April 10, 2008

Stand on the highest pavement of the stair -

Lean on a garden urn -

Weave, weave the sunlight in your hair -

Clasp your flowers to you with a pained suprise -

Fling them to the ground and turn

With a fugitive resentment in your eyes:

But weave, weave the sunlight in your hair.

So I would have had him leave,

So I would have had her stand and grieve,

So he would have left

As the soul leaves the body torn and bruised,

As the mind deserts the body it has used.

I should find

Some way incomparably light and deft,

Some way we both should understand,

Simple and faithless as a smile and a shake of the hand.

She turned away, but with the autumn weather

Compelled my imagination many days,

Many days and many hours:

Her hair over her arms and her arms full of flowers.

And I wonder how they should have been together!

I should have lost a gesture and a pose.

Sometimes these cogitations still amaze

The troubled midnight, and the noon's repose.

— T. S. Eliot

In recent years horses recruited from Sir Mark Prescott’s yard have done well over the jumps, Inglis Drever and No Refuge for example. I see that Hora, twice a winner on the flat for Sir Mark, makes her hurdling debut for Nicky Henderson tomorrow in the 2.20 at Ascot. Hora won twice on the level, both at 2 miles.

Gentle John is looking to record his 3rd win of the campaign in the 2.55. He would probably not want the ground too soft but if he gets his conditions he could be hard to peg back.

Nicky Richards will have to do without the services of Tony Dobbin now that the 35 year old has retired. Brian Harding takes the ride on the Richards trained Native Coral in the 4.40. This horse is on a hat trick but is taking on stiffer opposition that he has met with previously. El Vaquero is slipping down the weights and would be interesting if retaining his old ability but David Pipe’s grey has gone up the ratings since his win in a veterans race at Newbury and this may anchor him.

Mossville stays and also goes well for a conditional jockey. She is ridden by Paul Nicholl’s lad Harry Skelton in the 5.15 and looks to have an each way chance.

The main flat meeting is at Doncaster where the 2.40 is a competitive 3 year old handicap. Bigfanothat won his only start as a juvenile and is held in high regard by his trainer Karl Burke. He is one for the short list as is the Willie Haggas runner Collection. Collection won on his 2nd start last term and does not look too harshly treated.

There are a couple of runners from my list to follow in the sprint handicap at 4.25. Barney McGrew won 3 times last season when trained by James Toller and was sold for 87,000 gns. He is now with Michael Dods who does well with sprinters and I think he is one to look out for this season. Tudor Prince (pictured below) has only won 2 of his 15 career starts but he is a horse I have always liked and I can see him paying his way this season. He is ridden by the very talented apprentice Luke Morris. Soft ground would probably help his cause.

Up at Musselburgh Richard Fahey trained the winner of the 4.50 two years ago and has a potentially well handicapped runner this time in Blue Bajan.

The photograph of Tudor Prince is used by kind permission of the "British 2yo Racing" web site.

Day: April 10, 2008

La Figlia Che Piange (The Weeping Girl)

Diary: April 11 2008