LookingForValue

Jubilant amateur rider Rachel Rennie described winning the historic Newmarket Town Plate as “one of the highlights of my life” – five years after a breast cancer diagnosis ruled her out of the race. Rennie was supposed to line up in the 2016 running of what is believed to be the world’s oldest and longest Flat race, until she discovered what turned out to be a cancerous lump near her left breast. Five years later and after surgery, eight rounds of chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiotherapy, she was finally able to realise her dream of not only riding in the 3m 6f contest – which dates back to 1666 - but WINNING it. The 49 year old and her mount, Friends Don’t Ask, produced a grandstand finish to secure victory in the 351st running of Newmarket Town Plate, prompting emotional celebrations in the winner’s enclosure. A beaming Rennie laughed: “I think we will hit up Newmarket town to celebrate this! “It has to definitely be one of the highlights of my life. Although I said I’m competitive I’ve never done loads of competitive stuff apart from horse based stuff so to do something that is a bit more than your local show is good. “I’m probably going to have about 100 WhatsApp messages on the phone. The whole thing has been very special.” Rennie, who works for Newmarket-based trainer Martin Smith, found herself positioned at the head of the chasing pack behind runaway leader Torquay as the field turned for home heading into the final mile of the historic race. Waiting for the right moment to hit the front again, Rennie and Friends Don’t Ask surged into the lead with three furlongs left and battled hard to the line for victory by around a length from Stripe Of Honour and Jon Day. Talking about the race itself Rennie added: “I wanted to sit fairly handy so I nicked a bit at the start. I looked around and thought I’d nicked a bit too much here so, I thought I would just let him roll. Then I had somebody come up my inside so I didn’t feel half so bad then. “I just cruised around the bottom part of the course and a couple of people came up and passed me so I just let them take me on and save a bit of energy for myself. I was determined not to ride a ride until I was on the straight. I pulled him out and he took off then I thought I was going to get caught again at the end. I just had enough energy to push him out a bit and I managed not to fall off. “I was thinking ‘where is the line?’ when I took up the lead and I was glad to see it coming. You can’t help but think that you are going to get beaten when you have one come up your inside like the runner-up did but I knew he would stay the distance. “It was just a case of whether he had the speed to keep going at the end against something that might have had a little bit more toe but luckily his stamina pulled out and he switched up a gear and was a willing partner.” After the race Rennie was presented with the Golding Perpetual Challenge Plate, silver photograph frame, £125 Golding voucher and a box of Powters celebrated Newmarket Sausages. https://www.racingtv.com/news/rachel-rennie-cherishes-newmarket-town-plate-success

Megève is a ski resort village in the Alps of southeastern France. Dam Vercors named after the Verors Massif in France? Granddam Alpine self-explanatory.

Dear Sir, please leave Mickey Mouse out of it. Signed, Minnie.

Getting my second AZ shot 30 Aug. Have to laugh at someone I know who won't be getting vaccinated. Friend of my fiancee. "Spoke to my GP yesterday about the Jab, he said 3-4 people per 500,000 basically have the condition where the vaccine can kill you. I asked if there are any tests that can tell if you are one of those people and he said NO. So as low as the odds are, you are still playing Russian roulette with the vaccine as you are with the virus, and yes I am aware the virus is also highly contagious, but I still believe it is up to the individual to choose which one they want to take a chance with and should not be forced to have the vaccine to keep employment. You may think it silly/stupid, but I think of the situation like this scenario. You are at the edge of a kilometre of bush land , the bush ( trees, shrubs, whatever are the people that may or may not have the virus ) You can take you chance with a bullet ( vaccine ) point blank into your body and hope you survive it, OR you can take your chance through the bush and try to avoid the shooter. Your choice. I don’t pay any attention to fanatical anti vaxxers."

parts his hair to the left?

QR15: Northern Dancer. His owner E.P. Taylor was very wealthy and was Chairman of the Ontario Jockey Club.

QM11: I Will Follow Him

QQM13: has to be Simon and Garfunkel

QM2: With the electric and acoustic quitars, sounds like While My Guitar Gently Weeps but could be wrong

https://www.racingnews.co.nz/hall-of-fame-trainer-laurie-laxon-passes-away/ Hall of Fame trainer Laurie Laxon, whose list of achievements included a Melbourne Cup victory and multiple Singapore training premierships, has passed away.

Coolmore Stud GALILEO 1998 - 2021 Regretfully our world-renowned Champion Sire Galileo was put to sleep earlier today on humane grounds owing to a chronic, non-responsive, debilitating injury to the left fore foot. “It is a very sad day,” said John Magnier, “but we all feel incredibly fortunate to have had Galileo here at Coolmore. I would like to thank the dedicated people who looked after him so well all along the way. He was always a very special horse to us and he was the first Derby winner we had in Ballydoyle in the post M V O’Brien era. I would also like to thank Aidan and his team for the brilliant job they did with him. The effect he is having on the breed through his sons and daughters will be a lasting legacy and his phenomenal success really is unprecedented.” Following Galileo’s strikingly impressive Epsom Derby success the front-page headline in the Racing Post was the single word ‘PERFECTION.’ It could not have been more apt. Bred in the purple by Sadler’s Wells out of ‘Arc’ heroine Urban Sea and unbeaten in his first six starts, Galileo proved an immediate success at stud siring Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime from his first crop. Appropriately he became the most successful Group 1 sire of all time when his daughter Peaceful won the same race in June of last year. His total of individual Group 1 winners now stands at 91 while no less than 20 of his sons have sired Group 1 winners on the flat, headed by Frankel and Australia.

Absolutely ruthless with the bookmakers but gave very generously through his charity.

Bruce Reid's children named him in memory of their father. Originally criminals who were press ganged in to the army deserted and as they still had their uniforms, lived off the free pies from the army buffet in Hyde Park. It was later taken to mean "Don't listen to him, he's just a pie eater". Reid adapted it to refer to athletes who were competing against David, his son. The opposition was overweight and just a pie eater. The threat (his son) "he's no pie eater"

Racing question 1: He's No Pie Eater winning 2007 Chipping Norton Stakes. Unfortunately he broke down a little later in track work and was euthanised.