Monday 30 September 2013

Weekend Review (Cambridgeshire Meeting Review) Monday 30th Sept 2013

Good Afternoon & welcome along to this week's weekend review, It was a busy one for me as I attended the last 2 days of Newmarket's Cambridgeshire fixture & I have to say I wasn't disappointed with the quality of the racing I was treated to. For the time of year the weather was glorious I have been to many dank & dreary Cambridgeshire days in years gone by so it was a pleasant change.
This year I chose to get to Newmarket via this countries much maligned rail networks & I have to say it was excellent, all the services I used were on time  so well done South West Trains, London Underground, First Capital Connect (was a very unclean train though) & Greater Anglia who some credit must go to as the Train servicing Newmarket on Friday / Saturday were 4 coach units whereas in the past they had been only 2 coaches long, yes I could have got to Newmarket from Bracknell in just over 2 hours by road but I by taking the train I didn't have to worry about the dreaded M25 or the M4, I literally let the train take the strain.

Newmarket Station itself has always been nothing special & is even less so than when I first used it 15 years ago, obviously its on a single track branch line so its not at the top of priorities but there wasn't a single member of Greater Anglia staff of hand on hand on either day nor were there any signs indicating where the free shuttle bus to the racecourse was leaving from or even anything indicating that a major race meeting was on. The car park is tiny & far from ideal for a town with 2 racecourses (ironically if you walked 1 min up the road you can see what Newmarket has lost as what is called the 'new' station buildings (built in 1902) is still intact with a massive car park but yep you've guessed it is now offices).

 Having worked on the railway in a previous life I know that all major sporting events are in fact treated with the respect they deserve, extra staff are brought in to work at the Station involved, signage is up days in advance, information screens are also updated with special messages & areas in station car parks are cordoned off for any Buses that are to be used....having worked at Newbury Racecourse on many occasions in the past & at the likes of Henley Royal Regatta what I witnessed on Friday / Saturday was in all honesty a disgrace; Newmarket is supposedly the HQ of British Racing yet you'd have been hard pressed over the weekend if arriving at Newmarket station to know that anything was going on at all one of the most disappointing parts was that Newmarket Racecourse management have shot themselves in the foot over is the racecard..where are the train times??? Every other racecourse I have ever been to by train or that has a station near to them has the train times in the racecard for after the last race...why not Newmarket??. 

Greater Anglia need to buck their ideas up & so does the management at Newmarket Racecourses only by working together can the arrival into Newmarket by train be made smoother & easier for punters who decide to use that way of transportation so its no real surprise that Ascot was chosen as the venue for Champions Day & not Newmarket.

I had chosen to avoid all the overpriced hotels in Newmarket & instead after some intense googling I found 'The Wheatsheaf' in Exning some 2.5 miles from The Rowley Mile & at £60 for 1 night single occupancy I said thank you very much. In fact the pub is owned by the Clutterbuck twins', Ken the Landlord still trains but has not had a winner in 2 seasons & his son James has been warned off for 26 months so all in all an interesting place to have chosen to stay. The pub itself is a good old fashioned 'boozer' with a purple painted horse greeting you as you arrive, the inside is an ode to the brothers with pictures of the old car business they owned, family, pub regulars, events & enlarged pictures of Great Britons on the ceiling. You receive a warm welcome, free wifi & the rooms are basic but in good condition with an excellent shower facility. The food is good pub food well prepared & reasonably priced. There is a good selection of beers & lagers for those who can't handle a proper drink also you are likely to get a lock in as they all like a drink. Breakfast is ok but not wonderful so if you like overdone bacon & undercooked sausages then you're fine.
All in all for £60 I can't really complain but I'm unsure as to whether I'd stay there again.   

