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DAVID CARR |
Weblog: What do you mean the Wi-Fi doesn't work? The life of a Racing Post reporter
I'd rather Kelsey than Diego any day
Lester Piggott has never done it. Nor Tony McCoy. Vincent O'Brien never did it either.
But young Kelsey Alderson did, at Redcar today. Have her artwork on the front of the racecard, that is.
The ten-year-old from nearby Thornaby won a colouring competition and not only did her handiwork grace the cover but her family also had a VIP day out at the track, she had a race named in her honour and presented the prize afterwards.
Canny marketing by Redcar. Creating a few fans for life - the second and third also had their efforts published - for minimal cost.
Fostering local goodwill and no doubt stimulating plenty to enter next year - wonder if the daughters of working racing journalists are allowed to take part?
Not a bad place for my first day's racing since the Dubai World Cup. Another tight, left-handed, snooker-table flat course, set in a renowned holiday destination with weather you can rely on.
Reliable in an unfortunate manner at Redcar, where the wind off the North Sea is a permanent feature.
I mentioned how cold it was when sales and marketing assistant Caroline Smith visited the press room and she said she would do something about it. Which rather put me in awe of the powers that sales and marketing assistants have - until she said she was only going to do something about how cold it was inside the press room.
And they do look after folk here, witness the new parade ring viewing platform for racegoers in wheelchairs, who can often lose out in the battle for space round the paddock and who often find the railings blocking their eyeline.
No confusing Meydan and Redcar once racing gets under way, though there was a classic clue of sorts this afternoon as Zomerlust, lead horse to 2,000 Guineas hope Red Duke, won the seller.
He failed to attract to bid, to the relief of trainer John Quinn - it would have been annoying to have your classic plans messed up because you lost your star colt's galloping companion in a seller.
And the yard's luck was clearly in as Abidhabidubai won the next, quarter of an hour after New Planet had scored at Warwick.
A crowd of 3,500 was a fair turnout this afternoon but there was no celebrity to match Diego Maradona, who swaggered within a few yards of us at Meydan the Saturday before last.
Many apologies that I lacked the Spanish to nip over for a quick: "Excuseme Sr. Maradona. Mi nombre es David Carr y soy del poste que compite con. Usted tiene tiempo para algunas palabras?" (thanks, Babelfish).
But I'm sure I'd have got no more than a variation on: "Consiga perro perdido, ingles."
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