Poor old Fontwell boasted by twitter early last week that they had 143 declared runners at the five day stage for their meeting last Friday. The heavens then opened again, the going went from good to soft, to heavy to marsh like by the third race. Of those horses actually declared 24 did not run, with the going once again bordering on the unraceable - so much so that even some horses which prefer to 'get their toes in' were withdrawn by their connections.
Fontwell's loss is Brighton's gain though. Being on chalk downland, the racecourse above Whitehawk drains very well, which means they can provide good going even when it has been pretty wet. As a result their first fixture of the season boasts a healthy turnout, including dear old Megalala in the 6.50.
To describe Megalala as a veteran understates things. He is really an OAP, but he clearly prefers running to retirement. Aged 15, he is only 4 years younger than his jockey, but he is still racing with enthusiasm. Megalala won as recently as last October, and today's outing will be his 129th race. In fact he is so experienced that unlike virtually every other horse in training he does not need to be loaded into the starting stalls; he simply walks in of his own accord. If he wins tonight there will be quite a cheer. It may even be heard by Albion fans on their way to their crucial match against QPR at the Amex stadium only a mile away. Yes, for reasons most people will fail to understand Brighton racecourse have scheduled this meeting as an evening fixture, ensuring it clashes with the footie.
Much as I enjoy football, it's horse racing and Megalala for me - but I suspect I will be in a small minority.
----------------------------------------------------
It was pretty chaotic before the start of racing. Cars everywhere, many trying to use the football park and ride which was still in operation at the course even though they were hosting a meeting. Buses got stuck but in the end it seemed to work itself out. As the course tweeted (ahem - to me as it happened) 'we knew we were up against it with the clash but it turned out to be a great day all round!' Perhaps it would have been better to have hosted an afternoon fixture and positively promoted the football link - enjoy an afternoon at the races and then watch Brighton beat the fancy dans from London in the evening.
At least Brighton's decision to make their April fixture an evening one worked out more successfully than Sedgefield's. Their 'jumps' card predictably turned into a farce, with the low sun making it dangerous for the horses to actually jump. From what I could see of the handicap steeplechase (the low sun even impacted the TV pictures) it had been turned into a hairpin flat race as the horses negotiated a series of chicanes around the barriered off jumps.
Credit must go where it is due. Brighton racecourse makes a real effort to attract and keep customers, and other tracks with much more prestigious and naturally advantaged tracks could learn. The staff are polite and welcoming, there are plenty of them (some are even English!) and whilst I would not go to the races to have my dinner, I'm told by those that do that the food is good in the Silks restaurant.
This year they even have a champagne bar, which if it had been open I could have visited after wins for Philip Hide's Black Caesar in the second, and Free to Roam (which seemed a certainty to me) in the sixth. The only downer was following Rob Wright's (of The Times) nap, which duly came nowhere, leaving him firmly rooted in the Aston Villa spot at the bottom of the Racing Post naps table.
Megalala duly walked into the stalls on his own and came straight back out pretty quickly. He seemed fairly 'solid' in the paddock
and just faded out of the places after leading one furlong out. I hope he wins once more before his retirement.
Mick Channon had another winner, and it's timely to remind ourselves what an incredible sporting career the former Southampton forward with the whirling arm celebration has had. He achieved 46 England caps, scoring 26 goals, and then retired from football only to reach the top again as a classic winning trainer of horses. Judging by his wins at Newmarket and Brighton in the last week he is doing well with all types of horses (and owners). It's clearly a family business as his son was in charge last night. I thought he was the spitting image of Channon senior, but that did not stop one punter saying "You're better looking than your dad."
"That's not difficult" replied a smiling Channon junior.
No racing for 10 days now as I'm off on a cheaper and grumpier version of The Trip, with an old friend on the canals of Venice Birmingham. While I'm away I hope Paul Nicholls beats Willie Mullins in the trainer's championships. We can't have the Irish winning everything.
Having carefully consulted the dress code, I was all ready for my visit to the Headquarters of racing on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. 'As a gentleman' I chose to wear formal smart trousers and smart formal shoes, and avoided the 'rarely seen' jeans and trainers. The rebel in me was put off by the weather, so did not breach the ban on swimwear or bare chests. I was forced to leave my 'Brexit You know it Makes Sense' tee-shirt at home for fear of falling foul of the 'common sense rules' on clothes with slogans.
