The turf
Competitive instincts
Robin Oakley
Racing journalism may not be as tough as rock journalism, once defined by Frank Zappa as people who can't write interview- ing people who can't talk on behalf of peo- ple who can't read, but it still has its problems. Some trainers find it easier com- municating with their horses than they do with their fellow human beings. For racing correspondents, trainers who know how to turn out a regular supply of winners are a boon. But trainers who can talk entertain- ingly about their winners, their losers and how they do their job are a journalistic jewel beyond price.
One clearly in that category is Lam- bourn's John Hills. His horses do not win by accident and Tempting Fate was backed down to 11-10 favourite before running out a comfortable winner of the first at Newbury last Friday. Although he was con- fident that she had had a bit more in the tank if required, John said the useful filly would now stay at six furlongs for a while. Back in form after his yard had been afflicted by a spell of virus trouble, he explained the sort of problem it can cause, particularly in a wet season like this one: `Bad weather sets back their recovery just when you're getting out of jail. It's not till they're back in shape that you can start to direct them and know what you are doing.'
Tempting Fate, he said, had looked like a seven-furlong filly. But lately she had been showing some speed. 'When they're not right they don't show you what they are.' Other trainers struggled to describe the ground, damp on top but firm enough `Things are so–so.' underneath. 'They're kicking off the top,' said John. 'It's a case of wheelspin.' And in the next race you could see that that was exactly what was happening to some of them as they tried to accelerate.
That race, the Listed Doncaster Sales Washington Singer Stakes, was won by Prizeman, another hotshot from the High- clere Thoroughbreds syndicate. Having enjoyed a drink with some of the syndicate members before the race, I am glad to say I was on, although I shared their palpitations as the winner was given a much harder race than expected by Barry Hills's Perfect Sun- day. Six furlongs may now be a bit sharp for Prizeman, and Barry reckoned his horse might have won in another few strides. But when I suggested that like son John he was now back on the victory trail, having had a good few recent winners since he too suf- fered with the virus, his response was, 'It's not good enough for me.' Once a perfec- tionist, always a perfectionist. There's no dulling of Barry's competitive instinct.
I played up my winnings on Prizeman and Tempting Fate by doing precisely that, backing John Hills's Cracow in the next, only to see him beaten a neck by William Haggas's Westender. 'Any plans?' we asked the grinning trainer, ritually. 'Yes, to get in the car before the bloody traffic builds up,' he replied. Cricket fan Haggas, told that the West Indies were 17 for 3 and crum- bling, was gleeful. 'I've got a Jamaican owner. I'll ring him up,' he said, and duly did so. In an age when owners switch yards for no better reason than a dislike of the stable cat, such an intrusion into private grief seemed risky to me, but the grinning Haggas clearly suffered no penalty.
Fortunately it was Oakley's day too. I got up the forecast in the second last, won by jumping trainer Nicky Henderson with Masadamas. The horse prefers the ground to be like concrete but Nicky swears 'this one could make it rain in the Sahara'. Every time they declare him, the heavens open. Don't worry, Nicky, my wife and I can do it too. People have been known to offer money to know where we are going on holiday in order to avoid booking at the same time and getting drenched. Well, that's the explanation they give, anyway.
Lambourn's leading jumps trainer has scored several times on the Flat this year, mostly with hurdlers who have been given a run on the Flat to restore their confidence after bad experiences over obstacles. He has won too with Veridian and Captain Miller. Of Masadamas he said, 'After that, we'll have to keep him going. We can't put him away now.' If the going is firm enough he'll probably be placed to win again too.
It may get harder though for Brian Mee- han's Kookaburra to do so. Kookaburra, backed down to co-favourite despite form figures which ran 04634, ran out the four- length winner of the ten-furlong race, Pat Eddery having outsmarted the currently unstoppable Richard Hughes as they played games with the pace. Brian admit- ted that he'd had an argument the previous week with the handicapper, complaining that his horse was being harshly treated. `I'm afraid he's proved me wrong,' he admitted. 'God knows what he will do to him now.'
Robin Oakley is European political editor of CNN.com
Previous page
