Fitzdares Times | issue 13

T H E W O R L D ’ S F I N E S T B O O K M A K E R , TA K I N G B E T S S I N C E 1 8 8 2 • F I T Z D A R E S. C O M • T H I R T E E N T H E D I T I O N , C H R I S T M A S 2 0 2 0 • N O U N D E R 2 1 s

HIGH LIFE A Friday the 13th hurrah story BY PAUL WEBBER

PREDICT AND WIN Pick 2021’s top dogs to claim a prize jackpot!

IT’S A WRAP! Sleep easy with our special Xmas GIFT GUIDE

OSCAR TIPS Who will get the gold? BY JOE HODGSON

SAVING THE GAME

Stuck in the shadow of brash young offshoot T20, Test cricket is in seemingly terminal decline. Urgent change is needed to rescue it, says Sir Geoffrey Boycott HE MAJORITY OF TEST MATCH cricket spectators come from the older generation who have grown up understanding, admiring and enjoying the nuances of the game. Today’s youngsters grow up watching and playing T20, and when they have kids they will encourage them to watch and play T20. When that older generation passes on, there will be an even bigger decline in Test cricket admirers. A Test match is the ultimate examination of a cricketer’s temperament and technique. Throughout history, and even today, players judge themselves by their Test performances – therefore we have an obligation to try to keep the longer format alive and well supported for the next generation of kids. Doing nothing is not an option. Test cricket is under threat from T20 and, because of Covid-19, is under more financial threat than ever.

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Some people don’t want the game to change, but nobody should be afraid of change. Test cricket has always adapted with the changes, right from its beginnings in 1877. Today’s cricket is a wonderful spectacle, with the number of runs scored per ball bowled being higher than at any time in Test cricket’s history. As an entertainment spectacle it should be appealing – so why is it most countries are struggling to get spectators through the gate? England and Australia are the exception, particularly England, who play their home matches to full or nearly full grounds even though tickets are very

Watching T20, you don’t have to think. Every few minutes there are fours and sixes or wickets falling.

expensive. Australia still get big attendances and have just started dipping their toe in the water with an occasional day/night Test match. But the rest of the world has seen crowds declining for more than ten years. One can understand New Zealand having small crowds as their total population is only 5 million. Cricket used to be everything in the West Indies, but for years hardly anyone has turned up. Now it has got so bad that when England tour the Caribbean there are more England supporters travelling to enjoy some winter sunshine than there are locals attending. South Africa has been in a downward spiral for some time. Government quotas and affirmative action to force black and Cape coloured players into teams after many years of being disenfranchised during apartheid hasn’t helped. Many white players have drifted away from cricket,

disillusioned, or tried their luck in English county cricket like Kevin Pietersen. Mismanagement and arguments between the cricket authorities and the government haven’t helped either. Pakistan have not played a Test match at home since 2009 due to safety concerns after the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked by terrorists. But for a decade before that the public had lost interest and matches were being played to empty stadiums. Interest for one-day 50-over matches had overtaken Tests. Support in Sri Lanka is so poor it is beyond sad. NDIA IS THE POWERHOUSE OF CRICKET, with over 1.3 million people all cricket mad. For years Test matches were played to full houses as no other sport could get anywhere near the same level of support. Tickets were like gold dust! Even when the matches were sold out, thousands of →

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Packed crowds were a common sight in Geoffrey Boycott’s Test heyday

→ supporters would congregate outside the grounds just to be close to the action and near their heroes. Those not at the match listened on radio or watched on TV. Test match cricket was in the hearts and minds of the whole nation. For years now, you haven’t needed to pre-buy a ticket; just walk up and pay at the gate. Stadiums are half full on the weekend and a third full or less on the other days. Sad to see, but the IPL T20 has captured and captivated the whole of India to the detriment of Tests. So why is T20 thriving and Test match support declining? In my opinion, T20 fits the modern-day pace of life. Youngsters now expect everything immediately – many adults too, as the pace of life has got faster. Patience is non-existent. Mobile phones, computers and satellite TV have altered our lives so that almost everything is instantly at hand. A cricket match concertina-ed into four hours of nonstop action, with lots of runs and wickets and pop music, fits their idea of entertainment – fast, all-action fun that doesn’t take sitting around all day and

Welcome to

the club

Well, that was a strange year. From all the team at Fitzdares, we hope you made it through OK and that you're looking forward to a Christmas full of family and friends. For fear of sounding like the Queen, we’ve been immensely touched by all the kind words from members, particularly during the first lockdown. They really meant a lot to the whole team. Bookies have had a rough ride in the press. However, we do hope our Club opening and Sir Henry Cecil advert represent our desire to do things a little bit differently, and more importantly, properly. We’re also very proud to have delivered two newspapers to you in lockdown. Thank you again and enjoy this cracking read.