The vastness of Newmarket is the first thing that strikes you on arrival. Despite all the recent rain, the gallops which make up the heath were still springy under feet. It is easy to understand why so many trainers are based here.
In recent years the prestige of the season opener, the Craven meeting, has dropped somewhat. The centrepiece are the trials for the first classics of the season, the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, but trainers have increasingly bypassed these races and chosen to go straight for the big races.
The Jockey Club have tried to redress this by introducing more valuable sales races and handicaps, allowing gallops before racing which are visible to the public and are even commentated on, and returning the meeting to its original 3 day format. It's a shame that Channel 4 have still not reinstated their coverage, but this maybe an opportunity for ITV to prove their commitment to the sport next year.
Looking round the paddock before the first race most of the big owners were there - including Sheikh Hamdan and his large entourage of young princes, and the new kid on the block Sheik Fahad Al Thani from Qatar. Security was solid, if discreet, with muscular ex-Army types talking into their sleeves and scanning the horizon for threats secret-service style. Rumours that they are armed with more than just radio technology are obviously completely unfounded.
Sadly one well known owner, Sir Alex Ferguson, was missing, perhaps still recovering from his losing bet on the Masters.
The Craven Stakes, after which the meeting is known, took place in horrendous conditions. Just before the off there was the most enormous clap of thunder, coinciding with lightning striking the big screen and putting it, and the commentary service, out of action.
It was dark, hailing and raining. The start was missed by most of the crowd.
A man with binoculars shouted "I think they're off. No they're not. Oh yes here they come. Frankie's in front. It's 4. Baker."
Checking my drenched racecard I was able to establish that the Craven had been won by the tallest jockey in the world, George Baker. How he can ride at 9 stone when he is 6 feet tall is beyond me, and it is good to see him being rewarded for his daily super human self-denial. The replay shown between races an hour later with the restoration of power revealed that Baker's mount, Stormy Antarctic, beat the favourite, Foundation, rather easily. Foundation is the horse partly owned by Sir Alex, so his absence may have enabled trainer, John Gosden, and jockey, Frankie Dettori, to escape the traditional hair dryer treatment after an unexpected defeat.
A combination of the weather, the track conditions and the comparatively unfashionable nature of his trainer, Ed Walker, may have led bookmakers to underestimate the merits of the well named Stormy Antarctic's victory. If the going is still soft for the 2000 Guineas in 16 days time, then the 20/1 available represents a good value each way bet.
Ryan Moore has clearly replaced Lester Piggott as the punters' friend but we had to wait till the last for his first win of the day. The by now 'well refreshed' crowd in the Adnams Cask Bar were clearly on, but were also forced to queue in teeming rain to collect their money from some rather unhappy (haha), and very wet (snigger), bookies.
One happy man went out with half a pint of strong beer and returned even happier five minutes later waving his winnings and still holding what was by now a pint of rather less strong beer.
Spring has sprung. Happy days.
Newmarket - marks (out of 10)
Welcome/friendliness 8
Atmosphere 8
Betting ring (size, competitiveness) 9
Racecard (cost, quality) 7
Queues for the bar 9
Standard of racing 9
Viewing 7
Total (out of 70) 57
Punting success - lost (but get it back on Stormy Antarctic in The Guineas!)
While out for a walk last week I bumped into an old colleague.
"Hello Graham. Long time no see"
"Hi ......... Joe. Good to see you"
"So, how are you voting in this EU referendum?"
"Not entirely made up my mind yet but probably to stay in"
"On no. I'm firmly out. We (nods to wife) are even cutting short our holiday and coming back home early so we can vote"
"You can get a postal vote you know"
"No way don't trust them. The outs won't get counted"
"Really"
"Yes you know what the establishment is like. They'll do anything to win. If it's close the leave votes will go missing"
"Oh right"
I carried on, bought my Racing Post and opened it at page 22 to find an advert for a horse for sale. It was called Brexit. I've passed the details on to Joe.
