Success at Sandown
by Jane Currie, March 2006
Mick & Zara go to Sandown Races..
If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be standing in the parade ring at Sandown Park racecourse as an ‘acting' owner of a beautiful racehorse then I would never have believed it. However that is exactly where I found myself earlier this month.
How proud it made me feel, being a part of this amazing experience and seeing the MS colours out there, in the ring and on the track. It just gave me goose bumps all over.
I stand in awe at what Rhona has achieved. Her dream to run horses to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis certainly has come true!
I was in two minds whether to accept the invitation to join them on the trip south – eight hours in the back of a horsebox was not the most inviting way to spend a day, two days if you include the journey back home as well – but I am so very glad I said yes. Dawn had no hesitation when I asked her to come along too!
So on the morning of 9 th March 2006 I found myself sitting in the kitchen at The Yett, making final preparations. As Rhona checked the phone messages there was one saying that Richard Johnson, A P McCoy and Jamie Moore were all available to ride Zara on the Saturday. A great compliment but we had Rose!
With the lorry loaded with two racehorses, a couple of buggies and loads of other stuff we headed south.
This was the beginning of an adventure as I had no idea what to expect or even where we were going to stay. The journey passed surprisingly fast and we were soon turning into the car park at Sandown Park . We unloaded and settled Diamond Mick and Scarvagh Diamond into their temporary home for the next couple of days, then headed off to see where we would be staying.
The Sandown Park lodge is just like any other travel inn with everything we needed for our stay and was right on the course itself.
I must, at this point, tell you who the ‘we' is, the small team who took two horses to Sandown with outstanding results. Firstly there's Rhona, our trainer and organiser, then we have Jimmy, travelling head lad and indispensable to the team and Karen who is excellent with the horses and a superb lorry driver. Then there's Joe, our little Irish friend and assistant trainer at The Yett. Last, but not least, there's myself and Dawn, along for support and, of course, I have my camera to capture all those special moments.
After throwing luggage into rooms and ‘bagging' beds we headed off for some food... and drink.
Friday morning and it's Mick's big day. As Zara wasn't running till the following day Joe took her onto the five furlong straight to stretch her legs. She was in great fettle, bouncing all over the place. I don't know who was enjoying it most – her or Joe!
However, the ground was heavy and Mick hates the heavy going so a decision had to be made – would Mick run that afternoon or not?
It is always a difficult decision for the trainer to make but after a couple of phone calls and some discussion Mick was declared and everyone set about getting him ready.
Mick looked fantastic as he entered the pre-parade ring. It was The Grand Military Gold Cup Day at Sandown where all the jockeys are military servicemen and women. We were lucky to have Major Dominic Alers-Hankey to ride Mick. As they headed off to the parade ring, the brass band struck up and Mick danced and pranced, almost to the beat. He was in great form.
Mick looked stunning in the parade ring and as Dominic settled in the saddle, Karen was called over and presented with the prize for the best turned out horse. Well done Karen!
We still weren't sure how Mick would take to the ground but once the race started and he had settled comfortably at the front of the pack, he seemed to be in his element, leading them round the course. He ran a superb race but was just beaten by the favourite Danse Macabre
At this point I was choking back the tears but I had no time to be emotional as Mick was heading to the winners enclosure and I wanted photos!
When I got there all I could see was Mick. Of course there were two other horses there with their people but Mick was the star. He looked tired but still managed to pose for the camera. He was loving it.
Everyone was smiling – what a joyous moment, for all of us.
Joe and Karen took Mick back to his stable for a well-earned rest and a nice big hay net while we retired to the owners and trainers bar for some refreshments. The rest of the afternoon seems like a blur, I was so happy and quite overcome from the whole experience.
Saturday morning arrived and it was Zara's turn to perform – and perform she did!
Her race was sponsored by Doncaster Blood stocks who are based in Hawick so it was lovely when we were invited into their hospitality box and nice to see some familiar faces, especially Peter (Rhona's husband) who had flown down that morning. Also joining us from the Borders MS Racing Club syndicate were the Douglases, Scotts, Mawstons and Craig who wrote that wonderful story about Rhona in The Sunday Post.
Time was moving on and we made our way up to the pre-parade ring in time to see Zara walking round. Rose, our jockey, had arrived and discussed race tactics with Rhona. She had walked the course and the ground was still heavy but thankfully Zara doesn't mind. ‘The softer the better' says Joe.
It was time to get Zara saddled up and she was keen to get going. Soon Joe was leading her around the parade ring with the other horses. Zara's spirits were high and she bounced along beside Joe looking a picture of health.
When the bell rang and the jockeys got ready to mount, Jimmy had a difficult job getting Rose onto a very excited horse. As they headed off to the track we hear that Zara had won best turned out horse – a fantastic achievement for Karen and Joe to win ‘best turned out' both days!
As the parade ring cleared, Mike Cattermole of Channel 4 interviewed Rhona live about the Borders MS Racing Club and the charity syndicate. I watched it at home on the Sunday night with tears streaming down my face. It was an excellent interview and I am very proud of Rhona. The way she spoke directly to people affected by MS was great.
There were eighteen horses in the race and as they broke away from the start Rose found a good spot for Zara just behind the leaders. It was a steady race, the ground was soft and soon the field began to spread out a little. Up the home straight, the leaders pulled ahead but Zara ran a superb race finishing fifth – a fine performance and we were all extremely pleased with her run.
With both horses settled in their stables we all headed off to celebrate.
At 7.30 on Sunday morning, after very little sleep, we loaded up the lorry and headed back home. The horses happily munching hay and the rest of us munching bacon butties.
We were getting reports of bad weather from the north. The snow had closed both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports so it was a bit of a worry but we had a safe journey home.
I can never thank Rhona and Peter enough for giving me this opportunity, it was an experience I shall treasure for a very long time.
Jane x
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