I am in Ireland, and my wonderful wife, Kim, is, at this very moment, sitting in a limo with her brother, his wife, and our two nieces (six and eight) as they make their way to the Taylor Swift concert in Miami.
It all started last week when I decided that Kim needed a night away on Florida’s East Coast at our favourite hotel; she was exhausted after doing so much work on our new condo in Naples. So much work, in fact, that she hadn’t had time to buy any new clothes for months, and the stress from Hurricane Milton was getting us both down. It didn’t help that when the invite came two weeks ago, we couldn’t find Kim a single seat close to her family for the concert, so she had ‘begged off’
I don’t know if it was the excitement of coming to Ireland, but as we drove along Alligator Alley (it’s a real thing – look it up) listening to Cruel Summer, I found myself saying :”you really should go on Friday, let me look to see if any tickets have come up in their section”
I found one three rows in front, and we decided that was good enough. Kim asked how much they were, and I said not to worry; we were going to buy them.
It's a sobering and humbling thought to realize that what it costs for Kim to have a ‘once in a lifetime experience’ is almost as much as what it costs for me to come each time to Ireland to watch my horses!
None of that has anything to do with racing, and, in a beautiful segue way, Suprise Package’s most recent run at Leopardstown had very little to do with racing. We said before the race that there would be no excuses, and I am sticking to that commitment; there are, however, reasons for the performance, and I feel obliged to recount just a few of them:
1. We rode him too aggressively from his wide draw. He is not a stayer, but we rode him like one. He is much better at passing horses one by one, gaining confidence as he does so.
2. The ground was too quick. All day, the times had been better than standard, and our race was no exception, and
3. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were all in retrograde. I ask you: “how are you supposed to overcome that?”
Author’s note: Some people may point out that a horse did actually win the race, so presumably, it had overcome such an obstacle. I can only suggest that the owners do not believe in proper science!
Finishing last of 22 is never a good feeling. However, we refused to be downcast (well, not for too long) and started planning his next run. We had considered the big 2-mile handicap at Naas, which was run last week, but decided that he isn’t really a stayer (are you listening, Timeform?). Provided the ground had softened up, we determined the October handicap at Leopardstown on Sunday was the right race before we embarked on a hurdling campaign.
Things are all set for tomorrow (with one caveat that I will come to later). The ground will be soft, there are only 14 runners (and I would not be surprised to see a couple of non-runners on the day) and the horse seems in good form. We have been very lucky to get Wayne Hassett to ride him; he is in a tie for the Apprentice championship and his 5 pound claim will be very useful in the soft ground. He will be a long price, but I am pretty confident he will outrun his odds.
My biggest concern is the forecast; high winds are expected all day tomorrow and, if we get some at the higher end of the forecast, racing could be under threat. Let’s hope not.
There are, of course, many things more important than horse racing and the annual ‘boy’s’ trip to Ireland and, normally, going to a Taylor Swift concert with my wife would fall into that category; unfortunately, this year is different. Tragically, John’s wife died recently after a short illness. Lynn was a wonderful, funny, warm, and caring person. She loved horses and had great days out at Cheltenham and Aintree, watching Suprise Package. She was the perfect foil to John, for whom the mildest adjective to describe him would be incorrigible. Kim and I were devastated by her death, and I was able to fly over and attend the funeral. John has been extremely strong, and I like to think this weekend will be good for him in a way. Bernard has also had his health issues and was a doubtful runner for a long time, but he is here and delighted to be so. Some people have commented that we are all very different, and I love that. One of the great things about racing is that you can share a love of the sport and build relationships you never usually have. I have two sets of racing friends (my best friend, Ian, is in the other one) and am incredibly fortunate; that second group will bypass the DRF in February (half term) to be at the Dante meeting next year (and down the pub for the last two days of Cheltenham)
Hope we run well on Sunday. Whatever happens, as Taylor Swift would say it’s “Back to December” and over hurdles!