Not one but two tear shedding moments over the weekend with the loss of my one and only tip (aka one and only bet over the weekend, as Consort was weak in the market and even weaker on the track at Newbury. Sent off at 6/4 (any odds against looked good to me), he was well beaten by Intilaaq by the time they flashed past the line. The time was pretty quick in comparison to the other winners on the day so the form may be better than it looks at first glance, but I have to add I didn’t expect that and nor did my wallet – and what does it tell us in advance about the true worth of Gleneagles (who beat him at Royal Ascot) – is he not as good as we thought or do we ignore Consort’s run, decisions decisions eh?
Having taken the first punch in that particular one-two combination we also ought to at least mention the decision by Richard Hughes to retire straight after Glorious Goodwood? The first thing I need to mention is that I have NOT had a bet on the Jockey’s Championship myself, and I do realise that Hughsie has the absolute right to decide when he quoits his job just like anyone else BUT what about those punters who backed home to finish with one last Championship only to see their hopes dashed (and their money sent down the river). Personally, I would have thought one or more bookmakers may have come forward to suggest a refund on losing bets (I doubt there are that many to be honest), even if they then tagged the others with a Rule 4 deductions, but the silence has been deafening as they simply clean up and keep our cash without a question being asked.
Third on the list has to be the running of the William Haggas trained Bella Nouf who was well backed and sent off the 9/4 favourite at Newbury on Friday afternoon. Richard Hughes was riding the three year old daughter of Dansili who decided to hang badly throughout the home straight this giving her supporters no chance whatsoever of success. Twitter criticism of the jockey seems completely unjustified to me, but I do perhaps wonder if racing’s authorities could at least look as if they care a little about the punters, with a bit more than a report that the filly hung left which came from the jockey (and we could see that for ourselves)? No mention that he dropped his whip (it happens), and more importantly a complete lack of understanding of the man on the street who in my opinion deserves a better answer, which in turn stops the accusations that racing sweeps any issues under its own shag pile carpet.
Ending with a happy note, congratulations to Hugo Palmer who trained his first Classic winner when Covert Love justified the hefty supplementary entry fee to take the Irish Oaks at The Curragh on Saturday. Bought for a relatively cheap 26,000 Guineas she had already won more than that with three wins at Chelmsford, York, and Newcastle, moving up in class race by race, but this was the icing on the cake with a length and three quarter victory from Jack Naylor with favourite Curvy a head back in third. Hugo is one of those people who you could not dislike however hard you try, and will have been offered (if not necessarily accepted) more than a few drinks after this victory, which was thoroughly deserved and makes him very much one of the rising stars in Newmarket, and hopefully top owners will now give him the well bred horses to match his obvious (and now proven) talents?