Mount! (75 page)

While staying with the Johnstons, I was especially charmed by an Irish terrier called Gnasher, who did high fives, and the video of one of Mark’s horses, Hurricane Higgins, who, if he didn’t feel like racing, lay down in the starting stalls, thus inspiring my hero horse Master Quickly in
Mount!

In Dubai, Felix and I also made friends with silver-fox charmer Robert Cowell and his lovely wife Ghislaine who later invited us to stay at their gorgeous yard in Newmarket. Here we met their colt Prohibit, who got very up himself after winning the mighty King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. Prohibit’s rider, ex-jump jockey Jim Crowley, was particularly helpful explaining the rigours and self-control needed to transfer to the flat, which one of my heroes, Rupert Campbell-Black’s grandson Eddie, endures in
Mount!

Also in Dubai, I made other lovely new friends. First, Diana Cooper, a passionate racing enthusiast, and for twenty-four years a stalwart of Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed’s international racing operation, and former star jockey Richard Hills, now racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum, and his wife Jackie, who have a parrot called Rodney, who is always urging Richard to ride faster.

Hospitality reaches such extremes of generosity in the racing world, I can only rename it Horse-pitality. Back in England, for example, another brilliant trainer, Hughie Morrison, and his ravishing wife Mary, entertained me at Royal Ascot and at home, where Hughie gave me an insight into the rights and wrongs of racing, and helped me with an inflammatory speech which enrages the great and good in
Mount!
Mary is a huge help to Hughie because she cherishes his horses and his stable staff, as does another ravishing and wonderfully funny friend, Yvette Dixon. Yvette is married to ebullient owner and breeder Paul Dixon, ex-supremo of the Racehorse Owners Association and ex-Chairman of the Horsemen’s Group, who invited me many times to their joyful yard in Nottinghamshire, from which their immaculately tailored son Scott is making a name for himself as a trainer.

Other great trainers who inspired me were not only the legendary Peter Walwyn and Michael Dickinson but also Ralph Beckett, Brian Meehan, Andrew Balding and his marvellous parents, Ian and Emma, Luca Cumani, Gay Kelleway and the irresistible George Baker, who, incredibly kindly, offered for a couple of months to train a horse I had a share in, who wasn’t performing, for nothing.

Another great favourite is Roger Varian, and his sweet stable lad Sheynets Vadym, who lit up the racecourse with his beaming smile every time the mighty Kingston Hill clocked up another win.

A trainer who lights up everywhere and who, with his lovely wife, artist Katie O’Sullivan, is particularly strong on horse-pitality, is the irrepressible Jamie Osborne. At his yard, I was enchanted to meet the great Toast of New York, winner of the UAE Derby, and only beaten by a whisker in the mighty Breeders’ Cup Classic. After such exertions, Toast likes to lie in and often breakfasts on incoming stable staff’s ankles.

A highlight of a visit to Newmarket was meeting a hero and achingly funny public speaker, Sir Mark Prescott, who sustained me with buttered toast before a lightning trip round his horses and yard with its narrowed starting stalls and intricate swimming pool, followed by the most delicious Pimms.

Another Newmarket hero is the hugely successful John Gosden, and his wise and wonderful lawyer wife, Rachel Hood. Anyone who doubts that racing people love their horses should have witnessed John’s entire staff in floods when the great, sweet-natured Derby winner Golden Horn left the yard to take up stud duties.

Equally, when another great horse, Caspar Netscher, returned from stud having got only a handful of mares in foal, his owners, Charles and Zorka Wentworth, two of the nicest people in racing, insisted that thousands of pounds be spent rebuilding his new box, so he could look out straight into trainer David Simcock’s office and not feel lonely.

Flat and jump racing often merge, and I’m so grateful for more advice, wonderful stories and ongoing horse-pitality from my jump trainer friends Richard Phillips, Jonjo and Jackie
O’Neill and Charlie and Rebekah Brooks.

Owning a racehorse needn’t bankrupt you and provides colossal fun if you join a super syndicate like the ones Harry Herbert masterminds at Highclere, or the Hot to Trot Racing Club. This is run by the dashing Luke Lillingston and Sam Hoskins, who scour the top trainers for exciting horses and take their members on jaunts to visit the horses in their yards or to see them racing.

