altisconsulting

Taunton races with Honor, Tuesday 22nd February 2011

2011-02-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-28T06:39:00.000-08:00

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

Trip to Joe Tuite's yard in Great Shefford near Lambourn 17.1.11

2011-01-21T01:05:00.000-08:00

When the news reached me via a mutual friend that Joseph Tuite was leaving Mick Channon, where he had been assistant manager for over 8 years and helped to regularly send out in excess of 100 winners a season, to set up on his own I determined to pay him a visit once he’d got up and running. Joe is a top man, both charming and knowledgeable in equal measures; essential qualities needed to attract owners into a new yard, especially with the backdrop of an uncertain economy and all the press about paltry prize money, increasing costs and trainers having to shut up shop. So it is already some achievement that he now has 12 horses based at Shefford Valley Stables just outside Lambourn where he rents his facilities (stable boxes, exerciser and private 6 furlong wood chip gallops) from Andrew Liddiard. At the minute the tack room doubles up as his office (see photo) although he is hoping to bring in a container type mobile home to serve as his office very shortly. Whilst I was chatting to Joe he was simultaneously drying out a damp muck sheet with a gas fired patio heater. This made for an atmospheric environment but also served to remind me that life isn’t always that glamorous when you are starting out on your own in business. What makes things a little more complicated for Joe is that he is still waiting for his dual-purpose training license (he will concentrate on the flat to start with) to come through the post so he is not able to enter his horses to race anywhere just yet. He is running everything on a shoestring until the results start to come and, knowing Joe, it will not be too long before we are reading about him saddling a first winner in his own right, such is the measure of the man and such is the loyalty which he engenders from those who have backed him by sending him horses in the yard’s infancy. Most notably, his yard sponsor, David Greaney who owns DG Imports (specialist importers of fruits, salads and vegetables) has sent him a couple of horses and the Heart of the South syndicate have sent Interakt to be trained by Joe. Some of his horses are ready to run whilst others need a little bit more work but I am convinced it will not be long before we see a certain Joe Tuite climbing the leading trainers table in the coming years. He has given himself 10 years to build his dream and given that most businesses when they set up think about the 5 year horizon you can tell that Joe is deadly serious and, in my opinion, very likely to succeed. I wish him and the team well at Great Shefford. Roll on February.......

Kempton Park twilight all weather meeting with Rafe - 16.12.10

2010-12-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

It's been proving quite tough to go racing this month what with all this snow, ice and dodgy, Arctic weather which has wreaked havoc with the fixture list so there was just one thing for it.....a trip to the all weather polytrack at Kempton Park beckoned. There are plenty of dates to choose from - next year in fact Kempton will stage 96, yes 96 fixtures. I chose Thursday 16th December partly because Kempton is so easy to get to from Oxfordshire (M40, M25, M3) but also because I wanted to give my Godson, Rafe an early Christmas treat. He's only 15 (thereby qualifying for free entry NB I think Kempton have been very cute to raise the free entry from U16 to U18) and I thought it would be interesting to see what he thought about the experience from a teenager's perspective. I arranged to pick him up from Great Milton and after a lovely spot of lunch with his Mum, my Aunt, we careered to Kempton in time for the first race off at 4pm. The plan was to stay for 6 of the 8 races. I topped up Rafe's pocket money to the princely sum of £15 and challenged him to turn his budding knowledge of the form into some early Christmas money with which I would expect him to have added to his iTunes collection or PS3 video game library. Teenagers don't really change, just the technologies. In my day it was still Vinyl singles, LPs and Gameboy.

We got to the fairly quiet beeting and food hall in the Grandstand (see video clip) with about 20 minutes to spare before the off which allowed me to watch the last races at snowy Towcester and Exeter on the BetFred TV screens and try to get into some kind of winning betting groove. The 3.40 from Towcester was a taste of things to come later in the evening although interestingly enough, not from Kempton. Addiction was pipped by a big outsider in a photo finish but I made a few quid on the place leg of my each way bet whilst down in the eye of the snow storm at Exeter Baby Car ran into a brave 3rd place from way off the pace along a frighteningly long run-in swelling the coffers by a few more quid (so, I knew, by now that I'd covered Rafe's top-up.....). I should have just stopped there because every one of my next 6 selections seemed to go into reverse the moment they clocked the winning post! Meanwhile clever young Rafe was asking me to put a couple of quid on for him here and there at the Tote and I foolishly dismissed his selections backing other theories, including trying some exotic bets like the Swinger and Reverse Exacta at the Tote.

