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Frankel

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John Hall

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Oct 21, 2012, 1:34:37 PM10/21/12
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Nobody got anything to say about the great horse's final appearance on a
racetrack?! Considering the conditions underfoot, the quality of the
opposition and the couple of lengths he gave away at the start, I
thought that it was a good performance.
--
John Hall

"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Attributed to the Commander of Japan's Submarine Forces in WW2

Derek F

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Oct 21, 2012, 3:48:50 PM10/21/12
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On 21/10/2012 18:34, John Hall wrote:
> Nobody got anything to say about the great horse's final appearance on a
> racetrack?! Considering the conditions underfoot, the quality of the
> opposition and the couple of lengths he gave away at the start, I
> thought that it was a good performance.
I enjoyed the time BBC gave to the horse. The scenes afterwards with
smiling cheering crowds were unlike anything seen on a racecourse
before. Even with their hordes of supporters Best Mate, Desert Orchid
and Kauto Star did not get such a reception.
Quite amazing that people were taking up places around the parade ring
nearly an hour before the race to see him walk round. I have never seen
so many cameras being used at a course before.
Can't blame the connections for taking him out of training at this stage
in case of him picking up an injury. I would have loved to see him tour
the world picking up big races.
He could of course fire blanks at Stud and be back at Ascot next year:-)
What a loss that would be in regard to future generations.
I'd love to the offspring of a union between him and Attraction who has
not produced anything of note.
Derek

John Hall

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Oct 21, 2012, 4:18:24 PM10/21/12
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In article <CkYgs.14458$e66....@newsfe15.iad>,
Derek F <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> writes:
>Can't blame the connections for taking him out of training at this
>stage in case of him picking up an injury. I would have loved to
>see him tour the world picking up big races.
>He could of course fire blanks at Stud and be back at Ascot next
>year:-)

I was thinking that too. After a horse has been out of racing condition
for a year or two, I don't know how difficult it would be to get him
race fit again.

I wonder if any owner has ever considered that it needn't be either/or,
and that it might be feasible for a horse to combine a breeding career
with a racing career.

Did you notice the shot that the BBC got sometime between 3pm and 4pm of
Sir Henry in the stands smoking a cigarette, no doubt to try to settle
his nerves! They quickly panned away again, no doubt conscious that they
were intruding. I suppose it /is/ stomach cancer that he's got rather
than lung cancer, but smoking can't be helping his voice any!

Derek F

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Oct 21, 2012, 7:15:03 PM10/21/12
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On 21/10/2012 21:18, John Hall wrote:
> In article <CkYgs.14458$e66....@newsfe15.iad>,
> Derek F <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> writes:
>> Can't blame the connections for taking him out of training at this
>> stage in case of him picking up an injury. I would have loved to
>> see him tour the world picking up big races.
>> He could of course fire blanks at Stud and be back at Ascot next
>> year:-)
>
> I was thinking that too. After a horse has been out of racing condition
> for a year or two, I don't know how difficult it would be to get him
> race fit again.
>
Kingsgate Native fired blanks and came back. There was another that came
back in the 70's and won the Queen Anne stakes first time out at 33/1.
He was massive and difficult to control going to the start.
Some Mares have even come back after giving birth. Tecktal once won at
Plumpton and her offspring Reggie Perrin ran on the same day but fell so
there was no family double.

We went to the National Stud a few years ago and the two stallions were
kept pretty busy. First Cockney Rebel went in the box to do his duty. A
few minutes later another stallion went in, then it was Cockney Rebels
turn again. Ah well someone has to do it.
> I wonder if any owner has ever considered that it needn't be either/or,
> and that it might be feasible for a horse to combine a breeding career
> with a racing career.
>
Was it Environmental Friend who raced and did stud duties between races?
Later the owner said that he would have won more races if he had not had
the night job.

> Did you notice the shot that the BBC got sometime between 3pm and 4pm of
> Sir Henry in the stands smoking a cigarette, no doubt to try to settle
> his nerves! They quickly panned away again, no doubt conscious that they
> were intruding. I suppose it /is/ stomach cancer that he's got rather
> than lung cancer, but smoking can't be helping his voice any!
>
Yes I noticed that. It is stomach cancer that he has as did his late
brother. Hell at this stage he unfortunately has nothing to lose.
I doubt if there has ever been a more popular trainer with the public.
A couple I knew started to get more interested in racing after seeing
Reference Point win in Frankel style as a 2yo at Sandown. They later saw
Henry on his own and spoke to him about the horse. After that if he
spotted them he would always stop for a chat.
Derek

mac (now officially old).

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Oct 21, 2012, 8:02:20 PM10/21/12
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"John Hall" <nospam...@jhall.co.uk> wrote in message
news:o9a6LcEt...@jhall.demon.co.uk.invalid...
> Nobody got anything to say about the great horse's final appearance on a
> racetrack?! Considering the conditions underfoot, the quality of the
> opposition and the couple of lengths he gave away at the start, I thought
> that it was a good performance.

