The Turf | 9 February 2008

My favourite, though almost inevitably apocryphal, story from the US elections so far: Hillary Clinton, on a school visit, invites pupils to question her. ‘OK, Mrs Clinton,’ says Benjamin, ‘why did you vote for the Iraq war when now you oppose it? Why did you achieve so little on healthcare reform? And why didn’t you do more about your husband’s philandering?’ As the would-be presidential candidate gulps, the school bell goes off loudly, signalling break, and everybody departs.

When they reassemble it is Elmer’s turn. ‘Why, Mrs Clinton, didn’t you vote against the Iraq war? Why didn’t you do more about Bill’s philandering? Why did you achieve so little on healthcare reform? Oh, and why did the school bell go off 20 minutes early… and where is Benjamin?’

A straight answer is always the best one as we were reminded at Sandown on Saturday when Straw Bear, a potential Champion Hurdle fancy owned by J.P. McManus and trained by Nick Gifford, was beaten by Nicky Henderson’s Afsoun. Why the failure? we inquired. Often in such circumstances, with an edgy owner standing by, you get a load of old flannel about the unsuitable going, a wrongly paced race or a hiccup in the horse’s preparation. From Nick, with JP’s racing manager Frank Berry standing by, the response was admirably candid. ‘He was beaten by a better horse on the day. He came to win his race and didn’t. We were outstayed.’

Winning trainer Nicky Henderson was equally straight, admitting that Afsoun gets too keyed up before his races. He will have to take his chance in the Champion Hurdle now, says Nicky, but he warned openly that, with the massive crowds and the drawn-out preliminaries, ‘Cheltenham gets to him’.