Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Homecoming

Panto has actually been home now for more than a fortnight but, being so superstitious, I didn't want to write anything until I knew he was settled back into his routine and happy.

I could have done so straight away as he's been no bother since he's been back and now it feels as if he's never been away. That said, his absence of 100 days was hard to bear at the time and it's wonderful now to be able to glance out of the window and see him at any time. Gus and Camelot are pleased to have him home, as you can see from the photo, and the next step will be getting back on board but that will have to wait until after the long days of the December Sales.

The whole team here (bar Terri, who is on holiday) went to the Horseshoes Awards at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday night. Hannah was with us and, even though she left over a month ago, we still very much regard her as part of the team and she will continue to ride for us.
Hannah received the Apprentice of the Year award to add to her Prolinx Lady Jockeys bronze award which she was given on the last day of the season at Doncaster. The Gold and Silver winners were Hayley Turner and Amy Ryan - a former champion apprentice and the current champion apprentice - so she's in good company.

Hannah is starting to be known more widely now and hopefully she will capitalise on that with some more rides through the winter. Her recent interview on RUK with Lydia Hislop following her first win at HQ will certainly have endeared Hannah to anyone watching that day. I'm really looking forward to seeing how she gets on next year.

Terri O'Rourke was awarded Stable Lass of the Year so it was a great shame that she wasn't there to collect her prize. Anyone who read the letters' page of the Racing Post on Sunday will have seen a lovely letter from Roger Vicarage, the owner of Zarosa. It was typically kind of Roger to take the time to put pen to paper, and Terri was rightly credited for her work with Zarosa, who is quickly becoming almost as pampered as Panto.

John was awarded Newmarket Personality of the Year for the second year running but perhaps the less said about that the better!

For me, it was the second awards evening of the week as I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Cartier Awards at the Dorchester last Tuesday. It's always a glittering affair but a particularly nice touch was honouring the whole of 'Team Frankel' with the Cartier Award of Merit.

It was great to see on stage members of the Warren Place staff who have looked after Frankel so well for the last three years and will doubtless now be missing him terribly. They were joined by those from Banstead Manor Stud who knew Frankel in his early days and now once again have the pleasure of his company ahead of the start of his stud career.

Jim Power (pictured left) has recently retired as Juddmonte's stud groom but he was there and holds the honour of being the very first person ever to touch Frankel, having been present, as he has been for so many of Juddmonte's superstars, at his birth.

Jim's a really nice man and as well as being a very good horseman is also a talented artist. I'm proud to have one of his lovely pictures on my wall and in Jim's house, one of my favourites is his portrait of the great Hasili with her sister Arrive. He has offered to paint Panto for me but once again my superstitious nature prevents this, for now anyway. I'm very fortunate just to have the real thing back here at home to gaze at every day. Life can return to normal.


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