Book Excerpt: If Thoreau Had A Bicycle: The Art Of The Ride

In a delightful book of reflective essays, frequent TDN contributor Mark Cramer leads readers on 39 bicycling day trips through the environs of Paris, his adopted home. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's daily walks in nature, Cramer pedals through forests, along rivers, and into French towns, each trek prompting fresh reflections on the environment, economic growth, simplicity, and well-being. His key takeaway: A life of adventure is well within reach, locally. We need only travel lightly, observe with eyes of wonder, and be open to surprise encounters.

Day Seven: Longchamp

Bicycle road racers work out every day around the perimeter of the Longchamp racecourse, in bright jerseys pockmarked with advertisements. They never stop to watch a horse race. A bird's eye view would show parallel flows of bright colors within a green forest: jockey silks on the inside circumference, bike racing jerseys on the outside.

I wonder whether I belong more to the bicycle culture on the outer perimeter or the racing culture within, or perhaps I am the missing link between the two subcultures.

The only American horse race trainer in France, Gina Rarick, has a horse running at Longchamp. The racecourse is a 10km ride via the Boulogne Forest. I've followed her career, written about her courageous adventure that pitted her against the highest odds. As a journalist, Gina had written a NY Times sports blog about our 1,000k bike trip of 2010. When she decided to train horses, she set aside her career as a journalist.

During long periods, Madame Rarick's horses were profitable to bet on, with their average return on investment in the black. But she's been in a discouraging slump of late and I've decided to show up as a fan, to encourage her filly, Ameera. From her Paris-Turf past performances, Ameera does not have much of a chance, but during the past calendar year, Rarick had pulled off two upsets with 70/1 horses.

I am particularly inspired by Gina's resilience. She wakes up at sunrise to gallop her horses or takes them out to a paddock where they can jump and roam. She makes grinding trips to dozens of racetracks, often with horses that, given the competition, have little chance to win, even if they are in great shape.

The last time I'd been to Longchamp, I'd registered a complaint about the absence of bike parking facilities. When I arrive two races before Ameera is to run, I'm pleased to see that bike parking rails have been installed. To my satisfying surprise, I count 45 bikes parked outside the entrance. I am not alone.

In fact, all the bike bars are occupied, so I have to chain my bike to a fence.

I make one wager prior to Ameera's race. In a bet called the Multi, I need the top four finishers in any order, in a 15-horse field. My horses finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th, great handicapping with zero return for the effort.

I stroll back to the stable area to say hello to Gina. She flashes a broad smile, optimistic that Ameera will run well. In her underfunded stable, positivity is the best tool for long-term survival. I tell her to say hello to her husband Tim, a fellow bicycle rider.

Gina is doubtful about defeating the race favorite but hopes to finish in the top three. I've seen at least seven other horses that have a better chance than Ameera, but I say nothing to discourage her. After all, she's a hands-on trainer, and I do not want to say anything that might diminish her magic touch.

In the walking circle prior to the race, Ameera is acting up, using some of the energy she needs to conserve for the race. As a symbolic gesture I make a small placé wager on Ameera (placé yields a payoff if the horse finishes in the top three).

Ameera breaks well from the gate and presses the early speed horse from the outside, but visually the pace looks too fast for her to handle. She weakens before the stretch and the rider decides not to force the filly when the cause is lost.

Pedaling on my way home I have a lot to think about. I'm in the final outing of my adagio period, and I feel ready to seek climbing challenges while boosting the average number of daily kilometers.

Like Gina I am in it for the long run. But she has short-term bills to pay while I bicycle for free. Her fortunes are tied to a fiercely competitive business and need financial backers. I have total control over my own stamina. Unlike Ameera, I can pedal at my own comfortable pace. If I get passed by mamils (middle-aged men in lycra), it makes no difference.

I'd wanted to buy a racehorse through Gina. But Martha vetoed the project.

“You have a better chance betting on the horses than owning them,” she contended, with her usual objectivity.

(In Ameera's subsequent race, she finished second, less than a length from winning it all, earning purse money that would help pay the bills.)

If Thoreau Had a Bicycle is Available on Amazon

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Modern-Day Heist – How McGregor Bought Dam Of Classic Winner For 16k

Anyone familiar with the French TV series Lupin, which was inspired by gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, would be forgiven for thinking that stealing the dam of Sunday's French 2,000 Guineas winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) for just €16,000 would be even too far removed from storyline material. 

