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Captain's Blog - 25th October 2011

I have written extensively over the last few days about the whip debate and have hopefully made my position very clear and I remain very concerned for the future of the sport under these new rules but yesterday I found some perspective courtesy of my daughter.

At 9am yesterday I went outside to move my car so that my wife could get her car out of the drive. I left our little one happily playing inside. As soon as I had moved the car I made my way back to the house only to find that I was locked out. I sprinted down the road to try and catch up with my wife but to no avail.

Back at the house my daughter was playing in the living room and I could see her through the window, she seemed happy enough but I was in panic mode. There were no windows open and I played peek a boo for a moment or two from the other side of the window before racing across the road to a friend's house to borrow a phone. I rang my wife but there was no answer so I ran back home and looked through the window again. Everything was OK my daughter sat in the middle of the room playing with one of my trainers! Then on the far side of the room I saw my wife's mobile, no point ringing her anymore then! I also spotted that her keys were in the lock on the inside so even if I had a key I would not be able to get in anyway.

Now I was in a mess literally and mentally.

My daughter had decided to crawl into the dining room, out of sight for the time being which was disconcerting. For about the 10th time I vaulted the back gate, yes that was locked too, to try and find a way to get in. By now my daughter was at the back door and seemed happy enough, a quick follow up game of peek a boo had her smiling, and I turned my attention to the bathroom window

It was double glazed but I could smash it, I was racking my brains, should I call the police, call a locksmith, but they may take ages? Then I looked at the bathroom window again and noticed that the top window on a hinge was slightly open. It was far too narrow for me to crawl through, but I could at least talk to my daughter and make her think I was in the house. Then I decided that if I could take the window off its hinges maybe just maybe I could squeeze through and get in. It was easy to take off with a bit of brute force and a screwdriver. Then came the moment of truth, I could get half way in but even with my sweatshirt off I could not quite get all the way in. I kept trying though and cut myself a few times in the process.

By now my daughter was watching from a distance and seemed to find it all very amusing. I struggled for 10 minutes but there was no way I was going to fit through the window. Then suddenly I heard my wife return from the shops. Now we had a chance because I was sure she would be able to get through the window. Once she realised what was going on she was through that window like the best cat burglar in the business. As she picked the little one up I sat down on the lawn with my head in my hands completely shattered and so relieved.

The whole episode was quite disturbing and although my daughter was absolutely fine I spent most of the day in a minor state of shock. No harm done though and a real sense of perspective gained because in the face of what happened yesterday morning who cares about the whip debate, in the grand scheme of things it matters not a jot. Of course it is an important issue for racing but in those 40 minutes yesterday morning I could not care less whether a horse is hit seven or 27 times as long as my little one was OK. Perspective is a great thing and maybe the good Lord saw fit to shock me into it yesterday.

I am filming a Breeders Cup preview today for our Planet Turf programme and it will be on your screens in due course.

Enjoy your day and if you need to get some perspective on this great game of ours try and do it in a less dramatic way than I managed yesterday.

Our selection yesterday was beaten into second by a nose. Never mind because we got through that window.

Today's Selection

5.20 Catterick - Spirit of Coniston (each way)