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DAVID CARR |
Weblog: What do you mean the Wi-Fi doesn't work? The life of a Racing Post reporter
Slumming it at Chester
CRAZY though it might sound to an estate agent or the editor of a society magazine, but going from Doncaster to Chester today is to take quite a step down in class.
We had only afifth of the prize money on offer on the third day of the St Leger meeting and none of the prestige of a race like the May Hill or the Doncaster Cup. Not even much of a crowd, for here.
For once there was no need to fight your way through scantily-clad racegoers to get from the press room to the parade ring and winner's enclosure. More's the pity.
That crowd did include a couple of celebrities as Rufus Hound and Robert Webb were here, shooting a film called 'The Wedding Video'. (Though 'celebrity' is in the eye of the beholder. When I mentioned their presence to one of the BHA officials, it was clear from the look on their face that they had clearly never heard of either of them).
Not sure how much the pair know about racing or the guy who does the captions for close circuit television either. The distance of the 1m7f195y handicap appeared on screen as 1m8f - how many furlongs are there in a mile again?
But don't underestimate the knowledge lurking in the weighing-room - you can find out the most unlikely things there. I discovered today from an expert on the declarations desk that the best internet browser to view the Racing Post website on is Chrome - apparentlyusing it makes the pages load much quicker.
And I found that championship-chasing jockey Silvestre de Sousa is as stylish in the hosiery department as he is in the saddle. He was sitting on the step outside in 'civvies' and with no riding boots on a pair of natty socks was plainly visible, red and white and reminiscent of the Vodafone colours.
On questioning, he revealed they were a present. Quite an eye-opener - who'd have thought even Brazilian sports stars get socks as presents.
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