“I got a ride on Dealers Dream”
The Duke had a potential owner, a lady who so she claimed, was getting her mare (called Dealers Dream) fit at home and when she thought it was straight enough intended putting it into training at Cotswold House Racing Stables.
That was her plan
One Sunday morning (Jan/Feb 87) the lady owner brought the mare to The Duke’s yard to give it a bit of work with one of the horses already in training, just to see how it compared and if it went well enough she was going to leave it at the yard.
As it happened, it was my weekend working (at the time every other weekend was off*) and I was in the yard.
We’d been mucking out then leading a few out round “The Pound” (photo) in Condicote after which some were going to be ridden (normally forthcoming runners).
The Duke said to me “Richard, the mare that’s just arrived you ride it in a gallop with Selborne Record who will be ridden by Dan (Jones)”… the lady owner was with The Guv’nor when he said this.
Dealers Dream was taken off the ladies horsebox and put into one of the stables, after all the owner was intending to leave it in the yard if the mare fared well enough.
I got my tack and went to saddle up Dealers Dream… after a minute or two The Duke (now alone) came into the mare’s stable and said “Richard make sure this mare doesn’t work well, I don’t want the f?cker in the yard” and added “you will be working up the all weather, make sure you lose a few lengths in the dip before the bend and finish behind Selborne Record”
I said “Ok”
The all weather gallop (photo) at Condicote was like this, it ran uphill for about 4 furlongs following the outside of a wood, at the end of the wood the all weather dipped, then out of the dip into a right handed bend to continue slightly downhill along the edge of woods/fields either side to the finish.
It was in the dip at the end of the first wood where I had to lose some ground… it was out of sight from where The Duke and owner were positioned.
Anyhow, Selborne Record couldn’t have gone quick enough because even though I did lose some ground the mare made it up and finished upsides her galloping partner… which wasn’t the plot!
The Duke and the mare’s owner were at the end of the gallop
Dan and myself took a turn back to the trainer and he said to me
“All Right Richard?”
I just said “She’s done nothing wrong”
Trainer and new owner drove off in the Daihatsu while Dan and myself walked our horses back to the yard.
There was no getting out of it for The Duke, the mare was stopping in the yard
Nicholson didn’t discuss anything with me about the gallop but what he did say, while at the same time pointing his finger at me was “When that mare runs… You Ride!”
That’s the story which led to me being given the ride on Dealers Dream
As a result, I got to ride in the purple colours carried by the decent Fulke Walwyn trained chaser Contradeal who was also owned by Mrs Althea Barclay
*Finish 12ish Saturday and back early Monday morning