Be More Like Bob

Whether you are a human or a horse, the team that you have around you makes a tremendous amount of difference to performance and success.

My highlight of Royal Ascot this week was Battash and Bob Grace; his groom and the man that looks after him every day. Battash won the Group 1 Kings Stand Stakes on Tuesday and is arguably the fastest horse in training at the moment.

Sprinters can be temperamental and need careful handling and management to get the best of out them. Battash is a lucky horse, as he has Bob Grace by his side on a daily basis. Bob has been working in racing for 38 years but had never led up a winner at Royal Ascot until Tuesday.

Watching Bob and Battash in the paddock before the race, it was evident that they had a special bond. Bob was finding it hard to walk due to an apparent leg issue, but it was clear to see that Battash (a highly strung racehorse) sensed this, and walked around the paddock with Bob at Bob’s pace. When Bob spoke to Battash and asked him to slow a little, it was obvious that Battash understood in his own kind of way. He showed a huge amount of empathy towards his handler; it was beautiful to watch the bond between man and horse. It even brought a tear to my eye.

Never have I seen a sprinter so calm before a race and so much compassion by a horse in a racing environment (albeit behind closed doors). The trust between them was plain to see. Trust is a big thing in any team, and credit in this instance must go to Bob and his obvious ability to create a trusting working relationship.

Getting a racehorse fit and ready for a race is a massive team effort, the work riders, the trainer, the groom; they all work hard to look after these majestic creatures and get them ready for the track. As with any athlete, it’s not just about physical ability, it’s about the mental state of the competitor, whether it’s an animal or a human. Bob has a gift which was visible for all to see; his ability to keep Battash calm was a pleasure to observe.

Needless to say I was praying that Battash would win. The teamwork, the bond and the passion was all so evident, and it didn’t seem possible that any other horse could beat this fantastic team.

Part of me wanted him to beat the 5f sprint world record and part of me didn’t, as this record is held by the Folkestone Racecourse Owners Group syndicate horse, Stone Of Folca. Stoney, as we affectionately called him, is the horse that I chose for the racecourse syndicate using what my granddad taught me to look for in a racehorse, therefore Stone of Folca and the record is very special to me. If any horse was going to beat his record, I would have wanted to it to be Battash, purely based on what I saw on Tuesday between them.

Anyone that brings out the best in others, whether it be an animal or a human will always get the highest level of respect from me, and will always deserve any success that comes their way. And as far the world record goes, I would be so happy if it was this amazing team that took Stone of Folca’s crown. Watching Battash’s race was like watching poetry in motion. He won comfortably and I couldn’t have been happier for the team.

Matt Chapman, the racing commentator on the day, wanted to give Bob the much deserved credit and begged officials to allow Bob to collect the trophy in this strange racing environment behind closed doors; a request that was thankfully granted.

It was amazing to see the joy in Bob’s face. Credit to Matt Chapman for making the effort to get Bob up on the podium. His thoughtfulness has given a man a memory he will never forget. Little acts of kindness mean so much!

And for me, it made my day to see how teamwork, hard work and trust could really pay off. A huge congratulations to the whole team at Charlie Hills Racing.

It would be remiss of me not to also mention other highlights of one of the UK’s best meetings in the racing calendar. There was a great performance from Stradivarius, winning his third Ascot Gold Cup. What a dude that horse is and what a training performance from John Gosden and his team. Frankie Dettori was on fire over the five days; he obviously loves Ascot and why wouldn’t you.

Holly Doyle also rode a fantastic race to take her first win at Royal Ascot in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes aboard Scarlet Dragon. It just goes to show that females can compete against men at the highest level and come out on top.

What a surreal Royal Ascot. The ITV Racing team definitely made the best of a difficult situation. It is a race meeting that we will all definitely remember! Let’s hope that next year we are able to attend and soak up the electric atmosphere and top class racing that Royal Ascot is renowned for!

#workingtogether #teamwork #trust #horseracing #royalascot

Photo credits- Great British Racing and Alice Musacci

Picture credit - @Darren Bird