Is there a name for it? That maudling feeling I experience - whether I've won or lost - on the Sunday morning after the Grand National. The jumps season is effectively over. It's at least 6 months before those heroes, and following this year's Champion Hurdle, heroines are seen again.
Still this year's race provided a heart warming story to cheer us through the summer months. Most importantly all the horses and jockeys were safe and sound. The rain drenched ground probably helped in this respect, although it also did for my tip The Druids Nephew. He could not 'jump out of it' (basically he got stuck in the mud) and ended up being pulled up.
The winning horse, Rule The World, was cheered home by quite a few women, because apparently his name is the title of a Take That song. Remarkably it was the horse's first ever win in a steeplechase, ridden by a 19 year old jockey having his first ride in the National. Who needs to spend hours studying the form and watching the videos when being a woman of a certain age and having a crush on Robbie Williams provides the key to profits?
Whilst I could not have selected Rule the World even with unlimited devoted expert research, I was almost able to join in the cheers because the trainer is Mouse Morris. Son of Lord Killanin, the Irishman nobleman and President of the International Olympic Committee, Mouse has always been an entertaining character. Now in his mid-sixties he still sports an impressive (albeit now grey) mullet, and chainsmokes the gaspers. His training base is in Fethard, a small town in County Tipperary where I once spent a memorable evening with a bunch of local racing fans in the Chinese pub in the centre of the town.
Mouse had a shattering experience last year, when his son Tiffer was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning whilst travelling in Argentina. Most observers also thought Mouse's training career was in decline so the win must have been a real tonic.
I had watched the National at Lingfield, where they managed to put on a good show* for the largish crowd. They started with shire horse racing. All a bit gimmicky for me as they 'sprint' for 4 furlongs. One jockey, Luke Morris, even managed to fall off which in hindsight is perhaps not all that surprising as he looked very small on these massively impressive steeds.
As usual the handicaps on the Lingfield card were tricky. It is easy to see why the bookmakers sponsor them; indeed calling the 13 runner second race the Bookies' Benefit Stakes would have been an apt title.
The maidens though offer opportunities. Unraced horses from top yards tend to start at short prices. There was money all morning for Musdam in the 4.50. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, and ridden by Ryan Moore, it was always likely to be over bet. I fancied John Gosden's Dommersen, which had the advantage of the experience of a previous run. I could not believe the 5/1 price it opened at on course and steamed in (err I mean backed it accordingly). Remarkably - for me anyway - there was then a massive gamble on Dommersen which saw its price shrink into 5/4. I like to think it was sparked by my early wager but sadly I suspect not.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori - I knew it was him because he had his name on his socks - Dommersen held on to win, and there was no doubt that the advantage of a previous run made the critical difference. Musdam will win, but needs more time and experience.
Lingfield offers the opportunity to see these great jockeys up close, walking through the spectators on the way to and from the paddock and winners enclosure. Frankie is the most popular, and seemed very happy to stop and chat, sign and be 'selfied' (not by me obviously). The taciturn Ryan Moore gets less attention, but it is still a thrill for me to watch the man who is now widely regarded as the best jockey in the world at one of our local tracks. And even though the morning gamble on Musdam went west, he did the business by winning two of the 'impossible' handicaps.
Brighton's second best ever sportsman, Steve Ovett, was given the freedom of the city. I hope Ryan, undoubtedly Brighton's greatest ever sportsman, is given a similar honour one day.
And the post National blues were lifting by Sunday afternoon -after all it's the Craven meeting on Wednesday.
*I did though wonder why they put the stalls in front of the big screen, partially obscuring the National for much of the crowd - (see pic below)
At this time of year I tried to avoid all my friends, work colleagues, acquaintances and neighbours for the fear of being asked, "Come on you know about racing, what's going to win the National?"
Over the years I have had a reasonable amount of success. An illicit bet on Red Rum as a 15 year old was probably the start of my life long fondness for racing (and yes, gambling). Party Politics, Maori Venture, Numbersixvalverde and most profitably of all, Royal Athlete, successfully carried the Cox pounds in the Grand National - and on at least one occasion enabled me to pay the gas bill. Of course there have been many more losers, none more painfully than Little Polveir, so much so that I am still scarred by it more than a quarter of a century later.