Just after the second race, in which the talented Cathy Gannon completed a big price double, we met up with James Hastings-Trew. James works for Kempton in the sales team and is rightly very proud of the Panoramic Restaurant at the top of the Grandstand (*please see below for superb value deal available to readers of this blog offered up by James). In my opinion this facility is their crown jewel - smart, modern, comfy and clearly a place where lots of people were having a fantastic time (a fab place for Christmas parties - see photo), eating delicious food and good wine - 'tis the season to be jolly after all I reminded myself as the blizzard deepened ouside! As things had started to get seriously cold and snowy outside so I took myself and Rafe off to the Arabian desert (Meydan) for a change of fortune in their 5.45 back at Betfred.. £20 win (biggest bet I allow myself) on Swinging Sixties. The William Buick ridden horse looked all over the winner about 2F out only to be mugged on the line by another rank outsider...Pearly King at 33-1. Time to give up the ghost Charlie!

Rafe had been enjoying a bit more luck with some good priced places with Faith Jacaro in the 3rd and Mrs Neat in the 4th. I then clocked him nose deep into the Racing Post form pages establishing his strategy for the last couple of races (see photo). We drew a blank in the 5th but in the 6th it all cam good for the youngster. He asked me to put on his maximum bet £2 e/w on Gallantry whilst I went £10 e/w on Ice Cool Lady a recent, well fancied course and distance winner. Fair play to the youngster - Gallantry absolutely bounded clear winning eased down at the line...no sign of Ice Cool Lady though......one of those days. Stick to what you know Charlie - it's notoriously difficult to pick out these all weather winners - but it doesn't stop one trying right?

Rafe was positively beaming having scooped £15.20 on Gallantry thereby doubling his net worth on the night. I was left feeling rather impoverished having shelled £70 excluding drinks. I asked Rafe what he wanted to eat thinking he might say fish and chips or burger which I would have been able to get for him at the racecourse but he insisted on KFC on the way home at Oxford services. I think racecourses could do much more with their retail premises to attract more people and grow their average customer spend by working with brands like KFC. The offering on a midweek all weather, bitterly cold December night is OK but could be a whole lot better frankly especially for those on a lower budget which excludes the Panoramic.

Sandown has a Costa Coffee. Why not a KFC for Kempton...?

* SPECIAL OFFER

Buy One Get One Free offer that we have in our Panoramic Restaurant in January and February to the readers of this blog. This offer applies to all fixtures apart from 15th January and the 26th February.

For two people we would be able to offer admission, racecard and table for the fixture with a two course meal for £42 and £47 for a three course meal.

To claim this offer, call the sales team on 01932 753518 and quote the code KPLTR11. This offer needs to be booked in advance and is subject to availability.

Newbury Races, Winter Festival, Friday 26th November 2010

2010-11-30T13:07:00.001-08:00

Today I managed to combine a bit of serious business and pleasure. First stop Highclere Castle to meet my clients who had booked a day’s game shooting through my events company Altis by 9am and thanks to the super fast A34 I made it with plenty of time to spare and could enjoy a cup of coffee with them before seeing them off in the estate Land Rovers for the first drive. As well as being conveniently close to Newbury racecourse Highclere Castle was also the location for the recent, hugely popular Downton Abbey series on ITV. The castle is stunning and it’s set in some amazing grounds as you can see from the photos. Highclere also has its own stud and it is also linked to some very successful racehorse syndicates known as Highclere Thoroughbred Racing. Their best known horse in training this year was Harbinger who won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stakes at Ascot destroying a good field in record time but who is sadly now retired due to injury.

It seemed to make sense to take up the offer of a day at Gentlemen’s Day, the Friday of Newbury’s excellent 3-day Winter Festival, as I was so close to the racecourse...not that I needed much arm twisting, of course. I was on my own today so it gave me extra flexibility to visit some different parts of the racecourse as well as the chance to meet up with a couple of friends and family who are Newbury regulars. I picked up my badge and race card from the Owners & Trainers entrance and then headed into the heart of things. On my way in I was given a copy of Inside Track (a really useful guide to the layout of the facilities packed with all sorts of other handy tips designed to try and improve the racing experience for infrequent visitors) by a friendly member of staff. I now felt as though I could navigate my way around the facilities in total confidence. Before the racing I visited the paddock to see the Vine & Craven foxhounds, look at the Fullers Dray (great experiential brand activation given the brewer’s sponsorship of the Berkshire Novices Steeple Chase on today’s card) and listen to Mick Fitzgerald’s tips in his interview with Philip Brannan (not that these helped very much, sometimes I think there are too many opinions out there, no matter how well qualified they are, and you just have to go with your own instincts.....!).