William Woodhams, CEO

having to work out the clever, intricate moves going on between bat and ball or understanding the finer arts of a match. Watching T20, you don’t have to think. Every few minutes there are fours and sixes or wickets falling, and you get your favourite pop songs as well. It’s just fun. It doesn’t last too long and they all go home having had a great time. Most kids growing up watch T20, practise and play it. Because they would choose T20 over Test match cricket, that makes it worse for the future of the longer format. So how can countries address this slide in attendances from Test match cricket to T20? I hope I’m wrong, but I think it may have gone too far already. The administrators have done nothing to make Test matches more appealing to the young, or as a vibrant alternative to the shorter format. Their answer is to have more and more T20 and sell the matches to television for lots of lolly. Every country has a T20 league, and in England we’re going to have two because TV pays big sums. How shortsighted and greedy is that? On top of that, many administrators and some older ex-players make out that they don’t want to change five-day Test matches, as if it would be sacrilege to attempt any alterations. They are like King Canute trying to stop the tide coming in! They are living in the past. Doing nothing has not been a success. If you care about something, you have to accept that change, however unpalatable, is necessary. 20 IS SHORT, SHARP, fast and furious, and played in the evenings or at weekends. Test matches are long, slow, and played over five days throughout the day when people are expected to be at work. Taking time off work for many people can be difficult. It’s a no-brainier which format is the more attractive. Fifteen years ago I gave the MCC Colin Cowdrey lecture and I advocated day/night Test matches, because people would be able to attend without taking a day off work. There was then the problem of getting a coloured ball that would be easier to see at night and retain its colour. Cricket authorities made every excuse about finding a coloured ball, not having coloured clothing in Test cricket and problems with

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dew. All these could have been solved, but frankly none of them wanted change so they dragged their feet. It has taken an abnormal amount of time for authorities to accept the pink ball and realise a bit of common sense is needed to avoid day/night matches in the months when there is a likelihood of dew. We are still in the infancy of just the odd Test match being played at night around the world. Tests at night are not yet required in England because of our long summer days, and our day Test matches are so well supported. But abroad, in hot climates when night falls early, it’s ideal to play and watch in pleasant, warm conditions after work. Five days are allotted for all Test matches, yet half of them now have a result in under four days – and that’s with over rates of less than the requested 15 overs an hour. Last summer in England, our result Tests were finished in 350-370 overs. For the paying spectator, over rates are the biggest frustration. There are too many breaks and stoppages; drinks intervals take for ever; players dawdle around, and captains have long chats with bowlers about what field to set; bowlers unhappy with the footholds mess about at the bowling crease. Inactivity in Test cricket is the opposite of

nonstop T20. When nothing is happening, it can give the impression that players feel the game is for them and not paying customers. WOULD HAVE FOUR-DAY TEST MATCHES, and the bowling team would have to bowl 16 overs an hour in whatever part of the day they are required to be in the field. Playing time would be over seven hours, and with 16 overs an hour it would mean a total of 112 overs a day. Over four days, that would mean 448 overs to complete a match. If the two teams can’t get a result in that number of overs, then the pitch is too good and it’s better to call it a draw without the bowlers being flogged to exhaustion. Every time the bowling side doesn’t complete the required 16 overs an hour, there should be a penalty of 10 runs an over added to the opposition total as penalty runs. In most cases that wouldn’t happen, because no team would want to give runs to the opposition. I believe all cricket administrators have a duty to leave Test cricket in a better place than they found it. n

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Sir Geoffrey Boycott OBE scored

8,114 runs in 108 Tests for England and is a Fitzdares WhatSport Ambassador.

