Fitzdares Times | issue 17

FRAYED UNION

BY CORNELIUS LYSAGHT

BY JOHN INVERDALE

BY STUART BARNES

BY JOE HODGSON

SALES PITCH

IF YOU WERE TO MAKE A LIST of the most overused terms during the Qatar World Cup, then up there with “false nine” and “low block” would be “sportswashing” and “soft power”. There’s little doubt that Qatar’s desire to host the most watched global sporting event was as much about spreading its influence – and, by association that of the whole region – as it was about staging a football tournament.

Qatar’s stunning, illuminated skyline is throbbing on a nightly basis with dinners and deals, and it’s not a coincidence Liverpool have entered talks with Saudi

Arabian and Qatari consortiums over a potential £3 billion deal now that the Fenway Sports Group have announced they’re intending to sell, at the very least, a stake at Anfield.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the competition from both Liverpool and Manchester United to entice bids from the Middle East isn’t as fiercely contested as anything in the latter stages of the World Cup. Fenway’s signalling that they are prepared to sell part or all of Liverpool has clearly spooked Manchester United’s Glazer brothers into action, and they now

seem to be rushing to the table before all the food has gone. You don’t become very successful businessmen by missing out on the best price.

Newcastle United are already there, of course, after they were taken over by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) among others. The Saudis have been looking to diversify their revenue streams away from

oil, which they know won’t last for ever, and sport has an obvious outlet for that –witness the Formula One and boxing as well as the football.

Given the figures being quoted for Liverpool and Manchester United, the £300 million price tag for Newcastle may turn out to be a bargain. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has resisted the urge to dash around the supermarket with his new, gofaster trolley and is incrementally building up his squad. It’s not impossible they will finish in the top four this season at all, but what’s clear is that, given the moniker of

HOLY TRINITY How will tennis look after the big 3?

TURFED OUT Racing must get its mojo back

SCREEN TIME Why the Oscars require stamina

The day of the jackal is hurting rugby

We may be about to enter a new era in the Premier League where the very biggest clubs are the preserve of owners from the Middle East.

→ ‘the richest football club in the world’, if they continue on this path and get their signings right like they did with Bruno Guimaraes, then a tilt at the title itself may be closer than some think.

Allied to outstanding coaching and shrewd player recruitment, the security of knowing that money isn’t a problem means the mood on Tyneside has been transformed – and the Premier League’s biggest two beasts on sale may well prove irresistible to Middle East investors. It wouldn’t be a surprise if those were the sorts of conversations being had over fattoush and sushi in Doha’s West Bay restaurants.

Liverpool have done astonishingly well over the past five seasons to keep pace with Manchester City, given the financial disparity between the two clubs, and fans of Liverpool and Manchester United may well think with some justification that a takeover is now the only way to challenge City’s hegemony. Neutrals will point out Arsenal’s

Counting our blessings

When I wrote a short note last Christmas I was optimistic for the year ahead. We were out of Covid, we could enjoy Christmas and we could attend sport again! We had even written a book celebrating getting out and about in London.

Well, a lot has happened in a year and there’s been lots of doom and gloom. But across our Fitzdares family there has been a phlegmatic optimism. Our Club in London is full, the club in the Cotswolds is a hit, we’ve launched an online shop for Christmas, and we will be taking wagers in Canada by the Super Bowl.

All this is nice, but most importantly the sport in 2022 has been incredible and the perfect tonic to keep us distracted. Long may we have this wonderful distraction. Enjoy Christmas and see you in the new year.

encouraging season, but at the moment it’s no more than that, and Mikel Arteta knows that the Kroenke family’s largely selfsustaining model will push his coaching credentials to the limit. (That, and a lot of luck with injuries.) We may be about to enter a new era in the Premier League where the very biggest clubs are the preserve of owners from the Middle East.

FOR FANS LOWER DOWN the football pyramid, what will be significant in the short term will be the continuation of the Saturday 3 o’clock TV black-out. Americans can’t quite fathom that we’re not able to sit in our armchairs and watch our favourite teams on the television home and away every time – the black-out puts paid to that.

There’s no tradition of away fans in American sports, for very obvious geographical reasons, but I do feel strongly that the black-out should stay. The impact of lifting it wouldn’t be felt higher up the food chain – if you wanted to watch Tottenham at home or travel with Aston Villa, then I’m certain you still would. But if you follow a non-league team in particular – and often fans have a non-league team as their ‘second team’ – then the consequences of looking out of the window, seeing it’s raining and then thinking, “No, I’m just going to watch Man Utd on my subscription instead” could be devastating for clubs that rely on clicking turnstiles – and all this just after the disruption from the Covid pandemic.

OUR TRIBUTE TO THE BEST BETS, JUNE TO NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 7 JULY

INVESTED £5 E/W DOUBLE SELECTION Coast @ 40/1 14:00 Wolverhampton African Sun @ 50/1 19:00 Uttoxeter RETURNED £11,197

SUNDAY 17 JULY

INVESTED £5,000 SELECTION Cameron Smith @ 12/1 The Open Championship RETURNED £65,000

FRIDAY 29 JULY

INVESTED £500 E/W SELECTION Next Second @ 28/1 16:30 Wolverhampton RETURNED £17,800

SATURDAY 13 AUGUST

INVESTED £100 FOURFOLD SELECTION Over 2.5 First Half Goals @ 9/2 Austin FC vs Sporting Kansas Over 2.5 First Half Goals @17/4 Dallas vs San Jose Earthquakes Over 2.5 First Half Goals @ 5/1

Houston Dynamo vs Montreal Impact Over 2.5 First Half Goals @ 7/2

LA Galaxy vs Vancouver Whitecaps RETURNED £77,962

THURSDAY 18 AUGUST

SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER

INVESTED £500 E/W SELECTION Guido Migliozzi @ 66/1 French Open RETURNED £40,600

MONDAY 3 OCTOBER

INVESTED £5 TRIXIE SELECTION Surrey Mist @ 9/2 15:12 Windsor Gavi De Gavi @ 22/1 19:30 Wolverhampton Idoapologise @ 8/1 20:30 Wolverhampton RETURNED £57,000

SUNDAY 23 OCTOBER

INVESTED £9,000 SELECTION India @ 13/2 vs Pakistan RETURNED £67,500

SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER

INVESTED £6,000 DOUBLE SELECTION Affordale Fury @ 11/8 15:30 Galway Houston Texas @ 11/4 15:40 Carlisle RETURNED £57,000

WEDNESDAY 2 NOVEMBER

Woodhams, CEO

Money flooding in from abroad – and increasingly maybe from the Middle East –has been inevitable since Roman Abramovich, but the delicate balance of the English ecosystem can’t be threatened as a result.

