Taunton races with Honor, Tuesday 22nd February 2011

Half term so what better way to spend a day than one at Taunton races with my 10 year old niece Honor who has just started riding lessons and is into anything to do with horses right now. Also, it happened to be Family fun day at Taunton and with Ned teething and still not quite walking I thought it would be a lovely idea to take Honor instead. Luckily she agreed and so we were all set for the trip buoyed by the prospect of meeting David Pipe to witness what a top trainer’s pre race routine involves which had been arranged by the racecourse as a special treat for Honor. We were both very excited as we headed south down the M5 having spent the previous day travelling in the opposite direction to Wolverhampton. Taunton race course is easy to find when you leave the M5 and it’s in a lovely spot actually, if you look down the finishing straight you can see the Quantock Hills which provide a truly breathtaking backdrop. On a slightly brighter day I am sure it’s even more stunning. Racing with a youngster at their first race meeting is an educational experience because you realise that for all the years following the races there are still things which you don’t know fully understand yourself and these knowledge gaps are brought sharply into focus when you are asked what something means. For example, it sounds obvious, but when Honor asked me what Soft going meant I had to frame the answer relative to the other going descriptions but what does soft actually mean? When we went to look at the course you could see how deep the hooves were reaching for all the divots and clods of earth up the straight. Honor fortunately didn’t ask me to explain the handicap system other than the fact she did find out a little later about jockeys having to weigh out and weigh in order to conform to the rules of racing. When you think about it there’s an awful lot to take in on your first visit and it certainly kept me on my toes. Racing is getting much, much better at explaining all the jargon particularly in the new format of the Morning Line in C4 but also in most race cards, it must be said. So, before we settled into the rhythm of our viewing and betting experience we made sure to have a good look around the facilities including the restaurant and bars in the main Grandstand and, of course, how could we ignore the hot dog van located on the inside of the course just next to the giant TV screen lorry....one with onions, one without and a traditional bag of chocolate fudge for Honor to enjoy during the races. Now all we needed were a couple of winners to put the icing on the cake. In the first race I was brave and rather than keep it simple I kicked things off with a Tote reverse exacta....I said to Honor that as long as Qozak and Shoreacres finish in the first two places we’d be alright, this gave her two horses to follow using my binoculars. Sure enough, the Champ AP McCoy got things rolling on Shoreacres seeing off Qozak by 20 plus lengths and off we trooped to collect our winnings...all 90 pence of them as the tote returned £2.90 to my pound reverse outlay of £2. A win’s a win though as they say and I didn’t think it wise to encourage Honor with large stakes. In the 2^nd race we liked the look of both Dark Lover and Dineur but we opted for Dineur each way as the odds were much better. This was a cracking novice hurdle race with Dineur just being overhauled by Dark Lover in the final strides of the race....what a great finish that was. I could tell from Honor’s reaction that she was taking to this form of entertainment. In the 3^rd race our luck started to change as inevitably it does at the races. We backed Kinkeel but it was not to be with the race being won by Kirbys Glen. The 4^th race was the feature race of the day sponsored by Weatherbys offering £20000 in prize money with a handsome pot of just over £10K to the winner. We backed Iolith from the inform Alan King yard but it was to be Ciceron who took the spoils for Venetia Williams, another in form trainer and Aidan Coleman in an extremely well handicapped race there was a blanket finish for the places. I suspect one or two of these horses will be eyeing up Cheltenham and Aintree for even bigger prize pots. Honor decided that we need to change our betting strategy at this juncture as the original one was starting to falter. So rather than combine forces and back one horse together we opted to go our separate ways. Honor asked me to put £2 on Just Amazing to win and I went for Come What Augustus e/w. Earlier on in the day I had been advised by Stephanie at Racing for Change to keep an eye out on Come What Augustus as she rides him out at the Woollacotts in Devon. Augustus has been very successful winning lots of point to points but this was his first steeple chase for several years at the races. We backed him each way and if he hadn’t been hampered at the last fence with a circuit to go I am convinced he would have won  the race. In the end he had to make up several places, which the talented jockey managed to do, but he just couldn’t quite get up on the line losing out to the Paul Nicholls trained Just Amazing. So, both Honor and I ended up in the money again but it was a special moment for Honor who backed her first winner and will no doubt remember Taunton for the rest of her life for that. Things were about to get even better as were now about to meet David Pipe and spend the build up to the 6^th race in his exalted company. We met outside the main office and were then introduced to David. Then we were off to the preparade ring to watch E Street Boy being saddled up – it is a real privilege to get this close to a racehorse before the off and the thing I noticed was that they all had a very clear sense that they were about to be going hammer and tong over some hurdles...like athletes going through their final routine before lining up in a middle distance race. We then moved to the parade ring where we also met David’s Dad the 15 time champion trainer Martin Pipe. Here we witnessed the trainer giving the final instructions to the very friendly Tom Scudamore and then the horses were off to the start. Sadly E Street Boy didn’t finish in the first 3 so we didn’t get the chance to be reunited with the connections in the winners enclosure....not to mention the £5 each way we lost! Seriously, though, that didn’t matter a jot because we’d had a brilliant day and been lucky enough to get so close to the action. Honor and I absolutely loved our day together and I don’t think it will be too long before she asks to go racing again. A big, big thank you to the management at Taunton, to the Pipes and to Stephanie for suggesting we would get  a run for our money following Come What Augustus...she was spot on.

