The racecard was only £2. It may have been a bit lacking in features but was full colour and as such was worth the money. This should be the standard level price and any increase must be matched with significant extra value. The communication bonus was further matched by Thommo on the mike as he adds plenty of colour and gives an opinion which is not always positive and as not ultra sycophantic is exactly what punters want to hear. So good communication but not at the Towcester level I am affraid

The catering was very good. There was a decent restaurant for grandstand punters. However I wasn’t that hungry. The tea available was very reasonable at £1.50, was hot and good flavour plus fresh milk. So a plus. The food was also good. For example a decent sized steak and kidney pie plus mushies for £3.50 was worth the money and the steak sandwich with onions for £4.50 was very tasty and the beef was very good flavour. At both places for eat out food the women serving were very polite and happy. So catering at Hexham a big good value plus.
All in all a good value day out and Hexham as a place to visit is a great historic market town. However the lack of cover and standard of the infrastructure detracted a bit from the day and as such Hexham having made a great effort to replace Chester as top northern track has not quite made it.

Hexham has been a major settlement for millennia. It lies just upstream from where the north and south Tyne meet and as such was an important communication point with a crossing point. It lies close to major Roman settlements such as Corbridge and is along the line of Hadrians Wall. It was a principle area of early Christianity with a famous Abbey in the centre of the town. This part of England was a major area of pilgrimage and religious administration. Wollsingham is close by and Saint Bede and Saint Cuthbert are amongst many philosophers as visitors to the town. This area has a real mix of roots but there is significant Viking blood around here with many surnames having links to Scandinavia. The place has loads of great places to visit and there are plenty of nice places to chill out along the banks of the Tyne around here, in fact you can just about ford it four miles downstream of Hexham at Corbridge. 

Hexham Racecourse is now Northumberland's only racecourse. Perched on Yarridge Heights high above the historic market town, Hexham Racecourse has been the home of National Hunt racing in Northumberland for well over a century. The site takes full advantage of a natural amphitheatre of sloping grass below the stands to provide superb viewing of the racecourse as well as the magnificent surrounding countryside.

Other sites of race meetings including Rothbury, Belford, Elsdon, Wark and Morpeth have come and gone. Gosforth has changed counties.

Racing in the district was first recorded on Tyne Green, Hexham in the 1720s. Articles for a specific meeting on 3rd May 1738 on Tyne Green are in existence. By 1793 articles were showing racing to be taking place on Hexham Race Ground and there is little doubt that meetings held from then onwards were held at Yarridge.

After 1850 Wark Races took much of Hexham's custom; this combined with farming taking place on the site, sent Hexham into decline and by 1880 racing had ceased altogether.


However, in 1890 racing was restarted under National Hunt Rules by a great local enthusiast, Charles William Chipchase Henderson of the Riding.

At a meeting of county gentry, he was asked to take on the task which he did with enthusiasm, and assumed full responsibility for both management and finance.

Between 1890 and 1900, permanent buildings were erected, a few of which survive to this day, painted white but with the blue and yellow of the Henderson racing colours on gutters and doors. He planted the natural beech wings and, in 1907 bought the land off the Bywell Estate. Everything was done at his personal expense.

In 1907 the "town and trade of Hexham" presented the Heart of All England Cup and the Heart of All England Steeplechase which is still the best known and most popular race to be ridden on the course. The name so often associated with the district was supposed to have been given by James I of England who, whilst riding just south of Hexham on his way to assume the English crown said: "verily this is the heart of all England".

Mr. Henderson died in 1914 and ownership of the racecourse passed on to his son Captain Stephen Henderson, who in 1926 turned the racecourse into a private limited company in which several local families had shares although the Henderson family has kept the controlling shareholding.

The course and Buildings were requisitioned as an ammunition site during the 1939-1945 war.

Racing started again at Whitsuntide 1946 under the direction of Mr. C.D. Patterson and has continued without a break until the present day.

1990 New weighing room, sponsors rooms and officials boxes completed.

1993 The Federation Brewery financed the Buchanan Rooms (3 Boxes).

1997 Watering system installed and lake constructed. 1998 Ramshaw stand built with help from the Horserace Betting Levy Board, European Community, Federation Brewery and the Tote.

1998 (October) Tote Betting Shop completed

The Racing

We kicked off with a fraction over two and a half mile class 5 selling hurdle run at a fairly slow pace which left it open to hold ups who may not have stayed the trip at such a testing track, to have the advantage. It was won in emphatic style by the Ferdy Murphy trained Ockey De Neulliac. Was held up in mid division until produced from a mile out to lead coming to the last and then extended to soon assert pulling well clear. Has a tendency to break blood vessels so is not one to trust implicitly but looked a decent prospect when winning over fences at Catterick last season. Attracted no dib which as a nine year old you would have to be hugely optimistic to think there are many more wins for this one despite this easy win. Second home was Hoar Forest  stayed on well but could never land a blow into the winner. This was a fair run in this class but this six year old mare was only racing off 10-11 but on the bare bones of it her current mark of 85 looks attractive. She is a consistent sort so this indicated more that the higher rated  either ran particularly badly or are hopelessly burdened in handicaps. She is then a decent benchmark in this theatre but not one to stick in as a positive. These two were miles clear. Of  the remainder the odds on favourite Palomar had nearly two stone on this lot if it were a handicap so was pretty well thrown in plus was not disgraces when racing in this autumn’s Cesarawich. He was held up and when produced came through smoothly to take every chance three out. But he went out like a light soon after and quickly weakened. He is rated 135 but was nowhere near that level today and he is clearly over-rated so I would have him as a negative as I cannot see him winning a handicap off this mark. The long distance traveller Khorun from Bridgend was a bit of a disappointment being another that quickly weakened once in the lead. Probably better over a less testing course. Top weight and previous CD Kempski was soon beaten from a prominent position. Probably needed the run judging by running and his condition in the paddock beforehand as has shown ability to handle the going and course in the past. At eleven though his future is very much in the past. Saga Surprise tried to make all but wasn’t up to much again.



Race 2 was run at a fair pace and was a class 5 handicap chase which was raced just over the two and a half mile confined to conditional jockeys. It was won by Domoly to complete a quick double for Ferdy Murphy. Stayed the trip well but won this with some great jumping in comparison to his competitors. I thought he was coming to the end of his tether late on and probably needed the run.  So he could very well win again if the 77 is not stretched too far. The second was Banoge who looks an awkward ride and seemed to not be entirely resolute when having a good chance to get back at Domoly. On the basis of this I have him down as a negative. Super Baby finished third having led for most until headed three out. He jumped a bit too bit and extravagantly but it was a fair run off this 97 mark. Twice Lucky was fancied in the market as favourite but we never saw how good he is as unseated his rider at the first ditch.





Race 3 was a class 5 handicap hurdle raced over  just over the two miles for which there was a generous pace. The battle finished up as a good three way fight with Sydney Cove prevailing by less than a length over Lyrical Intent and Waltham Abbey who were only separated by a short head the trio being more than ten lengths clear of the remainder. Sydney Cove was showing first form for two years and his ability to outstay the rest at this tough course was probably the key aspect for him today. The second Lyrical Intent was one of the youngsters today at five and had previously been of a decent standard on the flat being able to win three times. As such if being able to transfer some of that ability to timber would hold respect off this mark of 74. Ran and battled well today and must have a very good chance of winning in this sphere so rates a positive. Waltham Abbey had every chance but just couldn’t quite quicken.on seasonal reappearance. However at ten there cannot be too much improvement in him. Of the rest the favourite Sheriff Hall looked in good nick despite being off six months but weakened quickly having made most to abut halfway. Looks a frustrating sort. His stablemate Ice Image was on his toes beforehand and didn’t hurdle too fluently.




Race 4 was the feature race of the afternoon being a class 4 novice chase over three miles one and they raced at a good pace making this a real test of stamina. It was a great tussle between Rolecarr and Lively Baron with the former just prevailing. The winner Rolecarr was highlighted as one to follow when running well in a hurdle race at Newcastle and did not disappoint. Now over fences the big things noticeable was that he jumps fences very well and looks to be a better prospect jumping than hurdling. Barely put a foot wrong and driven up to lead from about 4 out he battled on very well. I think he needs to drop a furlong or two and would like to see him concentrate on 20f. However this was a good run and it augers well for his future and can win under a penalty so is marked as a positive again. The runner up was Lively Baron who definitely stays this trip well. He may well have won today if his jumping was better and it was this area of the game that was the head difference between the pair. As such and on the basis that Donald McCain has the talent to improve his jumping, I have him as a positive going forward. Beware that this is the second race where fluency let him down but on review of the Kelso debut today was a step in the right direction.  The remainder was thrashed although I think Eyre Apparent would have been in the mix for third if not for clattering three out


Race 5 was a class 4 novice hurdle over a touch over two and a half miles which was run at a sedate pace. The odds on favourite Aland Islands prevailed by just under two lengths but was made to battle for his win by the game runner up Ebony River. The pair were a similar distance ahead of the staying on at one pace Gorey Lane and the first three were over five lengths to the good over the rest. On the face of a robust challenge the winner looked a classy sort and is likely to be able to shoulder a penalty having previously won a bumper at Exeter. Well suited by tough courses as is a thorough stayer. A lot to like about this performance and I have him as a positive. The  more experienced Ebony River was running his best race to date and the son of the great Alderbrook looks to have a future as this was a step up now racing over not sapping trips and courses. One to bear in  mind as would not be winning out of turn The third Gorey Lane ran very nicely on hurdle debut and has some nice Irish points form. Expected to see out this sort of trip and in fact gave the impression today that would suit further say three miles. There was no early gallop and I think this did not suit the thorough stayers that much but I suppose it gave them all the chance to get their hurdling eye in.







