And trains. And the M25. And French motorways and tolls and empty roads….
I get the motorways and Eurostar and tolls bit on my way to Deauville…
Candida and Sophie sensibly did the jet out out of Stansted earlier today. And in France in time for Sunday lunch and a wander around the Sales Ground and the “he walks well” bit…
I will catch them up later. By which time the long list will be a shorter list. And then a short list..
“On va marcher s’il Vous Plait…”
To be repeated over and over in the days ahead…
French bred horses. French Breeders Premiums. 60% (and sometimes more) on top of prize money. Meaning that we run around in Deauville, Compiegne, St Cloud, Angers etc for proper money…
And the wine lists and menus tend to be a little more alluring than at Wolverhampton…
I still love Wolverhampton. Many favours done at Dunstall Park..
A French Syndicate that already appeals to many. Let me know if you would like to be kept in the loop. Pre Covid and Brexit, we had a lot of fun and success with French bred 2-yr-olds. We go again…
Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday. A raging success. A huge crowd…
Major on this…
In Australia on Saturday, vast crowds to watch the Everest and the Caulfield Cup. A gap in the local rugby calendar meaning that racing “Down Under” is sitting slap bang and centre stage for the next few weeks. Everybody is talking about racing and the Melbourne Cup and Spring Carnival. Everybody….
Racing at the forefront in a sports obsessed nation…
I’m there next year. Try to stop me…
Ascot was superb yesterday. But several furlongs from “forefront” in terms of wider media coverage. I was driving when the early Ascot races were taking place. Hoping that Five Live would cover. But instead I listened to a reprise of Rugby League action that had finished hours earlier…
I’m sure (not sure, but hope…) that later races were covered live by the BBC…
In Australia, horse racing is centre stage at this time of year. A country engaged…
Ascot. Fantastic and dramatic and brilliant. A raging success. But peripheral at best in the bigger sporting scheme…
That is the way of it I guess. We have a fabulous sport, but we cannot force our way into the collective psyche….
Whilst talk in bars and pubs here revolves around football and cricket and rugby, Down Under it is all about “what do you fancy for the Cup…??”
What fun that must be. A racing obsessed nation that would not conceive of missing the race that stops a nation…
The Derby filling that slot one day ? We need that nation stopper…
Busy at Bath today….
PERIGORD NOIR (Tom Marquand) – lovely 2-yr-old. Learning. Proper horse in time. And beyond….
PURPLE MOON (Benoit). St Moritz plans. Stepping stones.
SCEPTIC. New boy on the team. He has Charity race jobs ahead. A first ride for us for Olivia Haines….
52,000 Australian voices as runners head to post. Not for everybody. Works for me…
