The above headline quotes Nick Luck, Racing UK`s main presenter after McG`s win at Huntingdon on Sat 20th Nov. 2010.
The dust has now settled and I can sit back and reflect on McG`s well deserved victory in the veterans chase at Huntingdon last saturday.
If anything I seem to be getting worse whenever McG races. Why do I insist on beating myself up contemplating hyperthetical situations that my fella may have to deal with in the race, when there is absolutely sod all I can do about it…….Twiston Davies fancies his and its got no weight to carry !! young Twiston Davies is riding out of his skin….will the ground be OK…..he`s never won going right handed…what if its abandoned because of fog!….and probably the most ridiculous pre race comment Dominic has ever heard from an owner in the parade ring, namely an instruction of mine, if he was leading at the last, to make sure he steered McGoldrick past the right side of the winning post !!
Accepting that those who know the “dog leg” run in on the Chase course at Huntingdon will understand what I am talking about, it was still a bit of an insult to the jockeys intelligence for me to suggest he might take the wrong course and throw the race away. Dominic knows me well though, responded with a patronising “yes Richard” and went off to be legged up on McG.
As things turned out McG won by 14 lengths and received tremendous and deserved applause from the racegoers at Huntingdon almost matching the cheers for Imperial Commanders victory from racegoers at Haydock fifteen minutes later.
My thanks to Martin Harris, raceday commentator for RUK, and both Nick Luck and Graham Cunningham for the extremely complimentary comments made, not just for his victory on the day, but for their appreciation of McG`s career as a whole and how his efforts “chiselling away at racings coalface for ten years” has earned him the title of “the nations favourite”. Brilliant stuff for a brilliant racehorse.
Let it not be forgotten that Ellerslie George, another veteran and a wonderful servant to National Hunt racing, broke a leg at the fourth last and had to be put down. A tragedy for both Mr Henderson the owner, Nick Mitchell the trainer and indeed all connected with the gallant 10yo.
Nearly a week now since McG`s victory and when I saw him two days ago, he was his usual self out in the paddock where his continuing appetite for carrots and dislike for polo mints was again in evidence.
Where do we go from here? I`ve honestly no idea. There are no immediate plans, and there aren`t many similar veterans chases to contemplate. The handicappers banged him up 5lbs for his win which puts him on a new mark of 142 so the only thing to do is to sit down with Sue and Harvey in the next week or so and discuss ALL options.
Many thanks for the texts and emails resulting from McG`s Huntingdon win. I honestly still have to pinch myself to believe that its MY HORSE that people throughout the Country..and indeed Ireland, have taken to their hearts.
