Dispatches from the front line
of The Greatest Show On Turf
I cried today. Not because of a narrow
defeat or an overdose of Champagne, both of which would’ve been decent
excuses. Nor for the over-crowding
which, as usual, was ridiculous despite an apparent reduction of 5,000 versus
last year’s Gold Cup day. No, these
tears were provoked by the unseating of amateur rider Jane Mangan in the
Foxhunter Chase. Her mount Oscar Delta
(backed by my sister and brother-in-law after their third child – that’s Oscar
rather than Delta) had travelled like a dream and was still full of running as
he led over the last. An exuberant leap
appeared to have sealed it but the horse jinked left and Mangan fell out of the
side door. Only when watching the replay
did I clock the jockey’s reaction, immediate and utter devastation, and that’s
what set the old lachrymal glands off.
Nothing gets me like the theatre of sport.
Our Conor was the most impressive winner of the Triumph Hurdle I’ve ever
seen. Soft ground can have the effect of
exaggerating winning distances but it was hard not to be bowled over by the way
Dessie Hughes’ charge hacked all over his rivals, not coming off the bridle to
score by fifteen lengths. You could make
an exhilarating 2014 Champion Hurdle field from this year’s novices alone: Our
Conor, Champagne Fever, My Tent Or Yours, The New One. Mouth-watering stuff for next season.
In the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, At Fishers Cross relished the
testing conditions, biding his time before taking the lead over the final
flight and accelerating away from his rivals up the hill. A first victory of the week for champion
jockey AP McCoy.
And, as you’ll know by now, Bobs Worth won the Gold Cup. Nicky Henderson’s doughty stayer added the
blue riband event to the Hennessy he won earlier in the season and in the
process maintained his unbeaten record at the home of Jump racing. It was a thrilling encounter. Long Run, fitted with cheek pieces for the
first time, – headgear that had sparked him into new life according to his work
rider – attempted to make all. He gave
it a darn good go too. Sir Des Champs
came there to challenge heading for home and the long-time leader was just starting
to feel the pinch. Then Bobs Worth,
patiently ridden by Barry Geraghty, appeared on the scene and once he grabbed
the lead, there was no stopping him.
So that’s it for another year.
Battered, broken, beleaguered. It
takes a full 365 days to recover. But
only a day or so before you wish all those days away.
No comments:
Post a Comment