Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Just need to work on Tom, Ralph, Andrew, Claire, Mr Giblin, & co to be there now.

assuming this is me claire and not someone else claire, I am trying but without luck so far.  Can't make the live sat tomorrow.  when do the online sats finish?

There IS only one Claire in my life, even though you prefer the author of Skidmark Chronicles.

The Online Sats are every night @ 9.30pm, but I doubt they will run beyond Tuesday or Wednesday, at best, as all the seats will be gone by then. I will try to persuade Tom Myland's favourite Cardroom Manager to open up a few extra tables - which he would do if he could get the extra Dealers, but which I fancy is unlikely, as all the spare Grosvenor will be in Manchester, for the GUKPT.

If you miss the Main Event, there are also sideys on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday evening. I hope you can be there. If I could persuade your beloved Tom to come along, presumably you'd deffo attend?

[RED-DOG]

Sigh...

When is it and how much?

[tikay]

Sigh...

When is it and how much?

This coming weekend, the Main is Saturday & Sunday. £220, 15,000 chips, 45 min clock, same structure as the DTD £500. Go on, you know you would enjoy it.....and then your sweetheat, Claire, would be there, too, so I kill two birds - or a bird & a dog - with one stone.

[tikay]

Tikay, have you ever had a fist fight with someone as an adult? If so, how did it start, and who won?

I'm bored, not asking for any particular reason, just wondering.

In order.....

1) No

2) No

3) N/A.

It does not say much for our intellect or debating skills if the only way we can settle a debate or argument is to resort to thuggery & violence. And anyway, I'm a total wimp, & don't much enjoy being smacked in the gob. Don't forget, I have my looks to protect, if I was not so pretty, I'd not be on telly any more.

[DaveShoelace]

Tikay, have you ever had a fist fight with someone as an adult? If so, how did it start, and who won?

I'm bored, not asking for any particular reason, just wondering.

In order.....

1) No

2) No

3) N/A.

It does not say much for our intellect or debating skills if the only way we can settle a debate or argument is to resort to thuggery & violence. And anyway, I'm a total wimp, & don't much enjoy being smacked in the gob. Don't forget, I have my looks to protect, if I was not so pretty, I'd not be on telly any more.

Could not agree more, no idea why I felt compelled to ask

[bobby1]

There is a legends of racing series in the RP this week Tony and yesterday featured Michael Dickinson, focussing mainly on his famous five in the Gold Cup.

There were two stats in there that I found amazing. The first one was his total wins figure, which for a man held in such high regard was only 380 winners ( this was in fact only 2 more winners than the 378 he rode as a jockey)

The second was he still holds the world record for a trainer with most winners in one day which was the 12 he had from 20 runners on December the 27th 1982. What intrigued me the most about that was he ran 20 horses that day and 19 of them finished in the first three. The incredible number in that story for me was his total string that season was just 55 horses, so he managed to get just under 40% of his entire string to run in the first three in one day, this included the winner and the 3rd in the King George.

Been meaning to reply to that for weeks now, Phil.

If anyone follows jump racing, they'd do well to read your Post.

We have Posted about longevity, talent, & freak results today, & the Dickinson family tick all those boxes.

I followed the Dickinsons from start to finish, I think Tony - the Dad - held the Trainers licence originally, but wife Monica was the powerhouse. Michael - the son - was the stable jockey, then took over the training licence, & after he retired, I think Monica, who died recently, took the reins again.

Michael was a fine jockey, a bit tall, but rarely lost a race he should have won. I backed them almost blind, including all 19 of his runners on that famous Boxing Day, ugh, how daft was that?

There was no value, of course, the prices were always skinny, the value - which I had - was in the early years, with horses like Gay Spartan - the best the stable ever had imo - & Silver Buck.

Will any trainer, or stable, ever saddle the front 5 again in a Cheltenham Gold Cup? That, I doubt.

They finished like this.....

1) Bregawn

2) Captain John

3) Wayward Lad

4) Silver Buck (the best of the 5, imo)

5) Ashley House.

Big race wins for Michael, as a trainer? He just got the lot. Look at this for a roll of honour.....

Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase (1981)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (1981)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (1982, 1983)
Hennessy Gold Cup (1982)
King George VI Chase (1982, 1983)
Peter Marsh Chase (1982, 1983)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1982, 1983, 1984)
Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (1983)
Blue Square Gold Cup (1983)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1984)
Top Novices' Hurdle (1984)

Later, he became a flat trainer, for Sangster, & then in America, but he never cut it, (though he did win two Breeders Cups with the same perpetually injured horse, "Da Hoss"), & eventually moved into another field altogether, with a Synthetic Turf business. No idea if he is still doing that, or even still alive.

