The battle for the future of Flat racing

The master plan in acquiring our flatcoat retriever puppy Damson was that as folk no longer with full-time jobs we would invest our time in producing a perfectly trained dog. On New Year’s Day the growing gap between intention and reality was acknowledged. Damson is affectionate, fun and beautiful — frequently admired by passing strangers. She is also a thief.

We were hosting friends from the sadly deprived country of Italy where they are unable to purchase either chipolata sausages or pork pies, a liberal plateful of which we therefore provided for the lunchtime buffet. ‘No feeding the dog at table — we don’t do that,’ we had warned them sternly, only to realise, as we sat down, that such an admonition was irrelevant: the pork-pie plate on the corner of the table, comfortably within reach of a leggy retriever, no longer boasted so much as a crumb. The pie completed a festive season haul in Damson’s stomach that included a chunk of Stilton, Turkish Delight, half a pair of Barbour socks and the lower branches of two espalier apple trees. No need to inquire about our New Year resolutions.

One man who can bring off a master plan is Beaminster trainer Anthony Honeyball. Back in March his Jepeck finished second at Carlisle to Takingrisks, who went on to win the Scottish Grand National. Instead of continuing to run the now 11-year-old Jepeck in chases, Honeyball, noting that the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Sandown’s first meeting of the New Year carried a prize of £50,000, preserved his handicap mark over fences by running him in three novice hurdles, two of which he won. Tipsters and public spotted the stratagem and Jepeck became favourite for the popular contest for ageing stars of the jumping world.