Departures 2009

More regrettable deaths today:

FRENCH RIVIERA when taking a hard, twisting fall at the second last hurdle, Fairyhouse. Destroyed.

SPANISH CONQUEST at the first hurdle (the last on the final circuit) in the grandstand straight at Donny. Landed and broke off-fore, leading to the jockeys failing to clearly see the Void race flag out (yellow) against the sunset as they turned up the straight for the finish. The horse was behind full screening and tightened up the space between the last hurdle and the chase fence. Some jockeys seemed to realise that two flags out - the yellow followed by the black-and-white - meant something was afoot, and managed to PU. Others seemed to not sight either flag and rode out their race to the finish. It was a difficult situation given the place where the horse broke his leg. The knacker van couldn't be brought onto the course to cause potential danger to the runners. My only thought was that, given the immediately obvious nature of the horse's injury, the Yellow flagman might've been better deployed as the horses came off the final bend, rather than well into the straight, where maximum efforts were being made. 20/20 hindsight, of course.

KINETIC ART, 4 y.o. novice hurdler, broke leg, also at Doncaster, where POP has finished lame.
 
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Apache Cat retired

Second in my list of favourite oddball chesnuts (pancake being no1)

Fractured a sesamoid in Hong Kong at the weekend & goes home to enjoy a hopefully long retirement
 
I don't know how true this is but was told today that Henry Daly took 8 runners to Donny at the w/e and only returned with 5! Sounds awful for the yard.
 
He did run seven on Saturday at Donny. The results were:

UP TO THE MARK - 6th
POSSOL - 1st
SHANNINA - 6th
DISCO JACK (in same race as Shannina) - PU "lame"
ORDRE DE BATAILLE - hampered, 5th
POP - fell 3 out, "lame"
WESSEX KING - 6th in race voided by death of SPANISH CONQUEST (Hobbs)

KINETIC ART was another death on the day, but not Daly's. Unless DISCO JACK and POP were destroyed later, that's not quite the picture painted by the RP, unreliable as we know it is.
 
Aux Le Bahnn, second to Bakbenscher at Wincanton on the 3rd of December, fractured a pedal bone during the race and has been put down subsequently.
 
That explains why he was dismounted quickly after the finish, I guess. Just looked him up on the RP: what a talent - 10 runs, 9 times in the frame, mostly wins. A sad loss for the Meades.
 
:surrender:As I said, a sad loss for the Chances... :lol:

Note to self: take up that appointment with Specsavers when you get back from the Christmas visit. How weird - I specially looked him up so as to find out who owned him, too! Shame, NC is such a very pleasant chap - only met and talked to him briefly at Lingers, but struck me as a really decent guy.
 
I had a quick chat with Noel Chance at Auteuil a couple of years back....seemed like a lovely feller.

Dish it Delargy!:D
 
You can pm me too (for this I will empty my inbox!) - oh and you were supposed to get back to me on a couple of other things, DeLargy too!
 
Love Everlasting said:
Worked for him long enough, saw him every day, won't hear a bad word said against him, especially hear'say.
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Fair point I must admit. I'd be convinced enough by what I heard to be wary of having a horse with him (fat chance of having that dilemma mind), but what I've been told does clearly count as hearsay and I shouldn't suggest that it's verifiable fact. Apologies if that's how it's appeared.
 
My dictionary describes hearsay as "common talk; a report given by others", which is no different to what LE is saying. It's not in essence derogatory - it can be complimentary, critical, analytical, whatever - it's just something which others tell us, rather than something we know directly for ourselves. If Rory has been told something by someone (which he has), it's just hearsay - someone else's report, not Rory's direct experience. Just as if I say that I hear that NC's a wonderful person, because LE (or anyone else) told me so. There's nothing innately wrong with repeating what you've heard - after all, many of our everyday conversations are based on hearsay. Especially about how horses are working!
 
krizon said:
My dictionary describes hearsay as "common talk; a report given by others",
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Mine describes it as shite pop group formed from a programme that was a fore-runner to The X Factor which at least gave us the charms of Myleene Klass and Kim Marsh. So it's not all bad.
 
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