APPEARANCES can be deceptive.
Cyrname’s recovery from a horrific fall was the heart-warming headline after last weekend’s high-profile fixture at Ascot.
But for the security staff on duty this meeting at Her Majesty’s local was a right royal headache.
There were 2,500 students in attendance as part of a promotion organised by the Ascot hierarchy.
Unfortunately, their antics went beyond a jolly jape and morphed into something out of a Guy Ritchie flick.
There were rumours of flagrant drug taking. But what’s absolutely certain is a large number of well-oiled students had a proper punch-up toward the end of the card.
They were prised apart and escorted off the premises by the security team who included a good pal of mine.
That wasn’t the end of the story. The idiots who were slung out then organised a 30-man brawl which caused mayhem after racing in car park 6.
Now, my pal at Ascot has worked in the security game for 25 years. After that length of time he’s got an infallible hooter for trouble.
He was forecasting a rumble before last weekend’s card and confronted some of the track’s top brass after the dust had settled.
They weren’t interested and left the distinct impression that their priority was making sure the story got swept under a carpet.
That’s just not good enough and shows a total disregard for the comfort and safety of your average racegoer.
This week’s gong for ride of the week goes to Gina Mangan who coaxed 20-1 rag Twpsyn home at Kempton Park on Sunday.
Gutsy Gina gave her ankles a proper shellacking in a fall at David Evans’ yard last summer, sustaining an injury that almost led to her losing a foot.
She’s bounced back better than Zebedee and thoroughly deserved her half hour in the sun.
By the way, what a top bloke Harry Redknapp is.
The ‘king of the jungle’ turned up to watch his sprinter Sparkalot run on the all-weather the other day.
Happy Harry had barely set a foot in the paddock when a mum shouted out to ask if he’d come back and pose for a family selfie.
He was smiling for the snap and cracking jokes before you could say `jam roly-poly’ and left the group beaming.
While we’re talking football, one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s closest muckers was spotted mooching round the ring at Lingfield the other day.
The rails bookies enquired what he was there for and got the old “it’s just a day out” routine as a response.
Well, half an hour later the fella was making himself busy sneaking £2,000 on cheerful Charlie Hills’ drifting jolly Badri.
The colt got the job done, Sir Alex’s mate collected a healthy wedge and the bookies weren’t quite sure if they’d been sucker-punched again.
By the way, we might have seen a good`un in Andrew Balding’s Arctic Vega (13-8 to 11-10) who dotted-up at Kempton on Wednesday.
GROUP ONE POWER was well-bet when getting the job done on his debut and looks a good thing over at Lingfield (4.55).
This big grey is built like a Sherman tank, was the subject of more gossip than Meghan Markle and is a name for your notebook.
Today, Paul Nicholls’ MASTER TOMMYTUCKER will take a bit of stopping in the Betway Pendil Novices’ Chase (1.15) at Kempton.
He was travelling like a bomb when falling here on Boxing Day and is rated a star by connections.