INVESTED £1,000 DOUBLE SELECTION Adaay In Asia @ 15/2 17:20 York Bonny Angel @ 6/1 18:45 Leicester RETURNED £59,500

n

Mark Pougatch has been in Qatar presenting ITV’s football coverage.

Congratulations on some fantastic picks in 2022, you all know who you are.

INVESTED £1,500 SEVENFOLD SELECTION Man City @ 2/9 vs Sevilla Benfica @ 4/6 vs Maccabi Haifa Paris Saint-Germain @ 4/7 vs Juventus Chelsea @ 4/11 vs Dinamo Zagreb Burnley @ 4/11 vs Rotherham Watford @ 6/4 vs Cardiff Real Madrid @ 2/9 vs Celtic RETURNED £27,279

William

Delight in every moment.

We’ve been sending our champagne over to you from Épernay ever since our family first created it back in 1849. Refined and elegant, it’s the perfect accompaniment to every special occasion. Of course, what constitutes a special occasion is entirely up to you.

SPEAKER’S CORNER Cornelius Lysaght

TURFED OUT

FIRST, MAY I DECLARE an interest: in 2020 the perceived wisdom within the racing bubble that the BBC had all but fallen out of love with the sport became stark reality for me when I was given my marching orders by the corporation – news delivered by a Mr Gallop, ironically –after just short of 30 years reporting and writing on its radio and online platforms.

It was a massive change for me; apparently I told a newspaper that to be “let go” after so long was like “having my insides torn out”, which I don’t actually remember saying but exactly described how I did feel. Hopefully one or two listeners and readers missed me, and there was certainly a flattering number of sympathetic noises from every corner on the racecourse, though they perhaps varied in sincerity.

One now ex-trainer asked about my plans before adding, after gleefully sucking air through his teeth and shaking his head like a builder offering a quote for a storm-damaged roof, that “it would be pretty hard to get another job at your age”. I replied: “I’ve seen some of the **** that get training licences; I might apply to be one of them.” Funnily enough we haven’t spoken since.

But was it all a surprise? Not really. The reasons given by way of explanation for my departure were of the cost-cutting variety, and it is probably fair to say that the value I was providing was down – not, I might say, through lack of enthusiasm from this quarter, but because of a dearth of eagerness from some BBC editors for news or for what might be called ‘good’ stories ahead of a stellar race or a festival fixture. More negative headlines around horse welfare or corruption allegations or failed drugs tests were not necessarily guaranteed any airtime either.

Elsewhere in the mainstream media, The Times had already become a nonrunner in terms of a racing correspondent, while since my exit it has become more and more apparent how fewer and fewer column inches, or their modernday equivalent, are dedicated to what is the second biggest spectator sport in Britain, even in what would once have been considered hardcore supportive areas of the media.

So why, when racing has enough about it to sustain a portfolio including a daily trade newspaper, weekly terrestrial TV coverage plus two specialist channels, aren’t newspapers/websites providing the type of priceless editorial that helped to get me and so many others hooked? It’s because racing’s position in society is

Fewer and fewer column inches are dedicated to what is the second biggest spectator sport in Britain.

sadly nowhere near where it used to be, and I’m not just talking about centuries ago when you were not considered any sort of mover or a shaker unless your silks were seen regularly being worn by a jockey riding your horse against the equally magnificent steed of one of your peers, with a generous purse and even larger side bets riding on it.

Of course that sort of thing is the stuff of history lessons, but, well within living memory, Aintree hero Red Rum and Desert Orchid, the extravagant grey, were literally household names as ‘Rummy’ and ‘Dessie’ – the latter famously found to be better known than the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont, in a poll during the early 1990s – but, with great respect to Frankel or Kauto Star or Tiger Roll, it is pretty much impossible to imagine anything like in the 21st century.

EVEN DURING THE TRIBUTES following the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, I’m not at all sure that her positively infectious passion for every aspect of horseracing received quite the attention it deserved, and although I am no connoisseur of The Crown, I gather that racing hardly gets a look-in there. Quite possibly the sport did punch above its weight and has now discovered that its true place is an uncomfortably lower one than it would have liked, but that should not stop the efforts of its leaders to raise that position again or at least contain its slide.

Amid all the debate about funding, field sizes and the race programme, it is not difficult to wonder if anyone has actually recognised a situation that has become increasingly critical – or indeed whether anyone cares. Any other major historic brand would be making a song and dance about ordering research and analysis to be carried out and strategies to be formed. There is no obvious evidence of this taking place, but maybe the well-qualified new head of communications at the British Horseracing Authority is the one to act. Because the fact is that racing’s powers-that-be can argue all they like about this, that or the other, but without engaged fans let’s be frank: the future looks depressingly bleak. n

Cornelius Lysaght is a racing writer and broadcaster with more than 30 years’ experience and a Fitzdares ambassador.

No 21st-century horse captured the public’s affection the way Desert Orchid did

AFTER FOUR YEARS OF PROMOTION and relegation, it really feels like Fulham FC are settling into their stride. Those topsy-turvy days – which overlapped with the turmoil of Covid – are no longer on the agenda. When the Premier League paused for the World Cup Fulham FC lay in ninth place, and barring an unprecedented collapse they will surely start next season in roughly the same position (alphabetically).

Jon Don-Carolis, Fulham FC’s commercial director, is the man who brought Fitzdares on board as the club’s official UK betting partner. As the oldest and arguably ‘poshest’ club in London, Fulham FC like to choose their friends carefully. “It’s so, so important for Fulham FC to work with like-minded brands,” says Jon. “The calibre, the synergies, the shared values. That’s what our portfolio is based around. It’s paramount to the club.”

Of course, Jon’s remit to make deals that work for the brand are largely tied to the club’s performance on the pitch. Last season, having just been relegated, Fulham FC challenged themselves once again to bounce straight back up. In the summer of 2021, out went Scott Parker and in came Marco Silva. “The new manager came in with a new philosophy, training schedule, nutritional plan. Coming with his pedigree, it was a very exciting time to be at the club. We knew his favoured formation [4-2-3-1], which we were sure would bring the best out of [Aleksandar] Mitrovic. The first transfer window was incredibly positive, and we felt the new additions really added touches of quality to the squad.”

FULHAM FC ARE FLYING HIGH, BUILDING ON A FABULOUS PROMOTION SEASON – AND BEHIND IT LIES A TRUE SENSE OF FAMILY AT THE CLUB

Unlike a lot of Premier League teams, the working environment is very family-oriented, where the players and staff overlap almost everywhere, bar the wings.

