Juliette's Weekly Frolic
Thoroughly disillusioned by the performance of Sky Fever, the price of Katie Cecil and the non-appearance of Silk Stocking, my fillies let me down in a big way at Ascot. In fact, I sometimes wonder why it gives me so much pleasure, this feeding 50ps to the bookies on Saturday afternoons and listening to how everyone else has had a frightfully good day backing winners on the flimsiest of evidence: Kew Gardens (3.0) "my wife used to live there"; Dutch Gold (3.35) "our firm ships the stuff"; and, naturally Splashing (4.40) "it just seemed that kind of day."
Ascot had a definite wintry chill to it and I'm already digging out the gloves, scarves and woolly socks at the thought of merciless winds whipping over the Rowley Mile next Saturday.the Cesarewitch has been monopolising Newmarket's advance notices this past week at the expense of the Champion Stakes. But the latter, at £50,000 Britain's fifth richest race, came up trumps on Monday morning with the news that Allez France had graciously agreed to attend. As one of Scottish Rifle's original supporters — he paid me 50p or so for a place at York's August meeting in '71 — I should really stay loyal especially now the black colt has the added honour of carrying Piggott, but can't help thinking that our disappointing Derby favourite, Ksar, who subsequently scored over the distance at Deauville has been quietly waiting to pounce on this worthwhile prize. Lord Palmerston put the Cesarewitch on the map by winning the third running in 1841, since when a triple dead-heat in 1857, no less than three substitute races in the last war and umpteen gambling coups have helped keep it in the public eye. More recently Ryan Price has been casting his Schweppes-style spells over the race winning three times in seven attempts and his decision to let both the topweight, Cumbernauld. and Seven the Quadrant, take their chances on Saturday will be puzzling the most astute mindreaders. Majority opinion, though, has fallen in with Lord Derby's favourite, Wolverene, but she let me down, if only by a neck, in the Park Hill Stakes and I'm drawn instead to the chances of Rivoli, who seems a good thing at the weights. Both he and Seven the Q have been beaten by Irish Leger second 'Sunyboy but whereas the latter was receiving 41b, my choice conceded 11lb and was still a length nearer.
Driving to Newmarket is one of my least favourite occupations and should I fail to secure a lift i; would be most tempting to amble ten miles down the road to Kempton's National Hunt meeting instead. My seasonal jumping score stands at a very satisfactory one out of one and Emperor's Jade can improve it in the Saffron Tartan Chase.
Assets: E87.62. Outlay: £2 to win Ksar and Emperor's Jade, E2 ew Rivoli.
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