I tend to let my hair grow long during the winter because it's warmer that way. Earlier this week we had a slightly less winterish day than normal so, buoyed by hope that spring might be around the corner, I was bold enough to cut four months' growth off my head. That, of course, proved to be a premature move (which wasn't really surprising bearing in mind that the previous day had started with a temperature of minus 6) because the following morning it was minus 4. And foggy. So if anyone from balmier climes is wondering what freezing fog looks like, this photograph,
taken as I rode Ex Con away from Bury Hill just behind Luca Cumani's string at around 7.30 yesterday morning, provides the answer. The fog and ice soon disappeared, of course, because the sun started to peak through the murk by the middle of the morning - as this second photograph shows; by the end of the morning the temperature had soared to plus 2, which wasn't an improvement at all because it started to rain. And then carried on raining all afternoon, evening and night, until sometime in the early hours the temperature dipped below zero again and the rain turned to snow. So this morning we were back to where we were two months ago, with the Heath covered in snow. And, as first lot this morning it was still snowing, visibility wasn't any better than it had been 24 hours previously, as this third photograph, looking from the side of the Heath towards the Long Hill canter (and if you look very carefully you'll even be able to see two or three little black dots,
which are in fact horses going up the canter), shows. But now the sun has come out, the snow has melted, we've found out that today's race-meetings have all passed their inspections and it's really rather nice. It'll freeze tonight again but - but even so perhaps we might be heading in the right direction after all. That would be nice for us, but even nicer for the horses as conditions at all the racecourses now are as testing as you'd ever find: don't pay too much attention to whether the ground is listed as 'heavy' or 'soft, heavy in places' or even 'good to soft': it's just plain heavy everywhere, as the invariably long race times and the frequency of hurdles or fences being omitted testify. But all will be well in the end.
I'm sure that we will find some extremely heavy ground at Uttoxeter tomorrow when (if - the track will have to pass an 8 a.m. inspection for racing to take place) we go there with Douchkette. Whether she will handle the ground remains to be seen (her run on heavy ground at Kempton was inconclusive because she travelled well for a long way, which gives us hope, before getting very tired, which perhaps takes that hope away again) but she's in good form. It will be a much, much weaker race than the one she contested at Kempton (it's a seller tomorrow, whereas previously she was in normal novice company on a Saturday at a Grade One metropolitan track) so, fingers crossed, she'll have some sort of chance. I certainly couldn't ask for her to be in better form, as this recent photograph of her swaggering home after a gallop under Adam suggests.
By and large things seem to be running reasonably smoothly here - the inclement conditions notwithstanding - which is nice. The good thing about this time of year is that a majority of the horses tend to be working towards the forthcoming turf Flat season, which means that with them we are travelling hopefully, which is always pleasing. (Of course, travelling hopefully is said usually to be better than arriving, but let's hope that that does not apply in these cases). The two-year-old fillies are going along nicely, as this photograph
taken yesterday of the Tobougg and the Bertolini cantering on Long Hill in the freezing fog shows. I treated myself to a lot on foot/bicycle to watch them yesterday and I did so again today, so I took advantage of the opportunity to annoy various strings by snapping away, as well as observing our own horses. Doubtless some more of the photographs taken will appear on this blog anon - and not just of Kevin Peckham, for whom my photographic floodgates seem well and truly to have broken open. Having gone weeks and weeks trying in vain to take a photograph of him, I now find myself photographing himself seemingly every day now. As this morning's shot of him sheltering from the sleet in the lee of the wall of Sir Mark Prescott's indoor ride shows!
