標題: Racing Post追縱戴圖理昨日行程報導 [打印本頁] 作者:
Running 時間: 3/6/2007 11:27 PM 標題: Racing Post追縱戴圖理昨日行程報導
11.50am： No sign of Frankie. A helicopter arrives which may have Frankie inside it. Another helicopter arrives, which may also have Frankie inside it.
12 noon：I check the winner's enclosure. Frankie's not there yet. Make a note to check again at about 4.30pm.
12.15pm：Approach weighing room in search of Frankie. Refused admission. I'm wearing the wrong dress.
12.30pm：Fellow journalist offers to lend me his dress. Either it's too small or I'm too big.
1.00pm：The Queen arrives, wearing Frankie blue. She may be about to have the biggest bet of her life.
1.05pm：Frankie appears on BBC television with his dad, Gianfranco Dettori. His dad doesn't say anything. Willie Carson, speaking from under a large hat, asks Frankie a question. Frankie replies, “I just want to go out there and try to win it.” At least one journalist writes it down, word for word. Frankie is wearing a striped blue jacket, mauve shirt and white and red striped tie. Heis not wearing a morning dress, yet they have still let him into the weighing room. So much for the English justice system. Its reputation is in tatters.
1.10pm：Whatever Frankie is doing, I can't see it. He's probably having lunch. Pasta, maybe.
1.45pm：14 jockeys mount for the first race. None of them are Frankie Dettori.
2.00pm： Frankie probably watches the 14 horses he isn't riding, unless he has lost his whip, in which case he tries to find it.
2.10pm：Bespoke Boy walks around the parade ring, waiting for Frankie.
2.15pm：Still waiting.
2.21pm：Frankie walks into parade ring. He is still not wearing morning dress. Mrs Wendy Lucas, the owner of Bespoke Boy, kisses him. Other women wish they were Mrs Lucas. Frankie gets onto Bespoke Boy and rides out of the parade ring.
3.00pm Nothing much to report on the Frankie front.
3.30pm：Frankie still hasn't phoned.
3.50pm：Still nothing.
3.55pm：In the parade ring, Lady Derby is wearing a spectacular aniseed-whirl hat. Lord Derby is wearing a boring black one. The Queen is still wearing a blue coat. Authorized is wearing a brown coat. Like everyone else, they are waiting for Frankie.
4.00pm：Frankie appears, wearing green. He looks for Peter Chapple-Hyam. A gaggle of cameramen look with him. They find Authorized's trainer, and his owners. Someone asks, “Frankie, how did it go the previous 14 times?” (To be honest, I made that bit up.) Frankie receives his final instructions. “Win.” (... and that bit.) People shout, “Go on, Frankie.” (That bit's true.)
4.22pm：Frankie and Authorized enter starting stalls and wait for the others before starting.
4.23pm：Everyone, including Frankie, tries to cover one and a half miles as fast as they can without falling over.
4.24pm：Frankie and Authorized pass winning post a long time before all the others do. Frankie opens his mouth in elation, to reveal an excellent set of teeth.
4.27pm：In the winner's circle, to everyone's delight, Frankie executes a flying dismount. He is full of praise for Authorized. Authorized doesn't say anything. He probably wants a shower.
4.31pm： Frankie kneels on the scales. The clerk of the scales does not say, “Objection. The clerk of the scales objects to the winner.”
4.42pm： Among other things, Frankie says, “It's a dream come true. I've been waiting so long. When I hit the front my heart stopped. It is one of those days in my life I'll never forget.” No one points out that it wasn't actually true that his heart stopped, was it? Although it would have been difficult for anyone to have been as thrilled as Frankie, everyone was delighted for him, including me. Well done, Frankie - that was great.
