THE GHOST OF RACING CHRISTMASES PAST

Christmas has always been a great time in National Hunt racing. Working Christmas has been as much part of the festivities as turkey, pigs in blankets and presents. Throughout December, owners are tremendously generous, sending in tubs of chocolates, bakes, cakes and – the best – creaking wicker hampers overflowing with treats. Starting early, filling up the walkers and hurrying out on two lots were all made jolly by hearing ‘Merry Christmas’ called out. People wearing Santa hats made the morning extra special. Since having kids, my Christmases are different but all the ones from before, when I mixed work and celebrations, are scored on my heart.

Everyone works Christmas morning, with a skeleton staff returning to complete the afternoon chores as quickly as possible. The majority of the horses have a day off from the gallops, whilst the Boxing Day and the 27^th December runners, along with any that are prone to tying up, get ridden out.

I was the first staff member to wear a costume when riding out. It was a Santa Claus one from running a Jingle Bell 5K Jog near Solihull earlier in the month. The cheap red felt-like material attracted shavings like mosquitoes to Kielder campers and the pom-pommed hat didn’t fit over my helmet, but I rode out my lots with the white beard flapping in my face.

More recently, a Christmas jumper day has become an annual event and as widespread throughout racing, with sponsored jackets being ditched for patterned woollens and many different costumes. So, Father Christmas has been joined by elves and even a Mrs Claus. Finishing touches included tinsel wound round browbands and through cheekpieces, or reindeer antlers and jingling bells.

       Ten years ago, Kempton held a competition for yards to send in a festive team photo of their Boxing Day runner. We used a quieter handicap chaser than the flighty dappled youngster that was entered and staff mixed Christmas jumpers with silks.

      There is one legendary O’Neill team Christmas photo from just before covid and it got printed on a mug as a gift for everyone. It is reminiscent of an old school photograph with lines of matching uniform, but it is dazzling, glittering and twinkling with Christmas decorations, costumes and props. Even Daisy the Jack Russell wore a Santa suit, much to her disgust.

Every few years, snowfall creates a real-life Christmas card scene. Snow appears to be the perfect icing sugar covering but everyone who has pushed a wheelbarrow around a snowy yard, knows it isn’t picturesque: trudging, slipping, sliding before digging the snow into piles and then salting the pathways. Splashes and leaks cause ice worthy of a rink, or taps freeze and pipes burst. In snow, out on the gallops, kickback is lethal – lumps of compacted snow and ice fly up from the thudding hooves like small cannon balls.

In my former job at Nigel Twiston-Davies’, we were snowed in one Christmas, with only 4x4s and tractors able to access the yard. Only one morning of riding was lost to the relentless heavy snow and, despite the working conditions being made extra difficult, we still found ways to have fun. A small group of us went tobogganing down the steepest field. Exhilarated, we skimmed and skidded down to the valley on sledges, a tin tray and even an Alfa-A bag. We traipsed back up to go again, our footsteps pockmarking the snow, cheeks pinked.

Boxing Day racing is special. There are so many meetings and the festive feeling spills over from the previous day. I have had two lead ups in the King George at Kempton and the atmosphere was buzzing. Yet, my best Boxing Day came there in 2016 when I took a favourite called Doesyourdogbite, nicknamed Gromit. He was a lovely shiny bay, with a friendly nature, who’d won on the Flat in France before coming to us. He had been placed on the Flat over here that summer and had won his first two starts over hurdles at Market Rasen and Hereford.

Gromit ran in the last and was our only runner there. He ran a blinder under Aidan Coleman, coming from behind and winning readily by two lengths, beating David Pipe’s Dell’ Arca into third. After being in the dope box, it was very dark when I left and the lorry park had emptied but there was a glow in me as I drove home. There was something very special about a Boxing Day winner, especially at Kempton.

Doesyourdogbite winning the last on 26/12/16 - a very special day with a special horse

Other Boxing Days have been spent at smaller tracks: a grey day at Ffos Las many years ago without winners and more recently, at Huntingdon, we stable staff were gifted packets of Quality Streets when we signed into the stables. Other Christmas surprises included the now-closed Folkestone playing Christmas tunes, going to a two-day meeting at Hereford to win best-turned-outs both days and receiving goodie bags containing Peroni, sweets and Polo mints from Ascot.

       Christmastime is obviously party season. Racing staff dos have been in venues ranging from pubs, clubs, wine bars…and sometimes included a meal or buffet, disco and a photo booth but all were always so much fun. Particularly at an O’Neill Christmas party, the level of fun escalates with the gallons of alcohol consumed.

The gift from Ascot in 2023, a long ago pub party and from the photo booth in 2017

Riding out the morning after the Christmas party was our own pantomime, still rambunctious, in plumes of alcohol fumes, laughing a lot about the antics of the party, especially the romantic interludes that I doubt romance really played any part. By about third lot, the alcohol levels always started to wane, leaving us quieter, pale faces tinged mint-green and hangovers that needed a huge lunch to cure them.

       Then there were the hostel parties that I couldn't possibly write about. Like, once, having spent Christmas Day with my family, I drove back in the evening to celebrate with my colleagues, not expecting to walk into a game of strip Twister in all its glory.

Christmases don’t get more magical than seeing a toddler stare with true wonder at Christmas tree lights or open their gifts with tiny swift hands. Yet, a part of my heart will always be at a festive party of yesteryear, flitting around my fellow partygoers with a gin in each hand, having the time of my life.

• Random Fact 1: Jonjo O'Neill's most festively named winner was the French-bred mare Holly who won at Wincanton on 14/12/21.

• Random Fact 2: When I first started at Nigel Twiston-Davies', he trained Ela La Senza who was owned by the founder of the underwear chain La Senza. Instead of a cash drop at Christmas, all the girl grooms received a La Senza knicker voucher!