After months of anticipation, the moment I and many people I know have been waiting for has finally arrived: Season 3 of The Diplomat. The strong and sturdy Alison Janney against the somewhat more flighty but equally determined Keri Russell. It’s almost a simile for the maiden hurdle at Limerick on Sunday; a race in which Chosen Comrade makes her hurdling debut.
With it being Champions Day at Ascot and in due deference to Aidan O’Brien, who mentions everyone who has been in touching distance of a horse after his horses have won, I do think it is only appropriate to mention some of tomorrow’s lead players:
THE HORSE
Chosen Comrade was given a bit of time off after her win at Tipperary. She spent about seven weeks in a field and got really fat. She’s been back in training since July, and I like to think that Peter, master craftsman as he is, has taken that hunk of flesh and is meticulously honing it into a winning machine. Of course, sculptors can be mercurial beings, and it is possible that there is still a little bit of chipping away still required. That being said, it’s a long season, and we think she will be able to do herself justice while still leaving the master something to work on for the rest of the season.
I watched her school on Thursday morning, and she jumped so well. Her jumping is definitely a big advantage, and we need to make the most of it tomorrow.
THE TRAINER
Peter has had a bit of a quiet time for him the past year, so it is great to see the horses looking and running so well. A winner and two seconds at Punchestown on Wednesday were the perfect result as we (I) look forward to this weekend.
He has been filling me (and himself) with confidence over the last few weeks. This will inevitably dissipate over the next 24 hours as we find dangers in the most unlikely of places.
THE OWNER
I have spent the past 163 days looking forward to her running; I will spend the next day wondering why. I genuinely can’t see her out of the first three, and I think she would be a very legitimate favourite. It seems like the majority of tipsters are favouring Aruntothequeen; I can see the angle, but I can also see the weather forecast, and if Limerick gets the inch of rain expected overnight, I am not sure she will be turning up.
The other horse people seem to be supporting is Fedneys Park. She won her point pretty well in January and attained a rating of 83 (Chosen Comrade achieved 85 in her point win). She is now with Henry DeBromhead; a top trainer whose horses are running really well right now. He’s probably been able to get his horses onto the grass more than other trainers (it’s been pretty dry, can you believe, in Ireland) and they definitely appear to have a fitness advantage.
I saw a few months ago that Fedneys Park had been sent to him after being the first Irish-based horse for Old Gold Racing; a syndicate group which could not be more different than my ownership model. Syndicates are the future for racing, and this one has 4000 shares in this horse; a little different from my one share in Chosen Comrade. Then again, 0.025% share is very different to 100%. The wonderful conceit of a well-run syndicate is that each of these ‘owners’ feels like Fedneys Park is their horse. While it may be impossible for me to get 4000 times more enjoyment, it is possible for me to experience things that they never will; something I will always appreciate.
This is our annual Ireland weekend, so I will be with John and Bernard tomorrow. We spent last night in Dundalk, today we are at Leopardstown, and tomorrow, Frank will be our driver on a day-trip to Limerick.
THE HORSE BOX DRIVER
Paul Harrison is a lynchpin of the Fahey yard and not only drives the horsebox but also leads up the horses before the race. He doesn’t lead up every horse, in truth, but he did lead up Chosen Comrade before her win at Tipperary, and we are not going to mess with a winning formula.
Wacky (or is it Whacky), as he is known in the yard, is a great guy, and we had a good few drinks on Thursday night. Apparently, a few years back, in an effort to explain Bay of Freedom’s run of disappointing performances, I went through and discounted every variable until I was left with one constant: Paul had been driving and leading up the horse every time. It was totally ridiculous, but I still mentioned this theory in a blog, which Paul didn't exactly appreciate. It’s not the first time that I have written something that has had unintended consequences, and it almost certainly won’t be the last. Luckily, years later, Wacky and I have resolved any issues, and he knows to expect stupid comments in a clumsy attempt at humour.
I had to tell Chloe that she was not going to be leading up Chosen Comrade; there was only one person for the job, and that was Paul. She took it well. Anyway, she got enough pleasure out of leading A Law Of Her Own back into the winner’s enclosure at Punchestown that she will be smiling for a good few days yet.
At this point, I should also mention Shay (Shea?), who looks after Chosen Comrade and rides her out every day. He was also there on Thursday and recovered sufficiently yesterday, after a slow start, to put in a full day’s work.
No yard can operate without people like him, and every owner should be grateful.
THE JOCKEY
Sam Ewing will ride and I could not be happier. Not only is Sam a very mature and likable guy, but he is riding really well at the moment. Jockeys need confidence, and a few wins and close finishes just help to get that confidence to where it needs to be. He has ridden Chosen Comrade in her fast work and also schooled her; for me, it’s so important to have someone on board who knows the horse. She is the type of horse who will always have more to give, but if you don’t know her, you might not keep digging. Sam knows that she’s a ‘grinder’ (his word – mine was superstar), but he also knows she has speed. Not that she always shows it at home (unless it’s carting a member of the Fahey family on an unplanned fast gallop). She surprised us with the speed she showed at Tipperary, and she is very likely a horse who shows more speed on grass than she ever does on woodchip or sand.
I also had a few drinks with Sam on Thursday and was impressed with his willpower. He was drinking pints of water while a few others were on Coors Lite. I was pleased he told me because, of course, you can’t tell any difference in colour!
THE END
Finally, as you may have figured out, I took the staff out for our now annual drink on Thursday. People arrived at different times during the evening, making it difficult to organize food. No one was bothered, but it did mean the bill was much lower than I had budgeted. I plan to put the difference on Chosen Comrade tomorrow and share the winnings with the staff.
The dream is still alive; let’s hope that is still the case at 2.15 pm tomorrow.