What an incredible (Wednesday) night; Hurricane Lane supplemented York/Epsom/Curragh gains with a demolition job of ‘minnows’ in the grade one Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, fabulous ‘lovers’ Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand landed doubles on glorious Yarmouth turf and another ‘headliner’ for this column, Power Of Beauty, landed a major country-wide gamble for ‘big-hitters’ with a resounding unchallenged success on Wolverhampton tapeta.
Hollie is fantastic, she hit a ‘fastest hundred winners’ for 2021 at the east coastal venue by beating former female champion jockey Hayley Turner a head in an absolutely pulsating Ladies’ Handicap thriller and is now within hailing distance of Tom, William Buick and champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the actual jockey’s championship; a real spurt would see the ‘pocket rocket’ in contention and there might just be a colossal retainer about to be offered in the next week or two. You will have read it first in this exclusive column.
How fortunate I am to still be involved in the fabulous ‘Sport Of Kings’ and think back to a day in March, 1963 when travelling on a Leicester bus from the town centre to Lincoln racecourse for the opening of the season among a colossal crowd on the now-defunct Carholme; I’ve kept the race-card which contains the name of 28-year-old Lester Piggott!
Following the ramifications and ‘fall-out’ of that much-discredited European Football Championship final at Wembley, Sunday, I’m so pleased it wasn’t possible to pursue an aspiring career in soccer at Leicester City (for various reasons!) and now get up in the early hours of every morning to compile this piece for you faithful readers.
Sometime in the next few months my pacemaker is due to be replaced with another more sophisticated ‘pacer’ which apparently gives out more information and I just thank ‘The Lord’ for guidance, and indeed tolerance, for help in negotiating the minefields of a ubiquitous, dramatic existence which has given me colossal experience; you can’t beat that and I’ll utilise it with my time-handicap when going to ‘War’ in the Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of ‘good to firm’ Nottingham this afternoon.
Wings Of War was beaten three-quarters of a length first-up on a ‘good to firm’ Leicester surface last month by another debutant, Ernie’s Valentine, mount of Hollie Doyle!
A short-head away was subsequent dual winner and fourth in the group two July Stakes last week, Mr Mcann; some real great juveniles have been introduced at the Oadby venue, just eight miles from where I was born!
Keep following this column and I’ll, hopefully, continue to tick over!
Selections, Newbury, 1.35 Harrow (e.w); Nottingham, 2.00 Wings Of War; 4.20 Sweet Believer.
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019