I backed this great little horse in 1988 at 33/1. He was going really well, leading the field, with only 5 fences left when his jockey, Tom Morgan, was 'unseated'; that's the official racing term anyway but to my ( admittedly back pocket influenced eyes) poor old Tom simply fell off.
Next year Little Polveir was back but there was no way I could see him winning as a 12 year old, having failed the previous year. Indeed his long term owners obviously thought the same as they sold him 2 months before the 1989 renewal for £15k.
Little Polveir proceeded to romp home under new jockey, Jimmy Frost, at an S/P of 28/1, clearly relieved to not be burdened by the pressure of shouldering my money. Tom Morgan duly fell off the favourite, Dixton House, at Becher's this time.
In the spirit of learning from your mistakes, admittedly 26 years later, my tip for the 2016 Grand National is The Druids Nephew. He fell last year, when in the lead, at the same fence as Little Polveir had done in 1988. Let's hope he can do a Little Polveir, stay on his feet, and win for us at best price 16/1.
My other advice is as follows-
- The quality of the horse in the Grand National has improved enormously in recent years. There are no, no-hopers, so if you fancy one at longer odds, back it.
- Rather than having an each-way wager, it is better to have two win bets.
- Do not be put off last year's winner, Many Clouds. He has easily the best chance of winning the race again since the golden days of the great Red Rum.
- And whatever you do place your bet in the morning and TAKE THE PRICE. Our friends the bookies annually rip off once a year punters by reducing the prices of all the horses in the 45 minutes before the race. It's as shameless as a Panamanian tax haven so do not let them sell you short as well.
Good luck.
OK it's the Masters (the only golf I can get vaguely interested in), the start of the cricket season (too cold surely) and the Grand National (much more my cup of tea) this week, but surely the eyes of the sporting world will be focused on the Tuesday Maiden Open Race scheduled for 8.10 at Harlow Greyhound Stadium this evening?
Hattie (Expect Nothing) is running in an open race away from her home track at Hove. Hopefully she will not get stuck in traffic on the M25 as Claude (her esteemed trainer) tells me 'she's got a chance if she gets out.' The distance is 415metres (shorter than the 515 she normally runs at Nevill Road) which might even suit her.
It's on Sky Channel 468. I just need to find somewhere to nervously watch it.
If you agree with me that it's much more fun reading about a punter's losing day, then for once on this blog you best stop reading now (oh how lovely it was to write that sentence). Normal service will of course be resumed soon but Fontwell yesterday was almost as good as it gets.
My new theory with the Placepot - multiple 10p perms leaving out the obvious favourites - gave me a run for my money but met its demise in the 5th with Keppel Isle and Distant Sound failing to make the frame.
By then it did not matter though. The sun was out and the going had that mysterious term 'good' in the title. All set therefore for Fontwell specialist Venetian Lad. It was his weather, his going and his time of year. I'd watched him labour in the mud all winter, but had been convinced by the determination he had showed in coming second last time that once the sun was out he would do the business.
The only problem was getting the bet on. The queue for the face painting was lengthy,
giving a clue to the make up of the crowd. I'd spotted 9/1 available with one bookie on the end in the ring but 2 women (yes it's always women I'm afraid) were wanting 50p eachway bets on De Blacksmith (because one of them had a granddad who once was a smithy apparently) and couldn't understand why such a bet cost a £1. Inevitably by the time they had finished the 9's had been wiped off (electronically these days) and I had to settle for 8/1 with the 'best odds guaranteed' man. I normally avoid Goodwin Racing because of their annoying catch phrase 'you'll get it' (said in a sing-song voice), but with only 20 seconds to the off there was no choice.
Marc Goldstein, Venetian Lad's jockey, was pushing away for most of the last circuit but to my eye the horse seemed to be responding. Admittedly doubts were creeping in between the second and last fence, as Venetian Lad was still in third place, but as the Racing Post reported he 'stayed on gamely to lead final 100 yards.'
Going to winners enclosure to see one you've backed come in is always a good feeling. It was great to see Mrs Richards, Venetian Lad's trainer, give a Judy Murray style fist pump as she greeted her winner. I loved her comment afterwards in the post race interview to the race day announcer, Lee Mackenzie, that "he (Venetian Lad) likes it here because he can get back quickly for his tea."
