Derby Day Doesn't Disappoint

There was no fairy-tale ending for the Queen at Epsom on Saturday, but quite a story panned out nonetheless. A riveting finish to the most prestigious race of the season saw fancied French horse Pour Moi bomb forward from the back of the field to pinch it on the line from 25/1 shot Treasure Beach, with the royal-owned Carlton House back in third. It was extremely harsh on second placed jockey Colm O’Donague, who had given his mount a flawless ride, but it was the winning jockey who stole the headlines with an outrageous celebration as he passed the winning post. Little known 19-year-old Frenchman Mickael Barzalona may have inspired a few bets simply for his name, but he put a terrifying amount of money in jeopardy by standing erect on his horse to punch the air as it drew up alongside Treasure Beach. Put it down to inexpeience, spontaneity or neurotic excitement, but the fact of the matter is that Barzalona won, and looks a superb young talent. Not many have the courage to take a ride so young in a race so important, but to win it with such style and panache marks out Barzalona from the rest. It reminded me of a certain Italian former champion jockey…

And what about the horse. Pour Moi had shown his fierce late burst in his previous run in France, but to come so wide and still gain the momentum to win the Derby surely confirms that he was the best horse in the race. The first five horses all ran stellar races, creating an enthralling contest. Treasure Beach was mightily unluckily under the aforementioned ride from O’Donaghue, while Carlton House came close but had to settle for minor honours. Fourth placed Memphis Tennesse was a brave leader for the race’s entirety, with youngster Joey O’Brien possibly trying to emulate Johnny Murtagh’s heroics from the Oaks the previous day, whose own mount Native Khan also ran well to claim a respectable fifth. All eyes turn to Royal Ascot now, where some of the luminaries from this race will surely be in action again. It promises to be five days of five star entertainment.

Out of the Stalls Quickly

People often ask me; where does your interest in horseracing come from? So many others get their interest through a family tradition of racing horses, or from a father overly enthusiastic about gambling, but my interest stems from no such family ties. Instead, it was a young fascination with lists and colours which brought me to the ‘Sport of Kings’. Growing up in a household which had The Times delivered daily, I would be up early and scouring the sport section before school, taking particular notice of the lists of peculiar names pitted to race each other in the racing world.

I was especially enthused when a big race would be highlighted, showing a list of the intricate colours the jockey would be sporting on his mount. At this stage in my life, I would pick a horse on the basis of name or colour; the interest soon extended to television, as I would watch intently on my parents’ 14 inch Grundig, hoping my selection would win.

There was no money involved. This was pure fascination with a new sport. While other children my age would be playing with toy cars or soldiers around their room, I would be creating names of horses, listing fictional races, drawing out colour patterns and setting out improvised fences with logs of wood and pencil cases to race my imaginative pieces.

The first race I remember was the 1997 Grand National, won by Tony Dobbin aboard Lord Gyllene. I was aged five. In the years that followed, I would be up every morning to pick my ‘winners’ out of the newspaper; scarcely did I miss a day’s racing in about three years. Soon enough I was dragging my parents to the races, where I could see the action unfold live. The first racecourse I attended was the beautiful Fontwell Park. This course was a perfect introduction to live horseracing; a vivid memory I have is of A. P. McCoy (a personal hero of mine) taking a heavy fall and venting out his frustration with a series of expletives within earshot of the spectators (including myself) who were situated by the fence.

It was a childhood obsession, and one which has endured. I have experienced the incredible successes of personal favourites such as Istabraq, Best Mate and Galileo. While I don’t have the same neurotic enthusiasm as I did back then, I still take a keen interest in a sport that has become close to my heart. I have become accustomed to ‘having a flutter’, and study the form now rather than a random selection of names and colours (not that it’s improved my win ratio significantly)! Now at university, I am attempting to put my interest to good use alongside my history degree and sports journalism. After meeting a like-minded student, we have set in motion a ‘Birmingham University Racing Society’, with the aim of organising trips to the races for enthusiasts and newcomers alike. I hope I can make a contribution to extending the profile of a sport I fell in love with from a very young age.