To experience owning a flat horse, I took a twelfth share in a lovely grey filly called Love Grows Wild in a syndicate set up by the irrepressible Henry Ponsonby. Broken in by Jamie Magee and trained by the handsome Michael Bell at Newmarket, the filly was looked after by Matt Johnson, who touchingly and regularly hand-wrote me letters about her progress. As an indication of how hard stable staff work, Matt fell asleep the moment any lorry left the yard. Travelling to Great Yarmouth, I was regaled with hilarious stories of yard life by other lads, Ian Smith and Martin Gleeson. My object was to watch Love Grows Wild being saddled up, but I was greedily side-tracked by an invitation to lunch by Great Yarmouth’s Clerk of the Course, Richard Aldous.

I have been so lucky that my son Felix has looked after me and accompanied me not only to the Dubai World Cup, but to numerous other race meetings. We had a lovely time at Wolverhampton watching Love Goes Wild ridden by Hayley Turner come third and enjoying an excellent dinner with Clerk of the Course Fergus Cameron, Managing Director David Roberts and super starter Steve Taylor, who explained some of the intricacies of getting horses out of the stalls.

Whilst on this subject, another great inspiration has been the wonderful horse whisperer Gary Witheford, who seems able to sort out the trickiest horse, particularly those reluctant to start. Mention must be made of his lovely wife Suzanne and his charismatic rescued stallion Brujo.

Back on our racecourse tour we made many visits to Newmarket, where we enjoyed the company of past and present managing directors Stephen Wallis and Amy Starkey and their able executive assistant Lucinda McClure, and watched the
great Frankel devouring the Rowley Mile. I’d also like to thank Lord and Lady March for a glorious lunch and day’s racing at Goodwood, and Petra Gough for a fun day at Sandown Park.

Ascot is always an inspiration. Here manager Kevin Maguire showed me round the beautiful and tranquil stable block, which both Black Caviar and Frankel once glorified, and from where the mighty Yeats sallied forth four times to win the Gold Cup. I was also helped by my friend Becky Green, business development manager, and the gallant clerk of the course, Chris Stickles, who described the hardships of getting fit to ride in a charity race.

Another thrill on Champions’ Day, at a marvellous lunch given by the then chief executive Charles Barnett, was announcing that my favourite horse was Gordon Lord Byron, and finding I was at the same table as his enchanting owners, Morgan and Mary Cahalan. Later they took me into the paddock to meet Gordon, and even more excitingly watch him hurtle home in the British Champions Sprint Stakes, followed by the bliss of welcoming him back into the Winner’s Enclosure and drinking his health far too many times in the Winning Connections Room. Gordon is now starring in a film of his life.

Coming from Yorkshire, I adore Doncaster, particularly during the bustling fun of the St Leger’s meeting and the Legends race earlier in the week, where champion jockeys such as Dale Gibson and George Duffield return from the past to raise fortunes for charity. The day organized by Kevin Darley also includes a great lunch and auction, brilliantly compered by journalist and broadcaster John Sexton and enhanced by the sartorially resplendent Tim Adams, one of the trustees of the Northern Racing College. I must also thank Sian Williams, former head of Racing Sales, for pointing out that the winner of the St Leger receives as a trophy a plate – beautiful, but not suited for drinking champagne out of at an orgy in
Mount!

One shouldn’t have favourites, but I always feel I’m coming home at York – the most beautiful course with wonderful racing, the loveliest flowers, even in the stable block, and the most friendly and welcoming of managements. Headed by Chairman
Lord ‘Teddy’ Grimthorpe, easily one of the nicest men in racing, they include Clerk of the Course William Derby, assistant Clerk of the Course Anthea Morshead, and Assistant to the Chief Executive Jane Richardson, who provided so much exciting detail for my several chapters devoted to York, which include the great Gimcrack dinner.

Again on the horse-pitality front, William De La Warr of De La Warr Racing, and his wife Anne, President of the Shetland Pony Stud Society, invited us to see their yearling parade at Wellington Barracks, and to lunch at Buckhurst Park during which Jenny Smith lyrically described riding out at dawn and scattering deer across a dew-laden park. Later we went racing at another lovely course, Lingfield.

We’ve also enjoyed Derby days as guests of Investec, and would like to thank Rupert Trevelyan, Epsom’s manager director, and Kate Masters. My hero Rupert Campbell-Black however has always bet with Ladbrokes and I cannot imagine a more riotous way of spending Derby Day than in the Ladbrokes’ box, in the company of serious punters, yelling encouragement to horses and players competing on different monitors round the room. For this, I’d like to thank David Williams, Ladbrokes’ handsome media director, lovely Hayley Beaux O’Connor, the Irish PR manager, and the flame-haired Kate McLennan, the inspired director of Customer Relations. On another occasion, Kate wrapped a risqué mocked-up jacket entitled
Winners
round my book
Jump!
, which on the back flap thrillingly made me a member of Ladbrokes Elite, with whom I now register my own bets with delightful men in faraway places.

