A good start ?

Whilst I have always considered the start of the main season to be the Paddy Power meeting at Cheltenham, the Perth September fixture is an occasion which always warms the heart.  Sam Morshead and his team make racing at Perth an absolute joy, and the hospitality in the town isn’t half bad either. So it is with a happy heart that we wend our way North on Wednesday morning.

 

This years visit  sees the hatching of a long term plan to unleash all three of the Jump For Fun Racing Club horses at the two day meet.

 

First up is Frontier Spirit who had finished second in both of his previous bumpers. He contests a competitive looking heat, with at least seven of the twelve contestants having some sort of chance on the ability they had previously shown.  In the end he gets our meeting off to the perfect start, tracking the early pace, quickening up as they head to two out, and easing clear after the last to outpoint Devotion To Duty and Traffic Point. Whilst still running on the green side it is clear the penny is steadily dropping and he progressing with every run. His next assignment will be another small novice hurdle under a penalty.

 

After a few glasses of champagne courtesy of the racecourse I wander down to the paddock in the company of Bob Sims, Paul Grant, James Jessemey Doug Chalmers and Gillian my wife. We are met by Gordon Elliot and AP McCoy and spend a few minutes discussing the chances of Valerius in the Duke Of Atholl Challenge Cup.  We are hopeful that his liking for the course will put him back on track after a few poor efforts of late. He races close to the lead but can't go with the leading bunch and as soon as AP asks for maximum effort (and administers a couple of reminders) he pulls himself up. He wouldn't have wanted the ground as soft as it was, but my after races exchanges with AP confirm my thoughts that this is about attitude. I mull over how I explain to my fellow owners that our best option maybe to move the horse on - he was a cheap purchase and has given us all some great days on the track. I recall my fathers mantra “there is no crime in buying a bad horse, the crime is in keeping the damn thing”. He certainly cannot be described as a bad horse, but his future may still lie elsewhere. I enter the owners and trainers bar intending to discuss the issue with Gordon Elliot, instead we order several drinks and I conclude the conversation will keep until tomorrow.

 

If the day has taken a downward turn I am about to find out Valerius is only the second biggest issue on my plate. Oscars Ballad returns to action after a prolonged layoff in a Downpatrick bumper. Reluctant to join the field he makes a slow start - before fizzling out altogether. After a few minutes of explaining to my fellow owners that I cannot explain his performance, I head off for a pint with Dave Williams  (fellow member of the Hollow Bottom partnership and all round good egg) and Mick Fitzgerald. We are eventually refused any more drink and leave the course.

 

We finish the day with cash in pocket, a good dinner at Paco’s (where due to the wine consumption we divide the bill by 12 instead of the 13 present and spend half an hour debating who hasn’t paid) and a 4 a.m finish in the bar at the New County hotel.

 

The following day starts slowly, we get to the course an hour before racing and head to the bar.

 

Next up for the club is Le Roi Max who takes on four last-time-out winners. As on his debut he drifts alarmingly in the betting just before the off - the reason remains a mystery to those of us stood in the paddock ! The race itself is run at an uneven gallop and Max pulls hard in the early stages. He jumps poorly and eventually ran out of steam as the front four pull clear half a mile from home. So it is back to the drawing board. His buzzy nature is certainly doing him no favours, he probably needs a longer trip and better ground, and his jumping at home is much better than displayed here. In all likelihood he will now have another two attempts over the minimum trip to get a handicap mark and hopefully learn to settle.

 

Frontier Dancer  makes an impressive chasing debut in what represents a modest novices' chase on paper, a fact which looks to have been confirmed by  the slow time compared with the later handicap. He wins it in good style with a flawless round of jumping. Before the race Paddys only concern is the lack of a lead, so I hastily enter into negotiations with Gordon Elliot who agrees to oblige. He is given a very confident ride by Paddy and draws clear from the third-last without having to be fully extended. He will now be entered in the 2m, 2m 4f and 3m novice chases in the Cheltenham October meeting.

 

With the stable rattling in another few winners the day works out extremely well financially, and in good spirits we down a couple of bottles of champagne before heading back to Carlisle.