In the immortal words of Welsh comedian Max Boyce, "I was there."
I was there the day Bertie Hayden gave up at the furlong pole, closed his eyes and threw the reins at Politician to race into the Met history books. Thirty years later, I was at Kenilworth again, this time to watch Pocket Power race to immortality as he garnered his third successive J&B Met in one of the most thrilling finishes to this historic race at Kenilworth yesterday.
It was a race of dreams.
Billed as the rematch of the decade after the thrilling dead-heat of last year's Vodacom Durban July between Pocket Power and Dancer's Daughter, Saturday's race lived up to expectations and more.
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'It was a race of dreams' In a tactical battle worthy of two grand chess masters, Bernard Fayd'Herbe (Pocket Power) and Kevin Shea on Dancer's Daughter, bluffed and countered every move, but in the final analysis it was the superior firepower of one of the country's great champions that won the day.
Dancer's Daughter was surprisingly handy as Shea attempted to settle the grey mare while Pocket Power " pinged" the gate in the words of Fayd'Herbe and instead of looking for a rails run, stayed wide and found the massive grey hindquarters of his chief rival dead ahead.
With positions set, Pocket Power tracked Dancer's Daughter into the home straight where Shea set Fayd'Herbe up for a fall. He feinted inwards to draw Pocket Power in behind and shut the door but Fayd'Herbe was not tempted. Instead he angled Pocket Power out for his run and when Shea realised that he was not able to spring the trap he went for broke.
The mare slipped her field in a matter of strides but Pocket Power was building a full head of steam on her outside. With Pocket Power looming, Shea drew a right-handed stick but already he must have smelled something cooking, and that something was his goose.
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