A day at the races

We went to Royal Ascot yesterday. I think I'm probably getting more used to the place now (since its rearrangement) but I still find that it has a slight feeling of pandemonium to it, a place of chaos where, against all odds, a few horse-races are run at roughly the time they are meant to be. But, set against this rather disturbing portrayal, is the fact that it is an extremely successful event, which is attended each day by tens of thousands of people nearly all of whom, myself included, have a really enjoyable day. It is hugely to racing's credit that it can be the crucial ingredient around which all this rather chaotic social whirl revolves, and hugely to racing's advantage too. Yesterday was a long and tiring day - we left home just after 9.30, after three very busy hours in the stable beforehand, and arrived back twelve hours later - so repeating that schedule two days running would be very daunting, but Royal Ascot is definitely an experience which everyone should savour at some point. Anyone who has never been should think about making plans to go - next year perhaps - and have a day to remember.

If Cuis Ghaire - easily the best-looking horse in the parade ring before the Albany Stakes - goes on to be a real star, which is very possible, she'll be one of the horses I'll most enjoy remembering from yesterday; and her stable-mate Lush Lashes, of course, was too a joy to behold when winning the Coronation Stakes. I'd seen her on 1,000 Guineas Day and she'd really thrived in the interim so, although in advance Spacious (who looked and ran yesterday like a filly who'll be significantly better suited by longer races) had struck me as the most obvious winner, the parade ring suggested that Lush Lashes was the one to be on. Another winner yesterday whom I'd seen previously was Campanologist, whom we saw at Mark Johnston's stable about a week before his debut last summer: physically he was a disappointment in the parade ring yesterday, but in the race he was very impressive, and he could be a contender to become the third consecutive King Edward VII Stakes winner to go on to take out the St Leger - although Paktai, winner of yesterday's Queen's Vase (which last year was won by subsequent St Leger second and Melbourne Cup third Mahler) struck me as running the better St Leger trial. The other horse to take home in our memory yesterday was Gravitation, who finished third in the Queen's Vase: I wouldn't have had her on my mind in advance, but she looked so nice in the parade ring (wearing the apricot colours of the late Lord Howard de Walden, now owned by his widow, which obviously boosted her appeal to these biased eyes) that we all backed her each way. Her 9.60 place dividend ensured that we left the racecourse richer than when we arrived, which is always nice, and I suspect that if she runs in the Park Hill Stakes I might feel obliged to back her again.

When I say 'we', I mean Emma, Pippa Cuckson and myself. Emma and I had bumped into Pippa during the afternoon, and as usual she kept us entertained with her constant flow of brahmas. She had to leave before the last because she had an engagement in the evening which involved seeing and hearing "the doyenne of baroque soprano", which is quite a thought. Pippa, whom we shall see at Great Leighs on Thursday if either of our entries gets in (she pretty much runs the place), will be back at Ascot today as part-owner of the Wokingham contender Conquest (a past Gimcrack winner, but sadly the opportunity for one of the all-time great oratorical treats was lost when the syndicate manager, unforgivably, failed to ask Pippa to make the speech), so that's one of the several horses we have on our list to cheer for today. That list, of course, contains Takeover Target and Seachange. I've put Takeover Target in as my Golden Jubilee selection in our tipping competition and he's the one horse which I'd really like to see win, but it is a race in which a win by any one of several horses would give me great pleasure - and that includes Takeover Target's most obvious danger Sakee's Secret, because a win for him would give the excellent and admirable Steve Drowne a chance of taking the crown for leading rider (he is currently on three, one behind Johnny Murtagh), although I suspect that Murtagh is very likely to hold on to (or even extend - he has several chances today, most obviously Macarthur) his lead.

The reason why we chose Friday as the day we would visit Royal Ascot was because Fiona and Jason Hathorn hold an excellent picnic in the car park that day, before and after racing. We've been invited to that for several years and it is always a really enjoyable event, at which there are plenty of friendly faces to catch up with. Graham Triefus' party takes place right alongside it and there is always a fair degree of intermingling, which is really nice. Some of you might recall Graham featuring in a Clement Freud article in the Post a few years ago, and since then his ownership involvement has become even more successful, as he is a member of the syndicate which owns last year's Group One-winning juvenile Scintillo. Graham is exactly the sort of person who deserves to own nice horses - he's a thoroughly decent and sporting man who is blessed with a great understanding of and enthusiasm for racing in equal measures - and I've already jotted it down in my diary to make sure to be up on the July Course on Princess Of Wales's Stakes Day to cheer him on if Scintillo, as is intended, runs there next month.

I was tired enough on the way home, but there was no chance of falling asleep at the wheel as we had a most entertaining passenger, Michael Haggas. Michael is William's cousin and, although still a very proud Yorkshireman, has lived in Newmarket for about 25 years. His most public role during this period was when he was Walter Swinburn's agent, but he in recent years he has moved into the field of 'handicapping' (as the Americans would say), rather than 'agenting' (as Mark McStay would say). Anyway, Michael is always good company, and having him in the car for the long journey down and the slightly shorter one home was just another reason to remember the day with pleasure.