Race 6 was a proper test over three mile one furlong and was a handicap set at class 5. There were two gambled horse and a strongly supported favourite and it was no shock that three of the first four home were these three runners. The winner was the springer of the field backed from 20/1 down to 10/1 in the form of Danny John Boy. The jockey Lucy Alexander rode a fine race today holding the clearly highly thought of handicapper up in the face of a strong pace and bought through to wear the long term leader down until asserting between the final two obstacles for a win on merit. This is the second time sprung a surprise when lady ridden which may be the key. However it is the  runner up Riskier (well backed 10/1 to 6/1)who makes the grade as the positive form the race. Jumped well and tried to make most was just lacking in stamina and a race over two and a half is maybe what this six year old with plenty of improvement needs. The 86 mark in the right condition looks highly open to exploitation and on the right track over the 20f he can make all. Third home by just a short head was the plugging on gamely Billsgrey  and for a pipeopener it was very encouraging. Favourite Cloudy Dawn weakened a bit on the run in to be fourth. Clobbered by the handicapper now on 78 having won recently off 89. Best left till on an attractive mark.




Race 7 and the final effort of the day was a class 5 handicap chase over the three miles. It was won by a head in a thrilling finish by bottom weight Panthers Run who was seven pounds out of the handicap. Inconsistent sort who  had no right based on the book in winning today. The head separated him from the runner up Tipsy Indian is a more consistent horse and is probably no better than current mark of 83. Third and beaten ten lengths was Why Are You Asking who was another a mile out of the handicap so on the face of this it was a poor basis for the race as may on the basis of the book raced worse than normal. So there is nothing positive to take out of this race and even the apparently well treated CD favourite Frith was out with the washing. As such there was little to be categorical about from this race. Of anything I would say the current expectation that Firth is close to victory again is far fetched.

Notebook

Palomar (N)

Banoge (N) up £10
4
Well beaten next run and remains a negative

Lyrical Intent (P) down £10
P
Forget about this next run as was 20lbs higher due to overweight so now back off 79 and if racing off that mark has a pretty good chance.

Rolecarr (P) down £10
U
Still positive about his chances going forward and I will keep backing


Lively Baron (P) up £3
1 1/3
Easy win next but still a positive

Aland Islands (P)

Riskier (P) down £10
2
Good second in thight race at Sedgefield and remains a positive

It’s raining heavily throughout the day with that mixture of torrential and fine drizzle that absolutely drenches you to the skin. It is clearly back to the jumps as the national hunt season begins to kick in. This was a much better day than the recent Exeter expedition despite or probably because it felt like it was back to jumping rather than the summer low key effort. I have been to Stratford five times in the past and have yet to be disappointed. Today I decided to attend in the centre for the first time to see how it stacked up. It was another enjoyable day at a track I like but it did not quite measure up to Uttoxeter who remain the Midlands leader at the moment with only Fakenham and Hereford to go.

Stratford lies within easy reach of the M40. The shortest route from the motorway takes you through the town. The problem is that the town is often very busy particularly during the tourist season.  There are other routes and these can be best found by satnav rather than following the brown signs. Stratford is a nice town with plenty of connections to the past through the obvious Shakespeare theme.

The naming of the course is obvious with the track located on the outskirts of the town but a walkable distance to a fit person from the railway station so no quibble for me and no Ryanair for Stratford.

General communication is usually pretty good at Statford.     For example when I was here for some summer jumping a year or two ago one of the presentations to the winning connections was the recently honoured Brough Scott. Brough was here specifically to research for an article he was writing for the mens’ lifestyle magazine ‘GQ’. The subject is the great A. P. McCoy. I know that Scott is one of the most gifted writers in the racing game. His book ‘On and off the rails’ is a fantastic collection of features he has written for some of the broadsheets. It was published before he has at the helm when the Racing Post experiment commenced in Raynes Park. He gave a great interview transmitted via the PA to the crowd. I think this adds to the day and I am sure most racegoers like a bit of insight into the goings on in the game. However today there wasn’t much evidence of this sort of stuff probably because it was so wet and as the announcer said we shouldn’t complain too much because we really need some give to get the best horses out over the sticks.


The facilities over in the main enclosures are very good for this standard of racing with a super glass fronted stand in the members. The course has a paddock right in front of the stands right by the winning post. The pre parade ring is stuck back and to the side of the main paddock and is not brilliantly accessible.



Good car parks to the main entrance but a bit of a walk from the stands if you are the hoi polloi. I went into the centre today and this was easy to locate and obviously plenty of room. I was able to park right up to the final fence. This gave a good viewing position and was close to the facilities.

Tea was taken in the conservatory room which was a very relaxing place to sit and had a decent view toward the course. For a centre of the track facility it was excellent and one of the best I have seen on my travels. The lady running it was very cheery and couldn’t help any more than she did. The tea was nice and hot and at £1.40 fairly priced. It also benefited from some proper milk. This was one of the better cups I have had. There was food available as well and the pasty I bought for £2 was very tasty, proper lumps of meat and vegetables, had more than spuds in the centre and as such was worth the money. So it was a plus from me on the catering front today.

I could not quite work out the entry price. The board indicated £8 for a car and £6 per person. However I gave the man £10 he then proceeded to give me £11 back in change. I was as confused as he was and it was only when I checked my money when parked up that I released that an error had been made. Oh well. There was a moderately expensive racecard offering little value at £2.50 but that is par for the course I am afraid these days.

The card itself was good entertainment. There were three novice events which are always interesting to see if there are any new stars emerging. A seller which is a challenge to spot the plot if there is one. The long distance feature handicap chase was a good quality race and the other handicaps ensured a varied seven race card without the need to bolt on a car park queue dodger that is the ubiquitous final race bumper. So whilst not quite up to the Craven or the Newbury standard it was a good value card. In the races themselves I enjoyed the novice hurdle and the feature chase plus the battle between the market principles in the beginner’s chase was very watchable if there is such a word anywhere other than West Coast USA.   

Entrance to the course was unremarkable, there were no obvious artefacts on display and whilst I quite like the general design of the architecture of the main stand the feel of the place is a bit of a mish mash of stands which look a bit like a shanty town in a way, sort of built with no real final vision but based on a bit of dosh available so build another stand. Which has its charm I suppose.

In terms of interesting stuff the back straight has two worth a mention. There are two railway vintage railway carriages still on the line and it would appear that this is part of the planned Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. This is a heritage development and hoped to route between Cheltenham Spa and Stratford Racecourse. This would be a really interesting development and if it is successful would be the country’s longest line on a volunteer development basis. The railway line was opened in 1933 and had Straford Racecourse Platform as the station. It ran in between the course and the River Avon until it crossed the river with a very nice lattice girder bridge near the 2 mile one start.



The line is now ripped up and the infrastructure forms a Sustrans sponsored cycle and footpath. There are two 1967 vintage passenger railway carriages which have been converted to cafe for the hiker cyclist.



I couldn’t see any trees in the paddock so no chance of an entry for the Dobbies here then. As with the water features the rain was about as far as it got.

Course itself is very sharp, left handed and a proper right angle triangle with the opposite and adjacent angles very sharp, it is also almost entirely flat. This makes it quite a specialist track and horses that go well at the likes of Kempton, Plumpton and Bangor are likely to be not inconvenienced by the geometry. The course is also one of the few who still have a water jump and this one as with other tracks has it in the prime spectator viewing position of opposite the main stand by the winning line. As the interview with Brough Scott from my visit here in 2009 was progressing the announcer mentioned the re-instatement of the water jump at Stratford as a feature. He sounded crestfallen when Scott retorted diplomatically that he had mixed feelings about the fact. I remember reading in Timeform essays the fact that the water jump was viewed by trainers as a real problem. It obviously has a different challenge for a horse to overcome. Fallers here are more often than with plain fences liable to create injuries. As such I had thought that they were features in specific courses such as Aintree and Newbury.


Freemans element exists here with a good view of the racing obtained from the back straight courtesy of the disused railway line running parallel to the course. Clearly easy to reach as there was an almost never ending parade of dog walking groups who would steal a peak at the action. However it is not quite in the league of the Goodwood feature.


I was here for summer evening jumping event a couple of seasons ago where Irish raiders dominated. Of specific note tonight was the success of the Burke trained double which included a monumental punt on the maiden hurdle opener. The interview of the connections identified that the raiders had not laid out the horses for an English killing but were here because there just isn’t the opportunities for horses in Ireland. Especially maiden hurdlers suited by a rattle. The fact is that the fixtures in Ireland are numerous on a per capita basis but are scarce in the per capita in mind is the horses in training value. However most people will know Stratford mainly for the hunter chasing in general and the Horse and Hounds Champion Hunter Chaser in particular. Southwestern has picked up both the 2011 and 2009 races but did not race in the 2010 event as was aimed at Punchestown. In his absence the very useful Roulez Cool won it after being bought down when fancied in the Cheltenham Foxhunters. 2008 saw the 50th running of this important hunters event with Haddington Jubilee Cup victor Harlov just getting up in the last strides to beat Summer National winner Take A Stand. 2007 saw Punchestown champion and Foxhunter third Joe Blake pick up the cup. 2006 saw Grade 1 chase winner Knife Edge do the business. Also subsequent Hennasy winner Teeton Mills in 1998 and Mystic Music who picked up the 1989 and 1990 renewal.


The Racing

Going was officially good will good to soft in places. However the rain got a bit into the ground and it was pretty well good to soft by the end of the meeting. Because of the long dry spell in the south and Midlands this summer / autumn the rain didn’t seep in and let to a slippery skin on the ground which led to a fair number of mistakes and the a couple of unseated jockeys. So I wouldn’t be too critical of some of the fallers today and the ground wasn’t too testing thus the racing was on the sharp side.



Race I was the five runner Pat Coldicott Memorial Handicap Chase over just a bit more than 2m1. Always nice to see some of the unsung heroes of the game get recognition pity they are often not around to appreciate it. The fairly warm 13/8 favourite Pumboo tried to make all but clobbered several once challenge and confidence went completely to such an extent that he was pulled up. The grey gelding had looked pretty promising on his only two chases winning at Uttoxeter and running well to be second in a novices handicap on his only other run over the larger obstacles. I would say this might be a difficult way back for him and I would have him as a negative unless he is running at a course with easy fences. The winner was Petito who stayed on under hard driving but was hardly fluent himself. Daveva stayed on well giving the impression would need further when finishing second. Sablazo 5 year old French bred was third but has not won in any of his previous twelve races.



