RACING POST SUNDAY JANUARY 13th 2013
WEEK MONDAY JANUARY 7th to SUNDAY JANUARY 13th 2013
PREVIEW TODAY'S CARDS
"Up the creek with only a plank for a paddle" as Mark Johnson puts it.
Best explanes delay, tecnical computer problems over last two weeks. JMC
Best explanes delay, tecnical computer problems over last two weeks. JMC
DAVID ASHFORTH SATURDAY MUSINGS
(12.01. 2013)
"THE NAME GAME AND TWO TRICKY QUESTIONS"
AND
a photograph of Sergeant Wilson
"What is the connection between Sergeant Wilson, Bird's custard and Merryman 11?"
"THE NAME GAME AND TWO TRICKY QUESTIONS"
AND
a photograph of Sergeant Wilson
"What is the connection between Sergeant Wilson, Bird's custard and Merryman 11?"
DAVID’S
MUSINGS this Saturday take up the top half of page 21. One can’t help but
notice the other half of this page. A Paddy Power advert, with a large bay
horse yawning with his mouth wide open and his eyes tight shut. Clearly this
horse does not rate Paddy Power much. David bangs on about names Violets' and Gladys',
but Paddy Powers advert does not give the name of the horse on his part of this
page, Paddy just bangs on about the treats he has in store for losers.
Paddy
Power would get given hundreds of horses names probably, in one day taking bets
from punters. Have you ever noticed the information contained within every racecard?
The first bit of kit you need when you arrive on a racecourse, bar your Racing
Post which you will already have with you, and have checked out before leaving
home.
David "VIOLET
JORDAN Jordan
“I
don’t suppose Violet was ever like her more famous namesake, Violet Elizabeth
Bott, who made her name in Just William books, and, when thwarted, was prone to
lisp, “I’ll thcream and thcream ‘til I’m thick.”
“Not
that you’ll be able to find a Violet now.
In 1904, as you probably know, Violet was the 17th most
popular name for girls but it has long
since disappeared from the top 100, leaving Violet Jordan to fly the flag for a
name that surely deserves to become fashionable again.
“If
you are about to have a baby, please call it Violet, even if it is a boy. After
all, one of Ireland
“If
Violet has fallen on hard times, it’s worse for Gladys. Can you think of a
trainer or even an owner called Gladys, ever? Yet in 1904, as in 1914, Gladys
was 11th in the popularity table.
“For
along time, most English children had an Auntie called Gladys but not any more,
and Gladys may well be illegal now. The last one I knew was Gladys Petty, a
next-door neighbour in Bradford . “Yorkshire
born and Yorkshire bred ,” Gladys would
declare, loudly, “Strong in’t arm and weak in’t head.”
DAVID'’s,
Violets’ and Gladys’ will any of them have ever had a day out at the races in
1904
or in 1914? Charles Dickens
powerful and vivid character sketches portray an existence of cruelty within a
wicked pecking order of how things where over a century ago. The harsh reality
of how the life and times for all Violets’ and all Gladys’ were back then. If
you sit down and think about that, it does not seem so long ago, perhaps that
is when the fear begins to kick in. How far have David’s Violets’ and Gladys’
come to date?
The
brilliant “Dads Army Series”, David asks “What is the connection between
Sergeant Wilson, Bird’s custard and Merryman 11?
David asks "The name game and two tricky questions?
David continues “She’d
go off on a mystery coach tour (Scarborough )
and, when asked whether she’d had a good time, invariably replied, “Eee, it
were grand. The scones! You should have
seen the size of them. And the cream!”
“Even
in her heyday, Gladys probably wasn’t as popular as a girl at school whose name
was
Julia
Bangs, but I digress. She doesn’t train, unlike Laura Young and Jim Old. I’d
like to see them together, then they could be Mr and Mrs Young-Old. Silly, I
know, but there’s something fascinating about the names you stumble across when
studying racecards, as an alternative to watching the next 46-60 Class 6
handicap at Wolverhampton . Who for instance,
is Lady Susan Brooke, who has been training for years, quietly, and ran a horse
called Raduis Blue at Chepstow last Saturday?