I guess that you said most of it John?

mac

Derek F

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Oct 22, 2012, 4:43:40 AM10/22/12
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How old is officially old, when you first collect your pension or begin
to feel your age?
Remember with age comes wisdom:-)
Derek

mac

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Oct 22, 2012, 11:02:30 AM10/22/12
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"Derek F" <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1H7hs.3502$0I1....@newsfe02.iad...

> How old is officially old, when you first collect your pension or begin to
> feel your age?
> Remember with age comes wisdom:-)
> Derek

The former in my case Derek, as I have felt older than this for years :-)

mac

michael adams

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Oct 22, 2012, 1:02:46 PM10/22/12
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"John Hall" <nospam...@jhall.co.uk> wrote in message
news:IrVS+3EQ...@jhall.demon.co.uk.invalid...
> In article <CkYgs.14458$e66....@newsfe15.iad>,
> Derek F <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> writes:
>>Can't blame the connections for taking him out of training at this
>>stage in case of him picking up an injury. I would have loved to
>>see him tour the world picking up big races.
>>He could of course fire blanks at Stud and be back at Ascot next
>>year:-)
>
> I was thinking that too. After a horse has been out of racing condition
> for a year or two, I don't know how difficult it would be to get him
> race fit again.
>
> I wonder if any owner has ever considered that it needn't be either/or,
> and that it might be feasible for a horse to combine a breeding career
> with a racing career.


In the case of stallions as I understand it, its a mental
thing rather than a physical thing. (Mares may be different
as they will run to protect their foal whether real or imagined)
In some cases it can be hard for a stallion to first get the hang
of things, but once he does, and realises what it is he's been missing
for the past 3 or 4 years he'll have no real interest in anything else.
In theory they could take samples with the horse under anaesthetic to
test his fertility, but under Jockey Club Rules or whatever, all his
progeny will have to be produced in the natural way.


>
> Did you notice the shot that the BBC got sometime between 3pm and 4pm of
> Sir Henry in the stands smoking a cigarette, no doubt to try to settle
> his nerves! They quickly panned away again, no doubt conscious that they
> were intruding. I suppose it /is/ stomach cancer that he's got rather
> than lung cancer, but smoking can't be helping his voice any!


He's probably past caring. To me it was rather ominous the way he
implied in an interview, that Frankel had given him something to live
for in this past year.


michael adams

...

John Hall

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Oct 22, 2012, 1:48:09 PM10/22/12
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In article <b6mdnbqjK4qg4RjN...@brightview.co.uk>,
michael adams <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes:
>>
>> Did you notice the shot that the BBC got sometime between 3pm and 4pm of
>> Sir Henry in the stands smoking a cigarette, no doubt to try to settle
>> his nerves! They quickly panned away again, no doubt conscious that they
>> were intruding. I suppose it /is/ stomach cancer that he's got rather
>> than lung cancer, but smoking can't be helping his voice any!
>
>
>He's probably past caring. To me it was rather ominous the way he
>implied in an interview, that Frankel had given him something to live
>for in this past year.

OTOH I understand that he's said that he has no intention of retiring as
a trainer, which suggests that he's hoping to live for a while yet.
There must have been a great temptation to retire, given his health and
the fact that the rest of his career post-Frankel can hardly help being
something of an anticlimax.

michael adams

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Oct 22, 2012, 2:19:20 PM10/22/12
to

"John Hall" <nospam...@jhall.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a8KWdPCZ...@jhall.demon.co.uk.invalid...
> In article <b6mdnbqjK4qg4RjN...@brightview.co.uk>,
> michael adams <mjad...@ukonline.co.uk> writes:
>>>
>>> Did you notice the shot that the BBC got sometime between 3pm and 4pm of
>>> Sir Henry in the stands smoking a cigarette, no doubt to try to settle
>>> his nerves! They quickly panned away again, no doubt conscious that they
>>> were intruding. I suppose it /is/ stomach cancer that he's got rather
>>> than lung cancer, but smoking can't be helping his voice any!
>>
>>
>>He's probably past caring. To me it was rather ominous the way he
>>implied in an interview, that Frankel had given him something to live
>>for in this past year.
>
> OTOH I understand that he's said that he has no intention of retiring as
> a trainer, which suggests that he's hoping to live for a while yet.

He can carry on right to the end. He's already given an interview about
how he has to follow work on the gallops from a car. He'll have the staff
to run the stables from his sick bed if needs be. And will still know
more lying in bed than a lot of trainers will ever learn in a
lifetime. However he also knows his own prognosis as relayed
to him by his doctors. Which is nobody's business but his.


> There must have been a great temptation to retire,

IMO He could only ever retire if he moved miles away from the
nearest racecourse or racing stables where he could be guarenteed
to never set eyes on a racehorse ever again. Which I doubt he
would ever do. Racehorses are his life.