“It’s very buzzy,” says Jon. “I know it sounds cheesy but there’s a real family feel to the club. We’re all based at the training ground with the senior squad and academy teams, so you really feel the wins and the losses. You can walk in on a Monday and sense the result even if you didn’t actually know it. You very much feel part of the team. It’s rare for a top-tier club to have the corporate and performance areas integrated on one campus; Fulham FC is different. There’s a real feeling of togetherness.”

And the playing staff are happy with that? “They seem to enjoy running rings around us when we play staff football together on a Thursday morning! But it certainly does help commercially. Bumping into the players on their walk to the cryotherapy chamber or chatting in the canteen helps build the relationship and trust, so when it comes to collaborating with partners on commercial projects there is a level of comfort and the boys feel more relaxed getting involved in initiatives that might usually be out of their comfort zone.”

It’s this sense of togetherness that was essential to the success of 2021/22. After such a tough relegation season (it took Fulham FC until March to get their fifth win), they needed a fast reaction. There were demons to exorcise. Under Silva’s shrewd guidance, they got off to a flyer.

“The number one objective was instant promotion,” says Jon. “The year we were relegated was the Covid year. We had a short transfer window and not long to turn things around. We didn’t really start clicking and winning points until January, and by then we were faced with an uphill task. The next season in the Championship featured the nucleus of that Premier League squad which had finished the season so well in terms of performances.”

Four wins in their first five games in autumn 2021 marched them to the top of the Championship. Promotion was suddenly expected, which added to the pressure, and an inevitable slump arrived. They won just two of the next six games, ending in a crashing 4-1 defeat at Coventry. “It felt like a wake-up call,” says Jon. “It was a shocking result but showed

that no team can suddenly turn invincible. It was arguably a blessing in disguise.”

From there on in, their season was a graph that just kept on creeping up and up. In early January the team really clicked into gear with a stretch of results – 7-0 at Reading, 6-2 at home to Bristol City and 6-2 at home to Birmingham City – that made Fulham FC the first club to score at least six goals in three consecutive games in the second tier since Everton in 1954.

“It was such a highlight to see Carvalho flourish – a genuine product of the academy, having joined at nine years old, having such a huge impact on the first team. And the WilsonMitrovic link up play was special. It was just such an exciting season, full throttle from start to finish. Confidence was skyhigh. The stadium was buzzing, every game was sold out –both tickets and hospitality. It was the hottest ticket in town.”

Yet it is in those moments, when there’s pandemonium and optimism and hope and glory, that Jon is there to keep a level head. After all, if the team can get the results on the pitch, he needs to deliver off the pitch. Football is a fun business, but it’s still a business.

“Pressures come around the principal partnerships,” he explains. “The Premier League and the Championship present vastly different offerings in terms of market reach and relative investment level to match, so typically you do tend to see rotation in these relationships when navigating between the divisions. In that sense, the real pressure comes from the short window to sign these top-tier partnerships, while it’s also hugely important to keep the crux of our portfolio happy –those vitally important long-term brand partners that have rid-

den the roller-coaster of both divisions with us over the years.”

While Jon was lining up the deals, he couldn’t pull the trigger until promotion was confirmed. On 19 April, they beat Preston North End 3-0, guaranteeing a top two finish. “Everyone at Motspur Park was over the moon. It was also a great moment for the commercial team, because it allowed us to put pen to paper on all those exciting projects we’d lined up until that moment.”

They couldn’t do it all at once, though. Jon and the team had to consider the transfer incomings and outgoings in the summer, aware that they would have a huge impact on the marketability of the club to potential partners. Not that he can meddle in transfer activity.

“It’s so interesting to see the hotspots of our popularity change over the years,” he says, citing the USA, some African countries and Israel. “It’s a fun aspect of our jobs, building international strategies. We’ve even become the number one club in Costa Rica!”

The more the club achieve, the more powerful they’ll become in the market. Signings like Willian and João Palhinha have increased their visibility in the Portuguese-speaking world – something the commercial and transfer teams have already begun to explore.

Either way, the last season and a half has brought a new vigour and excitement to the club. With the new Fulham FC Pier/Riverside stand coming next year, as well as the exciting brand of football under Marco Silva, they are here to stay. We can’t wait to continue our partnership with Fulham FC into the new year and beyond.

By Rory Fairfax

GREAT ESCAPES PREMIER LEAGUE HOUDINI ACTS

WEST BROM’s survival in 2004/05 marked the first time in the PL that a team had stayed up after being on the foot of the table on Christmas Day. They gained the fewest points (34) and the fewest league wins (six) for a nonrelegated side – but the Baggies fans celebrating a 2-0 win over Portsmouth on the final day cared not a jot.

WEST HAM’s turnaround in 2006/07 will be remembered as one of the most dramatic. With nine games to go the Hammers looked doomed, only to pick up more points (21) from those fixtures than in the preceding 29 (20). Buoyed by Carlos Tevez’s 10 league goals in his final 10 games, Alan Curbishley’s men stayed up on the final day.

SUNDERLAND peaked at the perfect time in 2014/15 as they joined West Brom as the only other side to be bottom on Christmas Day and stay up. They spent 226 days in the relegation zone, but in the end they stayed up with a bit to spare after ending Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge amid four consecutive wins.

Fabio Carvalho rose through the ranks at Fulham and blossomed last season before a summer move to Liverpool

FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER

It all started on a rather swanky yacht. The 300ft Kismet had rumbled over from the Mediterranean to London en route to its home in Florida. As far as megayachts go, Kismet has all the bells and whistles, everything a stylish sports billionaire needs. One wonders why a private boat needs so many bars (surely someone brings you a drink on holiday) but then you soon realise that this is no holiday boat. Kismet is the mobile head office of Mr Shahid Khan.

Mr Khan was an exemplary host on our night as we sat moored under Tower Bridge, in unseasonably excellent weather, with the great and the good of Floridian gridiron and south-west London’s football elite. For Mr Khan is no normal automotive billionaire. Actually, hold that, he is the absolute example of an automotive billionaire, for he has the ultimate trappings of wealth: an NFL team and an English Premier League team. Surely the most spectacular double any club owner can have.

Our boat party was the start of a weekend where Mr Khan cemented his power in world sport and showed us Brits how to really party. The boat party didn’t disappoint. We would have been soaked in Krug but due to a global shortage, Pol Roger had to do – to little complaint – and the lovely transatlantic crew could even muster a half-decent martini and an oyster shucker. In these times of austerity, the caviar was spooned on to your plate rather than left for the greedy. Food was a ‘global buffet’, all much better than it sounds, and the entertainment was provided by a Manchester gentleman called Noel. But it was all a preview of the weekend ahead.