Race 2 was a seller for conditionals and was a hands and heels only event over nineteen furlongs. Although you’d think with the way things are going all events will be like this and maybe there will be the odd whip only event restricted to conditionals only given time. The race had seven runners but it only concerned two at the business end. The winner was the 13/8 favourite Erdeli wearing the tongue strap and pieces which have accompanied him to all three of his wins to date. Was nicely ridden by Michael Byrne as he was hampered down the back straight but despite this was bought with a well timed run to lead close home and go on to win by a length. There was no bid for him at the subsequent action. He has won in better grade than this (class 4) and during the summer raced in the class 1 listed Prelude hurdle when not entirely disgraced. Clearly a bit better than selling class and I would put him as a positive out of this race. The runner up Flowerbud led about 2 out but then made a hash of the last two when under pressure and wilted to be done out of it on the run in. Is still a novice but is on a very fair mark of 81 and provided that the assessor does not take this form too literally this is winnable if she aimed at a class 5 or 6 event. However her hurdling is not brilliant when racing at a fast pace so maybe a race in the mud over this distance is what she needs ( best run previous was under such conditions at Fontwell). 



Race 3 The J H Rowe Memorial Cup; 3m4 handicap chase class 4
The eight runners went off at a good strong clip attempting to make this a good test of stamina. It was won by last year’s winner again Runshan in very good style being forty odd lengths clear. At the age of eleven looks as good as ever and is best suited by tight turning courses having also won at Plumpton and Fontwell. He is on a career high now after winning off 107. May struggle a bit but you cannot argue as to the sound jumping and comprehensive victory. There were two unseated runners probably because of the slippery top to the ground. Inishrush was leading and going well when slipped on landing at the tenth and then seemed to take an age before his amateur rider’s iron grip gave way to gravity. I thought he was a bit unlucky. Power Pack Jack was fancied a bit and jumped OK until dislodging Sam Twiston Davies at the fifth. He then proceeded to gallop through a plastic barrier. This had been erected to protect a strip of ground on the inner line racing out of the back straight. From there he got into the middle and caused chaos. Running again like a frightened rabbit, jumping over a series of post and rail fences in the centre, coming very close to colliding with numerous cars. Perhaps a spell eventing might be a good route for him as he clearly fancied some variety to his jumping today once pilotless.



Race 4 was a very decent seven runner novice hurdle over the two miles. The first four were all in contention coming towards home but the winner Johns Spirit was clear at the end by a pretty convincing six lengths. The Johnjo O’Neill trained gelding had looked like he didn’t fully see out 2m4 on his hurdling debut but there was no problem over the minimum trip today. I was impressed today and I think he merits respect when in similar with a penalty. Jumped well throughout bar a slight fiddle at the second last and is a positive. Second was Hes Our Lad who was outpaced on the run in by the winner. I think he would be best aimed at 2m4ish races as I think he needs a sterner test of stamina than this. 6/5 favourite Shuil Royal looked the classiest of the runners and I had seen him back in the spring run a good debut effort over hurdles when third in a good novice event at Sandown. He then went on to win at Kempton and looked to have a good future. However he looked a bit of a difficult ride today as rolled about a bit in the home straight.





Race 5 was a beginners’ chase over nearly three miles and despite only four runners was an enthralling event. The two outsiders Ive Been Framed and Total Victory both ran OK although didn’t indicate that they would be good enough to pick up a similar event any time soon. The two principles had a great battle throughout. The winner Five Star Wilsham jumped very well throughout and it was this attribute that led to today’s win. He out jumped his rival on many occasions but does not have the same natural pace as the second home Sybarite. Therefore as impressed as I am with the winner for such a novice I think this first effort over the larger obstacles without any serious ricks but jumping very green has plenty of promise and as such I make him a strong positive.



Race 6 was a thirteen runner maiden hurdle just shy of three miles. They were soon well strung out and the first two home were well clear of the rest. The winner was Tour Des Champs always up there slight mistake three out and then kicked on to win on his racecourse debut by over three lengths. Comes from a jumping family having plenty of stamina and is a half brother to the useful Oedipe. I think he could defy a penalty. The 5/2 favourite Golden Call attempted to make all and is much more experienced than the winner having done well between the flags and was third on hurdling debut. May not find winning easy. Fancied Themilanhorse finished a distant third but was well clear of the rest. He was ridden as if there were doubts as to stamina. In fact having been held up he did quicken up to take closer order but wilted late on I think he is best set the task of around 2m4. This was an encouraging debut and I have him as the positive out of this race.



Race 7 was a class 5 handicap hurdle over 2m6. The first three were about a furlong clear of the other three. The bedraggled mass included the strong 13/8 favourite Rebel Flag who went out like a light about three furlongs out. Clearly didn’t stay in today’s mud and is best based on his form on fastish ground. Mission Complete was the appropriate name for the second leg of a JJ McLannon double. Had a rough ride of it and if he had of failed today he would have had the justifiable excuse of being hampered a couple of times. On the upgrade, unexposed and his OR85 looks very tasty so he rates a positive. Orion Express was second, is very experienced and is a genuine sort so a good marker. Was on a winning mark of 95 today having won off it in May so that endorses the winner’s effort really. Third was Sleep In First who is a good consistent sort and has scope off this 85 mark having had only six spins over the timber in his life running in promising style in his last three races. Another to be aware of but I think is a bit more than the length and a bit today off the winner in the handicap.

Notebook

Pumboo (N)

Erdeli (P) down £10
3
Was fancied and backed today but made a bit of a mistake. Capable of winning more sellers so still a positive

Flowerbud (P)
P 0
Not backed in next run as this was a class 4 and needs to be in class 5/6. Not backed next run as fastish ground would not suit. No bets to date but still on the positive side

Johns Spirit (P)down £10
2
Bar an error would have won on handicap debut up 7lbs now but that is still a winnable (if the word exists) mark

Syberite (P)
4
Not disgraced but not backed either when pitched against Grand Crus. Is entered up for nov hcap at hexham which is right up his street.

Themilanhorse (P) up £70
1 (7/1)
Nice win over the prescribed drop in distance. See what handicap mark is but may struggle to defy penalty unless modest field

The focus now shifts to national hunt racing for the remainder of the course visits and the goal of seeing all courses in a twelve month period is in hand weather permitting. My final visit to the West Country tracks took in Exeter today. The recent dry spell had produced fast ground and as such some small fields despite a healthy amount of prize money on offer. There looked to be a good covering of grass and I think it was fast ground without being too dangerous. However this is quite a good test of stamina being just a furlong shy of two miles around going right handed, is 850 feet above sea level making it one of the highest altitude tracks in the country and the undulations additionally make it a tough track. The fences are stiffish and can catch out the sketchy especially novices. So from a technical perspective this is a good course to test out decent sorts.

This course has witnessed landmark victories for some of steeple chasing’s greats including Best Mate and Desert Orchid. It has also been the venue of sad events such as the demise of Best Mate and Noddy’s Ryde. Whilst a remote location and hardly the best facilities in the world, this is a place to see some very useful horses often early in their career’s as this is a real test for future engagements and if you stay Exeter’s trip and jump their fences well the horse is unlikely to meet much stiffer examination on their ability.

The first thing to note about this course is the fact it is a good six miles from Exeter so would after that analysis be a strong candidate for the Ryanair. However we need to take into account the history of this circuit on the basis of the fact that it was originally The Devon and Exeter Steeplechase Company Limited and the name stuck. This became known as Devon and Exeter before being further simplified to Exeter. This is a difficult track to get to without a car so a free bus service from Exeter St David’s to the racecourse is provided. However with a car it is very simple being a mile off the A38 Exeter to Plymouth main dual carriageway, which can be seen from the course.

It is set adjacent to the forestry commission owned Haldon Forest Park which is a picturesque place, having some great walks, ten miles of bridle ways and cycle routes within it. For families with school children there are often fun events going on and on the times I have been here have proven very popular and well supervised allowing parents a bit of down time. There is a nature trail with some interesting rest point furniture, there is the Obelisk with a tactile sensory feature, there is the opportunity to Nordic walk which is a stiff workout, there are great views from Mamhead and the forest is home to some rare breeding Goshawks.



The Obelisk

Car parking was free and adjacent to the course which meant a very good value freemans to be had as this puts the skinflint about fifty metres from the winning line in the pulling up zone. I couldn’t see how racegoers could get across to the centre of the track, vehicles were parked here but they were either attached to the circuit or the camper-van type things you see for holiday makers. The entry to the course from the car park was unobtrusive to the point of non-descript. You stump up £15 for paddock and grandstand which is pretty well par for the course these days. However the card was not great so was not that entertaining, more lily as a result of the firm ground and the south having a dry spell which may well have put some stables behind in their work so despite some good pots today it could well be that targeted horses were not forward enough to be risked on the going and at this tough course.

The race card was stinger at £3 being plating class however the redeeming feature from a customer communication was some great interviews broadcast with winning connections which is very welcome. So not a complete down although I would like to see a £2 limit on race cards unless there is some substantive information rather than the basic runners and riders plus streams of adverts which presumably have already generated income. If the price was less more cards might be sold and therefore the value of the advert increased.



The view from Mamhead

The facilities are bit claustrophobic to me. You are corralled in, there is little in the way of chilling out areas, it was not clear that you could get into the middle to stretch the legs a bit by getting closer to the action, there was no fence to get close to at all, the undulations make viewing other than via the big screen a problem and there is a curious seating enclosure entirely behind glass perched over one of the terraced viewing areas. I found he experience a bit sterile and slightly boring really. Which was a shame as I was looking forward to coming here. I think there should have been an access all approach on a fairly low key card as there were some non riff raff areas, including what looked like a specific tea room specifically for winning connections which is something I haven’t seen before. Oh well not as ridiculous as Thirsk and Ponte bit certainly nagging enough to detract a bit on the experience.   