As I left the paddock area and headed towards Dubai Duty Free Grandstand I spotted Freddie Tulloch at the very impressive looking Outside Chance bar. I have got to know Freddie quite well over the last few years as we are in very similar businesses and I am confident that the Outside Chance bar will become a key part of the race day and race night experience at Newbury over the coming years. It is a joint venture between Freddie and the Outside Chance pub in Manton near Marlborough designed to give the younger, cooler racing enthusiasts a home from home really – comfortable, warm, trendy environment serving up good food, wine, beers and coffees all day where you can place bets and then it turns into a bar / club after racing. I think this is exactly the sort of initiative racing needs to develop in order to break into the younger, funkier crowds without having to rely on concerts which seem to polarise the more traditional race goers on race days. So well done Freddie and well done Newbury for sharing the vision – good on you both and I hope it proved to be a success.

I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the racing from as many different vantage points as I could get to without encroaching on any hospitality or restaurant viewing areas. I guess it was the type of day out that the majority of Newbury’s many thousands of fans experience each time they go racing. This was what I was trying to get a feel for....what’s it like for the everyday fan? I watched from the Grandstand and its enclosure and I watched from the Premier enclosure too where I met up with Graham and Penelope Stewart for the long distance staying hurdle at 1.35pm at their usual viewing position at the foot of the Hampshire Stand. Of all the vantage points I think the one I prefer the best is from the extreme right hand side of the Berkshire Stand looking down the entire length of the course which also has good views of the water jump and the sharp right handed turn which the runners take as they head out on another circuit. I had an excellent pork roll from the Celtic Pie Company situated on the first floor of the Grandstand with a pint of Guinness from the ground floor bar in amongst the Tote booths, racing newspapers and TV screens. A lot of people seem to just base themselves here and I can quite see why as they have all the facilities on the doorstep of the course including easy access to the concourse bookmakers.

On the betting front I had a mixed day. Not much to report other than a £2 Tote reverse exacta on Dolatulo and Smad Place in the first which paid out 13.4 to a unit stake with the favourite being convincingly turned over by the in-form Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson connections. I sat out the second (work call which I had to take) and in the third I backed Mostly Bob £2.50 each way. The horse came 3^rd but the dividend wasn’t great. In the 4^th I did another reverse exacta on the short priced favourites (both of whom crashed out of the race) leaving my each way saver On Borrowed Wings to claw back the stake. I left after the 4^th race in order to get back to the office to round a few things off for the week and prepare for another Altis event at Twickenham (England v S. Africa) the following day. Leaving early on a Friday isn’t a bad idea either if you need to beat the traffic because the A34 for all its positives can snarl up late on a Friday afternoon. On a final note I heard on the radio driving home that AP McCoy rode a double to round off a good day in the end for the Nicky Henderson team which will have meant quite a few happy punters will have collected some early Christmas money!! Sadly not me though.

Wincanton Races via Yapp Brothers Wine Merchants in Mere with pals from the Marquis of Westminster Pub in Pimlico, Thursday 19th November 2010

2010-11-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

An inauspicious start to the day when I discovered a flat tyre on the Volvo just before setting off to the West Country for a day out with the lads from the Marquis. Perhaps it was an omen to go steady on the wagers at Wincanton but it did mean I was going to get to Mere, where I was meeting the minibus making its way to Somerset from central London, later than the scheduled 11.30am. I hurtled down the A303 via Marlborough in my wife's Polo and got to Yapp Brothers Wine Merchants just after midday. The gang from the Marquis including one of my oldest mates, Chris Hayes, the landlord arrived 10 minutes before me so they were already sipping on something sparkling when I met them in the shop. Tom Ashworth, another old mate, happens to run the family wine business with his stepbrother Jason Yapp and they supply the Marquis along with several other high profile trade customers in London like Le Gavroche. It struck me to be a smart move to combine a pub trip from the Marquis with a tasting tour at Yapp Brothers and a day's racing at Wincanton especially as I could dump the car and hop on the minibus thereby clearing the way for a few pints at the course (I didn't need to drive home later as I was staying locally in the Deverill valley with a great pal and he had akindly agreed to pick me up from Yapp's later......dangerous). Tom gave us a splendid tour of his premises as you can see from the photos and video clip.

