Day: July 23, 2006

Candles

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Candles

 

The days of our future stand in front of us
like a row of little lit candles —
golden, warm, and lively little candles.

The days past remain behind us,
a mournful line of extinguished candles;
the ones nearest are still smoking,
cold candles, melted, and bent.

I do not want to look at them; their form saddens me,
and it saddens me to recall their first light.
I look ahead at my lit candles.

I do not want to turn back, lest I see and shudder
at how fast the dark line lengthens,
at how fast the extinguished candles multiply.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1899)

 



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Diary: July 24 2006

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At Windsor I fancy Terry Mill’s Didn’t We in the 7.20. Quite a few horses from this yard are named after song titles.

  

In the 7.50 Centreboard looks best of those that have already had a run.  Of the newcomers English Ballet is breed to make a 2 year old.

  

Mannikko is the only runner from out our list to follow.  He runs in the 4.05 at Yarmouth and is taking on older horses for the first time after some decent runs in 3 old handicaps, including a win at Bath.

  

I am launching ba new feature over the next few weeks under the banner of “Hall of fame.”  Have a browse if you get the chance.

  See you tomorrow.

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Marakabei

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Marakabei [Hernando (Fr) – Kirsten (Kris)]

  

I followed this mare when she was a 5 year old during the 2003 flat season.  She had caught my eye the season before when she improved with every run winning twice.  He best performance that season was when she finished 2nd in the mud at Newbury only to be disqualified and placed last after barging her way through a narrow gap 2 furlongs out.

  

She is by an Arc winner out of a mile and a half winner so she looked one to follow in handicaps where her stamina would come into play. She had also shown a liking for some give in the ground.

  

Marakabei ran 6 times in 2003 winning twice and ending with form figures for the season of 103001. I remember her first win because I lost money on it! The race was a quite competitive 0-70 handicap at Nottingham over a trip of 1 mile 6.  George Duffield had the ride.  Marakabei had run well fresh before and with ground and trip likely to suit she seemed worth a small wager.  I was pretty sure that I would not be the only one to note the likely progressive profile of this mare and decided to take an early morning price of 10/1 about her.  She duly won at twelves! 

  

So why does this fairly modest stayer warrant a place is the exhalted Russellform “legends” list? Well, it was very much down to her 2nd win that season.  I was working in London for the day and put a small bet on her at the Ladbrokes shop near Euston station.  It was a listed race over the same trip as that Nottingham handicap and the ground was soft. When she won at Nottingham she was rated 65 and by the time of the Yarmouth race she had risen to 74.  On the book she had no chance as there were 3 horses in the race with ratings of 100 and she was giving weight to two of them.

  

I had put a few best on that day and walking up the stairs at that betting shop in London on my way home I had actually forgotten about Marakabei.  My other bets all went down that day and I was just about to run off and catch my train back up north when I saw that Maralabei had won at 66/1.  That was the one and only time I have backed a 66/1 winner.

  

A couple of front runners made it a test of stamina and in ground that played to her strengths Marakabei, given an excellent ride by Jamie Mackay, powered clear inside the final furlong to win by 2.5 lengths.

  Having won a listed contest her handicap mark would have shot up and I suppose it was no great surprise that she never ran again.  I presume that she would have been retired to the paddocks but although I have kept an eye out I have not noticed her offspring so far.

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