Happy New Year (and Update!)
It is also the 1,658th anniversary of the Alemanni leading a confederation of tribes over the Rhine into the Roman Empire and sounding the effective death knell of the western half of the empire, assisted by a few decades of Roman internal bickering, assassination of competent officials by ambitious but talentless rivals, and general self-destruction. Are there any lessons here for horse racing, we wonder?
Anyway, over to the runners. We sent a couple to Warwick on New Year’s Day. SCARLETT GLANCE found the deteriorating ground far too problematical on her racing debut, but she should have learned a lot from it, especially as getting her feet right has slowed down her progress at home. Kudos to Tony, our farrier, that she has got this far. LA DOLCE DOLLY wound up in a competitive mares only novice hurdle, where we decided to see how see would perform from the front. Rather decently as it turned out, although she did not quite have enough in reserve to hang on for a place. She is heading in the right direction.
For New Year’s Day, all was not quiet and there was no blood red sky in Norfolk, but we sent three to Fakenham for their splendidly enhanced prize money on the day (five figure sums, even for the 0-100 races – well done to the course). Star turn came from GODOT who was an excellent second in the feature race, the Norfolk Grand Prix, which was run at Formula One pace, and he stayed on solidly when others called it quits. Just before that BIRDMAN BOB finished third in a chase. His previous go over fences had been ruined by bottomless ground but this time he jumped well, got better conditions as there had only been one prior chase on the card (with a small field) and threatened to win until perhaps found out by the realigned rails extending the race distance to 2m 6f. A pleasing display nonetheless. The last runner, FLEMEN’S TIPPLE, did not make the frame, but threatened to do so until after the second last hurdle, where the messy conditions in race seven were too taxing for him, and the race grade a step up from when he was placed at the track before Christmas.
Next stop will be Plumpton on Sunday, where Zoe’s memorial race is taking place. No entries for us in that, but GOLD CLERMONT is a possible for the Sussex National – with a weather forecast that she should appreciate.
Birdman Bob impressed that the great and good of Norfolk had turned out to watch him over fences.
Godot post-race eager to ensure that Dan shares with him the placed horses’ compensatory bottle of local gin
