The Allure Of The Horse
A review of two books, Courses for Horses and Frankel
I remember wet Easter school holiday afternoons when there wasn’t much to do other than sit in front of horseracing on TV. That was OK with me. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching horses and their jockeys galloping towards the winning line. And the race commentary is an important part of the magic.
For a couple of summers when I was about 10 or 11, while we were spending our regular holiday with my grandmother in the Sussex countryside, I became obsessed with a horse racing game on Hastings pier. I convinced myself that I had worked out a pattern to the results — or at least a special sequence that appeared before the highest paying horse colour won the race. You just had to watch carefully and wait for the sequence to begin repeating itself, then, just at the right moment, place your penny bet.
While the race was in progress, I would mumble my own commentary. “Red is two lengths ahead but white is moving up and now drawing level. They’re neck and neck, but wait, white, yes white, noses ahead on the line.” And there would be a rattle of coins dropping into the silver cup at knee level. The winnings.
I’m not sure how my parents and younger sister amused themselves because I would be stuck by that machine for at least an hour, placing…