We will never see the likes if the Dickinson family again.

Michael was a lovely kid, modest & humble to a fault, impossible to dislike, really.

Oh what wonderful memories the Dickinson's have given me. Not all my gambling memories are good, far from it, but I was way ahead of the bookies with that family.





Here's Monica, with Wayward Lad, in '86.

I believe his synthetic surface courses have gone down incredibly well, some of the new courses in Dubai are using the surface now.

In the interview they did ask him  about his time as Sangster's private trainer and he told a story of Peter O'Sullivan visiting Manton a few weeks after Dickinson had moved there. O Sullivan took one look at the turf on the gallops and told Dickinson it was about the worst he had seen, summat to do with the soil consistency.As he was leaving he casually told Dickinson that one bookmaker was betting a 'most flat winners this season' market between him and Lester Piggott.

According to the story O Sullivan had a big bet on Piggott based purely on his feel for the state the gallops were in.

Talking of LP, its never a bad time to watch IMO one of the best rides ever, 54 years old and getting a 6 furlong horse to win a mile race, less than two weeks after you return to the saddle after retirement and jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmTcCW31JE

[Acidmouse]

http://www.britishpathe.com/

Just found British pathe website, amazing videos from history. gg  life.

[leethefish]

Tikay, have you ever had a fist fight with someone as an adult? If so, how did it start, and who won?

I'm bored, not asking for any particular reason, just wondering.

In order.....

1) No

2) No

3) N/A.

It does not say much for our intellect or debating skills if the only way we can settle a debate or argument is to resort to thuggery & violence. And anyway, I'm a total wimp, & don't much enjoy being smacked in the gob. Don't forget, I have my looks to protect, if I was not so pretty, I'd not be on telly any more.

in theory i agree but in this world today..... impossible, also depends allot on your background etc imho

[gatso]

a bit of porn for ya

http://www.silentuk.com/?p=2792

[The Camel]

There is a legends of racing series in the RP this week Tony and yesterday featured Michael Dickinson, focussing mainly on his famous five in the Gold Cup.

There were two stats in there that I found amazing. The first one was his total wins figure, which for a man held in such high regard was only 380 winners ( this was in fact only 2 more winners than the 378 he rode as a jockey)

The second was he still holds the world record for a trainer with most winners in one day which was the 12 he had from 20 runners on December the 27th 1982. What intrigued me the most about that was he ran 20 horses that day and 19 of them finished in the first three. The incredible number in that story for me was his total string that season was just 55 horses, so he managed to get just under 40% of his entire string to run in the first three in one day, this included the winner and the 3rd in the King George.

Been meaning to reply to that for weeks now, Phil.

If anyone follows jump racing, they'd do well to read your Post.

We have Posted about longevity, talent, & freak results today, & the Dickinson family tick all those boxes.

I followed the Dickinsons from start to finish, I think Tony - the Dad - held the Trainers licence originally, but wife Monica was the powerhouse. Michael - the son - was the stable jockey, then took over the training licence, & after he retired, I think Monica, who died recently, took the reins again.

Michael was a fine jockey, a bit tall, but rarely lost a race he should have won. I backed them almost blind, including all 19 of his runners on that famous Boxing Day, ugh, how daft was that?

There was no value, of course, the prices were always skinny, the value - which I had - was in the early years, with horses like Gay Spartan - the best the stable ever had imo - & Silver Buck.

Will any trainer, or stable, ever saddle the front 5 again in a Cheltenham Gold Cup? That, I doubt.

They finished like this.....

1) Bregawn

2) Captain John

3) Wayward Lad

4) Silver Buck (the best of the 5, imo)

5) Ashley House.

Big race wins for Michael, as a trainer? He just got the lot. Look at this for a roll of honour.....

Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase (1981)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (1981)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (1982, 1983)
Hennessy Gold Cup (1982)
King George VI Chase (1982, 1983)
Peter Marsh Chase (1982, 1983)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1982, 1983, 1984)
Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (1983)
Blue Square Gold Cup (1983)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1984)
Top Novices' Hurdle (1984)

Later, he became a flat trainer, for Sangster, & then in America, but he never cut it, (though he did win two Breeders Cups with the same perpetually injured horse, "Da Hoss"), & eventually moved into another field altogether, with a Synthetic Turf business. No idea if he is still doing that, or even still alive.

We will never see the likes if the Dickinson family again.

Michael was a lovely kid, modest & humble to a fault, impossible to dislike, really.

Oh what wonderful memories the Dickinson's have given me. Not all my gambling memories are good, far from it, but I was way ahead of the bookies with that family.





Here's Monica, with Wayward Lad, in '86.