“And
who is Nicholas Pomfrert, who has also been training for years, equally quietly
and had a runner at Leicester on Tuesday? (There
was no big screen again WHAT ABSOLUTE ROTTERS)
“And
another thing. Is Lord Wilson, who owns Isaac’s Warrior, who also ran at
Leicester, the same Lord Wilson who is a Justice of the Supreme Court, the
highest court in the UK
“I
only ask because my mate Mart is working on yet another enormous quiz and it
seems to have infected me. For instance, which trainer won twice in the same
race this week? (Answer below)
“Here’s
another, and I bet you don’t get this one. What’s the connection between
Sergeant Wilson in Dad’s Army (it’s probably on again tonight, it usually is),
Bird’s custard and Merryman 11, who won the 1960 Grand National? (Answer also
below)
“Violet
Jordan’s got runners at Lingfield today but it’s the Pretemps Hurdle at
Warwick, a qualifier for the final at Cheltenham on March 14, that will attract
closer scrutiny, not so much to see who wins as to see who doesn’t win, but
might at Cheltenham. It’s an interesting system, although it’s never done me
any good..
“Answer:
1. Stan Moore, whose Salute To Seville and Amelia Hull dead-heated at
Wolverhampton on Monday (Amelia is currently the most popular girl’s name in
the UK
2.
John Le Mesurier, who played Sergeant Wilson and was a keen racing fan, was a
wartime friend of trainer Neville Crump. Crump married the granddaughter of Sir
Alfred Bird, of custard fame, and Merryman 11 was one of Crump’s three Grand
National winners.
“Incidentally,
Crump didn’t believe in pulling horses and agreed to it only once, with future
Grand National winner Teal, at Kelso in 1951. As a pretty unmissable clue, the
jockey stopped when a fence ahead, dismounted, pretended to remove a stone from
Teal’s foot, remounted and finished second."
JMC Turfcall Comment
Horseracing confusion, for all those just starting out on their very own first horseracing adventure, with no plan. Not knowing quite what to expect. Maybe putting on a posh frock, glam up a bit, and have an away day at Royal Ascot for starters.
The humour found in Dad's Army is a natural humour between a group of men finding themselves placed to defend their country if needs be.
EQUUS ZONE
The humour found in British horseracing is also a natural humour
between the men and more recently the women as well, who find themselves placed within a trainers’
team all supposedly professional handler riders’ who’s work everyday behind the
scenes to prepare the horses for competition on the racetracks each and every
day. The British Bloodhorse Illiterate
horseracing government does not, and has not recognised any sort of Equus Zone at all over the
last 6 decades.
On Saturday January 5th the Racing Post sported a bizarre
front page making a mockery of Tony
McCoy. But does McCoy deserve to be made a mockery of in this way? Who’s sort
of humour exactly is this?
This Sunday January 13th the Racing Post sported in their RPSunday
Alastair Down’s feature “THE BIG READ” A photograph of Nicky Henderson looking worse
than one of those garden gnomes. But does Henderson
Friday January 18th
Snow, snow and yet more snow effecting the whole country.and all the people in it, tricky, a day for staying at home. Doesn't look like there will be any racing tomorrow. Trainer Teams'
will be struggling as best they can to keep the horses on the move. Snow can ball up in horses' hooves which is tricky as well. A little bit dangerous.
Friday January 18th
Snow, snow and yet more snow effecting the whole country.and all the people in it, tricky, a day for staying at home. Doesn't look like there will be any racing tomorrow. Trainer Teams'
will be struggling as best they can to keep the horses on the move. Snow can ball up in horses' hooves which is tricky as well. A little bit dangerous.
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