O U R T R I B U T E TO T H E B E S T B E T S, J U N E TO N O V E M B E R

FRIDAY 12 JUNE INVESTED £2,000 DOUBLE SELECTION Johan @ 6/1

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER INVESTED 25P E/W SUPER YANKEE SELECTION Alcohol Free @ 6/1 14:25 Newmarket Supremacy @ 13/2 15:00 Newmarket Majestic Dream @ 25/1 15:35 Newmarket Mystery Angel @ 8/1 16:10 Newmarket Arigato @ 9/2 16:40 Newmarket

16:55 Newbury First Prophet @ 13/2 19:30 Newbury

RETURNED £105,000 WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE INVESTED £200 TREBLE SELECTION Sir Busker @ 10/1 13:15 Ascot Dark Vision @ 12/1 15:35 Ascot Tactical @ 9/2 16:10 Ascot

RETURNED £157,300 SATURDAY 18 JULY INVESTED £3,000 TREBLE SELECTION Leeds United @ 11/4 2019/20 Championship winner Plymouth Argyle @ 13/8 2019/20 League Two winner Dundee United @ 6/4 2019/20 Scottish Championship

RETURNED £73,828 MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER INVESTED £5,000 FORECAST SELECTION Harry’s Bridge / Red Bravo 14:55 Hamilton

RETURNED £61,750 THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER INVESTED £35,000 SINGLE SELECTION Classic Lord @ 9/4 5:10 Pontefract

RETURNED £94.062

RETURNED £7,225 THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER INVESTED £5 E/W DOUBLE SELECTION Thahab Ifraj @ 50/1 15:55 Wincanton Frilly Frock @ 22/1 17:35 Wincanton

RETURNED £8,166 SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER INVESTED £5,000 SINGLE SELECTION Addeybb @ 9/1 Champion Stakes

RETURNED £50,000 MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER INVESTED £50,000 SINGLE SELECTION Joe Biden @ 1/2 US Presidential winner 2020

RETURNED £75,000 MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER INVESTED £3,000 SINGLE SELECTION Dustin Johnson @ 9/1 2020 Masters

RETURNED £30,000

Congratulations on some fantastic picks in 2020, you all know who you are. © FITZDARES

2020

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04 SPEAKER’S CORNER Nat Coombs

GAMBLING USA

HERE’S A WONDERFUL LINE IN Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises when a character named Mike is asked how he went bankrupt. “Two ways,” he replies. “Gradually, then suddenly.” For decades, Americans have been gambling on sports – just not with ease. The sportsbooks of the Las Vegas casinos hummed away, bets could be placed if you knew the right guy locally, and offshore websites have been an option for the more digitally savvy in the past 20 years. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling that enabled states to legalise gambling set in motion a feeding frenzy, with operators moving in, sporting organisations and media owners exploring new revenue streams and punters enjoying straightforward access. Inevitably, many of those who were already partial to some action have increased their consumption, and a whole tribe of new converts have jumped aboard. The line between sports and gambling had been blurring long before the legislative changes now applied in more than 20 US states and counting. Points spreads have been a staple of mainstream sports broadcasting for years. Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was giving his take on handicaps on CBS’s NFL Today on Sunday afternoons in the Seventies; the great Bill Simmons began his Guess the Lines podcast more than 10 years ago; and the onset of fantasy sports meant cash prize tournaments, latterly enhanced in frequency and scope by daily fantasy. More than $20 billion has been bet with US sportsbooks since May 2018. At Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta in the February after the Supreme Court ruling, I was chatting to a CNN journalist who told me he’d heard the amounts being gambled in New Jersey were doubling month-on-month, which at the time I took with a pinch of salt. A few months later, it was reported that more than $3 billion had been wagered in New Jersey alone. The speed of the growth was startling. Initially in the US, the sports that are generating the most money from gamblers are the major ones territorially: NFL, college football, NBA and MLB. But what about after that? “Soccer and tennis are above NHL. We’re also seeing a lot more in-play betting,” says Brad Allen, an expert in sports gambling and a journalist at Legal Sports Report. “In the UK, a major platform sees circa 80 per cent of its action in-play. The US is getting up to around 50 per cent at some of the bigger books.”