Breaking into the Louvre museum in Paris and walking out with the Mona Lisa under your arm would be easier than buying the Galileo (Ire) mare who would produce a subsequent Classic winner for just €16,000, but that's exactly what Duncan McGregor did in broad daylight at Goffs last November.

The mare in question is Danega (GB) and, by the time of her sale date, Marhaba Ya Sanafi had made a promising start to his career at ParisLongchamp but nothing to suggest that he'd be storming to Classic glory the following spring. 

It may be viewed as the greatest stroke of luck that McGregor could speculate about Danega's prowess as a broodmare but the truth is that the Scottish native who has been based in Ireland for the best part of 40 years is better versed on the family of Sunday's French 2,000 Guineas winner than most. 

He explained, “A good friend of mine said to me after the race, 'my God you are lucky to have picked that mare out,' but I told him how I almost wrote the book on that whole family. 

“About 30 years ago, I bought Gradille (Ire) (Home Guard), who Marhaba Ya Sanafi can be traced right back to by about five or six generations. 

“With the help of Robert Hall, I bought three mares to start off with at my stud in Kildare almost 40 years ago, which included Gradille. In fact, the most expensive one of the three died but the other two turned out to be black-type producers left, right and centre.”

He added, “Before I bought Gradille, she had a foal which turned out to be  La Meilleure (GB) (Lord Gayle), who is the dam of a host of black-type winners, including Sholokhov (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). 

“I also bred Dolydille (Ire) (Home Guard) out of the mare, and she turned out to be another good horse for Jim Bolger. Actually, Jim bought a lot of horses off me at that time, all from this family. I had the family for 15 or 20 years but, unfortunately, we lost the only daughter we kept out of Gradille. 

“So I was out of the family for a good few years before this mare [Danega] came up. The old mare [Gradille] was my wife's favourite so I thought it would be nice to try and get back into the family. When I saw this mare entered up at Goffs, I said to my wife that we could buy back into the family and she told me to go and buy her.”

McGregor, 80, suffered an accident last year which has limited his mobility, but his closest advisors Larry Stratton and Jaqueline Norris provided him with every encouragement that Danega was worth acquiring from the Godolphin draft after they inspected the mare on the ground at Goffs on his behalf. 

He recalled, “I got Larry Stratton to look at the mare for me and he gave me the nod. Jaqueline Norris, who runs Jockey Hall Stud, also looked at her and gave me the thumbs up. So all of my associates liked the mare and we bought her. 

“But the funny thing is, the Muharaar was not listed on the page. I can remember a friend of mine was sitting in my house one day and asked me, 'Duncan, what is the name of that mare again,' and then she told me that the Muharaar had won in France. 

“People say to me that it was a lucky pick but, given our back story and that we know all about the family, it wasn't a lucky pick at all.”

So when did McGregor realise that he had really hit the jackpot?

“When the horse won his second race, a conditions race at Chantilly, I said, 'Jesus, we have something here, there's no doubt about it,'” comes the reply. 

“I was thinking that they'd have to go up in class with the horse after that. Well, they did go up in class, they went to the Prix de Fontainebleau, where he was second to American Flag (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). 

“That is the premier colts' trial for the French 2,000 Guineas over there and, while he was well-beaten by American Flag on the day, he ran a great race to finish second in a Group 3 and of course I was delighted for the mare.”

He added, “In the meantime, the mare had a cracker of Hello Youmzain colt foal. He is one of the best foals I have ever had. Then the next thing was an entry for the Guineas and now, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

“She is covered by Minzaal (Ire) and is due for scanning soon. I love speed and Minzaal was an exceptionally fast horse. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the Hello Youmzain foal that we have on the ground but he is a smasher.”

It tells you everything you need to know that McGregor, who worked in the oil business up until his early forties before relocating to his base at Newtown Lodge Stud in Kildare to concentrate on breeding and racing, ranks Sunday's victory with Marhaba Ya Sanafi as his greatest day in the sport. 

That is saying something given he has had his colours carried to many big-race successes in the 1980s in Ireland and bred some top-notchers along the way. 

He said, “We've very few horses now, just because of age, but we've bred some good ones before, the likes of Captain Marvelous (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Fort Bastian (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). 

