Goldcrest’s Ian Harrison on the day he was quizzed on explosives
Ian Harrison has an eventful trip to Scotland
Congratulations to Sir AP on being elected president of the Injured Jockeys Fund. They could never find a better man for the job having suffered thousands of falls himself. Unless you have ever ridden and fallen off a horse you will never know what it feels like… particularly in racing where up to 20 horses are coming over the fence right on top of you.
I had more falls than most jump jockeys but mine were relatively safe as I was eventing and didn’t have any other horses on my heels. It’s a shock going over a fence and finding that you no longer have a horse under you.
If you bet on the horses you should be making a contribution to the Injured Jockeys Fund. Even a tenner a month would be a big help.Go to their website, injuredjockeys.co.uk and set up a direct debit.
Last month I set off to see my family in Elgin in the far north of Scotland.The real reason was to find out how to operate my Christmas present. A Kindle book reader. Six hundred miles to find out how to use it. I spent a wonderful week in their croft perched on the side of a mountain. During the rush hour I counted 14 cars in 20 miles and the last evening there the temperature dropped to minus 15.We were quite cosy huddled round the fire with an Aga blazing away in the kitchen. At the end of the week I was taken to Aberdeen airport and under threat of death from my niece I booked a wheelchair and felt very guilty avoiding all the queues and being pushed to my destination.
It was the baggage check that got me into trouble. They scanned my baggage and clothes with a small piece of cloth on a stick. They put the cloth into a machine and red lights flashed. I was immediately surrounded by police who quizzed me about the explosives that had shown up on the scan. Explosives? Me? ‘Explosive grandad’, I said and laughed.
“They were deadly serious and took my driving licence to check up on me. My laptop was taken away for investigation. Finally I was allowed through.The explanation is quite simple. I had spent a week close to coal fires and the scan was identifying the explosives that had been used in the coal mines. It is reassuring that the sniffing equipment is so sensitive.
The Race Reading Method is making hay in the handicaps. I never do long range forecasts. Cheltenham will come and go and if I find any good bets they will be on the day or maybe the day before. I like to see recent form before I take the plunge.
The Injured Jockeys Fund is sponsoring a get together the evening before racing at the King’s head, Cirencester where AP will be presiding.