Juliette's weekly frolic
The time was 12.30, the sky grey and cloudy and Saturday's chauffeur, an Italian journalist, had just stood me and Newbury up in favour of lunching a Greek shipping magnate. Only the knowledge that an afternoon's lolling around the King's Road was likely to prove even more ruinous than a trip to Berkshire tipped the scales in favour of the journey. Once there, as it happened, the selections proved superb, it was the manner in which they were tied up and presented to the bookies that caused the problems. Win tickets on seconds, place tickets on winners, plus a pretty Roan Rocket filly (her beauties perfectly complemented by a 25-I price tag) who left it too late and ran home fourth. To judge from this tale of woe you'd never guess I picked the winner of the feature race almost a week in advance, an achievement that would normally be excuse enough for wallowing in conceit and champagne. But on this occasion, the sight of Zab's price plummeting from a forecasted 10-1 to 100-30 at the off, somehow took the edge off my pleasure.
Trying days at Newbury are a rarity, those at Newmarket are a constant source of drama. In my time I've been up the wrong arm of the MI as far as Bedford, had my windscreen wipers pack up in a cloudburst at Welwyn Garden City and sat for a precious twenty minutes at a red traffic light in Six Mile Bottom, but strangely enough I do
seem to make money when I eventually get there. If that wasn't reason enough to brave the A l(M) this coming Saturday, there's the added Inducement of watching the lady riders bowl dpvvn the Bunbury Mile for the Miss Selfridge Stakes. However, no clear idea of that field can be formulated until after the inevitable balloting out. More prospect of at least unearthing a runner is offered half an hour earlier by the William Hill Silver Vale, confined for this, its second running, to three-year-olds only. Pitskelly. victor of the Jersey Stakes and runner-up to Thatch in the July Cup, will surely start a hot favourite, but I fancy Golden Master could beat him. As a baby the latter raced exclusively in the very highest class, actually starting favourite for the Middle Park. This time round, he has commanded attention by winning the competitive Blue Leopard Handicap at the Epsom Derby meeting and ridding himself of Geoff Lewis after only two furlongs of the ' Wokingham.'
For Timeform's champion raceh.orse of 1972, The Go Between has had a rotten season and at last climbs down from the top of the handicap in Redcar's 3.35 on Wednesday. Both he and his chief rival, Brave Lad, have recently finished four lengths adrift of Rapid River, but my choice now has 31b in hand.
Assets: E95.20. Outlay £3 to win Golden Master,and The Go Between.
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