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The rise in popularity of soccer in the US will continue irrespective of gambling, but interest in the sport is only going to be enhanced by the opportunity to wager on it. Other minority sports will look to leverage similar opportunities, building out a new fanbase through association, and revenue. The more established US leagues and franchises are grabbing the opportunities too, in many cases glad of the extra cash provided in lean times where Covid-19 has affected turnover. The NBA and MLB have deals in place with operators, but the NFL, while naming Caesars as its official casino partner, has held off aligning with a sportsbook in the US, though has set up deals in international territories, including the UK. Teams within the NFL have been quicker off the mark, with franchises including the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears all signed up with official sportsbook partners. “Teams have fully embraced [gambling]. The industry is still seen as new, quite novel,” says Allen. LS BECAME THE FIRST MAJOR LEAGUE to look at shirt sponsorship deals, though the NFL has held firm that opportunities like that, and others (stadium naming rights), are off the table. Broadcast advertising during games is starting to appear, with brands wading heavily into that market, although the risk of over-saturation is a concern. Alongside teams, media are also moving quickly in the space. Sports Illustrated has its own gambling section nestled alongside NFL and NBA editorial, and many others offer premium content, requiring subscription, of which betting advice forms a key part of the offering behind the paywall. TV shows and podcasts dedicated to gambling tips are flourishing, and Fox has launched its own book, Fox Bet, with others like Barstool following suit. And of course, all this will continue to accelerate as more states look to legalise. With around half the country able to bet legally, how long will it be before most or even all states have sportsbooks? “I’d say close to ten years,” says Allen. “It’s inevitable eventually. There are huge states [Texas, California] where there are significant obstacles, so it’s not all going to happen in the next few years.” n

M Broadcast advertising during games is starting to appear, with brands wading heavily into that market.

Nat Coombs has his own show on ESPN and is a Fitzdares WhatSport Ambassador.

Gambling has been a presence in US sport ever since the days of Jimmy ‘The Greek’

ROSANNA BOSSOM I N T E R I O R

D E S I G N

Rosanna Bossom Ltd is a London based Interior Design firm specialising is both residential and commercial projects W: www.rosannabossom.co.uk E: info@rosannabossom.co.uk P: 0203 691 4552

At the Cheltenham Festival that nearly wasn’t, trainer Paul Webber

owned by John O’Connor of Ballylinch Stud. John is big man, and I presume his heart and Indefatigable’s are about the same size. I met him at a Tattersalls sale about 30 years ago: I sensed a presence an instant before the tap on my shoulder. He introduced himself and stated that we were often bidding on the same horses and my actions were costing him money. He politely suggested that it would be more economical if we became friends. John has had a horse or two here, but in mid-January 2018 he rang to tell me that he thought he had a special filly who had just finished third in a mares bumper at Punchestown. He adored this filly and wanted to retain a minority interest in her, if I could find him a partner.

HIRTEEN HAS NEVER BEEN considered unlucky in the Webber family. I was born on 13 August, my father’s 33rd birthday – not that he was conscious of my arrival until the following day, as he had his two naughty brothers staying to help (or hinder) him finish the harvest. They celebrated ‘harvest home’ in proper fashion, which was far more important than the arrival of a third child. Saddling our horses with a ‘13’ number-cloth has never brought on superstitious worries for the safety of our horse and rider. We were very excited with our runners at this year’s Cheltenham Festival and their preparation had gone well, so the fact they were competing on Friday 13th was not a concern. Plenty of other disasters might await, but the date would not be blamed.

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Somehow I was the designated driver for this year’s pilgrimage. Despite the excitement of two ‘proper, not social’ runners, there was still the fear of leaving emptyhanded through the North Gate yet again. It’s a quiet drive home, puzzling over what we can do better to get that Festival winner. Usually by the time we’re through Stow-on-the-Wold we’ve cheered up a bit and have recognised one horse back at home with a legitimate chance for the following March. Trainers have a usual routine when we get to the races, and it’s even the same at ‘Paradise Park’ on Gold Cup Day. We met up with House Island’s owners, the Economic Security Partnership, a remarkable band of National Hunt brothers. These friends have had a horse with us for 23 years. House Island endured the big disadvantage of having to make most of his own running in the Albert Bartlett and was still in front into the straight, before speedier opponents left him in eighth place. The standard trainer’s rallying speech then followed: great run, thrilled with the horse, so much to look forward to, he’s crying out for fences and what a chasing prospect he is, very like Time For Rupert, but probably better. Excited talk of the future around a table with bottles of Pinot Noir, a mere giveaway at £50(!) from Jockey Club Catering. Just before we left the party, my wife Ku made some gesture that resembled her finest crosscourt backhand and sent the only full glass of white wine on the table all over the trainer’s best tweed suit, which only gets out of the cupboard for Cheltenham. My wife’s backhand resulted in an alcoholic aroma surrounding me for the rest of the day. Ku and I left that marquee and walked almost straight into Carol Pipe and then Martin. We chattered away for a little while and said just how much we would love our runner Indefatigable to win his race, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, the last race of the Festival. As we walked on, we felt that this chance meeting seemed very opportune and decided it must have been a great omen. The presence of Indefatigable at our stable is a shining example of friendship bringing good fortune. She was bred and