On arrival at the course we met up with Hannah Walker, press & PR supremo at Wincanton, and she immediately took us to box #5 which had been organised for us in the Hatherleigh Suites. The boxes are comforatble, modern and well equipped. Importantly they also have the best views of the course and the surrounding countryside which is some of the most breathtaking in the land. The boys were all incredibly happy and thrilled to have a base from which they could explore the rest of the course as the day progressed. The Chairman of the course, Mark Woodhouse, very generously had a case of the finest bottled Badger Beers sent up to the box to put the icing on the cake really. I savoured a bottle of Poachers Choice whilst the others got stuck into the Tangled Foot and Fursty Ferret - all wonderful brands and thank you again Mark.

There is a Badger Beer theme running through the heart of Wincanton Races and the positioning of their brand is absolutely spot on - Badger Beer Raceday, the Badger Beer Bar & Stand, wide distribution of the product in all the bars, restaurants and suites - it's one of Dorset's oldest businesses, founded in 1777. You can imagine how the group from the Marquis got stuck into their beers.....

We all had a fairly disastrous time on the betting front as most of us had decided to follow David Mitchell''s tips which Chris had asked him to give us earlier in the week. Mitch writes for the Mirror, drinks at the Marquis and is a top bloke but why he wasn't able to pick out Buck Magic in the 3rd race I'll never know...! But Will somehow managed to slip a tenner on Buck Magic each way and, having been fortunate enough to be taken up to the start of the hurdle race (2.20) by Hannah to see what happens close up just before the off (see my video clip), we returned to the crossing point not far from the winning post to witness Buck Magic pipping Vico in the final strides. Vico was Paul Nicholls only runner at Wincanton that day and this is a course where he has traditionally farmed multiple winners.....so whilst we all backed Vico it was down to Will to pick up his spoils, all £497, from the Tote operator located just along the corridor from our box (again see video). This result certainly lifted the mood even further as you can probably imagine.

All that Badger was starting to penetrate my veins so I had a cheeky cheese burger just after the 3rd race which was simply delicious - I can recommend the burger concession at Wincanton very highly - and it didn't surprise me to see they were doing a very brisk trade. I could have had another but I needed to get back to the box to meet up with Jane Southall an old racing pal of mine who lives nearby and is a regular Wincanton racegoer. Jane runs her own business aptly called the Racing Host. She is excellent with customers and, like Mitch, knows her racing having been an amateur jockey and a trainer. She also owns horses and has been a long standing supporter of Richard Rowe down the years. She mentioned her latest horse in training with Richard called Near the Water who runs at Lingfield on Tuesday, 23rd November. When you're luck's out Jane is a good person to seek a remedy.....she very cleverly picked out the winner of the penultimate race I'm a Legend (turning over Mitch's selection in a photo finish) and a decent priced 2nd in the last called J'Adhere to allow for some damage limitation. Thank you Jane.

We had a couple more beers after racing in the Stalybridge Bar and then the inevitable pub stop-off at the White Lion in Bourton on the way back to Mere where we had two more pints of Otter, I'm serious, we moved on from Badger to Otter (sorry Mark, but we couldn't resist giving it a go whilst on our West country Odyssey).

My host and fellow Altis director, Piers Lawson, then very kindly picked me up from Yapp Brothers and took me to his local called the Red Lion in Kilmington. A further two pints of Butts Jester and a packet of Mr. Porky scratchings certainly didn't spoil our appetite as we managed to have supper when we got back to Drove End whcih consisted of a delicious lamb and lentil casserole combined with a Yapp house red. I had to be in Shaftesbury for a 9am meeting with Major Events International the following morning but somehow I made it......

What a day. WELL DONE WINKY. You deserve to do well as a racecourse because you've got a great venue, fantastic set of facilities and real professionals running the show.

Warwick Races, Wednesday 17th November 2010 with my friends Zed, Suzy & Johnny

2010-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Strangely I had never been racing at Warwick before and yet it’s only an hour’s drive from home so there are no excuses for the future. I chose the scenic route via Stow and Moreton-in-Marsh which allowed me to take in and admire the last vestiges of the Autumn tree line near Batsford.....I love this country. Arrived at 11.30am to be met at the rather underwhelming Paddock Entrance by Geoff Lines who was filming the Weighed In programme for the internet sports broadcaster www.soccerx.co.uk. I knew that I had a good face for radio and that I was going to be interviewed about my work as a Voice of the Races but I wasn’t expecting the request by Geoff to perform some Strictly Come Dancing steps with the presenter Jane Edsom......I am not a great mover as my wife (and, no doubt, the film) will testify!

