Timpsonian January 2010: LITTLE TO DO ABOUT NOTHING

John Timpson's owner's blog...

Just when we thought things were about to get better they didn't!

Ordre de Bataille was fancied to win at Newbury, but the horse didn't fancy the run, and was unplaced. Our most reliable chaser had let us down.

The following week Alex spent some time planning the Christmas programme. Normally we are away for a few days but the Timpson Christmas plans for 2009 hit a snag. We were going to spend two or three nights at a cottage we have been converting in Snowdonia, but by the time it was clear the builders were behind schedule our usual bolt-hole on Anglesey had been booked by our daughter with her husband, in-laws and five children. "At least," said Alex, "we will be free to go racing."

Although Thievery is coughing and Timpo is still recovering from a bit of a knock, Arctic Ben is now ready for another run and our latest acquisition, Safran de Cotte (The one the French breeder wouldn't let us change its name to Cobbled Together) is only three weeks away from a racecourse.

We had a runner at Bangor before Christmas, two entries on Boxing Day and lots of possibilities during the rest of December. "Perfect," said Alex, "Bangor, Haydock, Warwick and Uttoxeter all in easy reach."

Bangor and both meetings on Boxing Day were cancelled as was Haydock and Uttoxeter - that just left Warwick where the going was far too heavy and so Henry Daly withdrew Cobblers Queen.

"Have you seen the weather forecast?" I asked Alex as we watched Plumpton on At the Races on January 3rd.

"Yes," she replied, "we have got another week of this frost, more days without a runner."

"Could go on for over a month," I said cheerfully "do you remember 1963?"

"I'm not as old as you, remember," said Alex with a touch of sarcasm.  

I ignored her remark, "It froze on Boxing Day and didn't get back above freezing until April - three months of no racing, it could happen again. Perhaps we could blame it all on global warming!"

We go to the Caribbean at the end of the month and I hope we will have had another runner before then. It hurts paying the training fees for a horse that never sees a racecourse. 

More from John Timpson:

Timpsonian December 2009: THE DOWNTURN
After such a good start to the season (a winner, a second, two thirds and a fourth) things were bound to go wrong and they did. The last few weeks have been full of bad news...

Timpsonian November 2009: BACK IN ACTION

Timpsonian ARCHIVE