Getting to Newmarket from London is not for the fraint-hearted. I left
my hotel in Paddington at 10 AM and took the underground to Kings
Cross. It was a glorious day in England. It was warm but comfortable.
Now and then, the sun hid behind the clouds but there was no threat of
rain at any moment. After being given misleading directions by the
counter clerk at Kings Cross, I stayed undaunted and sought the help
of a supervisor. I insisted that I could go to Newmarket from Kings
Cross and that I had done my homework on the Internet before leaving
Chicago. My efforts bore fruit. After a careful examination, the
supervisor came up with a travel plan. I boarded a fast train at Kings
Cross to go to Royston. It was a 35-minute ride. I walked out of the
station. I boarded a bus to go to Cambridge train station. I needed a
cup of coffee. There was a long wait for the train to take me to the
Newmarket rail station. The racecourse runs free shuttle buses from
the rain station to the racecourse. There was another wait. The ride
from the station to the course takes about five minutes. I walked into
what is called ‘Headquarters’ after picking up my press pass and my
watch showed 1 30 P M. The first race was at 2 10 P M.
Newmarket is where racing in England began in the 17th century. It is
where the English 1000 and 2000 Guineas are held in the first week of
May. There are two tracks. One is called the Rowley Mile in which
Saturday’s races were contested. The Rowley Mile is a straight mile.
Races longer than a mile are also held and the horses join the Rowley
for their straight run-in. There is another course called the ‘July
Course.’ The July Course is used for summer racing. Newmarket is a
wide track. It is an undulating course. Horses need stamina and lots
of it.
On Saturday, there were other tracks racing in England. Newbury had a
lucrative card. Ayr, in Scotland, was hosting the Gold Cup, a
prestigious sprint. Catterick was racing. In Ireland, Listowel and
Fairyhouse were racing. You could bet on these races at the Tote. Some
of these races were printed in Newmarket’s official card and
bookmakers took bets on them.
Before racing began, Lester Piggott was introduced. The ceremony was
held on a platform in the paddock. Joe Mercer and Brice Raymond were
introduced. Tapes of Piggott’s Guineas victories were shown on closed
circuit TV monitors and the big screen in the infield. For the most
part. presentations to the winners were made by Lester Piggott.
The feature was the VC Bet ‘Fairy Footsteps’ stakes and it was the
fifth race. Nobelix was the even money favourite. Jockey William Buick
rode the favourite to a fluent victory.
The co-feature, the VC Nijinsky Handicap, was the fourth race. Teslin
ran on strongly to justify the 9-4 favouritism. The winning jockey was
J P Guillambert who did not stay on for the presentation. He took a
helicopter to go to Wolverhampton, a track that was racing a twilight
program.
At Ayr, a racecourse in Scotland, Advanced, a 20-1 outsider, won the
Ayr Gold Cup. Jamie Spencer was the winning jockey. Benwilt Breeze, a
22-1 proposition, was second. Kevin Ryan trains Advanced.
Jamie Spencer, in a duel with Seb Sanders for the English riding
title, said, “Everything went perfect for me. He’s clearly a tough,
talented horse.”
Jamie Spencer got on his plane to go to Wolverhampton. He rode two
winners there and is one behind Seb Sanders at the end of Saturday.
Sanders leads 144-143. Spencer drew a ban for his ride on Advanced.
The two-day ban comes at a critical time. Another suspension would
take away his chances of winning the title. It is a question of
walking the tightrope for Spencer. Sanders is now 8-11 to become the
champion English jockey. Neither Sanders nor Spencer rode on Sunday.
Authorized was impressive in his work on Saturday as he gets ready for
the Arc at Longchamp on October 7. William Hill and Ladbrokes offer
11-8 on the English Derby champion. Soldier Of Fortune, the Irish
Derby hero, won a prep in Paris last week and is at 11-4.
Racing Post reports that Henry Cecil will have Passage Of Time go in
the Arc. The Musidora winner was a disappointment in the Epsom Oaks.
She raced at Longchamp and did well on her reappearance. It is a
question of a girl beating the boys.
The spread of foot and mouth disease is casting a cloud over the
three-day Ascot meeting from Friday thru Sunday. Windsor and Ascot are
in the surveillance zone. I will keep you posted.