It's all a bit basic at Exeter

No water feature could be identified, although there may have been something stuck out of eyeshot in the middle somewhere, not a tree to be seen in the paddock. The tea on offer was lukewarm, I saw several coffee cups returned on the grounds of poor quality and the bette noir of the miserable miserliness of UHT milk exuded its sour stench was in attendance at a racecourse  yet again. A West Country Pasty I purchased for £3.50  (presumably the West Country being somewhere in The Americas) would have had Cornishmen choking on the lard-doe (which was at my guess a finely ground grass-seed mixed with fat from road kill to create a Pleistocene consistency)   and sludge filling of the Heinz Babyfood 1970 collection genre and spluttering  in disbelief, before emerging from the tinmines like little moles before scuttling off to Brussels to file for protection of their great culinary innovation. This pasty combined with the sort of joyless service from the miserable till operative that made you yearn for the black bread queues of post war Leipzig to lift your heart. For that alone the Homer is coming home to Devon, Ffos Las and the Carmarthen dream has ended because although their food was rotten molten grease at least it was served with the jolly swagger of a slate cleaver on a day off. Rather than this insult to Devonian joie de vivre and the craft of the pastyman.   

There wasn’t a bad crowd all things considered and a plus to the day was the atmosphere and knowledge of the spectators which was rich and thus attempted to make up for the many downsides of today‘s excursion. There are great views to be had and the stewards box is an old quaint building adding charm to the generally utilitarian fabric. The meeting of course comes amid great hubbub surrounding the use of the foam cracker which parodies for a whip. This is  hardly a riding crop a la Lord Flashheart of Blackadder fame. Perhaps the powers could give jockeys one of those triangular paper things often free with kids comics to make a banging sound, better still advice jockeys to blow up a crisp packed and then smack it between their hands. Some of the debate is ridiculous, I heard some middle aged twot on breakfast telly trying to impress a coquettish giggling blond thin thing that if he had his way he would get a jockey over a table and slap him with the ’whip’ to see how he liked it. I have to say he described it with such relish that you would not have been shocked if later revelations evidenced unbecoming acts with down on their luck  tapdancers.

The Racing

We began with a three runner amateur rider novice hurdle over three miles.  None jumped with alacrity and none merit optimism for future success. The favourite Soulard was returned at a 1/9 price which whilst the winning distance would suggest reasonable he did clatter more than one hurdle and those that were buying money would have experienced that tingling of the tongue combined with significant light headedness as the realisation that as JP McManus might say 'If I already had the money to lay nine grand I wouldn’t be that desperate for another one' would have inevitably sprung to mind.  I would he say he is a better chaser than hurdler and I would be looking to lay him if he decided to carry a penalty in a novice event sometime soon. Second home was Knight Blaxer who ran much better than I thought he would  having a chance three out  before appearing to fail to stay. However this is more useful for giving some parameters of the winner’s effort than a positive to the runner up going forward. I would say remains useless. Third home was old boy Jacardo who was hopelessly detached, is much better off over fences and has a good record at stiff righthanded tracks like Towcester. This was presumably a spin over the thickets before reverting to the larger obstacles.



Soulard returns after a pretty bloodless victory

Second race was a five runner novice hurdle over seventeen furlongs. It was a match on paper between Numan and Shallow Bay who had been first and second at the previous meeting here and strictly on the book Shallow Bay was made a shade odds on favourite on the basis of the seven pound penalty his principle opponent was set to carry. However they both jumped well for novices in the main and despite the extra weight AP McCoy rode a super race to win by a cosy length. I think Numan can win again and make him a slight positive. The second also has potential but might need a less demanding track to be seen to better advantage. Of the remainder the only one to attract any support was a debutant off the flat having picked up a summer seller at Windsor. In fact Resplendent Light has some tasty form on the level including winning the tradesman’s derby at Musselburgh, the Bibury Cup at Salisbury, third in the Cadbury Cup at York and third in the Brighton Challenge Cup. Clearly has ability, jumped OK but was not given any real push and if I didn’t know any better I would say this looked like a bit of public schooling. One to keep an eye on as was probably never expected to harry the two experienced novices so third was the best position his current ability could have warranted.




Well beaten Resplendent Light (red) has some smart flat form and was fairly fluent on debut to suggest could pick up a small maiden event

The big race of the day was a novice chase set as a limited handicap over two mile one. It was for the Best Mate Trophy and the pot on offer was substantial as was the prize money for this level of race. Only five faced the starter. Favourite at 7/4 was bottom weight McCauley who jumped erratically. Sometimes spectacularly flamboyant other times crack clenchingly scatty. Ultimately a giant leap was followed by a blunder from which Richard Johnson could do little to recover from. Can he win again? I would say only if a return to the more genteel arena of hunter chasing / pointing is followed. Of the remainder the only horse to jump with enough consistency was the winner and 9/2 chance Trooper Clarence. Goes well right handed and has a good partnership with Adam Wedge. Perhaps at 130 is a touch high in the handicap. Needs fast ground to be seen to nest advantage. The remainder all jumped with a lack of confidence that whilst not negative I cannot be positive about any of them going forward on the basis of this evidence.




Trooper Clarence and Oceana Gold (yellow cap) fought out a decent novice chase for the Best Mate Chase

Only three turned up for the two mile three handicap hurdle set as a class 4 event. The winner by more than 30 lengths was the Pipe trained Brother Sylvest who hurdled well. Tumbled from 124 to 99 and had won a Stratford novice unchallenged. Likely to be punished but on firm ground is likely to win again. Tips on faourite was Run Along Boy  soon had the white flag up today as was outclassed at the weights. A fence and over sixty lengths back in third was Captain Becket who at least picked up best turned out which is probably the only way he is likely to bother a judge again.



A panoramic view of the winner's enclosure / paddock as My Brother Sylvest arrives back having won the handicap hurdle

The class 4 handicap chase had the comparative M25 congestion issue as five decided to brave the firm. It was a good battle between three of them from heading into the straight. However it should be noted that the fancied Wrapitupboys was travelling strongly before a blunder led to unseating coming out of the back straight and at an easier course he would be worth a squint at.  The favourite Coach Lane ran and jumped well in the main but just failed for toe. Needs to be on a mark less than 100 merits respect when conditions are in his favour and he rates a positive today. This left a fair battle between Rory Boy and Moorstead with the former prevailing. Rory Boy was rated 134 on the basis of some flash novice chase form and had fallen to an attractive 109 mark today so entitled to go close as had won over the tricky Wetherby fences. He just prevailed by a length and a half from Moorstead who had previously picked up minor events at the Sussex courses so this was an improvement.

There was the dispiriting sight of a match for a beginners chase over three miles. It was very tactical and was very slow on the prevailing fast ground. The winner Mumbles Pier idled, made mistakes and all together did not give a strong impression that there was more to come. A neck separated him from 8/13 odds on favourite Spring Moon who in a similar vein gave little to encourage a major punting expedition.

Finally and with blessed relief after some dispiriting racing we came to the finale that coupled with the previous match enabled the car park to be clear. This enables the sad spectacle of the many absent minded race goers  meandering round the car park searching for their car like so many rookie twokers. The bumper was a 1m5 event. For what possible benefit other than at least it takes out the half mile canter which masquerades as racing that many two mile bumpers present up with. All we learnt was the first three can gallop at a fair pace but we have no idea if they can stay, that the remainder are probably paceless but might stay further like the minimum two miles. The winner was Megans Motivator who is entirely flat bred and sort of undermines what bumpers where instigated for. I thought their existence was to give the more backward and stamina based stock from the national hunt world the opportunity to get some racecourse experience before embarking on their main purpose which is jumping. Do I think Megans will make the grade over the sticks? I have doubts that he’ll stay even if he jumps. Second was the sinisterly named Balaclava who is from the Bering family and has group winners as close relatives and cost a couple of hundred grand. What was the point of this then? Third was Staigue Fort who has a bit of jumping ability in the family. Best bred for the game was The Happy Warrior who may just pop in when there is some give and he races over the two miles.

Notebook

Numen (P) down £10
0 2
Went right up to a cheltenham handicap where he had no chance so wwent unbacked. Slipped back to claimer and had a good chance but could only finish second. But i am sure he will pick up a claimer or seller but I will only back in that class 5 zone.

Soulad (N)
NR
Has not reappeared yet

Resplendent Night (P)
NR
Has not reappeared yet

Wrapitupboys (P) finished £30 down
0 0 F
Not run well in any of the three runs since the Exeter race and recent fall has now led to my confidence evaporating. He is off the list

Coach Lane (P) up £45
1 9/2
Won off 97 on next run. Has now gone above the 100 line and will not be backed until is below 100. At the moment is running OK so if slipping I will back but will give it three runs tops

Royal Windsor is a pretty grand title for a moderate town and a fairly modest racecourse. My journey around all of the GBs tracks found me here on a very hot October Monday after records of high temperatures had been set in the previous weekend.

The racecourse at Windsor sits right on the River Thames. There is a riverboat taxi from near the railway station which takes racegoers too and from the events. There are also river cruises which start from Maidenhead. Having been on one I can say they are very good value and great fun. However there is a bit of celebrity lifestyle envy attached to the trip as part of it is a pointing out of palatial residencies for the trippers to mull over. It is in other respects a relaxing and enjoyable way of treating yourself every now and then to a bit of luxury.

The course is pretty close to the centre of Windsor so there is no misleading naming which is a good plus to start with. There the car parking is either a bit pricey right by the entrance, not bad value if you take advantage of the picnic facilities or free is you don’t mind a five minute amble. Even the walk was hardly a real strain so I think the parking side of thing is fair.




