Taunton Barr

by Brian Cain

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Towcester Racecourse is a horse racing course that hosts a range of horse racing. Situated in the town of Towcester pronounced Toe-ster in the county of Northamptonshire, about one hundred kilometres North West of London. Over the past few years the facilities have been rebuilt and hosts national hunt races in the winter months. It is situated in the Easton Neston Estate. The first meeting took place in 1928, the Towcester Racecourse Company was formed by Lord Hesketh and it was then on his estate of Neston. Towcester is highly popular with the horse racing fraternity, because of the sharp bends and uphill finish which test the horses competing to the highest level. Towcester did not charge entry fee for punters until 2006 and even then only for two prominent races on Boxing Day and Easter Sunday. All other race days are free entry. Jockey Tony McCoy rode his 4,000th career win at this course riding Mountain Tunes in a novice hurdle. Towcester was informed of the entries for an expected low key four mile hurdle trial within the coming week, naturally they freaked out when they saw number seven Taunton Barr.

  Winston had run Crimson Tide, Backfire and Saracen far more than Taunton and at different meetings, they had already fulfilled the requirements to enter the Grand National. Graham Ellis had a new found social and domestic problem, he was saddled with information unavailable to many and forced to keep it to himself due to operational requirements. The fact that Kalika and Lindy were out there was beginning to horrify him, he became so involved with Taunton Barr's run at Towcester it led him to convince his department he should attend for matters within the investigation. Winston left it to Graham and mechanic, he was home catching up with commercial matters around the globe left way behind by matters of heart, when he turned on the radio to listen to the run. The commentator was familiar as had been brought in to call other runs Taunton had made.

