The turf
Gruelling contest
Robin Oakley
Sometimes you back horses coldly, clin- ically, rationally on the form book. Some- times a little sentiment creeps in. You might be tempted by an animal that has come in for you previously at a nice price, a horse whose trainer bought you a Guin- ness the night before. Sometimes there is a bit of a hunch about it when your interpre- tation of a previous run differs from the herd opinion. Sometimes, though, a whole series of such factors combine to give you a feeling in your bones that This Is The One.
Three weeks ago I promised Spectator readers that Lavinia Taylor, the Lambourn permit-holder at the famous Uplands yard, would win good races with Gingembre. But when I told the amiable and knowl- edgeable members of the West Berks Rac- ing Club a few days before the race that Gingembre was my bet for the Hennessy Gold Cup, I noted a few arched eyebrows, even though former champion trainer Peter Walwyn, on the panel with me, had included Lavinia's horse in the seven or eight possible winners he listed for the Hennessy. (Even ex-trainers don't like giv- ing too much away.) I had at that stage already gone in each way at 33-1 on Gingembre and there was a Perfectly logical explanation for so invest- ing on a horse whose form figures of 111—UBF read more like a car number plate. First time out this year at Punchestown it was true Gingembre had blundered at the first and unseated his rider. But, although he did not get any fur- ther than the first in his next race either, the B for brought down at Wincanton was no fault of his. And though there was an F for a fall at Cheltenham in his other run he had actually jumped the fence all right but appeared to slip on landing. What I knew, and what Spectator readers had been told, Was that the horse had been tutored by Jumping guru Yogi Breisner and that the Taylors were well pleased with his fencing and with his prospects for the season. At 33-1 therefore I felt as I did when I backed Margaret Thatcher at 50-1 between the two elections of 1974 to be the next Tory leader. There could be no guarantee of success but the odds were too generous to be ignored.
Having interviewed them for Valley of the Racehorse I admire the approachable John and Lavinia Taylor for their. 'horses first' priority. I had profited already from two of Gingembre's three victories last season at Doncaster, Stratford and Ayr. And then came the omen. At a pre-Hennessy dinner the night before the big race I found myself sitting next to jockey Andy Thornton, whose mount the next day was to be none other than Gingembre. I ate duck and fruit pie. Andy, at that moment weighing lOst 111b dressed including the ladies tights he had tucked in his inside pocket (don't worry, he was giving a demonstration of the race-riders' kit), ate nothing. There were already some hours in the sauna ahead if he was to ride at lOst 31b the next day. And both the Taylors' offer of the ride and Andrew's acceptance showed forgiving natures. It was Thornton whose fall on Twisted Logic had brought down Gingem- bre at Wincanton. And it was more than his logic which had got twisted in the pro- cess. In tripping over his prostrate body Gingembre had cost Andy his next few rides by kicking him black and blue in that part of the anatomy which Spanish gentle- men refer to as their cojones. Sadly for Andy no ladies rushed forward from our audience to take up the offer to inspect his bruises. Well, not before dinner anyway. After that I simply had to add to my bet at the 20-1 still available when I got to the course the next day.
Indeed, so convinced was I by then that, as I passed the familiar figure of the For- eign Secretary Robin Cook, I broke my usual rule of not giving tips to politicians for fear of having to become the Seldom Seen Kid and losing my contacts. I wound down my car window and urged him to get on Gingembre each way as well. The Spec- tator address will do fine for any brown envelopes, thank you, Foreign Secretary, should you too feel the need in return to hand over any privileged information. Came the race and my dream was alive. Gingembre, given a copybook ride by Andy, was nicely placed all the way (and on the outside, I noted, where he could avoid any fallers).
After the cross fence five out, Gingem- bre, accompanied only by the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Kings Road, ridden by Jamie Goldstein, broke clear of the field. Over the last four fences there was an epic duel between two brave horses with nothing separating them. Then, finally, on the flat, the soft-ground specialist Kings Road pulled clear, outstaying Gingembre on the sodden turf. It was to be place money only. But at 33-1 that is not be sneezed at. We had had a magnificent run for our money in a super race, won by a good horse after a gruelling contest. And do not forget for the future that Gingem- bre has previously shown his best form on top of the ground. There are still good, top-class races to be won with this fine French import. But he is not, sadly, likely to be going to Chel- tenham, a course which Lavinia does not feel really suits him.
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