DIARY

by William Wolfe

SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER

To the cottage at The Cottage for the next part of our special weekend. Now, for anyone who has been to a football match, you’ll know that it can be fraught with queues, warm beer and dangerous food. But for a very select few, there is a temple of calm and elegance that sits on the river just a few metres from my former favourite restaurant, the River Café (now far too expensive, dated and silly). Fitzdares kindly secured me two places in the cottage for the Fulham vs Everton game, a chance for the team to impress the aforementioned Mr Khan on his whistlestop tour. Sadly, their day was not to be, with a rather forlorn no-score draw.

But the cottage is another thing. Anne Boleyn’s ex-hunting lodge sits in the corner of the ground and hosts an exceptional restaurant that opens to a Georgian (and listed) terrace that gives uninterrupted views of all the Premier League visitors. Plus, a chance to chat to the great and the good of each team.

It really is a special place to enjoy football and makes Fitzdares’ sponsorship of Fulham start to make excellent financial sense. I don’t exaggerate when I say (after 30 years of visiting grounds) it is the best place to watch football in the world, and they serve excellent champagne.

SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER

By Sunday afternoon we were pretty tired by our escapades (team Khan had moved on to Soho the night before), but it was time for the final piece of the puzzle. Mr Khan’s Jacksonville Jaguars were to play at Wembley against the Denver Broncos.

The Jaguars had commandeered the stadium and claimed it as their own –selling a record amount of tickets and laying on all the magic of the NFL for us. And here lies the rub: anyone who visits Fulham’s new Riverside Stand will see the future of live sport. No queues, excellent food and beer, and, dare I admit it, I had a gin and tonic and watched a band at half-time. Sadly, Wembley is stuck in quagmire of cost-cutting and bad management. Not only is the food and drink miserable (really miserable), but also it’s impossible to leave the stadium. Not to mention being staffed by a team with zero passion for the attending sports lovers. Add this to the stop-start nature of an NFL game and you create an experience that simply won’t do. I’m not ashamed to say I left early.

Thankfully, Mr Khan is revolutionising sport in south-west London, but you can’t help but feel he should have got his hands on Wembley when he had the chance. Discuss! n

He has the ultimate trappings of wealth: an NFL team and an English Premier League team

William Wolfe’s book is available to buy in the Fitzdares shop for £14.99

The superyacht Kismet and the old cottage at Craven Cottage are both ideal entertainment venues in their different ways

the fitzdares club town & country membership

COUNTRY MEMBER – £350PA

Access to the Cotswolds Club and on-course at the Cheltenham Festival

FULL MEMBER – £600PA

Access to all four Clubs, including London, the Cotswolds and on course at Windsor and the Cheltenham Festival

TOWN MEMBER – £350PA

Access to the Mayfair Club and on-course at Windsor throughout the summer

PICKING A WINNER IS NOT ALWAYS ENOUGH

was the fact that Darren Clarke had won the Open at the same age the previous year, as well as the belief that he should have won at Lytham 16 years earlier (when he tied for second behind Tom Lehman) and should have got closer than third to David Duval at the same course in 2001. He felt the Lancashire links owed him one.

So what happened? With an hour’s play to go, true to form, I cold-panicked. Adam Scott was four clear with four to play and looked certain to win. Equally, early finisher Els was firmly booked for second place coming down the 18th. A guaranteed profit was wrapped up with the £800 place part of the bet. So, like the spineless bottler I was, I went on to Betfair and gradually offloaded £2,000 of my potential £3,200 win payout. And watched, half in horror, half in delight, as Els sank a long birdie putt at the 72nd hole and Scott bogeyed each of the last four holes.

It wasn’t even a play-off. Els had won, all those high rollers who ridiculed the headline on my Open preview had to eat humble pie – and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I’d won two grand –and lost two! ’Twas ever thus. Great at working out winners, whether golfers, horses or boxers. Terrible at turning that talent into hard cash.

being dumped on the seat of his pants in round four by our heavyweight champion Henry Cooper, I was convinced he had absolutely no chance again the Baddest Man on the Planet when, in his next fight, he was rash enough to take on the sinister world champion Sonny Liston. My local “turf accountant” had him at 7/1, so I rashly said to my sports editor: “You can have 100/1 with me.” Those six little words were to cost me two months’ wages. Thank goodness the boss only had a £1 bet and graciously gave me six months to pay!

This expensive lesson in recklessness also taught me not to believe all I read – Liston wasn’t so fearsome after all – or even all I saw.

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME. And sometimes you lose some even when you win. Let me give you an example by telling you how I botched the biggest golf payout of my chequered betting career and why I may be a good judge but a rotten punter. I am not a big player – more a tenner man – and my £40 each way on Ernie Els at 80/1 for the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham represented a firmly held opinion that, for once, the bookies had got it seriously wrong. Admittedly the great South African was past his prime at 42 and had not won a major for ten years, but spurring him on

Part of the problem is that being right has always been more important to me than making money. That’s why, in my ninth decade and after tipping nigh on 900 golf winners, I’m still trying to earn an honest crust to fund my wife’s addiction to nicotine and obsession with backing slow, grey racehorses, instead of living a life of luxury with handmaidens pouring the Dom Pérignon and stroking my fevered brow.

A salutary experience turned me from fearless to cautious punter at an early age. We’re going back to 1963 and I’m a know-it-all 21-year-old junior reporter on a weekly newspaper earning £12 a week who thinks he’s a boxing expert. Having watched the young Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali)

Clay was getting a huge amount of publicity by predicting the round, but it had gone badly wrong against Doug Jones in New York when that opponent failed to fall in five but instead went the distance. Next up, Clay’s people needed a hand-picked opponent he could stop when he said he would. Cooper, a noted bleeder with a long history of cut eyes, was that man. Clay called it for round five, messed around for four, got carelessly caught by that famous left hook, got up quickly and within a minute of the fifth round starting had cut poor Henry to ribbons, forcing the referee to stop it. Job done, reputation restored.

Sometimes you have to hold your hand up. Yes, I’ve been a mug more than once, but hopefully never quite as daft as the Betfair punter who in 2003 lost his life savings laying the leader of the Madeira Open, Bradley Dredge, for every penny he could lay his hands on when the European Tour website’s leaderboard flashed up that the Welshman had taken 30 on the opening hole of his final round. It transpired that someone had inadvertently pressed an extra button. Dredge had made a birdie three and went on to win by eight. But what pro would ever take 30 on one hole?