I believe his synthetic surface courses have gone down incredibly well, some of the new courses in Dubai are using the surface now.

In the interview they did ask him  about his time as Sangster's private trainer and he told a story of Peter O'Sullivan visiting Manton a few weeks after Dickinson had moved there. O Sullivan took one look at the turf on the gallops and told Dickinson it was about the worst he had seen, summat to do with the soil consistency.As he was leaving he casually told Dickinson that one bookmaker was betting a 'most flat winners this season' market between him and Lester Piggott.

According to the story O Sullivan had a big bet on Piggott based purely on his feel for the state the gallops were in.

Talking of LP, its never a bad time to watch IMO one of the best rides ever, 54 years old and getting a 6 furlong horse to win a mile race, less than two weeks after you return to the saddle after retirement and jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmTcCW31JE

You have just lost all credibility.

Silver Buck was better Wayward Lad?

Complete balderdash.

[JaffaCake]

Don't think Hislop and Merton could hide from the fact old Angus was front page news (in the NOTW) when they're doing a news quiz based on that week's news. The thing that really brought him down was when he tried to make the usual gags to Christine Hamilton about her and her husband's previous misdemeanours and she came back at him with 'What right have u got to speak to me like that when you've been having charlied up gang bangs with hookers' (not sure that's a direct quote) and it was all pretty awkward.

Paul had a t-shirt made (which he revealed under his shirt) of the NOTW front page but that was more taken in jest, the Hamilton exchange was a bit cringe-inducing and everyone looked a bit shocked. After that the producers thought it would be best to avoid having that kind of situation every week and while I really liked Angus and (wrongly) thought the programme wouldn't be as good without him, it kinda had to happen.

[JaffaCake]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16668251.stm

You don't see that very often.

Another thing u don't see very often from Saturday's footy, Michael Duberry scored a hattrick....2 ogs and a late equaliser at the right end.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16559688.stm

Not sure whether it's just coz I liked in Leeds at the time but Duberry's name will always be associated the rascist attack on an asian student in Leeds city centre and the subsequent trial. His career seemed to be going well to then, since it's gone nowhere. Without looking up the details, how many people know his link to it and what happened? Is it just me who doesn't link the others involved with the attack as much, which given Duberry's role is ridic

[Chili]

Just need to work on Tom, Ralph, Andrew, Claire, Mr Giblin, & co to be there now.

assuming this is me claire and not someone else claire, I am trying but without luck so far.  Can't make the live sat tomorrow.  when do the online sats finish?

There IS only one Claire in my life, even though you prefer the author of Skidmark Chronicles.

The Online Sats are every night @ 9.30pm, but I doubt they will run beyond Tuesday or Wednesday, at best, as all the seats will be gone by then. I will try to persuade Tom Myland's favourite Cardroom Manager to open up a few extra tables - which he would do if he could get the extra Dealers, but which I fancy is unlikely, as all the spare Grosvenor will be in Manchester, for the GUKPT.

If you miss the Main Event, there are also sideys on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday evening. I hope you can be there. If I could persuade your beloved Tom to come along, presumably you'd deffo attend?

Feeling well left out now pfffffffffffft I'm actually free at the weekend........................and I might miss you a tiny tiny bit.

On another topic - When you started posting those sporting photo's from some newspaper or other, I strangely started to feel nauseous.  I really thought that football photo from years ago of a broken leg going off into a direction that it had no business facing was going to rear its ugly head.

If someone does post it after this then please give me a nice warning before I scroll too far down and throw up in my mouth. Ty

[AndrewT]

HIGNFY went seriously off the boil after Deayton got the boot, partly because a lot of the guest hosts were stunt bookings who couldn't actually deliver a funny line, partly because Merton had started phoning in his contribution and partly because of too many lazy, unfunny jokes (many based around the fact John Prescott was fat).

It has picked up a bit of late, mostly because Hislop has been very good on stuff like phone hacking and Merton seems to have picked up his game in response.

[tikay]

There is a legends of racing series in the RP this week Tony and yesterday featured Michael Dickinson, focussing mainly on his famous five in the Gold Cup.

There were two stats in there that I found amazing. The first one was his total wins figure, which for a man held in such high regard was only 380 winners ( this was in fact only 2 more winners than the 378 he rode as a jockey)

The second was he still holds the world record for a trainer with most winners in one day which was the 12 he had from 20 runners on December the 27th 1982. What intrigued me the most about that was he ran 20 horses that day and 19 of them finished in the first three. The incredible number in that story for me was his total string that season was just 55 horses, so he managed to get just under 40% of his entire string to run in the first three in one day, this included the winner and the 3rd in the King George.

Been meaning to reply to that for weeks now, Phil.