Meanwhile Zed & Suzy arrived and after a briefing with the film crew about the order of things for the day we headed for a drink at the Westgate Bar. The bars at Warwick are all really friendly, warm and welcoming with a good atmosphere it must be said. The staff certainly know how to pour a good Guinness. During the course of the afternoon we managed to check them all out and they got top marks except for the Dukes Bar which, rather oddly, didn’t have any beer due to “pressure” issues. Not to matter there are three bars side by side in the main stand so they will not have lost any sales.

We all backed Salpierre who put an end to AP’s mini drought as he darted up the straight to victory in the first race and as this was the first leg of my charity each way double for Weighed In all our hopes were then pinned on Quipe Me Posted in the second. Quipe Me Posted ran a good race but the Twiston-Davies good thing Flemish Invader was just too strong up the hill and we settled for 3^rd place meaning the charity is a bit better off as a result which pleased me and Geoff no end. After another round of interviews Geoff introduced us to Georgie who then took us to the Directors Box to have some lunch. This was a real treat and a pleasant surprise which we were certainly not expecting. Our thanks go to Warwick’s MD Huw Williams, the Chairman Stephen Allday and Georgie who escorted us from the “studio” to the box and made us all feel incredibly welcome. The catering was first class, big pork chops, lovely fresh vegetables, a creamy lemon tart and some very quaffable wines. We skipped cheese as the racing was just too good and my guests all wanted to smoke!

After a couple more post lunch beers and cheeky each way bets on some outsiders, including the Queen’s runner Morcambe in the 3^rd who ran in snatches and didn’t get the trip in my eyes, Suzy went for some retail therapy and bought a lovely furry, rabbit scarf with Zed’s winnings from the first! If you look closely at one of the photos you can spot the item.

We all decided to head off after the penultimate race whilst it was still light and before the rain got any heavier. It was a day for favourite backers but some of the odds were too short for our wallets but herein lies a thought....in the 6^th race which had 5 runners we backed every horse other than the favourite including Johnny who up until this point had been happy to resist the temptation to bet. Guess what – yes, you guessed it – Ukrainian Star, the favourite, won in good style at a short price and we were left thinking, if only we’d clubbed together and lumped on.....!!!

Our thanks to Geoff and Jane from Weighed In for making the day one to remember and to Warwick’s management for laying on a cracking mid week winter jumps fixture and for generously giving us lunch in the Directors Box.

Ludlow Races, Thursday 21st October 2010

2010-10-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

For quite some time now I had been wanting to pay a vist to Ludlow races and combine the trip with an overnight stay with my Motley relatives near Craven's Arms. The Motleys are Shropshire through and through and, though Toby had not been racing at Ludlow for over 40 years, he sure as hell knows the locale. On his advice we kicked things off at the Clive, conveniently situated less than 5 minutes from the entrance to the race course over the Manchester to Cardiff rail line. Ludlow has a big food and drink vibe going on so a couple of pints of Ludlow Gold ale and some tasty bar snacks (another time we might try the gourmet restaurant) provided the ideal ballast for all that step-climbing up to get to the top of the Members Stand which we had agreed would be the best vantage point. And what a magnificent view by the way - in many ways I actually think the Shropshire countryside viewed from Ludlow racecourse is even more attractive than the much vaunted setting of Cheltenham racecourse but then beauty always is in the eye of the beholder. Toby's memory of Ludlow was pretty exact describing it to me in the car as a "sharp turning right handed well drained fairly flat fast galloping long finish" which narrows quite considerably on the approach to the winning post adding to the almost vertical aerial drama from the top of the stand as each race is unravelled. Ludlow is the first course I have been to where you need to cross the course in order to get to the parade ring and winner's enclosure. There is also a golf course in the middle of the oval shaped track.