As I said, never believe all you read! n

Jeremy Chapman was smart enough to make a great punt on the 2012 Open – but then…

Jeremy Chapman is a sportswriter and golf tipster

Part of the problem is that being right has always been more important to me than making money

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Rugby is suffering through an era of defensive play and serious safety worries – but changing certain

STATE OF THE

SOMETHING IS GOING WRONG Take a day at Twickenham, for example: it simply isn’t what it once was for the English rugby fan. It’s not just the blaring noise that fills every second of the afternoon, it’s also the vast number of dead seconds and minutes that’s such a cause for concern. You can sit in the press box, filing to a tight deadline, and realise you’ve entered dead time. Nothing is happening. There’s no movement.

The scrums are set, reset and re-reset. You can listen to an entire Cheltenham race on your phone from the moment the whistle is blown for a scrum to the moment in which the scrum-half feeds the ball. The referee is talking to the forwards, who are standing around… doing nothing.

And then there are line-outs. The ball is kicked to touch from a penalty and the pack stand 20 metres from the place where the hooker will throw in, standing around…

LAW AND ORDER

Four sports that benefited from law changes

FOOTBALL

English fans recall the 1990 World Cup with fondness, but in reality much of the football was tedious. A terrible final was the final straw, and the authorities set about preventing goalkeepers handling backpasses. The law came into effect in summer 1992 and the game improved as a spectacle overnight.

CRICKET

The LBW law has been through many changes, but perhaps the most successful tweak came in 1937. Until then, the ball had to pitch in line with the stumps for LBW to be possible; the change to allow LBW from balls pitching outside off stump went a long way towards repairing the balance between batsman and bowler.

GOLF

It’s easy to forget that once upon a time, in matchplay, a golfer wasn’t allowed to move their ball on the green even if it was directly in an opponent’s path. The “stymied” opposition player had to try to putt around the opponent’s ball or even chip over it. Remarkably, the rule was only abolished worldwide as recently as 1952.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Imagine: Tom Brady lobs a perfect pass over a cornerback into the hands of his wide receiver in the end zone – only for an official to throw a penalty flag because of an illegal forward pass. Until 1906 (when even Brady was a youngster!), forward passes were not allowed in a sport that was closer to its rugby football origins.

doing absolutely nothing. There are segments of the 80 minutes when no one is injured yet no one is doing anything. England’s game with Argentina was a dirge from a neutral’s perspective – yet that was a mere warm-up for Japan and the art of nothing one week later.

Forget the trains; quick and exciting as the Premiership may be, the international game is too often a go-slow zone, with Twickenham an epicentre.

In short, there is a deficit of speed – in all senses of the word. Rugby union is a game of subtle skills and bludgeoning power, but in the age of immediate entertainment it has to recognise its need to attract new viewers. There is an unarguable perception that rugby is on the edge of an existential crisis because of the health and safety issue. Head injury assessments (HIAs) are perceived as a threat from the youngest children playing at their local schools and clubs, through to every layer of club rugby.

There’s no doubting the importance of eradicating the risks as much as possible (although the sport can’t ever be safe, no more than the daily existence that is each and every one of our lives), but most that is wrong with rugby and all that can potentially be made right is linked to a reassessment of the sport; one inextricably bound with making the game faster, more spectacular and with it safer.

THE LAWS OF THE SPORT need an overhaul, yet this most conservative of sports is deadly slow to act. There was a time when hookers rarely scored tries. Now the hooker is a scoring machine. Tucked in at the back of a driving maul –with seven teammates effectively blocking the opposition’s route to the ball – he is to all intents and purposes untouchable. The line-out five metres from the opposing try line is a legalised offside in all but word. No wonder so many hookers score. Partisans don’t care if it’s their team scoring, but for newcomers it’s deadly dull.

Yet this 50/50 chance of a close-range score is rated worthy of five points, as much as a wonder try from the other end of the earth. This is an example of the need to rethink. Back in the 1960s teams could kick the ball into touch from ANYWHERE on the field. It was an easy way to make yards without taking risks. The sport recognised the shift and changed the law. The ball could only be kicked out on the full from one’s own 25 (yards as it then was); otherwise it had to be bounced into touch. Kicking became more skilled but, more importantly, it disincentivised the easy

option of kicking the ball out and slowing the sport.

We need lawmakers thinking more sharply on their feet. Cut back on the points scored, take the conversion option away. Anything – but shrink the value. Maybe even ban lifting at the line-out. The set piece would become both quicker for all and more competitive for the opposing side. That in itself would be another reason to kick less.

At the breakdown, referees allow players to charge into the melee without binding, as the current law demands. They let players

England’s game with Argentina was a dirge from a neutral’s perspective – yet that was a mere warm-up for Japan and the art of nothing one week later.

fly into the breakdown as long as they’re on their feet. Why, when the laws forbid it? Because there is a new creature within the sport. They are known as the jackal – a specialist who locks their body over the tackled/tackler and grips on to possession. They’ll win a penalty or turnover if nobody knocks him out of the way, and in order to do that there will need by quite the collision. The binding law was designed for a pre-jackal age.

The jackal wins the penalty, but the risk of players getting hit – not necessarily in the head – again and again is an incentive to avoid the agony of what can be a glorious game. The jackal is part and parcel of the health and safety issue. It’s integral, but the

sport allows this recent interloper to continue to steal ball, slow the game, stop forwards attacking tackle areas on their feet in numbers to ruck the possession back with their feet.

An old-fashioned ruck, with men ON their feet and battling over the ball in numbers, creates space elsewhere. SPEED!

Speed is the friend of attacking ambition and the enemy of defensive negativity. Head injuries are going to help the game save the attacking instinct as well as protect individuals and the game itself –for players and spectators. Union is working hard to prevent high tackles. Many refereeing decisions are harsh on the defender, but the sport must keep whistling. It has to eliminate the risk. When I was a kid there were few high tackles, but then again there were few professional defence coaches arriving from rugby league, intent on stopping the offload by a ball carrier.

The point of tackling high is not some nefarious act of violence; rather, it’s a critical part of stopping the attacker passing the ball and a support runner into space.

Defence has dominated the sport since the advent of professionalism. Yet, with the sport in the depth of a perceived health crisis, opportunities exist for the game to enjoy its first golden age of attacking rugby, with the high scores witnessed at club level slowly being reproduced in even the pressurised world of the Test arena.

FRANCE HAS A VIBRANT club scene; the English one is thriving on the field but needs a vision from the RFU and a will to grow the game rather than just enhance the monopolistic business too many backers of the game would like it to be.

Rugby league has not conquered union because it has failed to escape Yorkshire and Lancashire. There is a lesson for union: it must establish strong bases the length and breadth of the country, from Doncaster to Penzance. It can’t settle for the traditions of its small cities and market towns like Gloucester, Northampton, Bath and the affluent London suburbs.