Onto the racing then, Friday looked an excellent day on paper & did not disappoint. Miss France in the paddock looked a strong filly who can only improve in the winter so to win as cosily in the style that she did must mark her down as a proper classic contender in fact in my eyes she is next year's 1000 Guineas winner. (see below)
Radiator disappointed but was in deep after her maiden win & raced with no cover she can be forgiven this effort.
Zurigha won her Listed race well beating Igugu in the process who I thought ran much better than Dubai, she looked in need of the run in the paddock & can only improve. 
I was convinced after having seen Soft Falling Rain in the pre parade (see below)
 that he would win The Nayef Joel Stakes & my word he did not disappoint, it was a fabulous win in a ridiculously fast run race yet he still went away to win by 3.5 lengths, he will give Dawn Approach & Toronado something to think about at Ascot in the QEII next time out.

The big event of the day, The Shadwell Fillies Mile left the whole place feeling a little flat unless you're a certain pint sized Scotsman but really Chriselliam..Group 1 winner? 
It was a unsatisfactory race in which the 2 Irish fillies Ballybacka Queen & Avenue Gabriel dictated a slow early gallop before the pace quickened 2 furlongs out, Rizeena appeared to be caught flat footed & may finally just have been showing the signs of her hard season although she looked fabulous in the paddock (see below), she lost nothing in defeat & has been the best 2 year old filly seen out for me this season.
 

Of the later races the 2 year old maiden had a funny look to it as only a handful really took my eye in the paddock with the majority looking plain, green & backward the 2 that stood out were Baarez a strapping chestnut son of Hard Spun & Gothic a big long almost gangly lean son of Danehill Dancer. In the race Baarez should have won but appeared to get unbalanced in the dip hanging violently left while Gothic finished a highly encouraging 6th travelling quite well for a long way before getting outpaced & staying on, he should easily get 1m2f next year.
An awful Listed race followed after the defection of Gatewood while The Silver Cambridgeshire saw a deserved success for the unpronounceable & almost un-spellable Bancnuanaheireann.

Saturday's meeting topped Friday's with the quality of horse on display as well as the quality of the action.
My current favourite racehorse made his eagerly awaited return to the track after 3 months away; Berkshire entered the pre parade ring last & soon announced himself to be very well bucking & kicking out at the hedge.
 This big powerful son of Mount Nelson is the most flashy looking animal with his big white blaze, pink nose & 4 white feet. To my eyes having seen him on his debut at Newbury in May he looked to have developed physically across his shoulders & filled out more. 
In the race to me there was never a moment's doubt, he was very exuberant leaving the stalls having seen him race 3 times now that seems to just be him. Sat in behind by Jim Crowley he travelled beautifully onto the heels of the leaders with his rather rounded action appearing to relish the firmer conditions when asked he did not quicken away as at Ascot but that probably does have something to do with the dip as to my eyes he became slightly unbalanced which is perfectly understandable as he is a big animal who has not experienced that on a racecourse before but at no stage did it seem that he would not win he regained his action coming out of the dip & was always holding another very good horse in Somewhat. It looks as though he will be put away for an assault of next year's 2000 Guineas before moving up in distance which is a perfect move. He has be handled with great aplomb by his veteran trainer Paul Cole & you couldn't wish for him to be in better hands.

 My advice to anyone reading this back him at the insulting prices still available for next year's 2000 Guineas (16/1 Coral 14/1 Skybet & Betfred) & Derby (25/1 Skybet, Boylesports, Paddy Power & Coral) because with the experience of having raced & won at Newmarket I can see him going very close in a Guineas, I also believe he has every chance on staying a Derby distance he is bred on very similar lines to Special Meaning who has won 5 races this season at trips up to & including 12 furlongs, his dam Group 1 winner Kinnaird is a half sister to useful Chester Vase winner Mickdaam who was by Dubawi (his index was up to 8f) whereas Berkshire's sire Mount Nelson's sire index is 9.9f also Mount Nelson's show the ability to stay further when mated with mares who come from strong staying sires such as Sky Classic & Dr Devious (Kinnaird's sire). The other thing in Berkshire's favour is to me he races like a stayer & has the demeanour of a top class horse who can only improve from 2 - 3.   