Having backed the first two winners on the card Al Dafa (AP's 99th of the season) and the well fancied William's Wishes who destroyed the field with a faultless display of steeple chasing I changed my betting strategy for the 3rd race selling hurdle. A couple of weeks ago I visited McPherson Racing just outside Stow-on-the-Wold and I knew from my pre race research that Graeme McPherson had a runner in this race called Tighe Caster who he thought should run well. I tried to hook up with GMcP but he was stuck in chambers.....I backed the horse each way and from a long way out my money was never at risk as Jodie Mogford steered his mount to a comfortable 3rd place finish. Shortly after the 2nd race we bumped into one of my cousins Sue Lewis who was racing with her husband David, both avid racing enthusiasts who own a couple of horses trained by Henry Daly. I advised them to back Tighe Caster and I hope they did. He came up against a couple of horses who were just too good on the day and the winner was successfully sold at auction immediately after for £6250 to a Mr Leech (see video clip) who I think had a winner with Pistolet Dove in the 4.50 (we left after the 5th race) so the prize money of £2850 for that result will no doubt go towards the new purchase!! A good day at the office for the Leech connections I thought.

Toby wisely advised me that making the trend your friend when it comes to investing is key. Could the trend continue of watching the horses in the parade ring, placing bet at theTote reinvesting winnings from previous race, climbing Mount Members Stand and then descending to repeat pattern via one of the very functional and good value bars or club rooms honestly continue? Answer: NO.

Phoenix Fall off the bottom weight was my choice in the 4th race but just as he was about to get going and make a move he was seriously hampered in running by a faller at the 6th fence which put pay to his chances and also to my sequence of collecting from the same Tote booth operator where you cross the course from parade ring to the stands. Toby very kindly offered me a soothing pint of Guinness in the ground floor bar of the very new and smart Jubilee Stand during which time we both thought this must have been a pretty healthy attendance for mid week racing at Ludlow. Toby happens to know that the course is well run financially because his brother Tim is a Director of the course but when you look around the facilities you can see why. A very popular and well supported Ludlow Race Club, bars and restaurants for all occasions set at different price points catering for all budgets and just a damned good atmosphere all round to be fair. Now the sequence had been busted there was only way to go in the 5th which was to be our last race of the day.....Mac's Lad was a well backed favourite according to the Tote screens in the bar where that Guinness was fast disappearing which made for some interesting prices for the outsiders....Feeling Peckish 16.9 to win 3.5 for a place....£2 e/w just for the hell of it.

Well stone the crows.....Mac's Lad ran an absolute shocker and I was clearly the only person on the roof of the Stand who had nibbled Feeling Peckish as a deathly silence greeted the final 3 furlongs (see video clip)......Feeling Peckish absolutely hacked up. Toby couldn't believe that the trend had returned so quickly but this time I was collecting and heading for the hills. In the round the Tote ended up paying 6.60 to a £1 unit for that win but I still came away showing a healthy profit to small stakes on the day and, frankly, I was just cock-a-hoop having had 3 winners and an each way 3rd from 5 races in the very fine and knowledgeable company of my Uncle.

Martins Hill Racing, Upper Oddington nr. Stow-on-the-Wold: stable & gallops visit (9.10.10)

2010-10-10T05:36:00.000-07:00

I first met Graeme McPherson QC, co-owner of Martins Hill Racing with his wife Seanin at a drinks party back in August. They are unusual in as much as they have been able to combine successful careers as barristers, Graeme took silk back in 2008, with training race horses in an idyllic spot just outside Stow. Prior to receiving their license to train under rules last year the McPhersons trained a number of point to pointers and they are both active with the Cotswold Hunt so it would be wrong to call them complete novices in this regard, far from it, they've already trained four winners this season, most recently last weekend with The Good Guy at Fontwell. So Graeme is already well on his way to achieving his target of 10 winners in his first season and my suspicion is that they will do better than that in the final reckoning.

Martins Hill has got it all. Recently developed stable boxes, a tightly knit team, its own gallops, walker and nursery fences all neatly nestled on the side of one of those fabled Laurie Lee type Cotswold slopes with far reaching views over to Wick Hill and mellow hued Maugersbury. The McPhersons have 28 horses in their yard and they have also already attracted a yard sponsor in the shape of Nailsworth Mill Estate who have, amongst other things, helped finance the smart navy blue Martins Hill Racing yard apparel and branded the jockeys' silks to help cover the costs borne by the owners for their raceday services (currently around £140 per ride).

As Graeme showed me round the yard I got the magical impression that they will ultimately be very successful as trainers too. He has a refreshingly straight forward and realistic approach to his racing ambitions. There is an eclectic but predominantly local owner base, from the butcher in Stow to the owner of a local estate agency to a small syndicate of four friends who live nearby, one of whom actually rides out for Graeme. Owning racehorses can be expensive, of course, but ultimately the cost much depends on where you set your sights and how well you are advised. I would feel totally comfortable being advised by Graeme and his team if I wanted to realise one of my ambitions and become an owner - they are in this game for the long term and I like his approach immensely. The yard is big enough to attract high calibre staff and owners yet still small enough to preserve the personal touch; this is the way the McPhersons want it to remain.