If the sport is to cement its position as attendant to football, it has to do a certain number of things better than it has to date. It needs to address health and safety without forgetting about the essence of the game. Laws must refocus on making speed and power the pre-eminent spectacle – a sport where 82,000 people head home from Twickenham saying: “My God, but that was good.” Whether such a vision exists… n

Stuart Barnes won 10 England caps and is a rugby commentator and analyst for Sky Sports.

Rugby was a more-free-flowing affair in the old days

UNION

The growth of the ‘jackal’ role at rucks has slowed the game down and has brought fresh concerns over head and neck injuries

laws could remedy both those problems, says Stuart Barnes

MICHAEL JORDAN ’s numerical love affair began when he joined the Laney High School basketball team with his older brother, Larry. Perhaps he saw himself as half the player his sibling was, because seeing Larry choose 45 made MJ go for 23. Half, plus a bit. The jersey fitted him well and he carried it into both his college and Chicago Bulls years, winning six NBA Championships. “23” became the universal language for Michael Jordan. Yet in a strange quirk of fate, on Valentine’s Day 1990, his shirt mysteriously went missing. There was no time to get a replica made up, so he was forced to roughly halve it once more, to 12. No surprises, he lost that game.

As we enter 2023 we take a look at the No. 23 , which has become a major figure in sport – largely thanks to one man…

MICHAEL PHELPS is not just the most successful swimmer of all time but the most decorated Olympian in history. His eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008 broke Mark Spitz’s seven-gold record from 1972. He wears no number, nor has any superstitious affiliation to the number 23. But if you were to ask him how many Olympic gold medals he’s won in his career? You guessed it. The golden number: twenty-three!

SHANE WARNE In the words of Mark Nicholas, “He made cricket cool and those around him happy. It seems barely believable that the Warne smile is no more.” Warne was a man of great statistics (708 Test wickets) and great moments (the ‘Ball of the Century’ against Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes). Through his career he proudly wore the number 23 on his shirt after his childhood idol, AFL legend Dermott Brereton. In June, on day one of the first Test in England since his death, everyone at Lord’s rose to pay tribute to him with 23 seconds of applause after 23 overs of play.

chose the number 23, perhaps after Michael Jordan, subsequently accounting for more than half the Real Madrid shirt sales in his first season at the club (2003/04).

under his future England coach, Fabio Capello, his stock fell, and he was picked only 23 times in his last season. So off he went to LA Galaxy in 2007, taking the number 23 with him.

ROBBIE FOWLER helped to make 23 a revered number at Anfield, wearing it during his most prolific early years. Weeks after his debut he shot to stardom by scoring five goals for Liverpool against Fulham, and in 1994 he bagged an electric four-and-a-half-minute hat-trick against Arsenal. Soon after Fowler took the No. 9 when Ian Rush left, Jamie Carragher took on the No. 23 and became a club legend in that shirt – prompting German international Emre Can to ask for that number when he joined the club in 2015, describing it as “a big honour”.

KAUTO STAR ’s career had it all: domination, adoration and a fairy-tale finish. He was the people’s champ, the punters’ champ and the darling of the racing media. Sixteen Grade 1s, five King George VIs, four Betfair Chases, two Gold Cups and one Ascot Chase – the numbers are matched by only a few thoroughbred superstars throughout the years. All tied up in one big number: 23 stunning career wins.

RORY MCILROY hasn’t won a major since 2014 in the USPGA at Valhalla – a quite unbelievable stretch, given his 15 top-10 major finishes in the interim. You could say he’s got a bit of writer’s block, although his overall PGA Tour record has still been sublime. His CJ Cup victory in October was, funnily enough, his 23rd win on the PGA Tour. There would be zero surprises in the house if he found this to be a hiccup in his career. Especially as we enter the year 2023.

LEBRON JAMES “When I started playing basketball, I was like: ‘Oh man, that two-three looks good. I wanna be able to fly like him,’” Lebron James said in 2019. He was, of course, referring to Michael Jordan, the real OG. Lebron’s love affair with the number 23 has been rockier than MJ’s, though, as he has swapped back and forth with the number 6, winning two NBA Championships with each number. Despite his affinity to the number 23, he will be eternalised in Hollywood as the 6 after wearing the number in ‘Space Jam 2’.

DAVID BECKHAM When he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, the number 7 jersey belonged to Spanish Galáctico Raul, so ‘Brand Becks’ had to pivot quickly. He

Ironically,

SERENA WILLIAMS Astonishingly, Serena Williams lost her last four Grand Slam finals. There was no smashing climax to her lifetime of dedication. Each year she had been marching closer and closer to Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles, and at one stage it looked like a formality. Yet, now retired, she is stuck on 23. She will still go down as the greatest women’s tennis player in history, even if she mysteriously couldn’t move past this magic number.

L AST MAN STANDING

The unthinkable is about to happen: tennis without the three men who have

Djokovic play tennis recently, it was obvious he wanted to win. He really wanted to win. But somehow – and I have no idea how this communicated itself through my TV – he didn’t seem to want to win quite as much as he used to when he was fighting for recognition, for respect, for a place at the front of first class, where Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal had taken up permanent residence in seats 1A and 1B. He’s spent 15 years being tennis’s George Harrison to John and Paul. Now something is changing.

These days Federer’s kit bag is probably safely stored in the cupboard under the stairs, with a smelly pair of socks in a side pocket that were overlooked after the emotional farewell at the O2. Nadal is giving countless interviews about the joy of fatherhood and how all-consuming it is, and suddenly, almost without any of us noticing, the greatest era in men’s tennis is reaching the end-game. 2023 will probably be Rafa’s final hurrah,

with perhaps the grandest of farewells after Roland Garros, and then it’ll be just be the last man standing of the holiest of tennis trinities.

Is that why the fire might be dimming ever so slightly? Because the other two were what ignited it. That festering sense of injustice that made the Djokovic stare so intimidating and so crushing, and the tennis so relentless, is waning. Soon you will be just you, Novak, and that’s why you’re starting to relax a bit.

But don’t relax too much. Because while the women’s tour has finally, after a five-year hiatus, found a dominant figure in Iga Swiatek to set the standard for the rest to aspire to, what’s that coming over the hill in the men’s game? A barrage of young guns led by Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, whose mandate by osmosis is to make us forget the days when the Big Three were in every final unless Andy or Stan wanted to gatecrash the cartel.

Is tennis heading for a personality abyss on the day when Novak decides the next generation are overtaking him and enough is enough, with or

without a record number of Grand Slam titles?

