Idiosyncratic

It must be a busy month because I see that it is the 17th and this is only its third chapter. That's bad going. Since I last posted we've had a weekend of very entertaining racing, with the excellent jumping - of which Kasbah Bliss was surely the highlight - disputing star billing with yet another win for Matsunosuke. He won off a rating of 109 on Saturday which, although one shouldn't really take that achievement quite at face value (the runner-up was an eleven-year-old), reflects enormous credit on both horse and owner/trainer/breeder the Coogan family. Good on 'em.

And, even more pertinently, good on all those involved with the BHA Godolphin-sponsored Stud & Stable Staff Awards, and that includes sponsors, competitors and organizers alike. We had a lovely day there today. Hugh was in the final three for the Rider/Groom category, alongside Claire Knight (Jeremy Noseda) and Mick Wilson (William Haggas). I read a good phrase recently in a description of the 1962 Travers Stakes, which featured a thrilling duel between Jaipur and Ridan: "Such a brilliant battle deserves no loser, and there was none. But there was a second-place finisher." It was a bit like that with all five categories (stud, beginner, senior staff, and hero/special award being the other four) at the awards today and all the three finalists in each category were winners. But, of course, there had to be a primus inter pares, and in Hugh's category that was Claire. The three beginners were all very impressive youngsters, with the prize going to a lad who works for Gary Moore. The winning studman seemed very good indeed, and the standard in the special award was so high that Gonzo (Ian Williams) didn't collect the award, that honour going to Andy Gibson, who continues to work for Stuart Williams despite the advancement of multiple sclerosis making his work ever tougher. The senior staff award would have been, if anything, even tougher to judge, as shown by the fact that the legendary Corky Browne, who has been Nicky Henderson's head lad from day one, (again) didn't win, with Peter Maughan, one of my real heroes, collecting that award, and the overall championship. Nobody could quibble with that, and listening to Brough Scott interview him after the presentation was spell-binding. To hear him reminisce about taking the Derby-winning half-brothers Blakeney and Morston to the races ("and their dam Windmill Girl") was lovely, as well as Grand National winner Rhyme And Reason, and the great filly In The Groove, and Desert Orchid ... and, at the end of this list of equine gods, to hear him describe the late Persian Punch as "the bravest horse I've ever had anything to do with" really was a moment to bring tears to the eyes.

All in all it was a real joy to be there, so hats off to Hugh for getting himself into the final and thus giving us all - it was a real works outing, with Martha coming too - a lovely day out at a very special occasion. Brough Scott was a very good compere, and he wins the unofficial award (from this point of view) of brahma of the day, when he introduced Hugh as coming from "the idiosyncratic John Berry yard". I really enjoyed that (as Brough knew I would!). But then I enjoyed every aspect of the day: it was a privilege to be there.