> given his health and
> the fact that the rest of his career post-Frankel can hardly help being
> something of an anticlimax.

As John Francome was always fond of saying and maybe still is, it
always helps to have something to look forward to.


michael adams

Derek F

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Oct 22, 2012, 4:13:49 PM10/22/12
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I have always felt young, at 78 it is always a shock to see my
reflection unexpectedly in shop windows.I had a taste of feeling old
this year after my heart valve replacement. Five and a half hours on the
operating table damaged my back and hip and has only recently got better
and allowed me to take back my place up on Brighton's grandstand.
Derek

mac

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Oct 22, 2012, 8:21:55 PM10/22/12
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"Derek F" <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2Ohhs.9428$J95....@newsfe21.iad...

> I have always felt young, at 78 it is always a shock to see my reflection
> unexpectedly in shop windows.

I guess that if you are as ugly as "The Third Earl of Hartlepool", that is
understandable :-)

>I had a taste of feeling old this year after my heart valve replacement.
>Five and a half hours on the operating table damaged my back and hip and
>has only recently got better and allowed me to take back my place up on
>Brighton's grandstand.
> Derek

Ouch!! That does not sound good Derek, I hope that the heart Op' was
successful though?

Did you get the text from Denini that he was back "home"?

I often wonder what happened to many of the previous contributors here?

Terry Winter, Gaynor Winter, stephen eddy, martin sage, Firebeast, Dave
Benham, Simon Crudace, Dave McAuley, Sid Draper, Mal Davies, Alex Tarvit,
Peter Horncastle, "Batzee", Malcolm Wright, Paul Aitman, Roger Standing, and
Harry Demetriou, along with the many others who took part in the Fantasy
Leagues?

mac


Derek F

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Oct 23, 2012, 6:49:28 AM10/23/12
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On 23/10/2012 01:21, mac wrote:
>
> "Derek F" <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:2Ohhs.9428$J95....@newsfe21.iad...
>
>> I have always felt young, at 78 it is always a shock to see my
>> reflection unexpectedly in shop windows.
>
> I guess that if you are as ugly as "The Third Earl of Hartlepool", that
> is understandable :-)
>
>> I had a taste of feeling old this year after my heart valve
>> replacement. Five and a half hours on the operating table damaged my
>> back and hip and has only recently got better and allowed me to take
>> back my place up on Brighton's grandstand.
>> Derek
>
> Ouch!! That does not sound good Derek, I hope that the heart Op' was
> successful though?


Yeah, the valve is working well but it left me with Atrial Fibrillation
that has taken two Cardioversions to get the rhythm right. Hope that
tomorrows ECG confirms it.

> Did you get the text from Denini that he was back "home"?

He does not have my mobile number. My last E-Mail from him was around
February. Dare I ask where he has been? Not on another bird table making
course I hope.
>
> I often wonder what happened to many of the previous contributors here?
>
> Terry Winter, Gaynor Winter, stephen eddy, martin sage, Firebeast, Dave
> Benham, Simon Crudace, Dave McAuley, Sid Draper, Mal Davies, Alex
> Tarvit, Peter Horncastle, "Batzee", Malcolm Wright, Paul Aitman, Roger
> Standing, and Harry Demetriou, along with the many others who took part
> in the Fantasy Leagues?
>
> mac
Roger must have died in late 2002 as I heard no more from him.I kept his
last brief E-Mail "Right at the bottom of the handicap, with a 5lb
claimer! He was referring to his cousins horse that was down to run.
There was never an answer from his home number in Switzerland when I
tried to get information nor from his companies phone in England. At the
time he was about to go for a cardiology appointment. Another friend had
the theory that he started to walk to his appointment over the fields,
collapsed and died before being covered by Switzerland's winter snows
and was not found until spring.
David (Batzee) has not stopped posting but who is here to answer him?
Most are probably posting to Betfair Forums. Martin Sage certainly
does.I've seen Harry in Poker competitions on TV.
Those were good days but I am still waiting for one of my competition
prizes:-) It was a subscription to a racing magazine.
I keep in occasional touch with Brian Hogg who is Den's uncle!
He does not often have contact with Den.
Keep posting.
Derek

The DA

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Oct 24, 2012, 3:23:40 AM10/24/12
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"Derek F" <lordp...@NOXo2.co.uk> wrote in message
news:YCuhs.1$%z6...@newsfe04.iad...
> Those were good days but I am still waiting for one of my competition
> prizes:-) It was a subscription to a racing magazine.
>

Are there still any racing magazines left? The first one I bought
regularly was Odds On at the end of the 90s. I had a tidy 'system' going
using their ratings - 13% RoI ove the winter of 2000/1. I tracked my
'investments' on a spreadsheet which unfortunately went the way of all
technology. I'd love to read back through my selections and comments - see
if it could help me recapture the old magic :-)

Racing Ahead seems to have disappeared from my local W H Smith. Are there
any others?

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