Our writer at the track, Vicki Gibbins, with her take on Boyle Sports Lockinge day at Newbury.
“Do you want your hair doing?”
I instantly regret my complimentary cosmetics hunt into the Hair and Beauty tent at Newbury and bristle slightly, lifting a hand to my head.
What disaster has befallen my hair between the car and the racetrack that requires a complete re-do?
Politely declining and resisting the urge to find the nearest mirror, I continue my wandering, musing which ingredients change the fries at the burger van from ‘dirty’ to ‘filthy’ and not daring to ask.
It’s Lockinge Day at Newbury and there’s time to tick off the Ladies Day bingo card before racing starts - sponsor-themed flower wall (Boyle Sports blue not lending itself to floral decoration), free hair and beauty offerings (somewhat passive aggressive) and an achingly cringe-worthy DJ (‘let me hear you sing, Newbury!’).
Newbury have understood the assignment and there’s a delicate balance met between appropriately girly for the Ladies Day crowd and sufficient gravitas for the traditional race-goer, with replays of classic Lockinges reverberating over Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
We’ve got some cracking racing to look forward to and girls remain centre of attention for the first two races.
Kalpana has popped to her local track for a first outing of the season in the Aston Park Stakes and for all I defer to her Group One -winning antics, she looks in need the run after a comfortable winter. We’re all feeling the need to drop a few pounds ahead of Royal Ascot and the evergreen filly lands a blow for the ‘strong, not skinny’ brigade with a victory over West Wind Blows.
“I think she was just getting a little tired but she was entitled to win the race on ratings. You never know first time out while she is carrying a bit of extra condition, and she hasn’t run for a good while, so we are thrilled,” smiles trainer Andrew Balding.
“I think the Fillies & Mares will be the big plan for her.”
Esna gets the nod for another possible trip to France after a win in the Childwickbury Stud Fillies’ Trial Stakes, via Paris for a bit of shopping hopefully, and we’re onto the big one.
The ladies like a reliable chap and Notable Speech is certainly a good ‘un.
Winner of the 2000 Guineas in 2024, Charlie Appleby’s charge has been consistent throughout his career, securing a Breeders’ Cup win at Del Mar in November. The Lockinge may be competitive on paper but the five-year-old is a pure miler, through and through, pushing aside rivals for a determined win.
He comes back into the winners’ enclosure to the Spice Girls soundtrack from the neighbouring DJ tent: Swing it, move it, make it. Who do you think you are, some kind of superstar?
“All I wanted him to do was win a Group 1 [as an older horse] in Europe for his stallion career and he has gone and done that now,” says Charlie. “It is richly deserved.”
I’m taken by the boy-to-man transformation of Havana Hurricane in the paddock before the Carnavon Stakes. A bargain buy, Eve Johnson Houghton’s colt took connections into the winners’ enclosure at Royal Ascot and continued to dance every dance for the remainder of his juvenile season, including a sixth in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes.
I was fairly convinced the son of Havana Gold had been a one-season wonder but was delighted to be proven wrong as he made up late progress to finish a promising third behind Song Of The Clyde on seasonal reappearance.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled with him,” enthuses Eve.
“We’ve galloped him a lot, I felt that I couldn’t get him any fitter [at home], but I knew he needed the run – especially as they’d [first two] had a run.”
“We wanted to know if he would get the six [furlongs], as he didn’t last year, but he definitely got it this year. He got leg-weary, got tired but did enough to get the third. He’ll come on a tonne for that.”
And what next? There’s no hesitation.
“Commonwealth Cup.”
All roads lead to Royal Ascot – via the hairdresser, apparently.
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