Main tsands viewed from the centre of the course


The entrance to the course is a modest but as set in a parkland approach with plenty of well established mature trees it was not too utilitarian. Inside there were no specific aspects of note from an architectural or artistic perspective. Just and expanse of asphalt as you head to the grandstand. Entry for some modest fare was a bit on the heavy side set as it was at a gut churning £18. That was for the Grandstand and for a further undisclosed sum you could transfer into the club enclosure. The grandstand was pretty poor value in truth; you can get to the paddock, winners’ enclosure, the grandstand which was modest quality and a bar / cafe which was a bit low on capacity. All in all it was disappointing with the club facilities occupying a sizable area. I skipped into the Silver Ring which although still a bit expensive at £10 was far better value, the cafe was very modern and spacious, the stand was OK and best of all you get straight into the centre of the track which had a seating area smack on the winning line and a great view throughout. As such I am in a bit of a dichotomy here as the grandstand was rubbish but silver ring excellent. In the event it was neither bad enough value to get the Virgin Rail Cup nor good enough to seize The Jam.



Expansive lawns between paddock, pre-parade ring and the grandstands

The course has some elements which look more dated than quaint but it does not feel rundown. It has the downside of a sizable club enclosure which rather constrains the great unwashed and requires some unspecified dress code to gain entry. I think these are fairly variable as I saw one skinny old fell wearing jeans and a scruffy polo shirt gain entry, although he may have been checking the plumbing I suppose. So hovering in the orbit of Colonel Blimp but not in the Thirsk league. The racecard at £2.50 wasn’t the worst value, it did have a two year old foaling date which is always a grateful touch and there was some pre race commentary from that dark haired woman on At The races as well as a pre meeting summary from the always entertaining Barry Dennis. His request for ‘Where are the high numbers in this one Cat, on your left or on your right’ as he tried to work out who has the advantage with some greyhound trap analogies. He is always worth listening too. For example in the first ‘The Stout thing, no-one can work out whether it’s any good or no good so I will ignore it’. So good effort on the communication front and the top area of performance from Windsor today but I still love the Towcester TV channel when I was there and it keeps the BBC for now.

The paddock is a good size and is ringed with stout trees but as they are outside do not qualify for the Dobbies, in the ring was a dainty Silver Birch surrounded by some flowers in bloom. A good effort this and a fair challenge but East Sussex is still in poll position with only ten more courses to go. No water feature at all bar the washing down hose adjacent to the paddock, but that hardly counts.

In summary there are some pluses at Windsor including good communication and very good value in the Silver Ring which I was impressed with, however the Grandstand was poor value, the facilities in general are better elsewhere and the view of the racing is very moderate. As such Windsor does not impress better than current favourite racecourse Salisbury.

New Year Hurdle

One of the disappointing aspects of how limited the careers of top class jumpers are these days is the way some old trials have diminished in their value. The New Year hurdle at Windsor is one of these races which have often thrown up placed horses at the least in the eighties. The race appears to be off the fixture list since 1998. Before that it had ended up as a limited handicap and was last a listed race in 1990 it was won by the prolific Aldino who amongst other wins was victorious in the Grand Annual at the festival and before that in 1989 it was won by Wishlon who went on to win the Tollworth. It then lost listed status but not the class of winners which were Royal Derbi (won Bula, Fighting Fifth and Ekbalko) and Shu Fly (beaten only a head in the grade 2 Maghall novice chase at Aintree) before it then became a limited handicap. Muse (won two grade 1 including Kempton Christmas Hurdle), Flakey Dove was second carrying 12 stone in the year she won the Champion Hurdle,  in 1998 Halona who was a prolific Windsor winner was successful off a low handicap mark. It was taken off the list as a fixture in 1999 after two abandonments in 1996 and 1997. However it had good record and it is a shame to see it go in total.

Owning with Friends

On one visit to Windsor I joined a friend of mine who had joined a partnership with a business colleague in a filly. On another occasion I went to Windsor with a different friend who had a leg with some friends in a filly called Floreat Floreat. I suspect this is probably Latin species naming for Camel Toed Crab. The connection here is that they were both almost useless and the post race euphoria about finishing fifteenth out of twenty in a seller was based on the way she carved her way through the pack in the last quarter mile and surely a mile and half on a handy mark will see her troubling the auctioneer with trying to extract positives other than if she bent her knees a bit she could make a decent pony for a pre-pubescent schoolgirl. Although I think from observations of these two fillies that should that victorious day ever have dawn they would have traded 1.01 on Betfair for a ‘no bid’ return. However if you can get your modest nag to win a seller makes sure it is a Monday night at Windsor. Why? Because the drink addled city wallahs who appear to de-camp to Berkshire every summer’s Monday see out-bidding as a testosterone fuelled challenge. How else can you explain over 35,000 guineas for a flattering 8 length win? Just because it’s a Richard Hannon machine doesn’t make it a Lowther Stakes contender. My experience of partnerships has only extended to greyhounds. In every occasion we enjoyed success well in excess for the paltry amount we spent on the hounds. Yet we still fell out over absolute rubbish. Usually it was based on who the trainer ought to be, who was getting the best information from the kennel-lass, what distance we should be running the dogs over and on one occasion a list of open sprints for one particular bitch was mapped out by one of the partners for the trainer to follow thus making life easy for him which is very generous. This particular bitch had a unique racing style. She managed to combine electric starting technique with a rare ability to be completely paceless. If only there were markets back then for in-running odds we could have skinned the short odds takers for those leading at the first bend in sprints yet trailing in last. She just about got home over 400 metres but used to get a bit tetchy when challenged by slowish graders and we were advised to try sprinting as she may well have her card marked. Owners of dogs she had a snap at used to get a bit agitated.  Supreme optimism followed by painful failure within 15 seconds is the adrenaline of the greyhound owner that eats away at friendships. It’s probably the same in horse-racing. Summary; if you want to fall out get a share in one of God’s animal kingdom athletes. 

The Racing

First up was the first division of a divided class 5 over just a couple of yards more than a mile. It was a tight finish between Catchanova and Sasheen with the former just getting up by a head. Fit and well is in great form as this is a third win over the mile from the gelding’s last four runs. Has been going up the weights on the all weather and showed suited by the turf and exploited a seven pound differential which is sure to be eroded. Although in good heart I doubt he has the ability to exceed his OR on the sand of 75. Sasheed dispensed with the pieces today which have been used on her only wins to date. Caught closed home but tried to rally when headed. Not sure if she dosed a bit but that could be the case and a return to using the cheekpieces and the fact that she was only just beaten by a well handicapped in form opponent makes her one to look out for over a mile. It is said fillies come into their own in the autumn and another filly ran better than expected today in Rosedale who won last October over CD off 67 compared to today’s 66. Probably restrained a little too much as took a strong hold early and was doing all her best work late on. I have her as the biggest positive out of the race. Of the others fourth home was the edgy Stoute inmate Crystal Etoile who looks one to avoid as again flattered as did the bandaged up Could It Be Magic (I had seen him disappoint in a poor Chepstow seller last month). The former makes more sense to have as a negative as likely to start at short odds in future runs. Green Earth got warm and quickly faded from a prominent position, Uncle Dermot acted up a bit and was soon beaten, My Vindication had looked fit and well but completely lost his action as was pulled up indicating something went array, Custom House got warm beforehand and was struggling from halfway, Recalcitrant was sweating in the paddock and was soon beaten is a stuffy sort best avoided  and fancied Desert Chieftan was a bit tetchy in the preliminaries slow into stride and looked like he would have preferred to do something else than race today.



Spooked Crystal Etoille has the paddock feature Silver Birch for company. She looks one to avoid



Runners cross the line in the opener

The second division was a little bit slower than the first. It was a won by the top weighted three year (which is often a reasonable selection process at the back end of the season) L’astre De Choisir in a driving three way finish. This was a win for the soon to be retired W R Swinburn who is one of the most eloquent of trainers. Limited exposure in five previous efforts showed plenty of battle today to win by a head and a neck. Tap Dance Way and Young Dottie (who I thought looked like she would need this run) both ran with credit. Eastern Gift abandoned held up tactics to be quite prominent and then failed for late toe. A return to previously successful tactics off this OR of 62 and racing on the poly may see the six year old gelding to better effect. One to note is the favourite Aviso who finished fifth have led for much having raced too keenly. Previously won the Group 2 German 2000 guineas and now off a very low mark of 61. Rates as a watch rather than a positive.



Eastern Gift raced more prominently than usual with limited success as finished fourth

The best quality race of the day was the two year old maiden stakes over a mile which had at least four very promising juveniles who may well take good races next season. It was won by the Richard Hannon trained and Alex Ferguson owned Eurystheus who still looked a little behind in the paddock and action looks to be best served by fastish ground. Settled nicely and produced to hold every chance two out. Battled well to hold off challenge close home. Is clearly a genuine type but his pedigree is a bit sprinty and precocious so quite how far he will train on is a slight doubt for me to make him a strong positive. However clearly on the upgrade. Second has the Godolphin trained favourite Yaa Salam who is a big strong individual who looked a bit backward  in the paddock and ran green and despite holding head up and not handling the bend too well is probably entirely straight. Has some group class relatives including dam who was group 2 level. There is every chance that he will train on next season and is sure to lose maiden tag if raced on a straight mile course. Is  a positive for a successful three year old career. However the biggest positive in the race goes to the third place Balding trained Bank Bonus. Looked backward in the paddock, action suggests will suit firm ground and was given a considerate ride by Jimmy Fortune. Would have finished at least second if had been hard driven and that there was room close home. At two colts require some consideration for their future and immature horses can go off the game if they are exposed to too much hard racing. This run has highlighted plenty of potential and in a field with some useful recruits I think Bank Bonus will emerge the best next year. Looks a useful middle distance at an optimum of one mile two runner next season and will pick up a maiden. The close up fourth also ran with plenty of promise. Prince Alzain looked in good nick in the paddock and his action to my eye suggests that he will be better for softer ground. Failed to quicken probably because the ground was against him a bit and the quality of the opposition. Very well bred and cost a lot of money on America as a foal. Interesting is that there is a bit of jumping in the family and who knows this could a triumph horse in 2013! Of the rest Downton Abbey did well to finish sixth and may pick up a nursery if not highly assessed, Council looks immature and a bit weak but ran as well as could have been expected to be fifth, Silver Samba was on her toes in the paddock and ran green but stayed on suggesting a bit of promise and Kiwayu appeared to be still green and on this his third race ran off the course. It was not clear whether there was a tack or temperament problem.



