Juliette's weekly frolic
It's turning into a tough and unrewarding struggle this climb back to the £100 mark and York failed to offer even a foothold up the ladder. Still if you're going to go broke there are few nicer places to do it than the Knavesmire, and again, there's considerable comfort in being female. If I had to add the expense of buying me dinner to all the other losses, I'd have fled the country long ago.
With its Turf Museum and Gimcrack Club, York has a history second to none and John FairfaxBlakeborough wrote it all down some twenty-three years ago; this week its Epsom's turn to get the treatment with the publication of David Hunn's Epsom Racecourse (Davis-Poynter £3.00). Don't be misled by the title into thinking this a book devoted to racing, and one race in particular, though by way of apology for this omission, it closes with a lively record of all the Derbies. Instead it is a tale of " the fight of those who want to enjoy themselves against those who would like to charge them for the privilege," or in other words close on 200 pages on the fluctuating fortunes of the Epsom Grandstand and the people who ran it. "It's quite a cast and quite a script," observes the author in his Prologue — Mrs Beeton, Crazy Sally and Lord Wigg for a start, but sadly their entertainment value is largely submerged under as many meticulous factual details as Mr Hunn could dredge up. No doubt many will find the boardroom battles quite fascinating, personally I'd hoped for a story but got a text book and a bad bout of yawning.
After the nine-meeting Bank Holiday Monday, the coming weekend sees a slide in quantity, and quality, on the racetrack, though Kempton comes to the res cue with a new sponsored Saturday that is especially remarkable for a £5,000-added selling race. Sharing top prize with this are Burmah .Castrbl, who after their boost to the Ayr Gold Cup last season, are now branching out with the three-yearold handicap. Idiot's Delight and Quills Prince both ran unbelievably badly in recent races, but on earlier form would have a great chance were it not for Tudor Rhythm who failed to turn up for the Hungerford Stakes. Following the theory that they always romp home when your back is turned 1 am determined that his next victory should not slip throdgh my fingers. Keeping with Kempton I'm ashamed to say 1 have not the slightest notion who UDT are or what it stands for, except that they are giving their name, and money, to the 4.00 that afternoon. Boco twice second at 11 to 8 on after winning three-in-a-row falls below the 8 stone mark once more and should take the race.
After Newbury and York, Barry Hills' star performers are looking , slightly worse for wear, but the lesser lights go on winning. One of these, a two-year-old named Lapis, actually made the headlines last week without setting foot on a racecourse, when withdrawn on the novel grounds that she could not possibly win from her draw. This time around the filly is entered for a staggering eleven races and should her appearance be delayed until after that of The Spectator, entrust her with a few penc_e: they think a lot of her back home.
It's taken me a long time to work up enough enthusiasm and courage to tackle the two-year-olds, but while in the mood, I'd better have my first stab at the ' Nursery' with Denys Smith's Brambles Farm. Twice short-headed at Ayr in a two-race career, he has 7.12 in the 3.15 at Beverley on Wednesday and 41b more, sixty minutes later at Haydock.
Assets: £78.66 Outlay: £2 to win Tudor Rhythm, Boca, Lapis and Brambles Farm.
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