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DAVID CARR |
Weblog: What do you mean the Wi-Fi doesn't work? The life of a Racing Post reporter
Could do better - report writers, that is
Tom Segal is in no danger from the NUT. Teachers do not make good tipsters, that's the undeniable message from Stockholm and Wolverhampton in the last few days.
Last week the Nobel Prize for Medicine went to Professor John Gurdon, who delighted in recalling a school report which laughed at his prospects of becoming a scientist and which said: "On his present showing this is quite ridiculous; if he can't learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a specialist, and it would be a sheer waste of time."
Which looked rather wide of the mark as he was honoured in Sweden for a career which included pioneering work in the cloning of frogs.
No such high science at Dunstall Park this evening but a similar tale was related by Chris Newing, part-owner of 6f winner Arctic Lynx.
His 'Heading For The Rocks' partnership gets its name from the forecast of his future made in one of his less-than-glowing school reports.
Now, he was winning a Class 4 handicap rather than a Nobel Prize but he is an IT team leader from Hemel Hempstead who can afford to be a racehorse owner so he's clearly managed to dodge those rocks and appears to be doing pretty well for himself.
And he was an owner who was able to find the time to come to Wolverhampton this evening to enjoy their moment of glory, unlike former William Hill chairman John Brown who was not here as he got one over his former profession when 7-2 favourite Lucky Money won the opener.
Then again, who needs to come racing when the jockey can do your talking for you - and might have made you a few quid in the process?
Luke Morris was happy to chat afterwards and stressed of the winner: "He is in the sales, he has got a bit of scope and he could make a nice horse for someone this winter or next year."
Words he knew would appear enticingly in tomorrow's paper, spoken in the persuasively open manner that would almost have had me reaching for my chequebook - if I were an IT team leader.
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