“I also raced Dashing Colours (Ire) (Be My Native) and Dash Of Red (GB) (Red Sunset {GB}). They both won stakes races and a host of handicaps for me. When I was consigning horses myself, I did it under Newtown Lodge Stud, but recently I have been using Jockey Hall Stud, which is Jaqueline Norris.”

McGregor added, “But of all that we have done in the game, Sunday probably ranks as number one. Dashing Colours and Dash Of Red won a lot of big races, and that was a great thrill, but Sunday was different. I still get a great kick out of the sport. I wouldn't be doing it otherwise.”

Lupin and Sherlock Holmes may have been fictional characters but McGregor is the real deal. This is the story of a modern-day heist. 

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Hollie Doyle Keeps Ride On Breeders’ Cup-Bound The Platinum Queen 

Hollie Doyle will maintain the partnership with The Platinum Queen (Ire) as the pair bid to follow up on their brilliant Prix de l'Abbaye success with victory at the Breeders' Cup.

Oisin Orr, who joined The Platinum Queen's trainer Richard Fahey earlier this year, does most of the work with the speedster. However, Orr was unable to do the weight about the daughter of Cotai Glory (GB) in France.

With the Middleham Park Racing-owned youngster set to carry just 8st 7lb in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland, the Irishman will once again be forced to sit the big race out. 

Fahey told Sportinglife, “I feel sorry for Oisin as he's done so much work with The Platinum Queen at home, but he can't do the weight.

“The owners Middleham Park very much want him to have the ride when he can, but unfortunately that won't be in America.

“Hollie has done a fine job on her twice before, including when winning the Abbaye, so she knows her well.”

 

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Soumillon Handed Two-Month Ban After Elbowing Ryan Out Of Saddle  

Christophe Soumillon, one of the most decorated riders in the world, has been handed a two-month ban after elbowing fellow jockey Rossa Ryan out of the saddle at Saint-Cloud on Friday.

The Belgian native was riding Syros for Francis Graffard in the Group 3 Prix Thomas Bryon Jockey Club de Turquie when making contact with Ryan, who was aboard the Ralph Beckett-trained Captain Wierzba.

In what looked a deliberate elbow, Soumillon edged Ryan out of the saddle and, while he denied any malice to the incident, apologies on At The Races afterwards by saying it was “not a nice act” and that he had made “a misjudgement”.

Syros went on to finish second but was disqualified by the French stewards who gave Soumillon his lengthy ban. The rider will be free to ride on Arc weekend at ParisLongchamp as the two-month ban does not come into effect until next week.

 

“I received a little bit of pressure from Rossa's mount on my outside trying to get a better position behind Ryan,” Soumillon said. “I was just behind Ryan at the time. And I put my elbow against him just to make him understand I wasn't going to the inside and unfortunately when I asked my horse to stay there and go a little bit to the right, I pushed him for one stride or two and he fell off.

“Straight away, I knew, I'd made a mistake. I'm terribly sad with what happened because I hate seeing stuff like this and when you are doing that it's even more terrible, so I want to apologise to everyone, not just only one person who owns the horse or trains the horse or even the jockey.”

He added: “I just saw him [Ryan] now and he's fine and the horse too so I'm happy for that, but for all the people loving racing it was not a nice act from my side and I am terribly sorry and I want to apologise for what I did today.

“I just received a big suspension from the France-Galop stewards. I'm going to be suspended for two months – 60 days of racing. So that's a very big thing. So unfortunately my end-of-season is now gone. But I accept the sentence for what I did, for the terrible mistake like I said.

“And for sure that sentence is an example to others then that's acceptable but for sure, I shouldn't do that. I didn't do it on purpose to make him fall off his horse. I was just trying to keep my position. But with the ground … I probably did with a little power. It was a misjudgment from my side.

“I wasn't trying to make him fall off his horse. Unfortunately he was side by side with me, his iron goes up and he goes over the horse. I don't really understand what happened in that moment because it's going really fast but it's a terrible thing for what I did. I know a lot of people are not going to excuse me, but I feel really bad at the moment for what happened.”

Ryan reported that he and his mount were fine after the incident. He said, “The horse is fine, I'm fine. That's the main thing. I'm 100 per cent.”

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