Proper people

I know that I'm often critical of minor details in the Racing Post, but I think that it's time to redress the balance by saying overall what a great paper it is. I'm not just saying that now simply because it's easy to say that all's well with the world when the sun is in the sky, as it continues visibly to be. We're still having this wonderful summer weather which we've had pretty much all September, although today was definitely an autumn morning rather than the (late) summer morns which we've been enjoying: the temperature had dipped enough during the night to bring a heavy dew and some patchy ground-level mist, which if anything made things even more glorious, as this photograph of Warren Hill c.7.15 shows. And the day now remains as warm, sunny and blue-skied as its predecessors. No, the Racing Post deserves praise just now simply for how much good reading matter there is in it. Sunday was as dull a day's racing as you'd ever see (unless, of course, one had an interest, which we didn't) but even so the paper was well worth buying for the articles alone. Admittedly some of the best bits - Dermot Cantillon's predictably sensible letter on the subject of marketing the sport, the James Eustace Q&A feature, and the latest tributes to the two dead apprentices, tributes which were every bit as moving as the first ones which had appeared two weeks previously - weren't written by Post employees, but there was plenty of good stuff which was, most notably Tom O'Ryan's feature on Denys Smith, one of racing's living legends.

Yesterday's paper also had some great stuff, including tributes to the recently-deceased John Manners as well as an outstanding double-page spread in honour of Manny Mercer on the 50th anniversary of his fatal fall at Ascot on Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Day, 1959. I obviously never had the privilege of meeting Manny Mercer, but I did meet John Manners once, and I treasure the memory. I was at Ascot Sale a couple of years ago, standing in the queue in the cafeteria to buy some lunch. As I was about to be served, a voice boomed out over my shoulder something along the lines of, "Give this man some more chips - go on, that's good - yes, that's fine - and a few more - he wants a good lunch ...". As I collected my consequently well-filled plate, I turned round to see who the director had been, and was greeted by a wild but smiling face which said, "I know who you are, but you don't know who I am, do you?". To which I replied, "Yes I do; you're Mr Manners", which answer appeared to delight him. We then spent the next half-hour eating our lunches together, during which time I was entertained royally by one of the most amusing men I've ever met. The front page of yesterday's Racing Post bore the quotation, "They threw away the mould when they made John - we will never see the like of him again". That's true, and more's the pity. I only met him the one time and I'd have loved to have spent more time in his company, but I am deeply grateful for the fact that I did at least have one opportunity to enjoy a virtuoso John Manners brahmafest.

John Manners and Manny Mercer both came from the old school, and I was lucky enough on Tuesday to spend a very special evening in the company of many of the old school's finest. The occasion was the 90th birthday of John Moore, whom some older readers might remember as having had a betting shop in Sun Lane, I believe both before and after betting shops were legalized. John had gathered 80 diners together on ten tables of eight, and I was very fortunate to be one of this number, alongside a wonderful collection of Newmarket characters who between them carry pretty much the whole of the town's 20th century history. If it was great that John - who is, I believe, a nephew of the late Reg Day, who was the doyen of Newmarket's trainers when he sent out Sweet Solera to win the 1961 1,000 Guineas and Oaks under John's late, great friend Bill Rickaby, whose biography contains a photograph of him and John skiing together in Switzerland around that time - should be hosting a 90th birthday party, what made this even better was that he was sitting on the top table beside his older sister, who is the widow of the former top jockey Eph Smith. I didn't know many of the people there, but John had very kindly put me on a table on which I felt completely at home, as I found that I knew some of its occupants already and that I was able to get to know the others quickly, happily and easily.

Sadly, John Moore's excellent party was not without a downside, because one of the guests died. While I am sure that, had this man been able to chose the circumstances of his death, dropping dead while eating a good dinner in the Bedford Lodge in the company of a lot of his friends would have been just about top of the list, even so this understandably cast a cloud over procedings - but in doing so it emphasized just what high-calibre people are those whom one might describe as 'old school'. Amid a younger gathering, this event might have caused severe disruption, which of course would have achieved nothing, least of all the resurrection of the victim. When one sees how so many people nowadays are completely incapable of handling disaster as easily as they handle triumph (and very often they can't even handle that well), it was inspirational to see this reverse met with realism and dignity. The generation which survived the war necessarily proved itself to be a stoic one, and it was very impressive to hear the delivery later in the evening of a speech which had been prepared by one of John's distant relatives. He had written the speech beforehand unaware that its delivery would be preceded by the death of one of John's life-long friends, so he added an introduction which ran roughly thus, "I have written a speech for this evening, but under the circumstances I wasn't sure what to do with it. I have, though, taken advice, and the advice is that we do what we did in the war: we just carry on". And that was a wonderful illustration of the strength of character which enabled our forebears to win the war on our behalf and to secure the freedom which, if we allow ourselves to do so, we can all too easily take for granted. I am sure that the victim would be very pleased and proud that his friends showed themselves able to handle a difficult situation well, even while coping with the shock of the unexpected loss of a friend.


To continue the theme of a week populated by good people, we have had the pleasure of a 2-day visit from our friend Stewart Leadley-Brown, a former resident of Newmarket who emigrated to the States 30 years ago. Stewart formerly co-owned Lady Suffragette and now co-owns the ugly duckling who goes by the name of Ben Bhraggie. Unfortunately Ben is continuing to make us wait a while so there wasn't much (any!) action for him to see from that quarter - although there was plenty of time to spend some 'quality time' with this slowest of slow developers, as this photograph shows - but I hope that Stewart still enjoyed his visit. I certainly did.

We had an interesting trip to James Fanshawe's stable to catch up with Stewart's former colleague Mick Bohannon (they worked together for William Hastings-Bass in Marriott Stables in Hamilton Road prior to Stewart's emigration) with whom Stewart was to dine the evening I was going to the Bedford Lodge, and a bonus of this was that we found Mick in the stable adjacent to the box of the 2009 Royal Ascot winner Spacious, who thus can be seen over Stewart's shoulder.
A further bonus was discovering - which I ought to have known, but didn't - that James' head lad Andy Hopkins was also one of their colleagues in Marriott at the time, as was Paul Rutter, one of Michael Jarvis' head lads into whom Stewart bumped as we crossed the Bury Road (which is seen here in its autumnal glory from the back of Agent Almeida) with the horses the next morning.
Stewart's visit was so well timed as the Heath really looks so lovely at this time of year if the weather is as good as it is at present. We even caught sight of a jockey who rode Lady Suffragette in one of her races, J D Smith, seen here walking down the side of Long Hill on the foremore of a pair of Michael Stoute's horses who passed us while we were up at the stalls there.

Mention of Michael Stoute reminds me to mention that the horse whose appearance has impressed me most on the Heath recently is Conduit. I saw him on Monday and he looked tremendous. I remember this week last year seeing on the Heath a horse who was about to run in a big race (Raven's Pass in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, which he won) and thinking that he looked the best I'd seen him all year. I regretted subsequently not having had a bet on him so, while the wonderful Sea The Stars is the best horse in the Arc and I am loth to place my loyalties anywhere else, I have consequently had an each-way bet on Conduit, who in my opinion looks sure to run well.
The other Arc contender whom we see regularly is the Michael Bell-trained dual Oaks winner Sariska (at least I presume that she's an intended runner in the Arc, as long as it isn't too firm). As this photograph of her and her regular rider Dave Murray, taken this morning, shows, she still looks very well, but to my eyes she is now going about like what she is (a filly who has already had a very tough, but rewarding, campaign), while Conduit also looks like what he is (a horse who has been kept fresh for the autumn). I'd love to see either win, but Conduit will do for my money.