  'And a damn lousy day here at Towcester and you can hear this record crowd and the reason no secret as Kalika Palmer releases Taunton Barr at the fence point from the mounting yard clear of the parade ground, and he takes off toward the starting tapes. My goodness me he is such a handful and Cumberland wrestling with his antics, not unusual I must say. A small field here as Taunton Barr a late entry from the Blake stable in Flax Burton, but this hasn't stopped the record crowd, lining the main road, police everywhere, in comparison to lazy days here can be described as organised kayos. Some misty rain and quite cool with a blustery wind at times coming from the west. And the twelve runners between the tapes, two laps of the course today, twenty jumps and medium going with the track surface in excellent condition. The field gathering at the start point, two late entries here with Taunton Barr, Allahabad, a very powerful flat tracker from India, owned by the Utter Pradesh syndicate, and Moet the French charger forming a portfolio to enter the Grand National from all accounts. Both these horses need only one more race should they place here to qualify for the national and that's what this is all about I believe. And a false start called, they turn to regroup apart from Taunton Barr want's to put on a show for the grandstand and they're loving it. A marshal tries for Taunton Barr's bridal but thinks better of it, Cumberland eventually points him back to the line and she takes him wide to the far side of the track and oh he rears up the rest of the field well set to go and they are away. Taunton Barr bringing up the rear, Moet into the lead as they head for the first fence, followed by Always, Serpentine, Fiddlers Run, Walking Home, Jurassic, Seven Stars, Heartbreaker, Duke, Pot The Black, Allahabad and Taunton Barr. Over the first and the field stays tight apart from Taunton Barr flies past Allahabad in the air over the first and Cumberland takes her mount straight to the inside of the field but is blocked by Pot The Black on the fence. Moet over the second with the field in a perfect line apart from Taunton Barr staying on the outside fence passing Pot The Black with Allahabad in tow. Over the third into turn two and Taunton Barr slips up another place passing Duke the rest of the field following Moet with a steady pace. Cumberland takes the inside line and breaks from Allahabad inside Heartbreaker and Seven Stars. As the crowd in the stand can see the pack on the back straight they become vocal as Taunton Barr moves up another place round Jurassic and sits behind Walking Home boxed in against the outside rail as they go over the fifth. Moet steady up the back straight over the sixth, steady run by the pack toward the seventh, and over goes the leader Moet, followed by Serpentine, Fiddlers Run, Taunton Barr moves up another place, Walking Home, Jurassic, Allahabad moving up three places in a very short distance, Heartbreaker, Duke, Pot the Black all over safely. Moet into the seventh on the outside of turn three, Serpentine now along side with a better jump, Fiddlers Run passed in mid air by Taunton Barr cleaning every fence, and from nowhere Allahabad is on Taunton Barr's tail. Over eight on the short straight to the eastern side of the track, Cumberland lands and takes the black stallion toward the rail getting there first, very quick on the turn this horse and Allahabad goes with Taunton Barr, under Serpentine and along side Moet and out of the bend into the grandstand straight and Taunton Barr draws ahead by a head, but the black stallion has a grey shadow called Allahabad. A clean run toward nine and over they go, Taunton Barr pulls a half length on the jump, Allahabad, Moet as these there put light between them and the pack. Over ten into the second lap and Taunton Barr has the lead, listen to the grandstand, into ten and the black stallion holds pace with Allahabad and Moet in procession, Serpentine, Fiddlers Run, Walking Home, Jurassic, Seven Stars, Heartbreaker, Duke and Pot the Black all still there starting to widen out. Over eleven on the outgoing straight and the three leaders spread across the track along side each other. I can see Cumberland holding her mount back and she eases him in behind Allahabad and the big grey takes the lead, Moet goes with her and Taunton Barr slips in behind both to them. And the time for these three's first lap a fraction of a second off the record, over twelve and the leading three gain more ground on the pack. Cumberland appears to be yelling at her mount and applying restraint to his efforts and he shakes his head in disapproval, seen this a few times now. Allahabad ups the pace and the procession goes up a gear and over twelve. Allahabad holds pace but Cumberland takes Taunton Barr to the rail and pushes up inside passing Moet in the process and drawing level on the turn and into the lead. Oh and Serpentine goes down at twelve and takes Fiddlers Run out, they are both up and look okay. Heading for fourteen and Allahabad draws level with Taunton Barr but Cumberland refuses to even have a look, over fourteen and Taunton Barr gains on the jump Moet goes with him passed Allahabad by a neck. Over fifteen five to go and Allahabad back in the lead and we are into unchartered territory for Taunton Barr as the distance heads into the extra mile. Over sixteen and they continue to pull away from the pack some ten lengths now, along side each other and over seventeen, still could be anybody's race. Cumberland gets down behind Taunton Barr's ears and lets him go, he strides ahead, Allahabad and Moet go with him, this is a hell of a race between these three. Round the last bend and it's Taunton Barr gains a length on the corner into the grandstand straight, Allahabad and Moet right on his tail by a length. Moet and Allahabad having the crop taken to them, stark difference in the way Taunton Barr runs trained by the late Roger Palmer something many notice as Cumberland doesn't even carry one. Into nineteen and Allahabad draws level with Taunton Barr on the run home to twenty, Moet pulls up in rank and there's nothing between them only inches apart across the track over twenty and Taunton Barr lands first and Cumberland tucks herself in not even looking over his head and he bolts, a length, two lengths, three lengths, four. And Taunton Barr wins another steeplechase with Moet and Allahabad in a photo for second place, Walking Home some fifteen lengths back, followed by Seven Stars, Jurassic, Duke, Heartbreaker and Pot the Black. And first second and third places have broken the four mile record here, and the favourite for this years grand national would have to be Taunton Barr. And Cumberland having a hell of a time pulling the black stallion up, she turns him and Kalika Palmer out onto the track and the mount settles and she clips a leader on him, Cumberland dismounts and she ma
kes a fuss of him as they walk him. And the crowd going absolutely mad after that, there he is, now the only undefeated champion going to the grand national. A spirited run by the French charger Moet and one of India's finest the big grey Allahabad. So if anyone was listening and only just tuned in, Taunton Barr has won his fifth steeplechase and will be legible to run in the grand national. Not only that, a gauntlet thrown down by the French stayer Moet, and Allahabad and I can guarantee there will be some rejoicing in Utter Pradesh in India, they absolutely love that horse there. Now I suggest there are now ten steeplechasers that can take it to the champ in the national, and we will watch their form as the weeks count down toward the great race. And that's all from Towcester and over to Royal Ascot for the running of the third there.'

  Winston turned his radio down, he thought looking unblinking into space, his concerns had been justified. Two horses had taken it to Flaxmead and another eight were coming to say nothing of Saracen, Backfire and Crimson Tide. He mumbled. 'The great race, now there's a thought.' He called mechanic to arrange a meeting.