Incidentally it struck me again just how good Mackenzie is on the loudspeaker at Fontwell. He might use the same product on his suspiciously black hair as Ronnie Wood, but he is knowledgeable, amusing and most importantly does not drone on as if 'he loves the sound of his own voice' as some others do - Plumpton please note.
Venetian Lad was the big one, but with victories for Colin Tizzard's Sartorial Elegance (presumably named after someone with dress sense like mine) and a promising third at 20/1 for Nick Gifford's The Mighty Don in the bumper it was the best day since the start of this blog.
With that new punting confidence I headed down to Ladbrokes this morning to back Lord of the Land for the Lincoln at 6/1. "Sorry Sir you can only have £25. The rest will have to be SP". Maybe the Magic Sign had heard of the Fontwell exploits!
Name dropping is never clever. I was reminded of this on Sunday at Plumpton when I was stood in the collect queue after the victory of Like Sully, behind the very clever and splendidly red-trousered Lord Baker (former Education Minister, 'star' of Spitting Image and inspiration behind modern Technology Colleges). To see he had only secured 9/4 for his wager, made my successful punt at 5/2 just that little bit more satisfying (he wrote smugly.)
The run has continued, with a recognition that the bookies had over-reacted to England's comeback against Germany, with their odds for the Holland game. A Dutch team inspired by the death of the truly great Johan Cruyff, and England's frailties in front of the home crowd at Wembley, duly delivered the goods for those who followed the advice on twitter. Gratifying, if a tad over the top, feedback as well, 'shrewd as a shrew from Shrewsbury.'
The cricket is going well, with wins for England and West Indies in the men's 20/20 cricket. I even ventured into the women's game, convinced that Australia's 'ladies' (as the commentators call them) were much better than England's. It was closer than I expected, and the standard of the cricket was in truth not that great, but Australia prevailed in the end. Mark Robinson (new England coach) criticised his team for being unfit, apparently the reason they could not run 2's. Not good enough I am afraid for cricketers on full time and pretty lucrative contracts considering the crowds the game attracts. From what I hear there is considerable justification for the observation of some of those close to the set-up, that it is all a bit too friendly - so much so that that is very hard to get dropped from the team, and difficult for those outside to get picked.
The only setback was a near-miss in the Placepot at Lingfield on Wednesday. It was looking good until the maiden. There was good money for the unraced Bargain Buy, trained by William Haggas. I though had heard a 'whisper' for Dream Voice, also based in Newmarket with the less high profile James Tate.
The favourite was Aldair, one of the prolific Richard Hannon's, and 4th in a maiden at Chepstow in his only race. I surmised that this form was not all that, and that if the murmurings for those making their first appearances were correct then the favourite could even miss out on a place. I therefore chose Dream Voice in the Placepot and stuck him in an exacta with Bargain Buy.
At this point the betting gods struck. Dream Voice reared in the stalls, threw off champion all-weather jockey Luke Morris, and had to be withdrawn. I knew the rules on non-runners in a Placepot so was aware my money went onto the SP favourite, Aldair. No problem as surely Aldair was good enough to finish at least 3rd with Dream Voice now out?
Adair led all the way until the final furlong (touching 1.37 on the changes in running*) before fading into (you've probably guessed by now) 4th, with Bargain Buy running away an impressive winner. My compensation for missing out on what would have been a fairly impressive Placepot dividend, was the return of my £5 exacta stake (one non-runner on an exit does not go on the favourite).
Will the good run continue on April Fool's Day at Fontwell? Probably not but it should be a good day's racing if there is not too much emphasis on the family fun day elements. My eyes will be on the 2.35 at Lingfield. Gay Kellaway's What A Party will be upped in trip (racing talk for running over longer distance) which my intelligence from 'earwig corner' suggests is just what the horse needs. I expect him to out run his price and at least be placed.
*Basically the observers/arbers on the computers thought he was going to win and bet accordingly
Fontwell's loss is Brighton's gain though. Being on chalk downland, the racecourse above Whitehawk drains very well, which means they can provide good going even when it has been pretty wet. As a result their first fixture of the season boasts a healthy turnout, including dear old Megalala in the 6.50.
