Tom Roper's Weblog

Ladies' Day at Brighton racecourse

I had a very satisfactory day at Brighton racecourse for Ladies' Day, although I did not win the best-dressed gentleman prize, nor the best hat award, and my selection of Transvestite, which I thought could not lose at this track failed. But otherwise I had three winners.
Selections were:
230: Art Sale
300: Mudhish
330: Tilsworth Charlie
400: Transvestite
430: Danceinthevalley
500: Peter Island
530: Sopran Gath

Reading Medea

Perhaps because I am frittering away my time on Facebook, I haven't posted much here recently.
So to catch up with a few strands of my life:
Classics: I am reading the Medea in preparation for a visit to the famous Cambridge Greek play in October, offered every three years. There are 1419 lines in the play and 64 days until the production. If I am to read and understand the play thoroughly, I shall have to translate 22.17 lines a day between now and 10 October.
I also had, from the immensely helpful school archivist at the Perse, Mr D.J.Jones, the news that the Greek tag used as an epigraph for the school magazine the Pelican was not from Herodotus, as I had thought, but from Aeschylus's Persians, the oldest surviving play in history. The tag is from Atossa's speech:
πρὸς τάδ' ὡς οὕτως ἐχόντων τω̂νδε, σύμβουλοι λόγου
του̂δέ μοι γένεσθε, Πέρσαi, γηραλέα πιστώματα:
πάντα γὰρ τὰ κέδν' ἐν ὑμι̂ν ἐστί μοι βουλεύματα.
Translated thus by Herbert Weir Smyth:
'Therefore, since things stand as they do, lend me your counsel in this concern, Persians my aged trusty servants; For all my hopes of good counsel depend on you.'

Horse-racing: I managed no selections on the last day of Goodwood, but next week I shall go to Brighton for Ladies's  Day. I see there are prizes for the best dressed lady and gentleman, and a style guru award. I wonder what sort of chance I have.

Technorati Tags: euripides, medea, perse

Glorious Goodwood: Totesport Mile day

I've missed most of glorious Goodwood this week, but take to the fray today with the following selections:
215: Dragon Dancer
250: Costume
330: King of Argos
405: Fat Boy

Ascot and York: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

The wet going is going to make today's racing interesting and I take Scorpion to beat Dylan Thomas in the King George. Ascot is soft or good to soft on the straight course and supposed to be drying, while York is heavy.
Ascot 310: Al Khaleej
York 310: Winged Cupid
Ascot 345: King of Argos
York 350: El Bosque
Ascot 420: Scorpion

Newmarket and Ripon

Racing today has been badly affected by the rain, leaving only two meetings of interest to me.
Newmarket 235: Turbo Linn
Newmarket 305: Folly Lodge
Ripon 400: Spanish Hidalgo

Eclipse Stakes

I oppose Authorized in this, taking Notnowcato instead.
Sandown 205: Sierra Vista
Sandown 235: Mutanaseb
Sandown 315: Notnowcato

The story of Eclipse's skeleton, now to be seen at the National Horseracing Museum, is one of the most fascinating in turf history,. I may recount it here if I have time to do the research. There's a good article by Sherwin Hall in Veterinary History:
Hall, S A
The skeleton of Eclipse.
Vet Hist. 1984;3(3):94-100

Technorati Tags: veterinaryhistory, eclipse

Pitman's Derby

210 Newcastle: Rising Shadow
320 Newcastle: Nosferatu
340 Windsor: Aahyason
345 The Curragh: Peeping Fawn

Royal Ascot: day 5, Golden Jubilee stakes

230 Chesham Stakes: Feared in Flight
305 Hardwicke Stakes: Maraheel
345 Golden Jubilee Stakes: Asset
425 Wokingham Heritage Handicap: Zidane
500 Duke of Edinbrugh Heritage Handicap: Ogee
535 Queen Alexandra Stakes: Golden Quest

Royal Ascot: fourth day, Coronation Stakes

230 Albany Stakes: You'resothrilling
305 King Edward VII Stakes: Salford Mill
345 Coronation Stakes: Rahiyah
420 Wolferton Handicap: Emirates Sykline
455 Queen's Vase: Mahler
530 Buckingham Palace Handicap: Eisteddfod

Royal Ascot: third day, Gold Cup

230 Norfolk Stakes: Spirit of Sharjah
305 Ribblesdale Stakes: All My Loving
345 Gold Cup: Yeats
420 King George V Stakes: Colorado Rapid
455 Hampton Court Stakes: Tranquil Tiger
530 King George V Stakes: Eradicate

My record for the past two days is not inspiring: 12 selections, 0 winners, 2 placed