deja vu

When I first got interested in horse racing (aged 9 so I was far too young to bet), and for about 20 years after, I preferred the National Hunt (jump racing) season to the Flat season because the horses tended to be old favourites who returned year after year. The sprint handicappers would race for several seasons but the real flat stars were packed off to stud, usually at the end of their second season, so you did not have quite the same attachment to them.

Now I much prefer flat racing because of the breeding aspect and today was an example of why ........

I can't remember if there are posts on here about how bad my memory is, but my memory tells me that the first horse I personally backed in a betting shop was a sprinter named Ahonoora and he won (of course !). Great things were not necessarily expected of Ahonoora when he went to stud in Ireland but he far exceeded any initial expectations by becoming sire of Derby winner Dr Devious, 2000 guineas winner Don't Forget Me, the successful sire Indian Ridge and is a leading broodmare sire (his daughters breed successful racehorses).

It was after Ahonoora went to stud that I realised the extra enjoyment and interest to be had from flat racing was to follow the offspring of your favourite horses, and then theirs in turn, etc.

In the final crop of Ahonoora (he died in Australia in 1989) was a horse owned by Sir Robert Sangster and trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam named Chaddleworth. He won his maiden race over 6 furlongs at Newbury as a 2 year old and was then injured, returning at 3 to run well enough in the Craven Stakes at Newmarket to be a leading fancy for the 2000 guineas but he finished in midfield behind the great Zafonic. The Craven and Guineas are run over a mile so he was stepped back to 6f in a three horse race at Newbury but was injured again when finishing second. He returned in the Abernant over 6f at Newmarket at the age of 4, before finally winning again on 2000 guineas day but in a Listed race over 7f at Haydock. He then ran without further success at York, Royal Ascot (in the Royal Hunt Cup), Tipperary and Goodwood. Apart from his final race at Goodwood and his first run at Newbury as a 2 year old I was present (mostly with my wife) at all of his runs so he gave me a lot of fun and interest and was the reason we bought our first broodmare (who was already in foal with the original Runadrum).

After producing Runadrum, the mare Runabay's next foal was a colt by Chaddleworth which we named Baychester. Baychester went into training with Garry Woodward and ran three times but without beating one horse home, bless him ! His first run was in a maiden over 1 mile for two-year-olds at York on 6th October 1999 and he finished last of the field of 26 - beaten 59 lengths by the winner, Miss Lorilaw. The Racing Post said of Baychester that day - "started slowly, always tailed off" - which summed up his performance.

The winner of that race, Miss Lorilaw, was also having her first run and won once more over a mile and a half in a Listed race at Newbury the following year. Like Chaddleworth, as a Listed winner she was entitled to a place at stud (although she also ran respectably in Group races) and her second foal is a colt by Desert Prince, named Victorian Prince.

Victorian Prince ran for the first time today (7th October), winning a maiden over 1 mile for two-year-olds at York - and finishing in last place of the field of 13, beaten 42.5 lengths, was a horse (Steel Silk, said in the Racing Post to have been "slowly into stride, always behind, tailed off") in training with Garry Woodward !

One thing I would just say is that Garry is a more than capable trainer given (like every trainer) the right ammunition. Although we have no connection now with his yard, I think I can promise you that Steel Silk is a far better racehorse than Baychester, will not be last home in his next two races and I would expect him to end up winning a race or two.