MIND THE GAP! A LATE MESSAGE

I don’t like gaps. I like complete sets. Therefore a piece missing from a jigsaw puzzle, especially if it happens to be a city centre somewhere, irritates me more than in bothers other people.

In the dying days of steam (quiz question: What was the name of the last steam railway engine produced in this country? Evening Star) I relied on what we used to call the ‘Combined’, which listed all the engines in all the regions. Even the humblest appeared, some of them at Eastleigh sheds Saturday after Saturday until they were finally scrapped and disappeared from the next edition of the Combined, which was sad.

My copy wasn’t all that ancient so the process had begun and it hurt even more when ‘named’ engines were involved. There was a King Arthur class on the Southern Region and the gaps got on my nerves. So, because everything is available on ebay or whatever these days, I sent off for an older copy, 1950s I suppose, and the boys were there. Sir Harry le Fise Lake I knew (didn’t Philip Hobbs have a horse of that name?) but Sir Cador of Cornwall was coccpletely unknown to me. The most famous knights, Sir Launcelot and Sir Galahad, alongside Arthur and Queen Guinevere, appeared in a separate section.

Of course, we know that the whole story is a myth but many romantics are unwilling to accept that and the other day I overheard a conversation which provided one of the most impressive and amusing non-sequiturs of all time.

“All right then, tell me this. If King Arthur and the knights are merely a figment of someone’s imagination, how do you account for Tintagel Castle?” It’s a cracker, isn’t it?

There are thousands of visitors to Tintagel every year and I freely admit that Tintagel II was one of my favourite horses ever. He ran at Brighton and bolted up in the 1970 Ebor where Lester Piggott, having kept faith with him, sent him four lengths clear to score at 6/1 favourite. Tintagel II was Richmond Sturdy’s best horse, according to the trainer himself, who was one of the canniest handlers ever to hold a licence.

Horses deteriorate eventually and Tintagel II was past his best when contesting the Eaton Handicap at the main Chester meeting many years ago. Lester rode again and the old character was prominent for quire a way until stable-companion Pirate Bell and Steve Perks breezed past to oblige at 14/1. Lester would have been in on it, needless to say, and never passed comment when beaten by a stable-companion.

Captain H Ryan Price was as cunning as Sturdy and once persuaded crack Australian Des Coleman to stop over on his way to take up a retainer in Ireland  –  this was in the late 60s  –  the target being a 42-runner maiden, which was not unheard of in those days. The horse went clear at 33/1 with Lester on the other one no doubt perfectly happy. In the opinion of Jockey Club Controller of Programmes Ken Allday, Price didn’t do it to land a gamble, he simply wanted to irritate the stewards.

Anyway, there you have it. The reason I mentioned gaps at the top of this piece was that hospital visits and a crashing fall (all right now, thank you, if no threat to Robert Redford) meant that I didn’t file in April. I thought I’d supply something on May 1 and then follow up soon afterwards when Chester and York have come and gone. Richmond Sturdy, Lester Piggott and Steve Perks have all left us but you can’t have everything.

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