Punting and rail woe can’t ruin first day of great meeting
Day one was grand even if I got dudded on the punt and the two-stop train ride from Virginia Water was something of a nightmare. Too clever me, by ‘alf, as it turns out. I was staying too close to Ascot; too close to get on the packed trains and when I finally did it was stiflingly hot.
Never mind. Join the elegant destined for enclosures royal and the not-quite-so-refined destined for the silver ring in the shady march from station to track. Wonder at why the scalpers operate, with impunity, under the ‘copper’s noses’. “Buy or sell tickets,” the repeated chorus. They’re there every year and yet never seem to make a transaction.
Australia’s sometimes significant link via Choisir, Takeover Target, Scenic Blast, Miss Andretti and Black Caviar has added to the Ascot mystique. Underestimated all and, this year, we have the prospect of Redkirk Warrior and Merchant Navy dominating the Diamond Jubilee on Saturday. Even the more tenuous links, like Zac Purton winning on Little Bridge, have been celebrated and the tenuous was more the theme today.
Oh, and the quality of the racing has a little something to do with the appeal of the Royal meeting.
Far more so than the pomp and ceremony, the arrival of the Queen or the trappings of the Royal Enclosure – poncing around in a morning suit which is entirely inappropriate for the June weather and somewhat anathema for this racing writer of humble Irish catholic origins.
Not to mention wondering what might be the name of Mrs George Ponsonby-Smythe-Clarke.
It’s also entirely unnecessary in terms of enjoying the day’s racing. Just slightly inconvenient sometimes when you might be asked to ‘walk around’ a certain area rather than straight through. Apparently national dress is a permitted alternative.
But I doubt a cork hat and a blue singlet will cut it. I’m being a touch facetious even if a republican. It’s all splendid – all part of a wonderful tradition and I’ve absolutely nothing against the royal family. The carriages of the royal procession are quite a sight as they proceed at little more than a trot down the Ascot straight and The Queen is warmly greeted by her loyal subjects and tourists.
But it’s the six races, in contrast to the nine and ten race programs of the Melbourne spring, which is the key. The first at 2.30 pm and the last at 5.35 pm. You can turn up at two o’clock and treat it like going to the football if you wish or arrive at noon and have a civilised, lunchtime sip of rose or two and miss not a thing.
Today we saw three Group 1 races; a fascinating 23 runner Group 2 two-year-old race (one of six juvenile races for the week and I thought we were the home of two-year-old racing); an intriguing Ascot Stakes of two and a half miles (far more interesting than any Benchmark 90 during Melbourne Cup week); and a Listed race.
Yes, all this represents a degree of cultural cringe on my part but I hasten to add that I still love the Melbourne spring carnival.
Nonetheless there are lessons to be learned from the UK and I sorely wish that our spring showcase meetings were not entirely driven by more races and the almighty God of turnover.
One obvious lesson would be to embrace the post-races bandstand sing-along. It diffuses any aggression in the over-refreshed younger crowd; staggers the dispersal of patrons and is damn good fun. Replicated at Flemington would be fantastic.
Another is that you can find a seat in the lawn area behind the main grandstand and a place of temporary respite is vital when you’re on your feet all day long.
As to today’s tenuous links, well it wasn’t me but the Racing Post which brought up Winx – leading page three with a report which said she’d have been even money or shorter for the Queen Anne Stakes. And have won it by three lengths, that bit’s from me. Less than a length seperated a modest longshot first four in the opener.
I managed to get the exacta which paid almost £1,000 on the Ascot tote. Day’s work done, I thought. Alas, I had it with an Australian corporate bookmaker who obviously paid out on the Australian TAB dividend and I got a quarter of the local dividend.
Terry Henderson’s OTI syndicate was represented by an extraordinary runner in the Ascot Stakes. Chelkar was first-up since October 2016 in the 4000 metres marathon and despite having never raced at more than half that distance. He’s trained by the remarkable Willie Mullins who now says he trains by the three D’s – decide, delegate and disappear – but I suspect he’s more hands on than that.
Chelka runs a brave fourth with the slow tempo against in a race of bone, fit lean stayers ridden – in some cases – by tall men with aquiline noses.
Whisper is that OTI’s Downdraft, trained by last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Joseph O’Brien, will run well in the King George V on Thursday.
James McDonald was on track, of course, to partner Pogo who doesn’t measure up in the Coventry and Mirage Dancer, for Khalid Abdullah, in the Wolferton. All and sundry take this as a positive lead but it’s the other Abdullah runner Monarchs Glen who triumphs with the ever-popular Frankie Dettori aboard. I’m betting that McDonald strikes before the week is out.
And you’ll bump into any number of Australian visitors and locals who paid their dues, at one time or another, in Australia.
Well known is that Hugo Palmer worked for Gai Waterhouse; not so well known is that Roger Charlton went mining in the back-blocks of Western Australia as a young man while Newmarket’s Director of Racing Michael Prosser spent some time in Victoria working for John Myhill of Elanora Girl fame.
And Middleham trainer Karl Burke, who harbours a dream to have a crack at the Melbourne Cup, looked a contented man after winning the Prix de Diane on Sunday with Laurens and selling, on Monday night, his Coventry runner Shine So Bright for the 375,000 pounds (she was a 27,000 Euros yearling).
Illustrating that racing still has some mainstream appeal, a 13 second video of Lauren’s returning to Burke’s Spigot Lodge, had 45,000 views by Tuesday morning.
Kiwi Paul Moroney was also active at the Monday night Goff’s London Sale securing the tried four-year-old son of So You Think, Marathon Man who will go to Ed Vaughan at Newmarket to be prepared for the Melbourne spring. He was secured for 380,000 pounds on behalf of Australian clients.
Well, that’s it. I’m off to the sing-along, not so much to sing Rule Britannia but to remind my British friends that it’s quite some time since she ruled the waves.