I tend to let my hair grow long during the winter because it's warmer that way. Earlier this week we had a slightly less winterish day than normal so, buoyed by hope that spring might be around the corner, I was bold enough to cut four months' growth off my head. That, of course, proved to be a premature move (which wasn't really surprising bearing in mind that the previous day had started with a temperature of minus 6) because the following morning it was minus 4. And foggy. So if anyone from balmier climes is wondering what freezing fog looks like, this photograph,
taken as I rode Ex Con away from Bury Hill just behind Luca Cumani's string at around 7.30 yesterday morning, provides the answer. The fog and ice soon disappeared, of course, because the sun started to peak through the murk by the middle of the morning - as this second photograph shows; by the end of the morning the temperature had soared to plus 2, which wasn't an improvement at all because it started to rain. And then carried on raining all afternoon, evening and night, until sometime in the early hours the temperature dipped below zero again and the rain turned to snow. So this morning we were back to where we were two months ago, with the Heath covered in snow. And, as first lot this morning it was still snowing, visibility wasn't any better than it had been 24 hours previously, as this third photograph, looking from the side of the Heath towards the Long Hill canter (and if you look very carefully you'll even be able to see two or three little black dots, 
which are in fact horses going up the canter), shows. But now the sun has come out, the snow has melted, we've found out that today's race-meetings have all passed their inspections and it's really rather nice. It'll freeze tonight again but - but even so perhaps we might be heading in the right direction after all. That would be nice for us, but even nicer for the horses as conditions at all the racecourses now are as testing as you'd ever find: don't pay too much attention to whether the ground is listed as 'heavy' or 'soft, heavy in places' or even 'good to soft': it's just plain heavy everywhere, as the invariably long race times and the frequency of hurdles or fences being omitted testify. But all will be well in the end.
I'm sure that we will find some extremely heavy ground at Uttoxeter tomorrow when (if - the track will have to pass an 8 a.m. inspection for racing to take place) we go there with Douchkette. Whether she will handle the ground remains to be seen (her run on heavy ground at Kempton was inconclusive because she travelled well for a long way, which gives us hope, before getting very tired, which perhaps takes that hope away again) but she's in good form. It will be a much, much weaker race than the one she contested at Kempton (it's a seller tomorrow, whereas previously she was in normal novice company on a Saturday at a Grade One metropolitan track) so, fingers crossed, she'll have some sort of chance. I certainly couldn't ask for her to be in better form, as this recent photograph of her swaggering home after a gallop under Adam suggests. 
By and large things seem to be running reasonably smoothly here - the inclement conditions notwithstanding - which is nice. The good thing about this time of year is that a majority of the horses tend to be working towards the forthcoming turf Flat season, which means that with them we are travelling hopefully, which is always pleasing. (Of course, travelling hopefully is said usually to be better than arriving, but let's hope that that does not apply in these cases). The two-year-old fillies are going along nicely, as this photograph 
taken yesterday of the Tobougg and the Bertolini cantering on Long Hill in the freezing fog shows. I treated myself to a lot on foot/bicycle to watch them yesterday and I did so again today, so I took advantage of the opportunity to annoy various strings by snapping away, as well as observing our own horses. Doubtless some more of the photographs taken will appear on this blog anon - and not just of Kevin Peckham, for whom my photographic floodgates seem well and truly to have broken open. Having gone weeks and weeks trying in vain to take a photograph of him, I now find myself photographing himself seemingly every day now. As this morning's shot of him sheltering from the sleet in the lee of the wall of Sir Mark Prescott's indoor ride shows!
2 comments:
Big week this week. Publication of the National weights and todays highlight the Walrus Hunters Chase at Haydock. Easier to hunt Walruses over the temporary style fences I guess, though not many seem to have got round in Hunter chases this week.
As for the National my long range prospect is Character Building, looks like he will stay and relish the battle, and become the first grey winner since Nicolaus Silver who started my interest in racing too many years ago to mention.
As I did, problemwalrus, I assume that you'll have rubbed your eyes in wonder at the photograph in today's Racing Post of the damage which a horse did to a fence at Haydock yesterday WITHOUT FALLING. It wouldn't have happened in days of yore, that's for sure. I suspect that the current low completion rate in steeplechases can be attributed to the extremely testing underfoot conditions.
Pleased to hear you tip lovely Character Building. I was wondering whether he was hors de combat after the setback which caused him to miss last season's National, but am glad to see that he's already had a warm-up over hurdles this month.
Post a Comment