So, after coffee and a few quick fire introductions (it's a bustling, busy place at 7.45am as the gallops beckon) to Graeme's yard manager Mick Finn, head jockey Jodie Mogford and the delightful Ollie Curl, one of Jodie's assistants, I was taken on a fascinating tour of the stable to meet some of the horses (see pictures). Then only a stroll to the end of the drive to access the gallops located the other side of the Kingham road (no need for 4x4 access here) to watch the second lot go through their paces blowing their way up a 900m ascent. Then, after a final goodbye yap from Molly the yard's miniature Dachshund, I headed home for some breakfast all the while dreaming that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, I would return as a proud and extremely welcome owner to Martins Hill.

Newbury Races, Friday 17th September as guests of Haynes Hanson & Clark wine merchants

2010-09-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

For as long as we've known Charlie Stanley-Evans, sales director at Haynes Hanson & Clark (HHC) we have been fortunate to be invited to their annual champagne reception in the Fred Winter suite, a facility in the impressive Berkshire Stand at Newbury racecourse which is large enough to accommodate up to 300 of their guests. My company buys its wine from HHC for hospitality events we run at Twickenham, Lord's and we've placed a big order for their fantastic Pierre Vaudon NV Brut champagne for a big concert at the Chelsea Old Church we are organising on 30th September on behalf of the Orchestra of St. John's. As Nick Clark, the HHC Managing Director points out in the video interview, sponsoring an important race at Newbury and inviting guests to reward their loyalty over a few glasses is a crucial element to their annual marketing and customer relationship management.

We set off from Kencot at just after 12.30 and arrived literally as the horses were pulling up at the end of the opening 6F sprint which went off at 1.30. Ned was experiencing his second day's racig inside a week; he's definitely starting to get the hang of it as, once again, he took the whole occasion in his stride and we were able to stay for 4 races which gave us plenty of time to catch up with some old pals and enjoy the build up to the 30th running of the HHC Conditions Stakes which was off at 3.45. Rachel and I took it in turns to look after Ned so that we could enjoy the HHC hospitality up in the suite - as usual, the service and quality of their wines was excelllent.

In the second race I backed Dazzling Diamond £5 each way at 14-1 with Sunderlands down on the rails. We didn't win anything at Donacaster and the losing streak, sadly, continued as the horse wasn't placed. Up in the box I was chatting to Simon Seddon-Brown, an old friend, who confidently told me that a horse called Delegator would win the 2.35. Off I trooped to the Tote and put £10 on to win. Well, blow me down, Simon was bang on the money and the horse won at 3-1, netting me a profit of £30. I offered to buy him a drink but there was free champagne so, we laughed and agreed "another time"!

I had agreed to interview Nick Clark immediately after the 2.35 and once I had done this I went down to the paddock to meet up with Rachel and take over Ned responsibilities. I didn't back anything in the Arc Trial at 3.10 but Rach staked £5 e/w on Campanologist who came 3rd with the Tote paying a dividend of £1.50 for the place - so we actually ended up losing £2.50....but it could have been a lot worse. The Godolphin horses are running particularly well at the moment but no Frankie Dettori this year, Ted Durcan was the jockey for the Godolphin Royal Blue at this meeting.

In the HHC Conditions Stakes at 3.45 I staked £5 e/w again with the Tote, as there was a kiosk just outside the box, on Cloud Rock. I watched the race on TV in the box whilst chatting to Ian Renton, Racing Director of Arena Leisure, also a guest of HHC so I was able to talk about my role as a Voice of the Races and tell him how good the hospitality facilities had been up at Doncaster. He told me that the 4-day St. Leger Festival had been a great success for his business and was positively beaming.

Cloud Rock ran a pretty good race but finished outside the places. Perhaps this colt will come on for the run...I suspect so. I headed to the winners enclosure and took some photos of Nick presenting a lovely magnum of wine to the co-owner of Moriarty, Michael Pescod. This horse is trained by Richard Hannon who is having a fantastic season.

We stuck to the plan of leaving the races at 4pm and made it home in time for Ned's 5 o'clock feed.

Another fantastic day's racing was enjoyed by all.