Progressive Bank Balance led on for third




One for the notebook is Yaa  Salam

The claimer over one mile two was an interesting race. The market revolved around the 2/5 and backed Hannon racer Avon River who has a good record recently winning four claimers this season including last couple of runs. and is a good consistent type. Generally races up with or paces the running. However was restrained a little bit today and that did not work quite as well. But that should not detract from the winner Frontline Phantom who was fancied to cause an upset with connections quite bullish when interviewed prior to the race. Well ridden by claimer Martin Harley who had first run on the favourite. Is on a handy mark of 68 and I would not be surprised to see him out in a class 5 (has won a class 4 this year) suits fastish ground and is a genuine battler who goes well for claimers. Of the rest Royal Alcor ran much better than his pretty well p$ss poor previous three raced would have indicated beforehand. Hard to see where the assessor will go on the basis of a finishing distance of just over two lengths and the runner up off 78 giving only 8 pounds. Chances are he will be crippled in handicaps and this looks a bit of a freakish run.  None of the others displayed much promise even in this low grade.



Conesuala about to go into the traps



Avon River the unsuccessful odds on favourite is fastest away

The nursery was run over the minimum trip and was won by top weight Ryan Moore ridden Ballesteros. This was a fair race and the winner has plenty of stamina being able to win over six at Haydock. Restrained and then produced from about two out for a well timed strike. Used his stamina to maximum effect. Acts on most going including with a cut. Nice type and sort to train on next season. However only had a short head to spare and in reflection the runner up Blanc De Chine ran a sound race. She is entered in a maiden claimer at Nottingham and that is exactly the type of race she is likely to pick up. Not a strong positive but worth a look if she takes up that option. Of the rest the only one that I thought showed some good potential was the staying on fourth restless Harry. Won a maiden on the poly first time up and again showed that he is likely to need further than this five furlongs when doing best work late on.  Cost a lot of money, pedigree suggests should be pushed up to six and will stay middle distance with time. Also has some sound jumpers in the family. 



The runners head toward the winning line

The maidens stakes over six furlongs was almost entirely contested by three year olds with the placings filled by the classic generation fillies. The winner Triple Charm was a lengthy unexposed close relative of Carlton House. Galloped well and dominated the race from approaching final furlong to win well. Long striding sort probably be at home at Newmarket. Form suggests does not stay a mile but pedigree plus running style suggests should stay further than this six. Runner up Obiter Dicta is an unlucky sort. I had seen her run very well behind Orpen Harry at Salisbury where the pair were clear and again today raced well and looked a likely winner approaching two out only for the talented triple Charm to swoop inside the final furlong. The problem is what is her best trip and surely off this OR of 65 she is capable of picking up a class 5 or 6 handicap. I would not have her as a positive though. Of the rest who were well beaten I  thought the other market principle looked a bit tetchy beforehand sweating up a bit, Dan Donnelly was on his toes beforehand and I think needs to learn to settle to be successful, Cairanne showed a little improvement but not enough to have her as a positive going forward and Moricandor threw her jockey and had to be withdrawn.

We closed off in moderate style with a class 5 handicap over a couple of yards shy one and a half miles. It was a tightish finish with just over three lengths covering the first six home The winner was the produced late Countess Comet. Flying Power was a little unlucky. Well ridden by Ted Durcan, tried to make all and varied the pace but was caught inside the distance. Is progressing well and has run well on all starts over a mile and a half and off the current 71 mark there is likely to be more chances for success. Comes out of this as a positive. Of the remainder favourite Songburst was a disappointment,  Chain of Events was a bit of a handful  and lost race soon after leaving stalls and Super Duplex had exaggerated waiting tactics applied and was staying on to finish seventh. If continuing to race over this trip will need to be a bit closer to the pace as this run suggests can see out this trip.

Notebook

Rosedale (P)

Crystal Etoille (N)

Yaa Salam (P)

Bank Bonus (P)

Blanc De Chine (P)

Flying Power (P)

After the chaotic visit to Ayr I arrived at Hamilton on yet another obscure bank holiday in the West of Scotland with trepidation. Knowing that this time the entertainment would be fronted by Fee-Fee Forget-me-knot’s nasal Burrrnleh twang (selected at the frequency level whereby the adult male eardrum splits in the sort of pain if only the Gestapo had have known the bouncing bomb would have been yet another what if only) and Bob The Builder (or more like Robobski) was not enough to assuage my initial dread. However and happily fair-play to Hamilton they corralled all this activity neatly in a ‘kid zone’ which worked very well. Especially as this was a very decent size crowd and too much going on too close to the action and punting might have led to some clashes of culture.

Hamilton is a nice track, not quite up to Musselburgh but more than decent. The paddock is large and joined to the preparade ring so it makes checking the horses out beforehand easy. However all the decent trees were outside of the paddock so although looked a promising adversary for ’The Dobbies’ the Plumpton crew can start cranking up the Zimmer in eager anticipation. You could not get an easier to find nor appropriately named course than Hamilton Park, no doubts about where it is and so near the M74 making getting here by car piece of the proverbial. No water to be found on this track which is similar to Salisbury in configuration and facilities, but as has a golf course opposite it means the stands are only on the one side. These only stretch to the distance so is a little cramped but the space has been very well used. There was a reservoir in the distance but not close enough to count and the deluge from the previous day had rendered many a local garden into ponds. Luckily we had a bright sunny dry day today. Not sure if the groundstaff had to work overtime to get this beyond a bog but it has to be said that despite the testing ground it did not seem to cut up badly and horses did get through it so this was a testimony to something as I thought this would be close to un-raceable today for flat horses. Defectors were not that evident so I think it raced a lot better than it initially looked although still very testing.  If the paddock lawns were anything to go by it was not far off waterlogged. So whilst close to the efforts of the winter game in January I cannot see the Hercules Cup being wrested yet from Cheltenham.

There was little of architectural note here as was a bit drab but not classic Warsaw Pact for me to baulk at. The food available was very good and decently priced. You can get a top quality steak and onion barm for £4 which was brill, you can get one of those scotch pies for £2 and a very nice cup of filtered coffee for 30/-. There were plenty of places to eat, all looked good and not over the top on price. No molten fat, no deep fried mars bars, no stewed tea. One of the best on the catering value front just not enough places to chill out in. This is where for me Mussel wins and retains my favourite Scottish track title with only Kelso to go.

It was a shame the advertised deep ground frightened off a few in the feature mile race as Hamilton deserved a better turnout. In the end it was a pulsating race between three listed quality horses run at not a bad pace in the circumstances. Im sure purists liked it but it didn’t make for much of a betting heat. It would have been easy for Hamilton to lazily Chepstow style fill the card with class 6 events on a day when the great unwashed of the Glasgow area were out having a final hurrah of the summer but they didn’t so whilst not in the Newbury league for the same £14, they certainly did a good job on the entertainment front. But of particular note was the fact that in true Scottish socialist style the class barriers of multi enclosure rubbish perpetuated by the nutters in parts of Yorkshire, yes you Thirsk and Pontefract, entry was a roam where you like. That meant the so called club , grandstand and cheap bit. Good, in fact very good value. Communication via the always good value Thommo and a good quality full colour £2 (yes £2 so why do so many charge £3 then?) puts Hamilton in the upper league for this element. However given that it was family fun day an advert for spraytanned strippers at Seventh Heaven may not have been entirely appropriate.

All in all I am a little disappointed that Hamilton did not get into my awards, they try very hard, they have limited resources and all round including their concessionaires they delivered a value for money fun day when with a guaranteed bumper crowd the temptation would have been to milk it. I hope they survive and thrive because they deserve to. One of the problems was highlighted in the fact that levy contribution this year at around a quarter of million compares unfavourably with close on three times the level of approaching three quarters of a million in 2005. This underlines a very constructive but worrying article in today’s Independent by John Gosden. Here he argues that there is too much mediocre racing, that a reducing pie is being consumed by too buch bottom of the pile racing, that the customers’ are following the US trait and finding it boring and aim at something else to spend the fast diminishing leisure pound. His view is less racing and the possibility that there will be fewer tracks.If so who are the most prone to problems? Probably those with the least investment, most exposure to class 5 and 6 racing, highest running cost, highest land value and strongest local competition. If I were to guess at three most vulnerable I would say that Bath, Plumpton and Warwick based on the above criteria.



Stands at Hamilton as viewed from the freemans

Racing kicked off with an auction nursery, never the easiest of races. Only six went to post and the held up Kimbali just got up in a good close battle by a neck from Blue Shoes with the pair well clear of the rest. These included the close to 2/1 joint favourites Alices Dancer and Sardanapalus. Kimbali is well suited by the roller coaster six furlongs having won over course and distance. Previous runs, many with credit, have been over the inadequate five furlongs. Today’s run also gives notice that he acts ok in the mud. This second run in two days and I assume that this was to take in a reasonable mark so I doubt we will see him out again. May struggle if much above this 78OR. The second home Blue Shoes suits six furlongs but is a moderate sort probably better suited by sharpish courses and may not have been entirely suited by today’s course although ran up to her mark. Is generally a pretty consistent sort. No real positives but I think both favourites were well below par with favourite and previous CD Saranapalus clearly well thought of, as having run in a group race last time out,  but not that good in truth as off 76 and thrashed today by a couple of modest juveniles. Best avoided I would say and is a negative.





