20 Years old!

dvds2000 said:
Theres a lot from here go to the festival, why not see what day most are going and see if you can arrange to meet them? I think theres quite a few meet up anyway :)
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I thought the main meet up was on the Tuesday last year; I was going to say hello but got soaked getting from the train to the bus and spent ages drying off in the Centaur! Only other time I've got soaked racing was on a trip to Newmarket [that'll serve me right for going over to the dark side!].
 
dvds2000 said:
Theres a lot from here go to the festival, why not see what day most are going and see if you can arrange to meet them? I think theres quite a few meet up anyway :)
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It is something I’ve thought about tagging with someone off here :lol: Wont be able to go this year anyway, don’t think I’d get away with leaving the Mrs with 2 month old twins for a few nights.

Something I’ll definitely do next year. Thanks guys. Will look into racing clubs etc. Mrs would probably do Aintree, we nearly went last year but chose a holiday instead. I keep telling her Cheltenham is the dream, hoping for a suprise one day.
 
moehat said:
I thought the main meet up was on the Tuesday last year; I was going to say hello but got soaked getting from the train to the bus and spent ages drying off in the Centaur! Only other time I've got soaked racing was on a trip to Newmarket [that'll serve me right for going over to the dark side!].
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Are you still on Facebook, Maureen? I deleted my old account but started a new one recently. I will search for you.
 
Marb said:
Are you still on Facebook, Maureen? I deleted my old account but started a new one recently. I will search for you.
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Yes; lots of political stuff these days, though. Really awkward in that, if a lot of my new found political friends knew I went racing they wouldn't speak to me! I have to be very careful which buttons I press! On the subject of internet friends though, some of my best friends these days are people I've met via forums. And, even amongst those I haven't met, such as yourself I still regard them as 'proper' friends.
 
an capall said:
I remember making a lot of money when Lord Noelie won the RSA. Someone had been banging on about it all winter.
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And if you had played in November as advised then you too could have had some of the 20/1.
He recently celebrated his 27th birthday on Jim Culloty's farm, his home since he retired.

Since being tempted back by being advised of the 20 year old thread memories have been stirred. I've just had a tally up of the courses on which I've been racing with other forum members since 1999 - either arriving with then or bumping into them there and I am surprised at the length of the list:
Aintree
Ascot
Ayr
Belmont
Brighton
Chantilly
Chepstow
Chester
Doncaster
Downpatrick
Epsom
Exeter
Fairyhouse
Folkestone R.I.P
Fontwell
Goodwood
Haydock
Hereford
Huntingdon
Kempton
Leeopardsiown
Lingfield
Longchamp
Ludlow
Market Rasen
Naas
Navan
Newbury
Newmarket
Plumpton
Punchestown
Salisbury
Sandown
Santa Anita
Stratford
Taunton
Towcester R.I.P.
Uttoxeter
Warwick
Wetherby
Wincanton
Windsor
York

All I can say is Wow!
 
Quite funny last year at the festival. I blagged my way into the Robcour box and was leaning over the balcony. Who had the 5 seats in front of the box?
 
Slim said:
Quite funny last year at the festival. I blagged my way into the Robcour box and was leaning over the balcony. Who had the 5 seats in front of the box?
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I'll have a wild guess at an Oboe Quintet on a jolly.
 
Going back to the forum touches, was Royal Shakespeare @ 150/1 for the now defunct BHB Order of Merit one of them?

Can't remember names, but am sure the bloke who used to work for Blue Square put it up?
 
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Brian’s list of venues associated with people he met through the forum prompted some memories of incidents I’ve encountered while in the company of people I’ve met on here.


  1. Watching David Casey riding a finish while astride Stormin Norman Williamson’s shoulders at a Cheltenham night club at 2AM in the morning. I think it was the night Sublimity won the CH, but that might be incorrect.
  2. Causing a very awkward diplomatic incident at Santa Anita on the day High Chaparral dead-heated with Johar in the BC Turf in 2003. (I took an unforgivable liberty with a sautéed langoustine without due permission).
  3. Leaning on the rail at Leopardstown’s parade on the sunny evening when Golden Horn won the Irish Champion Stakes with an august member and he said, when a gentleman approached, ‘An Capall – this is a friend of mine – X.’ This meeting, indirectly, helped progress one decision point among many that influenced my early retirement from my day job next month.
 