If anyone follows jump racing, they'd do well to read your Post.

We have Posted about longevity, talent, & freak results today, & the Dickinson family tick all those boxes.

I followed the Dickinsons from start to finish, I think Tony - the Dad - held the Trainers licence originally, but wife Monica was the powerhouse. Michael - the son - was the stable jockey, then took over the training licence, & after he retired, I think Monica, who died recently, took the reins again.

Michael was a fine jockey, a bit tall, but rarely lost a race he should have won. I backed them almost blind, including all 19 of his runners on that famous Boxing Day, ugh, how daft was that?

There was no value, of course, the prices were always skinny, the value - which I had - was in the early years, with horses like Gay Spartan - the best the stable ever had imo - & Silver Buck.

Will any trainer, or stable, ever saddle the front 5 again in a Cheltenham Gold Cup? That, I doubt.

They finished like this.....

1) Bregawn

2) Captain John

3) Wayward Lad

4) Silver Buck (the best of the 5, imo)

5) Ashley House.

Big race wins for Michael, as a trainer? He just got the lot. Look at this for a roll of honour.....

Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase (1981)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (1981)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (1982, 1983)
Hennessy Gold Cup (1982)
King George VI Chase (1982, 1983)
Peter Marsh Chase (1982, 1983)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1982, 1983, 1984)
Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (1983)
Blue Square Gold Cup (1983)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1984)
Top Novices' Hurdle (1984)

Later, he became a flat trainer, for Sangster, & then in America, but he never cut it, (though he did win two Breeders Cups with the same perpetually injured horse, "Da Hoss"), & eventually moved into another field altogether, with a Synthetic Turf business. No idea if he is still doing that, or even still alive.

We will never see the likes if the Dickinson family again.

Michael was a lovely kid, modest & humble to a fault, impossible to dislike, really.

Oh what wonderful memories the Dickinson's have given me. Not all my gambling memories are good, far from it, but I was way ahead of the bookies with that family.





Here's Monica, with Wayward Lad, in '86.

I believe his synthetic surface courses have gone down incredibly well, some of the new courses in Dubai are using the surface now.

In the interview they did ask him  about his time as Sangster's private trainer and he told a story of Peter O'Sullivan visiting Manton a few weeks after Dickinson had moved there. O Sullivan took one look at the turf on the gallops and told Dickinson it was about the worst he had seen, summat to do with the soil consistency.As he was leaving he casually told Dickinson that one bookmaker was betting a 'most flat winners this season' market between him and Lester Piggott.

According to the story O Sullivan had a big bet on Piggott based purely on his feel for the state the gallops were in.

Talking of LP, its never a bad time to watch IMO one of the best rides ever, 54 years old and getting a 6 furlong horse to win a mile race, less than two weeks after you return to the saddle after retirement and jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmTcCW31JE

Thanks Phil, nice PO'S story there, not heard that one before. I never got the impression that his Manton operation performed up to expectations.

Damn you, & damn you again, for that Piggott clip, now I'll have to write some Piggott stories. He was my absolute idol, I must have every book written about him.  I expect you knew, but one of his daughters is married to William Haggas, and he is married to Sam Armstrong's daughter. Blue blood lines & all that.

I always thought Piggott was at his best on tracks like Chester, & on one occasion he rode a stayer there called John Cherry so exquisitely you would not believe it unless you saw it. Dropped out early - tailed off really - stayed out the back for 2 circuits, then, without moving a muscle, just cruised through the entire field hard held, was still mid-pack coming round the final bend, before that short run in, & just cruised past the lot. Once 2 lengths clear, he glanced over his shoulder & made a few choice comments to his fellow jockeys.....

In Paris, at Longchamp, he upset the crowd after he lost a race he should have won on Park Top - it may have been the Arc- having won a good race there the previous year on the same animal, who was owned by Andrew, the Duke of Devonshire. Andrew's book on Park Top is one of my great favourites.

The Americans never liked Piggott, because they did not approve of his exaggarated waiting tactics, so they roundly slated him, which piqued the great man. He later won a race in America he had no right to win, dropping the horse out the back early doors, then coming through & almost literally lifting the horse over the line, he was ahead "on the nod" & not a stride earlier or later. The press conference afterward was the greatest. Piggott had a speech defect, a cleft palate, so kept it pretty monosyllabic.

"At exactly which point in time did you think you would win the race, Mr Piggott".

Deadpan, Piggott replied....

"About thix monthsth ago".

Oh & in before Camel - yes, Piggott lost a good few races he should have won. He also won a lot of races he should have lost.

He was merciless, too, when it came to jocking others off big race rides. So many stories there.

Here's Piggott then & now. I think the horse pictured is Nijinsky, @ Donny.