Kimbali (grey colours) cutting trough the field to win

We then had a claimer over six furlongs for older horses and not a three year old in sight to compound things.  It was won by mudlark Desert Icon (genuine) , who looked to have this in the bag at the furlong pole, with a half length victory over Bonnie Prince Blue (looks a bit of an awkward ride this one as needs holding up to the last moment but does have ability) which was fast diminishing. Again the pair were clear of the remainder which was headed by Northern Bolt. Desert Icon had previous form over a soft track and is largely consistent and based on his current mark of 68 he had every chance of winning (was levels on OR and weight today with second home Bonnie Prince Blue and  two pound better off with third home Northern Bolt). Northern Bolt acts in the mud and ran right up to his mark.  So all in all the first two home pretty well ran up to their marks. A couple were particularly poorly in today such as Ayr specialist Royal Blade (12 pound worse off with the winner) and light of former years Sonny Red (9 pound worse off). Nothing too positive here.

The three year old handicap was a class 6 event over a mile. It was won in a good close finish by the 11/4 favourite Smart Step by half a length. She clearly needs the mud to have any kind of chance and again battled through the ground well. On anything else is clearly ineffective especially off a mark north of today’s 53. The highly moderate bunch in pursuit was headed by Uncle Bryn who did appear to act on this ground.  He had run poorly when missing the kick when a fancied favourite last time at Carlisle. Ran much better today but difficult to see him winning. The rest were well strung out headed by Phoenix Flame who is no more than a poor maiden. Nothing else of note amongst the rest.


Big race of the day was a conditions stakes which whilst only three turned up was an interesting race to say the least. Big favourite in the ring was the 10/11 Godolphin trained Secrecy. I had seen him run very well in a group race at Salisbury where I had him as a positive but thought best over seven and may see out the mile. The heavy ground today was a bit of a disadvantage but going down I did not think that his action was unsuited by the mud but that his stamina could be stretched today. As such we found second favourite Penitent having to ensure there was a reasonable gallop as Paul Hanigan needed to make sure the other two runners’ speed did not come in as the predominant factor. He had been made a lot of use of over nine furlongs when I saw him last run at Newbury recently and seemed suited by such tactics provided that the trip was right. In the event of the race we saw the two market rivals slug out a great battle up the straight with Penitent getting the verdict by a neck. He did edge right close home and did take Secrecy out and off a true line. The stewards investigated without it being an enquiry and quite rightly left the places unaltered. I think both are decent but I think would be better on good ground over this trip. I would have no hesitation in keeping Secrecy a positive provided that he is kept to the seven if there is soft ground and that Penitent is kept to running over a mile.



Odds on Secrecy just failed despite an enquiry today

The final of the Hamilton Park Apprentices Series Final was run today over nine furlongs and was a class six event. It was won by favourite and top weight Botham given a great ride by Jason Hart who is clearly a very accomplished jockey and worth taking note of whilst he has a claim. Bought down the centre of the track after turning into the straight he soon asserted and kicked on for a decisive three length victory confirming both his preference for this undulating course (past CD) and ability to relish deep ground. Second was another mudlark Croix Rouge who rates as a bit of an interest going forward  as is unlikely to meet a well weighted and well ridden adversary too often in future races in the class 6 arena. He has done most of his racing in Spain and at nine is hardly likely to improve much but is on a fair mark, suits stiff tracks and is one to keep your eye out for. Of the rest, the fancied Baby Driver looks one to prefer faster ground, Spread Boy was staying on at one pace for third through tiring horses and his 66/1 price tells a fair amount as such I think he is flattered by placing and Strong Man was outpaced but appeared to stay on, this could be misleading as pedigree suggests 6-7 furlongs as optimal and there looks a tendency to put him over a mile plus. He rates a negative on that basis.




Mudlark Botham (light blue) comes through to win

The class 5 sprint over the five had a number of defectors with the muddy ground however all three deciding not to compete were the outsiders on the original tissue meant the quality was not significantly affected.  In the event we had a good battle up the straight (a feature of several of today’s races) where Captain Scooby (under a 6 pound penalty for a recent CD win in the soft and in great form at present winning this on merit and one to keep an eye on as remains on a handy mark) prevailed by a neck ahead of Babich Bay (2/1 favourite and bottom weight, suited by soft ground but needs a stiff track to be seen at optimum). These two had been close up throughout and took up the battle at the furlong pole where they usurped long-time leader second favourite Tongalooma who weakened a bit once headed to finish fourth (she carried six pound penalty for a three length beating having recently won a CD in similar conditions). Of the others third home Ballinargh Girl stayed on well whilst top weight Hinton Admiral weakened quickly to be a detatched last looking like he is a bit past his best and highly tried at OR 75.

We rounded off the seven race card with a class 5 handicap which was won in pretty emphatic style by top weight Epic (prolific winning four year old who showed no ill effect of previous pulled up run when winning today, suits 1m4 on undulating tracks and today’s OR 69 is 11 pound below a winning mark last season. Clearly suited by Hamilton).  Second home Pokfulham ran as well as can be expected to be second but is a decent hurdler and it will be interesting to see if he returns to the sticks soon at tight tracks such as Kelso. Favourite La Bacouetteuse was held up and in these conditions it is often difficult to reel in a lead and he didn’t quicken enough to take a hand but wasn’t disgraced in third. He needs good ground for this reason and remains on a fair mark to my mind. Mahab El Shamaal was fancied at 3/1 and has won on the soft but wandered around today looking either ill at ease on the ground or the track. Perhaps needs a stiff flat track rather than these sorts of undulations. 

Notebook

Saranapalus (N)


Secrecy (P)
2 1 9/2
Fair second but then revitalised in peices when winning at Mewmarket. Good enough to win again

Penitent (P)


Strong Man (N)
3
Not a bad run at reasonable 8/1 each way odds

Captain Scooby (P)
1 15/8
Won next day bit was then jacked up 9lb off his hamilton mark and shhelve. Simce dropped a couple of pound and then third at 20/1

Epic (P)
Found himself half a stone up and as such shelved

Dirt track racing, who’s interested in it at all? Surely only philistines, compulsive gamblers and those unfortunates with rubbish horses. So it was that I found myself at the fourth of the quartet of British all weather venues, Kempton Park. My preconceived ideas were that at racing pinnacle as a sport is the jumps. Flat on the turf is an industry providing sport for those with a limited attention span in line with the spin of a roulette wheel. At the depth of the sport sat the sand.  However I have been won over by the all weather and have yet to have a poor day out at any of the four, with Kempton just shading it of the four.

In fact I was always a little bit huffy about Kempton. I thought it was a bit too sharp to be a true test and thinking that lying as it does well within the M25 it is much more a metropolitan track than Sandown and Epsom and as such a bit too urban and cockney for my liking. So coming here after a gap of many years was a jolt to my sensibility. In fact this is a very well run, set out and in fact I would rather come here for a twilight meeting on the poly than get fleeced at the roller-coaster on the downs.

So what do you get from a visit. First of all there at stacks of signs for Kempton Park, it is motorway to the door M3 off the M25, there is Sunbury railway station adjacent giving a regular route from Waterloo. Could not be any more easier to get to. Tonight I merely had to drive through the main entrance and there was a spacious asphalt surfaced car park right smack bang next to the entrance. No torturous walking to be had to get in, no money need change hands to get this spot on pitch. The cost to get in tonight was £15 but that pretty well got me everywhere, I could not find any specific area out of bounds. There may have been some but I couldn’t find it. So for the money and eight races it was pretty good value. This sort of value for money package must scare the daylights out of greyhound racing. Just a few miles south-east of here sits Wimbledon, home to British dog racings jewel in its crown The Derby. They have been chiselled down bit by bit to the point where you have to ask is it viable as an industry or is it just going to be a game for the flappers in the end. The way tonight at Kempton was compiled shows that Greyhounds are knackered for as long as horse owners are willing to compete for a grand. By the look of the card featuring many double figure entries, there are plenty of competitors to feed the beast.   

The facilities are first rate, the new stand is vast, modern and good design. The interior is very modern and the furniture is good quality heavy wood. In the eating and betting areas there was stacks of space and the general atmosphere was very relaxed. One problem with the all weather here is the distance of the action from the stands. It is a minor quibble but I like the races to be close to where you are watching from so you can get a feel for the speed. The selection of food was good in the main grandstand and there was plenty of variety on offer. The tea was very hot which was good, a bit on the steep side at £1.80 but bit downside was the abomination that is UHT milk. But at least there wasn’t an insect in the brew a la Salisbury.

The entry to the course is through some decent sturdy gates but the turnstile area is pretty nondescript but nowhere near austere so passable. There were however a number of interesting aspects of the features from an aesthetic perspective that I likes. By the entry point there is a model of a horse showing some anatomic information, very high brow, there is a very nice hedge cut and pruned to depict a racehorse and I like the fact that some of the original grandstand brickwork design has been weaved into the brand new modern structure. I think it works fine and at least there has been a bit of thought in the reconstruction to give a nod towards the past.



Swanky new stand at kempton

Kempton has had many stars perform here in the past but surely none more memorable than the grey horse himself Dessie. He was a true phenomenon winning King Geoges, Whitbreads and the Gold Cup. He was a strange old thing really who was far better going right than left. Why is this? I have asked a number of trainers and they cannot explain it other than there must be a mental thing. It’s not as if they lead with a different leg. Plus just because the horse has a tendency to jump to the right doesn’t mean they will prefer to race clockwise. I was lucky in that I saw Desert Orchid’s first win which was in a novice hurdle at Ascot. In those days you thought that such a strong galloping front runner would never stay further than the minimum trip. He was quick enough to win a Kingswood at Wincanton so he was given a shot in the champion but ran into the great mare Dawn Run. He led for a way but was first of all outgunned by Buck House. That was some champion as also Very Promising ran into a place. From there on we saw him scale heights in the chasing game and managed to even win over the 3m5f of the Whitbread. However it is the King George and Kempton at which he is best remembered and a statue in his memory overlooks the paddock. It is very different from the normal as is white depicting the colour he reached in maturity and I think it is a fine sculpture to cement his position in the history of racing in general and the course in particular.




