Sunday 16 August 2009

17th August 2009 Wolverhampton

2.15 LADIES EVENING ON 21ST AUGUST RATING RELATED MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 5)(3-4yo 0-80) Winner £3,886 4 runners 1m141y
87 Implication 2nd 9-4
0 Smart Tazz


2.45 BELVOIR LETTINGS HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(3yo+ 0-60) Winner £2,388 13 runners 1m1f103y
93 Johnston´s Baby
91 King Of Connacht 1st 11-2
90 Quick Off The Mark

3.15 ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND - THE SOLDIERS CHARITY HANDICAP (CLASS 3)(3yo+ 0-95) Winner £7,570 13 runners 5f216y
96 Something
94 Prescription 2nd 4-6
93 Luscivious

3.45 STAY AT THE WOLVERHAMPTON HOLIDAY INN HANDICAP (CLASS 6)(3yo 0-60) Winner £2,388 10 runners 5f20y
79 You´relikemefrank 2nd 13-2
78 Badtanman
73 Bold Ring

4.15 SABRE MAIDEN STAKES (CLASS 4)(2yo) Winner £3,886 9 runners 7f32y
77 James Barrymore 3rd 10-1
46 Blade Of Glory

4.45 RCDM - AT SELLY OAK NHS HOSPITAL HANDICAP (CLASS 4)(4yo+ 0-80) Winner £5,046 12 runners 7f32y
93 Ninth House 1st 11-4
91 Chief Exec
90 Captain Jacksparra
90 Gazboolou 2nd 8-1

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Horse Racing - Trip Down Memory Lane

As there is no AWT racing until Monday 13th I decided to do some research and while thumbing through some old racing books found an old page from Raceform which bought back a great memory from my past carefully folded within the pages.

How attractive a proposition was Pipssalio. Still a Maiden after 4 outings, its 3 outings as a 2yo read beaten 16 lengths in Class 5 3k Novice, beaten 16 lengths in a Class 6 2k Maiden, Beaten 14 lengths in a Class 4 3k Maiden. 1 outing as a 3yo beaten ½ length in a Class 4 4k Handicap. Looked to be way out of its depth being entered in a Class 3 14k Handicap. Pipssalio was 10lb out of the handicap and the jockey (Francis Norton) was putting up 2lb over weight.

My speed figures told me a different story. In fact I can remember being so bullish I was nailing my colours to the mast on all the forums and to the Raceform. This for me was the outstanding bet of the following day, the outstanding bet of the week and of the month. I went to bed unable to sleep with anticipation for the following day fully confident I would be making a lot of money. As soon as I got up on the day of the race I started checking the prices to ensure the tissue given the evening before was correct. Pipssalio was still 20-1.

The time of the race had arrived and in horror I watched as Pipssalio fell out of the stalls. By the time they had reached half-way in the 1 mile contest it was flat to the boards well adrift of the rest of the field with Franny Norton rowing away and beating the horse to death!

My feelings at the time were partly embarrassment due to the comments I had made on various forums , partly anger and all confidence in my ability to create meaningful speed figures gone in 60 seconds but being the eternal optimist still a slither of hope.

With 2 furlongs to go Pipssalio started to reduce the gap. With a furlong to go the rest of the field started to paddle and Pipssalio appeared to have sprouted wings and was closing on the leaders at an unbelievable rate. As they flashed passed the post Franny Norton had driven Pipssalio between the two leaders to make a three way photo finish. Even though I believed Pipssalio had got there it was going to be on the nod. Pipssalio got the verdict beating 2nd Everest by a short-head who in turn had beaten 3rd Tumbleweed Tor by a short-head.

That is the margin of winning and losing. The difference between the feeling of abject failure and believing you can walk on water.