The French filly Vorda was bidding to follow in the hoof prints of her compatriot Miss France & when she appeared in the paddock I think most people knew there was only one winner she looked fabulous, a real shine on her coat & a ball of muscle. (see below)
She duly obliged but to me looks a sprinter so I couldn't fancy her for a Guineas, Kiyoshi ran as if finding 6f too sharp & will improve for 1 mile next year. I think now I do have to admit that Sky Lantern (see below) is a pretty good filly, I hadn't warmed to her this season but on Saturday she was simply superb & looked in excellent health. Integral looks like she will make a pretty special 4 year old while it looks like we have seen the last of Just The Judge who hasn't really gone on since her Irish 1000 Guineas win.

I'm not going to lie the big race of the day; The Betfred Cambridgeshire was an absolute heartbreaker for me as I have been backing Code Of Honor for weeks....well he basically won the race everywhere but on the line with a short head separating my big bet & that darn Johnny Murtagh ridden Educate, Code Of Honor was caught on heels 2.5 furlongs out & was switched to great effect as my word did he finish I don't need sectionals to tell me that he was flying hand over fist he was catching Educate until right on the line I turned my back let out a few expletives & walked away to watch them come in, even from where I was standing up in the grandstand half a furlong from the winning post I knew he hadn't quite got there. 
I bumped into Code Of Honor's trainer Henry Candy on the way back to the paddock just as result of the photograph was announced to say the look on his face was that of a man who had just had a well hatched plan foiled by the coppers was an understatement.
Educate had looked in excellent shape beforehand & it seems written in the stars this year that anything the mercurial Irishman Murtagh sits on on a Saturday Wins, in truth he is just the best rider riding at the moment he out thinks & out rides our jockeys every weekend even the top guys Moore, Hughes, Hanagan etc he is always in the best position even if that's in defeat as shown earlier in the card on Princess Noor (when he nearly stole The Cheveley Park) it took another exceptional jockey to beat him that of another rider in the twilight of his career France's Olivier Peslier. 
We have a great bunch of up & coming jockeys but we also have far too many mediocre ones at a level which in some ways is not their fault as I agree with Barry Hill's comments in last Sunday's RP that the jockeys don't have the time to think between races on the bad rides or what they could do better next time as their always racing. 

The rest of Newmarket's card on Saturday fizzled out for me after the Cambridgeshire & in all honesty I was grateful as it gave me time to eat & reflect although at the prices I wish I had waited....seriously though (I know I said the same about Newbury's over pricing last week) food at sporting events today is just ridiculous for the majority who come racing there day is spent in the bars or the food vans & it becomes extremely costly Fish & Chips was £8.50! A burger over £6, A small Newmarket sausage in an oversized bun £5.00 & water £2.30! The racecourses can argue all they like that the products are quality...they're not...I decided after the food to have a quick beer so tried the Bar at in the bottom of the Grandstand thinking as at Newbury last Fri Newmarket would except a payment via card....I was mistaken the spotty looking fellow behind the bar spouted out 'No sir we don't take card but you can use the cash machine behind that charges £2.50 to take out your own money'....surprisingly I declined this offer. 
One shining light from Newmarket's staff over the weekend was the lady on the Customer relations desk who was kind enough on both days to let me charge my phone via the USB on her computer & store my bag on the Saturday she also took my complaint about people doing 'coke' in the toilets seriously which does not always happen.

Overall the racing was fantastic I can't argue with that but some of the other experiences from Newmarket over the 2 days were distinctly average. 
As a racecourse & town if you've never been you should go make a day of it with the Historic parts of Newmarket well worth a look including the horse walks, National Horseracing Museum & The National Stud which has guided tours taking place from Feb - Oct also if you can get up early enough then the public gallops are a fantastic place to be in the morning.  

Horses to Follow:

Kings Land - Should be capable of winning a backend maiden on soft ground - Back next time out

Miss France - My idea of next year's 1000 Guineas winner - Back for the 1000 Guineas

Gothic - Will improve a bundle from his encouraging debut & if seen out again can win a maiden - Back on next start

Berkshire - Just a top class horse in the making - Back for 2000 Guineas & Derby next year

Cascading - Highly encouraging debut run at Haydock on Sat staying on strongly late on - Should be capable of landing a maiden for her astute trainer     




            
                           
       

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