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Pleased to report from my visit there yesterday that Cartmel is still unutterably wonderful, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that yesterday’s attendance was a new record or very close to one. It was heaving!
It was also ferociously windy, and without there having been any rain to speak of for days the infield was exceptionally dusty. My black suit was well and truly sandblasted – the dry cleaner is going to love me.
Underscore – did you make it up to see Moonwalking in the end? I was otherwise detained with Dom from Jumping For Fun on a couple of occasions during the afternoon, so didn’t get paddockside as often as usual. I don’t think your fellow did too badly given he was up against a Venetia hotpot. He certainly looked to have been better schooled over hurdles than most!
The loudest cheer of the day greeted the PA announcement that the owner of a car with a dog trapped in it was going to have his windows broken to let the poor animal breathe unless he returned to his vehicle in the next 30 minutes. The second loudest came when Ginger McCain came to collect Hello It’s Me’s prize – more for the news that Donald Jr had become a father again than for his mad old man’s appearance, I’d proffer!
A small profit was accrued blind-backing Richard Ford horses at a course where he loves to saddle winners, even if – as reiterated in the Post this morning – he finds the prizemoney derisory. If he is declared, I’d not put anyone off backing his Chabrimal Minster to record a second straight victory in the Grand Veterans’ National tomorrow afternoon.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Not sure he’ll be able too give the weight away to Dickie Lewis Jeremy.
Must admit seeing this unique track on the telly over the last couple of days has wetted the appetite to revisit at some stage in the future with the meet mid July looking tempting as I can kill two birds with one stone and have a few days back home.
Presumably it would be a little less crowded for that meet.
We didn’t make it to the track Jeremy. Very happy with Moonwalkings first run over hurdles – he only made a couple of minor errors and gave the winner a run for his money until he died off approaching the last. Much more encouraging than his flat form. The first and second look decent also.
Not sure he’ll be able too give the weight away to Dickie Lewis Jeremy.
That’d be one worry, although actually being dropped 3lb for his win last time in a Chepstow claiming chase can only help.
I was reluctant at first to posit him on account of the ground, as he’s unraced on good to firm and has been pulled out rather than face that surface previously. However, the forecast for Cartmel today and tomorrow is truly manky, and there might well be a bit of dig underfoot again come race time.
Any deterioration would assist Dickie Lewis as well, I’d happily concede, as all his wins have been attained on soft or worse. However, he prefers to bowl along in front and try to make all, and there has to be a danger than Innisfree will take him on for that role to the detriment of both and the beneft of others. Good Book isn’t averse to a bit of front-running, either.
Must admit seeing this unique track on the telly over the last couple of days has wetted the appetite to revisit at some stage in the future with the meet mid July looking tempting as I can kill two birds with one stone and have a few days back home.
Presumably it would be a little less crowded for that meet.
Definitely. The turnout for the barbecue meeting tends to be "only" around 8,000 at the most, and is certainly more manageable for those of you who don’t want to fight the crowds.
It’s also a bit of commentator-spotter’s day out, as this stand-alone raceday (compared to the three- and two-day meetings either side of high summer) has increasingly been used to give commentators the last call they need to join the "59 Club" of having commentated at every British racecourse bar Great Leighs. Mike Cattermole, Richard Hoiles and I think also Mark Johnson have all graced the mike at this July meeting since its inception, although Iain Mackenzie did this and all other days in 2007.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Personally I wouldn’t touch Dickie Lewis on fast ground having wathced him at Kelso, thinking he’s about on the money at 99. A horse with more pace than Aberdare would have mowed him down IMO.
Dunbroddy Millar must have been a naughty boy to have found himself running in a 0-110 Class 4 handicap hurdle for just £3252 at Cartmel on bone-hard ground yesterday.
Quite a sad state of affairs for a horse that jumped for fun over the National fences when winning the Topham in 2007.
I’ve heard of exploiting a lenient hurdle mark in a showcase handicap; but to travel all the way from South Wales to the Lake District for such a meagre prize, takes some fathoming.
Alternatively, you could interpret it as what it almost certainly was – a pipe-opener, maybe one of a couple, ahead of a tilt at the Summer National just under five weeks hence.
Peter Bowen has brought a few horses up to the Lakeland idyll this meeting, including Saturday’s winner No Panic, so there was nothing especially startling about Dunbrody Millar’s participation yesterday.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Really good couple of days so far at Cartmel.
Have been three times and always seem to find it easyish to back winners but for the atmosphere and fun it is second to none.
Cartmel is ideal if you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the flat and it its also the 3rd most attended National Hunt course in the country behind Aintree and Cheltenham as they get attendances that even Newmarket and Ascot would kill for.
Best finish i ever saw was back in 1997 or 98 i think when old Better Times Ahead battled back on that famous 4f run in to get up and win a 3m2f chase and land a first ever patent bet for me.
On a sunny day it is a lovley place to go racing and is set in a part of England which is a world away from the big cities and shows why British racing is the very best in the world.
I’d not put anyone off backing Chabrimal Minster to record a second straight victory in the Grand Veterans’ National
Well that went about as well as I’d dared hope.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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