Let’s go back more than 40 years to perhaps the only time a major sport has had three similar stellar superstars at its helm – names renowned the world over as they rumbled in jungles. Ali, Frazier and Foreman. As their reflexes dimmed and the feet and hands slowed, boxing fans wondered if the sport could recover. A succession of world heavyweight champions came and went, remembered only by the record books and pub-quiz obsessives: John Tate, Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes, Gerrie Coetzee, Tim Witherspoon, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs, Pinklon Thomas. There are more, but you get the gist. And then came Tyson. And all, in boxing’s world at least, seemed all right again.

So while Alcaraz against the Italian Jannik Sinner may become tennis’s next great rivalry, it probably won’t, because creating great champions is not as straightforward as signalling for the next cab off the rank. The likelihood is that those two, plus Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Casper

us

special memories. John Inverdale looks at who might fill the void from the next generation

Ruud, Denis Shapovalov, Félix AugerAliassime, Lorenzo Musetti and even Britain’s Jack Draper will be Grand Slam finalists while the pecking order alternates and everyone waits for the next Big Thing. And all the while, Novak may be hanging around, reminding us intermittently of a tennis world before Brexit and Covid when everything seemed so much simpler and reassuring because nobody had a chance of upsetting the sport’s greatest trilogy.

That’s not to say the tennis product will be diminished. There’ll still be some amazing matches to watch, as the quality and depth of talent in the sport continue to expand, and from a betting perspective the markets will be intriguing and the opportunities immense. But as Elton John might have put it, we’re talking about the circle of sport. And history tells us it’s probably going to be quite a while before tennis finds a new Lion King. n

given

such

WATCHING NOVAK

John Inverdale is our tennis Ambassador and a broadcaster for ITV and the BBC.

He’s spent 15 years being tennis’s George Harrison to John and Paul

Iga Swiatek

Jannik Sinner

REEL TIME ODDS

Hollywood has gone to great lengths – literally – to impress Oscars judges, says Joe Hodgson

her performance as a highly strung conductor in Tár. Not far behind are two other sizeable names: multiple Academy Award nominee Viola Davis is a potential contender for her portrayal of a Dahomey warrior in The Woman King; and four-time nominee Michelle Williams should also register for her role as the matriarch of The Fabelmans.

AFTER TWO YEARS of pandemic-related disruptions, it would appear the Oscars will finally be back to their old self in 2023 – and in the most emphatic, overblown and gold-plated way possible. Everything is going to be much bigger this time round, you see: bigger films, bigger names, bigger egos, bigger facelifts, bigger bungs for the critics, and, most importantly, bigger hauls at the box office.

“Gee, that’s swell your quirky little indie film about the marginalised community got to win a prize last year,” studio bosses will have been saying. “But how many infinity pools in Malibu did it pay for?”

Ultimately, from Hollywood’s point of view, there’s no show without the business – it don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that cha-ching). What purpose does being a Best Picture winner serve if your main legacy is that one day you become an excellent answer on Pointless?

The major contenders that are lining up at the start-line of this year’s awards season are not messing around. They have all had their magic protein shakes, they are all bulked-up like Dwayne Johnson, and they all have enormous twinkling dollar-signs in their eyes. They are coming for the lot.

Currently with a nose in front of this robust leading pack is Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. Despite being 151 minutes long, this coming-of-age picture won the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award in September. This prize doesn’t

The Fabelmans looks well placed to give Steven Spielberg yet more statuettes

guarantee a Best Picture triumph, but it does effectively guarantee a seat at the top table – Academy Award winners Green Book and Nomadland were both recent recipients.

A few other whoppers that look set to be rewarded with nominations for their services to the global box office include: action sequel Top Gun: Maverick (130 minutes), token musical biopic Elvis (159 minutes!), and the latest Marvel superhero sprawl Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (161 minutes!!). Yet to be seen by civilian eyes, but also expected to be in the running, is La La Land director Damien Chazelle’s latest offering – a 1920s epic called Babylon (188 minutes!!!). Billed as a “tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess”, this Hollywood-set movie seems to perfectly fit the theme of the procession towards the 95th Academy Awards ceremony in March.

And no cinematic appendagewaving contest would be complete without an appearance from James Cameron. The only director to have helmed two films that have grossed more than $2 billion finally gets to smash a champagne bottle against the bow of his much-delayed CGI leviathan Avatar: The Way of Water (190 minutes!!!!).

It is almost irrelevant if this instalment of the scheduled five-part franchise is actually any good – it will sell frillions of tickets, keep cinema doors open, and feature visual effects so profoundly eye-popping you’ll feel you’ve just been slapped in the face by Will Smith (in the nicest possible

OSCARS ODDS

Best Picture

The Fabelmans 11/8

Everything Everywhere All at Once 6/1

The Banshees of Inisherin 8/1

Babylon 8/1

She Said 12/1

Women Talking 12/1

Best Director

Steven Spielberg 8/13

Sarah Polley 7/2

Damien Chazelle 5/1

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert 16/1 James Cameron 16/1

Best Actor

Brendan Fraser 4/9

Colin Farrell 6/1

Austin Butler 6/1

Hugh Jackman 10/1 Adam Driver 16/1

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett 2/1

Michelle Williams 5/1 Ana de Armas 6/1

Michelle Yeoh 8/1

Danielle Deadwyler 8/1

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way, of course). With such showy, macho, roided-up entries already out on the track, there is the possibility that something more subdued and intimate might slowly gain traction over the course of the season. Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin could be such an alternative; so too could Sarah Polley’s Women Talking –though I suspect, ultimately, they will both get shouted down.

Big hitters are also limbering up in the Best Actress category. Stalwart Cate Blanchett is currently acknowledged to be the favourite for

But I wonder if – in a year when such factors may be rewarded – the impressive box-office takings of surprise hit Everything Everywhere All at Once could cause the pendulum of favour to swing decisively in Michelle Yeoh’s direction. The enduring Malaysian star received delirious plaudits for her anchoring presence in the inventive movie, and the feeling may be that it’s time for her to be honoured, in part for being in possession of the most diverse CV in world cinema.

Contrasting the above, the Best Actor category could well be stuffed with first-time nominees. Colin Farrell won the Venice Film Festival’s Best Actor prize this summer for The Banshees of Inisherin. And another former heartthrob-turned-characteractor yet to land an Oscar nomination, Brendan Fraser, also received acclaim and prizes on the festival circuit for his plus-sized performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale

A much fresher-faced Academy Award debutant is likely to come in the form of Austin Butler, who took on the daunting prospect of playing a celebrated 20th-century icon in Elvis Although he lacks pedigree, voters do love a great pretender, as Rami Malek proved when he won in 2018 for playing Freddie Mercury.

