pumpkinstrokemarrow

All things considered, we settled for Derby Lite this 22nd year. Clearly not up for doing it properly but it would have been a pity to break the run.

So we settled for starting at the King's Head at 1230 rather than the Marquis at 1000 (0800 one year, since when Derby Day opening at the Marquis has been a bit erratic. We have been pushed into the Albion in the past, but with this one now down we might have been into Wetherspoons had we started on time). In the very beginning the official sequence would have been Marquis, Albion, Wellington (once Milky's domain, now the Agora Amusement Arcade, this despite being a grade II listed building. Milky used to sell useful things like rolls and pies as well as beer), Rifleman and King's Head with unofficial detours to the Plough & Harrow (deceased) Common Room (renamed), the Vestry, South Hatch and the Derby Arms (now foodie place rather than pub, complete with big doormen on big days) also available, depending on mood and weather.

Hour or so at the King's Head over some very ordinary white wine, then into a passing taxi for a £10 ride up to Tattenham Corner for the 4 of us, the first time in all 22 years we have done anything other than walk. Entirely reasonable flat fare from the Epsom Chapter of the Taxi Drivers' Combine. Over the track to the older persons' enclosures on the top of the hill, from where one could see a good proportion the course, although one should say in fairness that the winning post was more than half a mile away and not terribly visible to the naked eye. Neither could one pick The Queen off her balcony so we cannot report on the colour of her hat, coat or dress. On the other hand we had drumming & dancing from the next door enclosure; looked good to be a proper party in time. There was also a very handsome car which looked to date from the fifties, complete pink paint, wings, chrome and Texas number plates.

Having read in the Racing Post more than a week ago that Camelot was a dead cert. for the Derby proper and so scarcely worth a punt, I decided to back Robin Hood from the same trainer in the Coronation Cup, a name which appealed partly because of our present researches into 'Ivanhoe' and partly because it reminded one of our coup with Jet Ski Lady on a previous occasion, said lady coming in for us at the same 66 to 1. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the same trainer did indeed have the winner in this race, one St. Nicholas Abbey, for which the horse I had backed was the pace maker.

Next activity was to inspect the large and much younger crowd in the dip, large chunks of which had been enclosed on one pretext or other. But lots of happy people and lots of rides. No trouble that we saw, beyond ladies in interesting dress wondering whether they would have done better not to wear such very high heels for hoofing it across the downs.

The Derby took the form for us of thundering hooves as we approached the entrance to the tunnel and very thundrous they were too. Race horses definitely impressive animals at close quarters. And as it turned out the Racing Post was quite right about the winner.

Notes from last year at 5th June 2011.