Getting away from Frothy
Robin Oakley
Iam beginning to see why City folk come to the racecourse. With company launches these days accompanied by £6 million spread bets put on for The Plumber by The Spaniard, a man with a website chat-room contributed to by Li] the Lush, Sinister Minister and Frothy, they need a touch of normality, a little bit of the humdrum to even out their exotic lives. Suddenly, as corporate mingled with country at what was, sadly. Newbury's last jumping day of the season, those men with pulled-down hats counting 50s off their wads with welllicked fingers began to seem rather small beer. They didn't have a Lamborghini between them. But at least the Berkshire course saw out its significant contribution to the National Hunt season with some excellent fare, not to mention an unaccustomed whiff of northern air.
It seemed entirely appropriate that the fine-looking Romantic Hero should have come home the comfortable winner of the 2m 2f vineyardcellars.com novices chase, a proper jumping win for a horse from a proper jumping stable, that of Nick Caselee in Lambourn. The racecard had commented of Romantic Hero, who'd been fourth of 17 in his previous run on the soft at Leicester: 'He simply doesn't look good enough to win here,' To me, Romantic Hero, a big fellow with a lovely head, looks good enough to win at most places as he strengthens up, and luckily he has the kind of trainer who won't ask too much of him too soon.
As Nick and his wife Judy were beaming with pride, the Larnbourn trainer was enveloped in Mick Easterby's great bear hug, a 70-year-old tribute to the healthiness of the training life and to three pints a night. Said Easterby, 'That's a nice horse. What a beautiful horse. Has he just come right?' The master of Sheriff Hutton mischievously urged Nick to run him again within the week 'because I'll be ringing the handicapper about him'. Since M.W. Easterby is the Yorkshire equivalent of the Tory peer of whom it was once said 'He has a nice farm, it's called Wiltshire', and his wealth has been built on his ability to pick out a good horse, that was praise indeed.
The rest of Mick Easterby's substance, of course, has been accumulated by his ability to strike a good bargain. He has confessed that he bought his 1,000 Guineas winner Mrs McArdy in a package deal of several horses for £6,000. He didn't want the others tut if I'd picked her out the breeder would have asked more than £6,000 for her alone'.
Mick Easterby was, surprisingly, visiting Newbury for the first time ever, although he had sent out winners on the Berkshire track before. He crowned this visit with victory in the Stan James Telebetting handicap chase for the 11-year-old Flat Top, who was enterprisingly handled by Richard McGrath to collar Somemanforoneman on the run-in after the last. 'He gave him some ride, didn't he?' said Mick to the rest of us. To his jockey he merely said, 'Don't miss the weighing-room. The next one's the main one.' It was in fact the 32nd winner of the season for a bright young rider who is making a habit of winning on his expeditions south. 'He's a very good jockey,' said Mick, 'but he can't sell himself.' Many more rides like that and he won't have to bother.
The same trainer-jockey combination failed to bring off the next with Barton Dante, who ran well for a long way, although her trainer had never expected the ground to suit her. I'd backed her anyway, just in case he was kidding us all when he insisted his real hope of the day was Super Nomad in Romantic Hero's race, so he cost me twice. But that's racing. Perhaps I'd better ring up The Spaniard and ask him for tips.
The racecard tipster was having one of those days which humble us all. His verdict on Protagonist in the first was that 'he doesn't look quite up to winning here'. Protagonist, owned by a group of parents at Milbourne Lodge School in Esher and cheered on by a youthful contingent of, we hope, owners-to-be, was another easy winner in the hands of Jimmy McCarthy for Paul Webber. 'I said to you he'd do a job and he's done it,' a grinning McCarthy told the Milbourne Lodge syndicate after the race. I doubt if their share of the £3,095 prize will go too far towards the school fees, but since Protagonist started at 9-1 despite having been unplaced in all his three previous hurdle races, it seems likely the bookies had made their contribution to education.
Paul Webber was later agreeing with this column's advice to follow the career of Tom Doyle, another rider he is ready to use. The young Irishman had ridden a tre hie at Huntingdon during Cheltenham week and he brought Monger Lane with an irresistible run to win the EBF Crandon Park Stud Mares Novices Handicap at 25-1 for Kevin Bishop. Sadly, neither Paul Webber nor I had backed Tom Doyle on this occasion. But then Paul probably didn't need to after Protagonist. Deep Run, the 5-2 favourite, disappointed for Nicky Henderson. She travelled beautifully, but it is arrivals which win prizes and she did not seem to find much when Mick Fitzgerald pressed the button. But Deep Sunset had been giving the winner 'Sibs and owner Bertie Bailin was taking it in good part, reminding me later of the old saying about finding handicap winners: 'In good ground start at the top, in bad ground start at the bottom.' I wonder if The Plumber agrees.
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