Joey Ramsden
Well done to Avontuur for putting on their usual fantastic show on Saturday, as we have come to expect. I did not have a chance to speak to Pippa Mickleburgh, who is plainly suffering from some sort of spinal injury. I believe she is off to hospital to have a major operation. I can only wish her all the best and a quick and speedy recovery. We shall be thinking of you, Pippa.
Well, what can I say. Everything ran well and we managed to secure 3 seconds – some a little too close for my liking – and a 3rd place. However, one can never help feeling disappointed when you leave the course without a winner, especially on a big day like Fillies Guineas day. It certainly wasn’t for the lack of trying. The Fillies Guineas was won in fine style by the Snaith yard and full marks to them.
There is an interesting Ramsden factor to the Fillies Guineas winner in the fact that I actually bought the mare, First Arrival, for my father. He bred a few extremely moderate animals from her. One, funnily enough, we went and sold as a weanling or yearling, to greener pastures in Zimbabwe. This went on to become either their champion horse or mare so she obviously had ability but not while we had her, that’s for sure.
I am not entirely sure if the old and decrepit First Arrival can be blamed for the moderate animals she produced for us. When my parents were training, they had an extremely good horse called Chilly Billy, which won the Jim Crack in fine style. They exported him over here as a stallion.
He sadly, like many stallions, did not achieve the level expected of him and he was moved on. Along with his moving on, this was also the end of the Ramsden dynasty of brood mares, which included First Arrival. Now you know how old First Arrival must be if we are talking about Chilly Billy yet she manages to produce the most beautiful Jet Master filly which has a ton of ability.
So next time you go to the sales and your mind starts telling you she is an old mare, think twice. Full marks all round. To cap my day off on Saturday, I had a rather amusing experience. After walking away from the No 2 box yet again, I bumped into a 5 ft 7, immaculately attired Muslim fellow. Now this Muslim fellow I see on course probably three times a year and always on big race days. And every race day he never fails to stop and talk to me about the horses. Of course, I try and politely listen and comment. Saturday was no exception.
He proceeded to wax lyrical about what a fantastic season I was having and how well things were going and how extremely excited and happy he was for me. Now no one can beat themselves up as much as I can at the best of times and possibly undersell myself but, being the modest chap I am, I thanked him and told him it was extremely kind of him but I wasn’t sure that I was having as good a season as he was making out.
Sadly he was having none of it and in his next breath could not wait to tell me how pleased he was that Captain America had managed to beat that ar*****e Joey Ramsden’s horse last time out and how much pleasure it had given him and what he will do to that c**t’s horse in the Guineas.
Thankfully I had had my daily dose of five valium and applauded his comments and managed to walk off, saying, in no uncertain terms, that maybe he needed to do a little more homework before we met next time. That just goes to show what type of day I had.
Now here’s a positive spin for the week. It is a fantastic day, warm with not a breath of wind and it is one of those days I am just happy to be alive and in the Cape. However, not as an Englishman following the Ashes series, where England again disappointed and West Ham, who looked a lot like Fullham did last week. But it could be worse; at least I am not a Manchester United supporter.