Talking of delightful men, few could be more charming than the bloodstock agents who advised me, headed by the divine Lord Patrick Beresford, who gives the most wonderful lunch parties during Royal Ascot. The legendary Charlie Gordon-Watson was another fund of information and great stories who, with his dazzling wife, Kate Reardon, editor of
Tatler
, also invited me to heavenly parties.

The beguiling Ed Sackville, who co-runs a thriving bloodstock agency, Sackville Donald, provided more hilarious anecdotes, particularly of selling horses in the Far East.

Another charmer, Richard Frisby, did me the truly good turn of introducing me to Nicky and Chris Harper, and their son Ed, who own Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire. Here I had a magical visit and saw foals being born, mares covered, met great stallions Showcasing and Foxwedge and watched horses working on the glorious gallops, where Desert Orchid became a legend.

Other studs I was privileged to visit were Highclere, run by Harry Herbert, Sheikh Al Shaqab’s racing manager, and Juddmonte Farm in Newmarket, another domain of dear Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to the great Prince Khalid Abdullah. Here, I would like to thank retired general manager Philip Mitchell, and express my delight when stable cat George ushered me across the gardens to meet the mighty stallion Frankel and his stable mate Oasis Dream, both looking happy and relaxed in the care of Rob Bowley.

Nearer home, I enjoyed an owners’ day at Warren Chase Stud, and also loved visiting Tweenhills Farm and Stud, owned by David Redvers, also manager to Qatar Racing, who so generously sponsor the Qipco British Champion series. Here I was taken round and introduced to star handsome stallions Makfi and Harbour Watch by equally handsome stud groom, Ben Hyde, and showed some vital statistics by dashing form analyst Mikey Wilson.

My new friend Ed Harper later took me to a blissful open day at Dalham Hall Stud, Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding HQ in Newmarket, where we watched more beautiful stallions, including New Approach, Raven’s Pass, Exceed and Excel, parading in front of top breeders, who must find it almost impossible to choose the finest mate for their mares. Here I must also thank director of stallions, Sam Bullard, and Ali Rea and Richard Knight for showing me round backstage.

The parade was followed by an exquisite seafood and champagne lunch, after which Ed and I went racing at Newmarket, where we had a hilarious drink with owner and friend Jeremy Kyle, made a trip to Tattersalls, where Ed bought a lovely mare called Lady Macduff, and went to the best party in racing given by the Castlebridge Consignment. Finally, I tottered back to
the marvellous Bedford Lodge Hotel, which has a splendid spa and in Noel Byrne the nicest manager in the world.

To cut the superlatives for a second, without owners, who carry on despite the often pitiful prize money, there would be no racing. For this and for their generous horse-pitality, I would like to thank Charles and Zorka Wentworth, Jane Meade, Piers Pottinger, Carole Bamford, Caroline and David Sebire, Laurence and Elaine Nash, Julia Langton and the utterly marvellous Lizzie Prowting and her dear husband Peter.

It can also only be vocation that makes jockeys starve themselves and drive endless miles for, if they are lucky, only a percentage of tiny prize money. I admire them so much and am grateful for inspiration from Jim Crowley, Joe Fanning, Hayley Turner, Harry Bentley, as well as great jump jockeys Richard Dunwoody, Sir Anthony McCoy and Noel Fehily. Stable staff, as I’ve said, work harder than anyone else, so I’d like to thank Jo Collinson, Leanne Brouder and many more for their input.

I was so lucky while writing
Jump!
that my friend Minnie Hall, a wonderful head lad who became a trainer, lived nearby so I could just wander out and bombard her with questions. Sadly, Minnie has moved to Bedford, but happily, while I’ve been writing
Mount!
, her place has been taken by two utterly wonderful friends. Firstly, the gorgeous Liz Ampairee, who works, among other things, on books at the
Racing Post
and is one of the most helpful and loved people in racing. Liz effected crucial introductions, drove me around, answered my questions on everything and even read through the manuscript for howlers.

Secondly, I have been constantly advised by the lovely Leanne Masterton, travelling stable girl for Andrew Balding and another worthy winner of the Godolphin Stable Staff of the Year Awards. Leanne is encyclopaedic on racing, has taken horses everywhere including the Dubai World Cup and, like Liz, gallantly read the manuscript.