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DAVID CARR |
Weblog: What do you mean the Wi-Fi doesn't work? The life of a Racing Post reporter
Never a dull moment on the fibresand
A Group 1 target, a Group 1 apology, one jockey revitalised under a new name, another riding a winner despite going earlier than any rider has ever done before. And a crowd - Southwell never ceases to surprise.
The crowd was in the press room, of all places. Not a spare seat to be had by the time racing started. Which isn't saying a great deal as it's not a huge place but there were plenty more folk here than normal - the usual crew swollen by a bookmakers' PR and a couple of form analysts.
Thank heavens there was enough food to go round. Just.
Shepherd's pie and chips - eat your heart out nutritionists (incidentally, word reaches me that the lasagne served up here yesterday was delicious but went unfinished, which is scandalous).
No idea what the great attraction was in a decidedly low-key card. The horses scarcely had form coming out of their ears. Of the 66 declared, just one came here on the back of a win and only 12 had even managed a place last time out.
So it will not surprise you to hear that the Group 1 target was not for one of today's runners. Rather, Jo Hughes revealed after winning the maiden auction that stable star Caledonia Lady is being aimed at the Prix de l'Abbaye.
And Ted Durcan's Group 1 apology referred to Saturday night when Main Sequence finished fourth in the Grand Prix de Paris - "I hold my hands up, the horse should have won," he said, refreshingly honestly.
Some mistakes can be rectified, such as Danny Brock's going half an hour early today. He was all dressed up and raring to go in the parade ring for the 3.45 race, only to be led away looking rather embarrassed when no horse arrived for him to ride and he realised he was actually in the 4.15.
Easy mistake to make, no damage done - as he showed by returning half an hour later to win the 4.15 on Mazovian.
I met the revitalised jockey for a ''Scouting Report" feature in Sunday week's Post.
I'll keep his name under wraps until then but he has ridden five winners from his last eight mounts and stands out in many ways, not least his height.
He's 5ft 10in and works tirelessly to do 8st 8lb - he had a spell out of the game and 'ballooned' to 10st yet says that you could scarcely notice he'd put on any weight.
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