Statue of the great Dessie, questionable if being white made sense and why the promotional blanket, didn't notice Brigadier General sporting a Fly Emerites snazy cravat

The paddock and preparade ring are linked by a long walkway which also serves as the entry to the course itself. This gives plenty of opportunity for racegoers to get a close look at the horses. I found it a bit difficult to get a feel for the horses condition as twighlight and then dusk kicked in. The paddock has a neat trimmed hedge which is useful but no trees. This is a pity as a fine willow sits in the pre parade ring which would have given the Dobbies destination a bit of a dilemma but as not in the paddock doesn’t count. However the water feature on the track is a very grand fountain spewing volumes of water ten or so feet into the air to provide a multi directional plume. It looked effective. So the decision is does this overtake the excellent pond at Folkestone? Difficult choice to ponder upon.



Archetecture looks nice mixing old and new

In other areas considered the racecard at £2.50 was middle order stuff, general communication to customers was satisfactory without being significantly innovative. The course was pretty well free access all areas. However there was no chance of a freemans here given the way the course is configured.



Good water feature

The verdict on Kempton is that it is a well organised modern track offering plenty of value. There was a bit of a sterile atmosphere tonight as I am not sure all weather really evokes the same sort of  passion as the turf particularly as the action is a little distanced from the audience due to the full width of the turf track separating participants from spectators.  It does not surpass Salisbury as my favourite southern track to date but made a fair fist of competing.

The Racing

The first race was the feature race of a card which was supported by two maiden stakes, a three year old class 5 handicap and four class 6 handicaps. This class 4 handicap over one and a quarter miles was also set to start at twenty to six. This meant that anyone more than twenty minutes away had no chance after doing their 0900 to 1700 stint of getting here on time to see the best race of the evening. You might think that is an inducement to attend but I’ll tell you what I would have thought poke it they’ve got floodlights so what’s the problem with a six o’clock start. It probably transpires that this is the necessary timing to stop the drift from the bookies at the end of the afternoon fare. Anyway the race was won in confident style by the Richard Hills ridden Mtujare by a length which flattered the opposition.  Clearly better suited to this longer trip and held up a touch. As a three year old you would think he may not as yet finished improvement. Came from what many think is an unfavoured wide draw however tonight’s racing suggests that either kicking on quick out the boxes or pulled widish for run in the final quarter mile is good tactics here and a high number is sometimes an advantage. I am not sure that there is a major positive about the winner but looked to have a bit in hand on the assessor off this 79 mark. Second home was the Godolphin runner Tahaamah who was held up made good progress but rolled about a bit suggesting either didn’t stay, is still a bit green or is just an awkward. Previous runs suggest that he acts in the mud, stays a mile and a half and has run well on tricky courses like Chester and Goodwood. Difficult to draw many conclusions from this but I was a little disappointed with his run today and not sure why. As such I have him as a negative.  Michael Stoute’s Complextion ran well but probably produced a bit too late to catch the winner only going down a short head for runner’s up position. Ran poorly last time at Newmarket and appears to be more of a miler. Of the rest Tindaro the French bred top wweight makes most interest. He has winning form in france, is bred for further than this 10f trip, was staying on having been tapped for early toe (not good news around here) and  looked in need of run. Trained by a NH yard and has the conformation to suit that arena. Best suited by some cut and I can see him being an interesting prospect if put over the stick. I have him as positive particularly if this is the case.



Mutajare wins in good style

The first division of the two year old maiden fillies stakes over the seven was contested by a field of mainly backward sorts out for some experience. However it was run much faster than the second division with the winner Whimsical initiating a quickfire hat-trick for the Hannon / Hughes alliance. It was an impressive performance as once produced she accelerated in good style and quickly but the race home winning by over two lengths. She put her experience of three runs in better class to good use and it will be interesting how the handicapped views her mark of 83. The main positive though was the $400,000 purchase for Hamdam Al Maktoum Yanabeeaa. She is a big framed filly and looked a bit burley for her racecourse debut. Her pedigree suggests middle distances next season and she ran very well for her debut and looks the sort to do very well in reasonable company next season. Not knocked about at all and is a positive going forward. Of the remainder the third home No Compromise looked alert and well on her debut and may be better over six this season but should stay a mile with time. Favourite at 11/4 was Amber Silk who continues to be a bit edgy and probably needs to learn to settle. Well bred and has good speed but may be best left till next season to calm down a bit. The Authorised filly Aiaam Al Wafa was very green and ran to suit which appears to be a trend for the colt’s produce to date.



Almost twilight and you need expert vision before the floodlights kicked in top work out who's who


The second division was a bit more of a bunch finish won by 9/4 favourite Cresta Star. She has plenty of experience and her running style suggests she needs a mile already. Led throughout and may just have had a bit in hand. Fine Painting ran will promise to finish runner up having been held up and produced from approaching the quarter mile stick. Suits this seven, built on debut and looks type to progress a bit more. The big positive in this race was the Sir Mark Prescott trained Yours Ever who finished third on her debut. Looked a nice sort in the paddock beforehand but raced a little green to start with missing the kick and taking a little while to get into the race. Came through on the wide to hold every chance until one paced inside the distance. Bred to stay a mile and a half, is closely related to Shirley Heights and I am sure she will do well next season. One for the notebook.  Of the others the experienced Chatterati from the Godolphin stable finished fourth staying on having been outpaced early and holding little chance, this was her third run she was on her toes beforehand and I would have expected a bolder showing if she has any significant potential. Of the strugglers tonight I would keep a little eye on the very cheap sales purchase Lily Potts. She looked very weak and immature to my eye. Took a while to work out what was going on but stayed on well. She is not badly bred at all including being the half sister to pitmans derby winner Tomnator (who was also listed class). She has ability but I would not see her out until three if she was mine and I think with time 1m4 plus will be right up her street. She could very well pop up at good odds next season. However I cannot have her as a positive right now as needs time to mature.



Yours ever returns after hjighly promising run




The six furlong three year old class 5 handicap was won by Numeral to complete the Hannon triumpherate. The gelding won by a nose in a driving finish. Nicely bred, cost a lot of money and clearly better over this six than the nine furlongs recently tried over. Difficult to see much improvement but appears a genuine sort. Second home was bottom weight Libys Dream who ran on strongly and looked the winner for Jimmy Quinn only to be denied by the minimum distance. She broke her duck in a meeting over CD a fortnight ago. Clearly suits Kempton and the poly but 63 is likely to be increased and as such will struggle to win off this mark any time soon. Third was the fancied Crew Cut who held every chance at the distance but failed to stay on and I think the gelding is better over five at the moment. Favourite and booked for Kieren Fallon whose plane broke down (don’t you hate it when that happens, must give him the number of my aeromechanic he’s a whizz with the spanners) was Blink of an Eye who races as if needs a sprint trip and yet a drop from seven to six resulted in running out of steam. He is very nicely bred but having already been cut suggests that there may be some temperament problems here. On the basis that this was a very poor run in comparison to his win last time out I think he is getting his own ideas about the game and likely to be a bit unreliable. As such I have him as a negative going forward.

A poor nursery over a mile at class 6 was won in reasonable style by Anginola who was one of two who looked well before hand in amongst a lot of backward immature sorts. She won under a patient well timed ride from George Baker by two lengths. The second home was the hot 13/8 favourite Spunky ridden by Keiren Fallon who evidently found a bus. The horse was well held by the winner and ran about as well as could be expected and there is limited promise from this run off the current OR 60. Not much else to report for this one really.

We continued the class 6 trend this time a six furlong handicap. It was won in  a driving finish by the 6/4 favourite and course specialist Swansea Jack complete with favoured visor and tongue strap. Has a good record her winning three of four and the only defeat being by a length over a mile. Genuine and always worth watching around here. In the circumstances the runner up by a head Golden Compass also comes out of this race with credit as an improving three year old in this class. Has had a great yaer coming on a stone and clearly not stopped improvement. Has been ultra consistent best over six furlongs and I still think there are more wins even off this ‘lofty’ 60 perch and as such rates a positive. Nothing else stood out.

The penultimate event was a lowly claimer. It was the initiator of a late Fallon doubt. Hard ridden after dwelling a bit Raucous Behaviour prevailed by a nose. Big outsider was First Avenue ran well but if best suited by tight tracks over the hurdles and after appearing to have fallen out with the game his run today for a new yard suggests better things to come so watch for a run soon over the sticks where I think he could turn up at fair odds. Not so much a positive as one to consider. Was tried at stiffer tracks toward end of last season’s jumps but only win was at Plumpton in pieces. His 108 OR over hurdles is very attractive if returning to the good form he had when running close in Kempton and Huntingdon class 3 handicaps in the 09/10 season. The favourite was Porgy who looks a bit of a dodgepot with a iffy head carriage finished third but has a good winning strike-rate.

We finished with a class 6 handicap over 1m3 where a bunch finish resulted in three lengths covering the first six home.  Fifty Cents (only two wins in his life and first win since 2007 and now 30 pound lower rated than when he entered handicapping tells its own story) and Fallon won it as a joint favourite with third home Reggie Perin (continues to knock on the door and is a relatively progressive three year old).  Alhaque was second and is still after 14 efforts awaiting breaking his flat maiden duck.  Azurinta was friendless in the market starting price of 12/1 despite a promising handicap debut and being well backed as favourite that day. She encountered a lot of traffic tonight but to my eye looked to bottle it and I wouldn’t back her with a nine bob note.

Notebook

Tahaamah (n)


Tindaro (p)
2 0 3
Promising runs over hurdles as hoped for and can win before too long and remains a positive


Yannabeeaa (p)


Your Ever (p)
3
Good third at nice each way of 12/1 and looks capable of winning maide soon


Blink of an Eye (n)
0
Still not a winning proposition yet


Golden Compass (p)
Upped 4lbs and carrying 9-10 in a class 6 meant he is mot a betting opportunity. Needs to drop to 60 and is shelved