No good turn goes unpunished

I last signed on here when we were about to have four runners. Well, we've had them now, so I suppose some sort of post-mortem is required. I see one of our correspondents has asked why we don't run to a results' service, and the words have been taken out of my mouth by Signorinetta. However, to recapitulate on Signorinetta's reasoning, I feel that my blogs usually eventually provide a retrospective look at most of our runners; if there are any that I (probably deliberately) sweep under the carpet, or if anyone's patience runs out, there's always the free service of the excellent Racing Post website to provide an objective statement of how any British or Irish, or British- or Irish-trained runner has fared.

Of our recent runners, things started very well with dear little Lady S. running a fine race at Wolverhampton. Cathy Gannon, as requested, managed to get her in behind a few horses - which did require a bit of effort and skill - and once there she found that the filly was rather taken aback by her first taste of some pretty fierce kickback. So she raced sluggishly, rather than keenly as before, but stayed on very dourly into third. She seems to have taken the race very well, so can return to the same course this Sunday for an assault at my favourite distance, two miles (four furlongs farther than last time). I think she'll relish it. Cathy will be on board again, and we can hope for a bold run.

Kempton was rather an anti-climax. I went there thinking we had two good chances. How wrong can you be? Timmy turned into the straight tracking the leaders and travelling like a winner, but 50 yards later he was going backwards. He was eased down and finished tailed off. I thought, with horror, that he must have broken down, so it was some sort of relief that the jockey didn't immediately dismount. However, the real reason for this capitulation turned out to be, which was evident as soon as we saw Rab Havlin's blood-spattered silks, that he'd bled badly from both nostrils. This was completely unexpected as he'd never given any indication previously that this could be something which would happen to him, but really it was a relief - when one's thinking that a horse might have broken his leg, to find that he's 'only' bled and can walk away sound and chirpy, a bleeding attack really is a good result. I suspect that that will signal the end of his racing career and it has been a pity that his honest and consistent endeavour hasn't been rewarded with a win, only with several placings, but it's good that he can walk out in one piece and with his head held happily high.

And so on to Panto, whose race has inspired the headline for this article. I'd been pleased that I'd been able to give John Egan the ride in his time of beleaguredness (is that a word?), believing that I was doing A Good Thing, but I wish I hadn't. He missed his previous (winning) ride, but unfortunately (as it turned out) he arrived in time to ride Panto. The writing was (or should have been) on the wall, when he greeted us with a plaintive "I'm dying of 'flu". Anyway, we decided he should settle back from his wide draw, and then pull out again in the straight to make his run down the centre of the track. Prior to the off, his price got longer and longer, and when it got to 10/1, I had to act. This was well over the odds, and a bet was required. And then they were off. Panto was just so far back, and on straightening he was taken over to the inside. He was starting a strong run, and then ran into a dead end and was checked. He even ran on a bit again once he got some room, but that was by the by as his race was over. I thought that, even starting his run from so far back, he could have made the frame. So did John, who manfully apologised both for getting so far back and for getting the check. Ah well. But, as they say, it's an ill wind which blows nobody any good, so John's ride must have been manna from heaven to the intrepid souls who kept pushing Panto's price out to, I'm told, 16/1 on Betfair. That's astonishing. I thought he was well over the odds at 10/1, and yet others thought he was unders at 16/1. I think that the merit of the horse's run has shown that my assessment was correct, so one has to conclude that his layers were either much worse than I am at judging a horse's form and condition, or much better than I am at anticipating how badly it is going to be ridden.

One might ask why I backed Panto seeing how unwell the rider was, but I'd previously had this illusion that John had the constitution to shrug off illness. I've seen him have to dismount at the start to be sick, and yet still ride a blinder to get the horse home (Il Principe at Musselburgh). But that was ten years ago, and we're all ten years older and frailer since then. Ah well, we learn by our mistakes ...

And so on to today. Millyjean ran a nice race. There's not really much more to say than that. She was a little bit out of her depth in normal maiden company, as expected, and more than a little bit off the track for the entire race, but she wasn't beaten very far and will find things more suitable in what should be easier assignments in future. She behaved very well, really seeming to enjoy being at the races, and we were remain very pleased with and proud of her.

I note that John's ride on Pantomime Prince wasn't the worst on Monday. That dubious honour falls to Dean Mernagh on Black Opal at Wolverhampton. I haven't seen the race, but I read that he got a month's suspension, and the trainer a £5,000 fine. It must have been bad, because I saw him ride the same horse in a way that seemed to my uneducacted eye to be as dead as dead can be at Kempton just before Christmas and there wasn't even an inquiry that day. But the stewards, like God, move in mysterious ways, and it seems perhaps that, like the mounties, they always get their man eventually. The day at Kempton Black Opal was 6/1 favourite in the Racing Post and went out to 16/1 on Betfair (it's funny how 16/1 keeps cropping up, as if it's the devil's number; if they remake 'The Omen', perhaps they'll find that Gregory Peck's little lad has 16/1, rather than 666, seared into his skin), and I read that on Monday the mare drifted with the on-course bookies from 7/2 to 9/1. Lucky I wasn't at Wolverhampton, as I'd probably have had a bet at that stage!


And so on to a happier topic. Word reached me from our Brisbane correspondent that Michael Tidmarsh's license was restored yesterday. He'll be back at the track with Dolly tomorrow. I didn't ride out for three and a bit weeks when we were on holiday and was as stiff as a board when I resumed, so Michael will feel it after six months on the shelf. And he gives me a few years, which can't help. But the good news is that he'll have Sarah's dad Tom on hand to leg him up if the joints are creaking too much to jump aboard. I should really give Tom his correct name of 'The Great Tom Townsend' as he is rightly described by Guy Harwood in a lovely huge photo montage of Tom and the many great horses (eg Dancing Brave, Warning, To-Agori-Mou, Ela-Mana-Mou, Sandhurst Prince, Lear Fan ...) who had benefitted from his care, which was presented to Tom at the end of his period of service at Pulborough. I was delighted to hear that Tom's heading down under to stay with the family for a month, and I know that they and he will have a great time. And when he comes back, I'll be heading around to Jack Jarvis Close to grill him on just how well Dolly's Queensland Oaks preparation is going. In the meantime, I'll be keen to find out how things go on the Brisbane golf courses on Australia Day (Friday), when Liam Tidmarsh tees off in a big competition. He goes into it with a last-start win to his name, and hit 78 last time out which seems pretty good for a 15-year-old, so perhaps we'll be reading a bit more about him anon.