So those are the names and the films you’re going to be hearing about a lot over the next few months. And in analysing the major contenders, I think I can now see why my own film most likely won’t achieve any nominations. Firstly, due to unforeseen cuts, I was left with a total shooting budget of £136. Then the flying mythical beasts I had booked for the climactic battle scene couldn’t make it to the set because their car broke down. And finally, with a running-time of seven minutes –which includes a post-credits sequence – my film is probably a bit too short. But at least I know where I can improve. It isn’t the quality of the film that’s the problem – it simply needs to be much, much longer… n

Joe Hodgson is a writer who contributes to The Fitzdares Times in print and online.

What purpose does being a Best Picture winner serve if your main legacy is that one day you become an excellent answer on Pointless?

Fitzdares Playing Cards £15 a twin pack

These ‘F’ branded playing cards made by Dal Negro, the undisputed best manufacturer in the world, are the perfect stocking filler for any fan of table games from Blackpool to Vegas.

Fitzdares Odds Loo Paper £20 – box of 5

You may have seen this in the Club bog over the last few months and we have now made it available for sale, as so many of you asked. These odds themed rolls are just want you want for the bathroom at home.

The Fitzdares Club Hippo £100

The hippo dish is a firm favourite at the Club, and we now have a limited run for sale for the first time. You can use it as a serving bowl, a fruit bowl or even for desk storage – and it doesn’t bite.

Bill Butcher Prints £500 each

Following popular demand we have decided to list all the comissioned Bill Butchers we have had done over the years for our raceday sponsorships. Classics include The Fitzdares Club Claret, Cartmel, The Curragh, Goodwood, Huntingdon and Windsor.

Charlie Fellowes & Fitzdares Gilet £150

Often spotted on Newmarket’s Warren Hill gallop you can now purchase your very own Charlie Fellowes and Fitzdares riding-out gilet. We think the red is very very striking.

Fitzdares Darts Flights £15 for nine

As you should all know by now, we are big fans of the darts. Therefore, it was only a matter of time until we had our own flights made. This Christmas give the darts fan in your life the gift of flight.

Ben Pauling & Fitzdares Jacket £200

We expect these to be very very popular. Our resident National Hunt expert has been flying since the move to his new yard and now you can be part of the team. These waterproof navy jackets are smart as smart can be and very practical.

Fitzdares Ash Tray £50

Perfect for the library or kitchen beyond the Club, the Fitzdares ash tray can bring a bit of elegance to the poker table or smoking room. If a non-smoker, it’s perfect for your keys or loose change.

Fitzdares Club Backgammon Board £750 Our professional backgammon board, in exclusive collaboration with Geoffrey Parker, is designed to bring a taste of the Fitzdares Club to your living room. The board can be neatly rolled up, making it a handy travel companion. At your request, we will commission one to be made for you.

Fitzdares Club Ikat Wallpaper £125 a roll

This iconic print is produced in a variety of colour combinations, from green to blue to cream. Now available to buy via the Fitzdares shop, it really is the perfect idea to spice up any room in the house.

We returned to our usual spot this summer as we brought a taste of the Fitzdares Club to the Churchill Box at Windsor. Alongside the champagne and Club canapés ‘on course’, we also sponsored the Sprint Series at Windsor for a third consecutive year. We can’t wait to return next April, when we’ll be giving the Box a makeover!

In June the Fitzdares Club made its debut at Royal Ascot as members joined us in the Royal Enclosure car park for a picnic. As members enjoyed champagne and canapés, Fitzdares ambassadors George Scott and Charlie Fellowes were on hand to share their insights on the day’s racing.

In November, darts were back and better than ever! We were joined by Fitzdares ambassador Devon Petersen and our World Championships-sponsored players Damon Heta, Nathan Aspinall, Danny Baggish and Nathan Rafferty for the Fitzdares Club’s 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY with a night of tungsten thrills and spills. Members were treated to singles, doubles and trebles… and not just the martinis! Guests lined up at the oche to sling arrows with the world’s best.

WINTER READ

If you’ve had any interest in racing over the past 35 years, you’ll be familiar with the name David Ashforth. Having first debuted for Sporting Life in the late 1980s, Ashforth has spent three and a half decades establishing himself as a regular among racing’s major media publications as well as writing a number of books, with ‘Ashforth’s Curiosities of Horseracing’ his 10th.

His keen eye for the absurd and for something a little bit different is what has always set him apart, and it’s that unique ability to tap into the out of the ordinary that really characterises his latest work.

We can all agree that racing is a sport that often takes itself too seriously. Ashforth’s account, therefore is a refreshing reminder of all the amusing, interesting and colourful characters that the racing world has to offer.

While witty journalism in racing is nothing new, so few journalists can translate this humour in the engaging manner in which Ashforth has done so consistently throughout his career. He’s employed that tactic to his usual effect in his latest book.

Having trawled through the racing archives, he successfully brings to life 85 individual tales from racing’s most colourful

characters, featuring jockeys, trainers, owners, journalists and even the horses themselves, each one with their own curious insights.

The book is littered with niche snippets from cover to cover, including the unlikely source of the late, great Prince Khalid’s iconic racing silks, how the ‘Boys in Blue’ (Godolphin) and Sheikh Mohammed managed to land those ubiquitous

pair he had high hopes of sex with…

These are just a few of the tales that Ashforth so expertly brings to life. In order to appreciate the full extent of the author’s genius, however, it must be read in full. Each curiosity perfectly encapsulates much of the appeal of the sport in all its complexity and in all its simplicity.

Each tale is cleverly arranged into 16 different themes, allowing the reader to dip in and out at different junctures. In the same way that you may enjoy a Netflix series by rationing yourself to one or two episodes a week, the book works in exactly the same way. The reader can enjoy one at a time from owners to punters to the horses themselves, there really is a bit of something for everyone.

royal blue silks, or the length of time that notorious gambler Phil Bull would spend in the bath. Who would have thought that Lester ‘Stoneface’ Piggott was such a connoisseur of ice cream? It all becomes clear in this detailed account.

Ashforth even names the two ladies cited at John McCririck’s infamous ageism court hearing as a

If you’re a fan of racing, under any code or any discipline, this is a book that you’ll enjoy. Ashforth successfully peels back the layers of some of the biggest names in the sport to create an entertaining and highly readable account that can be appreciated by all corners of the racing public. n ASHFORTH'S CURIOSITIES OF HORSERACING is published by Merlin Unwin Books (£20.00)

Ashforth’s account is a refreshing reminder of all the amusing, interesting and colourful characters that the racing world has to offer

Journalist David Ashforth

has made the most of his long

career writing about the

sport to put together a compelling and colourful collection of stories

from

the world of racing