October morns

We've had a run of truly spectacular mornings, which sadly seems to have come to an end as today has the more usual overcast conditions. But those golden October morns were great while we had them. Frost, mist, a golden sunrise allowing the clearest blue to slip down from above to take over the whole sky for the day. And the sun didn't take long to warm everything up. It was a very special period of weather, which probably came to an end as we were driving home from Yarmouth yesterday at dusk, the whole countryside and sky becoming a hazy pink as the sun got lower - but by morning grey cloud cover, which had been absent for more than a week, had rolled back in, meaning we had a warmer dawn, but followed by a colder day, than had become the norm. Stupidly I didn't take any dawn photographs during the perfect period, which was particularly inexcusable because last Friday I rode the ideal horse from whom to photograph, Ex Con, who is great. Emma was out on the Heath that morning, because we had her friend Georgie Welch (pictured), a very good sculptress, staying with us and she was riding Panto, so we might get a shot of that exercise if we are lucky. If not, you'll just have to imagine what it was like.

Perhaps the best view we enjoyed of the Heath during the week, however, was on Friday afternoon, when we were lucky enough to spend some time in one of the boxes high up in the Rowley Mile grandstand. These really do provide the best view in the house. Georgia House Stud, of which Chris Dwyer is manager, was the sponsor of the two main races on Newmarket's Friday programme (one of them was the Darley Stakes, which wasn't sponsored by Darley, in the same way that the Godolphin Stakes at the previous meeting wasn't sponsored by Godolphin) and Chris was kind enough to invite us up to the stud's box. It was a glorious afternoon, and the view over the racecourse and Heath was breath-taking: it would have been worth going up to the top of the stand to see it even if there hadn't been any racing taking place.

Even so, there is no doubt about which was the best day at the races we've had recently: Kempton on Sunday wins hands down. And that is because the fun we had by being involved in what our jockey John Francome described as "the geriatrics' race". It wouldn't have been unrealistic in advance to think that we might have been going to provide the 'greatest jockey' with a winner because Brief Goodbye did look perhaps the classiest flat performer in the race - old Wait For The Will was in there too and he's been a grand horse over the years, but he isn't as effective as he was formerly - but as it turned out we were fated to finish a tenderly-handled sixth. Remark of the day was John's observation that "it was like riding in an apprentice race" as he unsaddled, having been very badly hampered on the final bend, after which he dropped back to last. After that he couldn't win, so he just let Brief run on home into an unpressured sixth, prompting John Hunt, the commentator, to observe "... and then it's Brief Goodbye and John Francome - could be a stewards' enquiry ..."! But where he finished wasn't an issue at all: it was just such a thrill to be providing a mount for the 'greatest jockey' and to have enjoyed the whole day.

The organisers put on a lunch before racing for the riders, connections of the runners and various other 'identities', and the whole day was just really special. How about this for a line-up of hoops: Richard Dunwoody, Charlie Swan, Colin Brown, Brendan Powell, Steve Smith-Eccles, Norman Williamson, Peter Scudamore, Jimmy Frost, John Francome, Simon Sherwood, Hywel Davies? A worthwhile project would be to calculate the total number of championships, Grand Nationals, Gold Cups and Champion Hurdles won between them. It has to be around fifty I'd say, but perhaps someone can give us a more acccurate answer. (And if you are trying to work it out, don't forget that Charlie Swan was champion jockey in Ireland ten - I think - times).

Trips to Plumpton are usually enjoyable, and the following day's outing there was no exception, notwithstanding the fact that Lady Suffragette's run was rather frustrating. She took a surprisingly long time to regain her momentum after an uncharacteristic blunder at the third hurdle, so started her run from much farther back than she should have done; but it was pleasing to see her run up the final hill so strongly that she finished only 3.5 lengths off the winner, and she would have been even/considerably closer than that had she not been checked on the final turn. A good run, but a case of 'if only'; and as we have been worryingly short of success lately, 'if only's aren't welcome.

There was also merit in Imperial Decree's run at Yarmouth yesterday, because she did everything right for most of the race until seeming to find the soft ground too taxing in the closing stages. So, with her as well as with Lady S, we can look forward to next time. We'll give her a run on the all-weather, where soft ground won't be an issue, before letting her have a well-deserved holiday. She still looks so young, so a good break to mature a bit has to do her a lot of good.

Just before I close, I have a few names to mention in dispatches. Squeaker, of course, can't keep his name out of this blog for long, and he's back in the news having taken his career total of winners ridden to five at an evening meeting, I presume at Taby, in Sweden last night. The text came through to let me know this morning, so again 'Good on yer' Squeaker - and many thanks, as always, for keeping in touch. It is appreciated. Another hoop to be saluted - and I hope he doesn't mind taking second place in the roll of honour to Squeak - is Ted Durcan, pictured here with his agent and lifestyle coach Mark McStay, whose 11,993/1 four-timer at Newmarket on Friday was a feat to remember. To put it into perspective, Seb Sanders rode a treble at Redcar the same day, at odds of about 50/1. Seb's longest-priced winner was 9/4 favourite; Ted's winners were 9/4 second favourite, 7/1, 8/1 and 50/1. A great effort - and he won a Group race on a Godolphin second string at Newmarket the next day. It's nice to have the occasional bit of proof that success doesn't go only to the undeserving. The best sights of all, though, were seeing Jimmy Scott back in the saddle on the Heath last week and Laurie Bell leading a horse around the stable yard at Yarmouth yesterday. They are two of the most respected travelling head lads, and very nice men to boot, so to see that each has bounced back from a heart attack earlier this year was really good.