Roger Alton Roger Alton

Winning Windsor

If ever I feel my zest for racing flagging, a day at Windsor soon sorts things out. The Thameside track, even more fun if you go there by boat, is one of the friendliest I know. Families picnic on the grass between the parade ring and the winner’s enclosure, the jazz bands stroll between the champagne and Pimm’s bars and, rarity of rarities on most racecourses, you can even find somewhere to sit down, a true mercy for those of us with occasionally dodgy backs. If you back Richard Hannon’s horses through the card, too, you can usually guarantee a winner. The fast-food outlets are the freshest you will find, and on Saturday I liked the style of the wine bar, which was well enough into the football-focused week to advertise its Gavi di Gavi as having ‘a finish better than Balotelli’s’.

It certainly was a good day for Italy with jockey Andrea Atzeni knocking off a double on Mezzotint for his compatriot Marco Botti and Vasily for fellow Newmarket trainer Robert Eddery. Mezzotint is owned by former QPR chairman Gianni Paladini, who positively bounced around the winner’s enclosure declaring emotionally, ‘Last week we got bumped and beaten a neck. This is one of the best feelings in my life. I just can’t describe it. Everyone needs something like this in life.’

He bought Mezzotint after his, shall we call it colourful, time at QPR, enlivened by stories of a gun levelled at his head by thugs who wanted the former players’ agent to quit, and at Windsor he showed what racehorse ownership can do for you instead by insisting, ‘I’m so excited. I got promoted to the highest level with QPR but this feels better.’ You can see his point.

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