Wolverhampton races - Monday, 21st February 2011

I had long been intrigued to find out about all weather racing at Wolverhampton and on Monday I had the ideal opportunity to make the 100 mile journey up the M5 to witness the action. Wolverhampton is Britain's first floodlit racecourse.  The inaugural all weather meeting was Boxing Day 1993, although the newly built facilities and all weather track were opened officially by Her Majesty the Queen on 24th June 1994. So all weather racing on this polytrack surface (sand, rubber chips and wax resin to bind it all) has been around for a while now. Whilst all weather racing has its critics, I am certainly not one of them, particularly when you find out (by paying a visit, which I urge all race goers to do at least once) how hard a racecourse like Wolverhampton is working to open its doors to as many would be race goers as possible and to give them great value for money. I got a really good positive vibe about the place from the moment I pitched up in the car park. Easy to find and well sign posted from the motorway you are quickly into the heart of the racecourse if entering via the Holiday Inn club entrance. Here I was met by Lindsey and Lesley both part of the dynamic sales team at Wolves. Lesley took me on a tour of the facilities before racing started just so I could get my bearings and get some of the hard investigative work done before our lunch appointment in Horizons, the panoramic restaurant with fantastic sightlines over the entire course and right up the finishing straight. My business partner wasn’t able to make it so Lesley had to put up with me over lunch instead! There really is something for everyone at the racecourse including a large sized conference space Ringside which becomes a nightclub on Saturdays, bars and betting facilities on every floor of the Dunstall Park grandstand each catering for either the regular punter who wants a cosy pub type atmosphere on the ground floor (Weighed In) with close proximity to indoor (on Mondays or in bad weather) independent bookies, to the very comfortable leather armchairs in the family/owners & trainers Dunstall Suite on the 1^st floor , well appointed private hospitality boxes (can seat 8-64 people at a time) to Horizons on the 3^rd floor. If you haven’t booked a table in Horizons, which is advisable as it’s so popular, then you can also try the hotel which again was pretty busy for a Monday afternoon I thought. There is plenty of crossover between the hotel and the racing which all makes sense because it’s actually part of the race course and this makes for quite a buzz about the place at any stage of the week I reckon. It also makes for a perfect conference destination where you can mix business with the pleasures of a fun afternoon or night at the races. Having explored the course we headed for Horizons. Immediately it made me think of the panoramic at Kempton and as Lesley was quick to point out it was Kempton who copied their idea (table side TV screens to boot)...imitation being the highest form of flattery of course! The food and service was slick and of a very high quality. I had a delicious creamy mushroom soup, pork loin with extra loud pork crackling and an almond and pear tart for pudding. To those who know me well I am a closet food snob who loves watching TV master chefs at work (loving Lorraine Pascale right now) and, whenever possible, sampling good food and wine. The chef at Wolverhampton deserves extremely high praise. My loin was tender and the vegetables deliciously fresh. The really classy touch was the orange zest mascarpone cream served with the tart...so original and refreshing too. Chatting to Lesley over lunch made me realise how important racing is to their local community. Wolves will stage around 100 fixtures this year so it’s a busy place and it gives local trainers like Reg Hollinshead, Tony Carroll and Mark Brisbourne to name just a few the ideal place to send their runners. If only I’d followed her advice and actually backed them I would have shown a handsome profit on the day. I did however back Richard Hannon’s runner Captain Cool in the second race which gave me a cushion which I needed to lean on for the rest of the afternoon. The main reason for this was the distinctly poor run by Harry Lime in the 4.30pm Maiden Stakes, trained by Mark Johnstone and ridden by Joe Fanning the horse was sent off as 9-2 2^nd favourite and with a Derby entry to boot thought it might at least make the frame.....ended up coming last beaten several lengths by Crystal Sky ridden by Jimmy Quinn. But the lack of betting success certainly wasn’t going to put me off my day. I think it’s a sign of the economic times that a horse like Erinjay who won the seller at 4pm and who has now won 5 of his last 10 starts wasn’t bought in the auction conducted immediately after the race. I really think this horse would repay the outlay quite quickly and yet there were no bids (see video clip); sadly I didn’t have a spare £3K.  On leaving the racecourse I spotted a very smart black Mercedes endorsed with the JSC Sport logo; I was straight on to my mate Johnno Spence to see if he was at the races but, as it turned out, he was on holiday in Mustique and the car, as it happens, is owned by a certain Hayley Turner! So, a big thumbs up to the team at Wolverhampton from one of your growing army of happy race goers. If new visitors keep receiving the same warmth of welcome attracted by the varied programme of entertainment (see below for upcoming examples of this) laid on by the racecourse then you will thrive even in these harsh economic times. Well done again and thanks to Lesley and Lindsey for looking after me so well.

Saturday 12^th March – Lincoln Trial Day with Pro/Am Darts Challenge

This is the only Saturday afternoon race meeting at Wolverhampton and features 2 prestigious races, The William Hill Lincoln Trial and the Lady Wulfruna Stakes.

The Pro/Am darts contest will be held during racing. Between races, race goers can take part each throwing 9 darts with the highest scorers going on to partner former world champions Keith Deller and John Lowe.

The final will take place after racing and the winner will receive a table for 4 guests in the Horizons Restaurant here at Wolverhampton Racecourse.

This event is a must for racing and darts enthusiasts.

Link for tickets/details http://www.wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk/raceday/fixtures.html?mode=view&fix=1799

Saturday 19^th March – Irish Night

Evening Racing followed by live entertainment from Richie Muir and his band.

The band will be performing a range of material from Irish artists as part of our Irish themed racing and entertainment night.

Link for details/tickets http://www.wolverhampton-racecourse.co.uk/raceday/fixtures.html?mode=view&fix=1802