Financial position on the day: £7.50 profit

St. Leger Day, Doncaster Racecourse, Saturday 11th September 2010

2010-09-12T07:29:00.000-07:00

Checked out of the Campanile Hotel, Doncaster at 11am having loaded all the clobber, mainly Ned's, back into the car. The cot just about fit into the bathroom and fortunately he kipped as soundly as usual despite the efforts of a few high spirited (lashed) punters returning to their rooms in the small hours. I didn't sleep that well as was too excited about Leger day and meeting my fellow Voices to be honest. Thanks to the RCA car pass we were able to park really close to the main entrance to the racecourse where we were met by Robin from the BHA. I couldn't help but notice the huge Roll of Honour of St. Leger winners though and took pride in seeing Blair Athol immortalised as the winner in 1864. Rachel's great great Grandfather William Allison, a Yorkshireman by birth, was connected with the horse which also won the Epsom Derby that year. We were whisked off to have some photos taken in the Champagne Lawn where we grabbed a table and enjoyed a lovely glass of Pommery. Ned (11 months) seemed to be taking it all in his stride - his first day at the races and our first as a family. Rachel looked fab and the sun was shining.We had a reservation for lunch in Silks restaurant (the old weighing room) at 12noon, earlier than we might normally have eaten in the past but now we operate to Ned time. There was a nervous silence as we were shown to the table and whilst the high chair was assembled...how would we cope, how would Ned cope, how would the staff cope, what were the other diners thinking other than they must be mad coming racing with their baby....!! Service was excellent and well timed so that once we'd fed Ned we could enjoy our starters - R had Moules Mariniere and I had the Thai fishcakes - all scrumptious - followed by Bangers & Mash for me and the fishcakes for R. We had a bottle of house champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary which was a real treat. It's amazing to think that 7 years ago to the day we were getting hitched in Oxford...special memories. Ned's patience began to wear thin so no time for pudding or coffee but he needed changing.....this was going to be the acid test....how easy would this be? Silks has very good baby changing facilities in the Disabled WC so a very big thumbs up to them.....maybe a day at the races with a baby isn't so difficult after all.......it's a long day though (7 races on the card) and eventually we would need to head back home (3 hour drive) so having enjoyed yet more bubbles courtesy of Nigel from Racing for Change it was time to enjoy some racing and have a few bets. Damn it...needed some cash.....huge queue at the ATMs in the Grandstand and then eventually got some money for which I was charged £2.50 for the withdrawal.....why can't racecourses have recognised high st bank cashpoints as part of the set up I wondered.....? In the first, I staked a fiver with the Tote on Waiter's Dream (inspired by Ned's behaviour in the restaurant, of course!) but quickly saw that go up in smoke. In the 2nd I handed betting duties to Rachel and she backed the Henry Candy runner Signor Peltro £2.50 each way again at the Tote for convenience. Long journey from his yard at Kingston Warren and he'd had a big sprint winner at Haydock last weekend. Ran a poor race and we finished outside the money. In the St Leger itself the hot favourite Rewilding was unattractive at the price so our money went on Dandino and Total Command both £2.50 each way. We were right to avoid Rewilding but our selections didn't feature. Total losses incurred on the day £20 but at least a % of that will be reinvested in racing....small consolation for us but in an age of austerity the industry needs everything it can get. We left after the St Leger and had a good ride back to Kencot in time for Ned's evening meal. So, the end of our first day racing together as a family....would we do it again? Yes, definitely, but we'd stay local so that we could squeeze in more of the racing itself and not have the worry of a screaming baby in the back of the car!!! Hats off to the staff at Doncaster racecourse especially the team at Silks - you were great and please pass our compliments to the chef. And, how can I forget the meticulous planning of the 24 hour trip by my lovely wife, I couldn't have done it on my own that's for sure.

St. Leger Meeting - Doncaster Races, 10th -11th September 2010

2010-09-08T07:53:00.000-07:00

We're almost ready for our trip up to Doncaster on Friday for the St. Leger on Saturday. It's a course we've not been to before so we're very excited. I have just been up to a family funeral near Thirsk in N.Yorkshire and we passed signs to Doncaster races on the way so I am pretty confident that the route is now sorted (we will not be relying on SatNav just a good old fashioned road map). The course was certainly well signposted from the motorway. In fact, we picked up some relatives at York train station en route so we actually drove past York racecourse too. There's something about York.....I wonder if Doncaster will give me the same vibe. We'll find out soon enough.