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Double J said:
How do you find it having no friends who like racing?

My bucket list to go to the festival. Unlike some though, I don’t have the cojones to go by myself. My friends will go to Aintree with me, because it’s local and a **** up. But other than them texting me for tips, twice a year (National and Cheltenham) they have no interest in it. Does annoy me, I’d love to visit some smaller tracks, but the thought of standing there on my own doesn’t excite me.
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If you can get down to lingfield Monday then come with us?

And I’m at the festival, probably annoying some others from here at various points, so if you want to know there’s someone there to say hello to...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
an capall said:
Brian’s list of venues associated with people he met through the forum prompted some memories of incidents I’ve encountered while in the company of people I’ve met on here.


  1. Watching David Casey riding a finish while astride Stormin Norman Williamson’s shoulders at a Cheltenham night club at 2AM in the morning. I think it was the night Sublimity won the CH, but that might be incorrect.
  2. Causing a very awkward diplomatic incident at Santa Anita on the day High Chaparral dead-heated with Johar in the BC Turf in 2003. (I took an unforgivable liberty with a sautéed langoustine without due permission).
  3. Leaning on the rail at Leopardstown’s parade on the sunny evening when Golden Horn won the Irish Champion Stakes with an august member and he said, when a gentleman approached, ‘An Capall – this is a friend of mine – X.’ This meeting, indirectly, helped progress one decision point among many that influenced my early retirement from my day job next month.
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I was having a drink with Colin Farrell in the Fillies Bar the day Snow Fairy won the Irish Champion Stakes. He gestured towards a well turned out filly and posed "Is that your girlfriend". I replied in the affirmative to which he responded "spend more time with her".

He was right. There are 3 of us now.
 
The worst incident I remember on a meetup was at York when Charming Kid bolted up in a 2yo race and one Irish upstart stood up on his chair shouting "WHO ******* KNOWS IT". This resulted in 12 faults being applied to his scorecard by Lord H's ex-city friend.

Oh wait... that was me...
 
BrianH said:
I've just had a tally up of the courses on which I've been racing with other forum members since 1999 - either arriving with then or bumping into them there and I am surprised at the length of the list:
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Anyone who was wondering why the world's greatest racecourse is missing from the list - I was saving it for a separate posting but it's probably enough to say that this is the place where over the years, mostly during four days in mid-March, I have met more fellow forum members than anywhere else, including quite a few from the last millennium.
(And if anything is likely to make you feel old it's the final two words of the last sentence.)
 
Fayonagh landed a nice touch as a result of a 10 inch nail from here

The criminal asset horse that just had to start to win the Supreme was my favourite day 1 chelt memory of recent years

I do remember someone not sure who, who made me laugh a lot on a thread i started over 3 racing people to bring to dinner and the then jailbait Nicholls was suggested for dessert
 
Slim said:
Question for all. What are the best punts landed on the forum over the 20 years? Surely Rooster Booster's Champion Hurdle is very high on the list given Mo was banging on about it from after the Greatwood hurdle? Nearly everyone was on.
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Except for Alan Morgan :)
 
On bets from the forum. I normally limit myself to 5 and tuppence ew, but lost the run of myself with Madhmoon on his debut. The played a lot of it up at ~6/4 next time out.
 
an capall said:
On bets from the forum. I normally limit myself to 5 and tuppence ew, but lost the run of myself with Madhmoon on his debut. The played a lot of it up at ~6/4 next time out.
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And you even left a working class lad watch the race with you. A nice touch...
 
Just had a look through the whole thread. Fond memories.

I should maybe also add my indebtedness to Alan Morgan who spent lengthy periods on the phone with me talking me through strategies for coping with some of the difficulties I was going through in my non-racing life.

My boss wouldn't give me time off to attend his funeral because he wasn't a family member.

After he died, Pebbles stepped in and continued with the help. I miss her too. She was a lovely person.
 
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