This entire tale is about the stars aligning in perfect celestial order. The most crucial part of this alignment was Philip Rocher entering our orbit. Philip works in London, but a few years ago he also bought a lovely place four miles away from us. His daughter Kate runs a top-class eventing yard and soon started using our gallops, and Philip enjoyed coming to watch her. After a while he took a small share in a horse called Tindaro, who gave everybody plenty of fun without being a star. The next step was buying an unbroken three-year-old who showed promise in two bumpers but didn’t improve over hurdles so joined Kate’s eventing string. However, sometime before Christmas 2018, Philip made a remark that most people would not notice but a trainer with bat-like ears would never miss: “I would some time like to race a filly.” There can have only been a maximum of five weeks between Philip’s remark and John’s phone call. There was six inches of snow and ice on the road as I went to broker this idea to Philip, Lesley and Kate. As in every deal, trust is the key: I trusted John, and Philip and his family trusted me, so when Kate and her vet approved Indefatigable, our new constellation was formed. Indefatigable’s stable name became Mary, after John’s inspirational wife. Mary herself runs a 60bed care home – a tough task even in quieter times. How many owners have a runner at Cheltenham but then at the last minute are unable to attend? This was no normal year, though. With Covid-19 infection numbers rising daily and increasing worry and doom circulating around Europe, there were serious doubts whether Cheltenham could, should or would happen at all. How very helpful to the meeting going ahead was the little-known fact that our health secretary, Matt Hancock, had shown fine skills when riding the winner of a charity race at Newmarket? A member of Philip’s family who was living with them was scheduled to undergo a critical bone marrow operation. The whole Rocher family debated whether they dare risk anybody attending what could be a prime location for the spread of the virus. Philip put family before sport and called me during the morning to say that they felt they must stay at home. Indefatigable marched into the paddock with her typically determined stride, ears flicking straight back if any horse got within her perceived zone. Her fierce attitude always gives me confidence before her races, as you know she’ll battle through any inconvenience. To my mind, her odds of 33-1 were an insult to both her and me. Just two days earlier, Dame de Compagnie, who had beaten her at Cheltenham in December when in receipt of 6lb, had won the Coral Cup. Form does not get more solid than that. We seemed to collect a very supportive entourage in the paddock, including our local MP Victoria Prentis and her team, House Island’s owners, Rupert and Vanessa Fairfax (who provide our horses with fabulous saddlery at home) and anybody else we could press-gang to join us. The flying of our aeroplane was in the hands of pilot Rex Dingle, in his very first sortie for us. He and ‘Mary’ had met three days previously, when they schooled over eight hurdles in perfect harmony at home. Our plan was for Rex to jump off middle to outer, to get a position with a bit of daylight in the forward half of the pack. We felt she had hit the front too soon at Cheltenham in

07 felt the stars were finally aligning in his long quest for a

Festival winner

HAIL MARY December, and with such a long run to the last, Rex must wait for as long as he dared and then wait two seconds more! As taught by Jack Ramsden, “Don’t worry if you don’t quite get there, but don’t get beat because you hit the front too soon.” It is always better to start with plan A and then resort to B and C if you have to. Plan A looked to being going really well until there was a false start! Then the trouble really started as, instead of listening to Rex’s urgings to line up, ‘Mary’ was totally absorbed in protecting her airspace by snarling and trying to bite her opponents. At the standing start she was flat-footed, not concentrating and slow into her stride, jumping the first hurdle in plum last. Flight plans A to T had blown out of the cockpit, but our ace pilot was ice-cool, sat quietly and let things unfold in front of him as the pace was plenty quick. Still last going up the hill with less than a mile to go, they passed one horse and started to thread their way through the field as they gal-

LONG ROADS TO GLORY Oscar Swahn 1908 Olympic shooting Unlike the others in our list, Swahn tasted success at the first attempt – but by the time of those 1908 London Olympics, when he won two shooting gold medals, he was almost 61. The Swede won a third gold in 1912 and competed in 1920 at 72. Roberto de Vicenzo 1967 Open The Argentinian remains the oldest first-time winner of a golf Major, having been 44 when he won the 1967 Open by two shots from Jack Nicklaus. It was his only Major win.

loped downhill. Their bravest moment was at the second last, where neither her pilot nor ‘Mary’ could possibly have seen the flight, but she jumped like a gazelle between two horses.

Still ten lengths off the leaders as she turned into the uphill straight, ‘Mary’ was flying. She was very quick over the last, dodged a faller and set her sights on Pileon. They crossed the line together and nobody knew for sure, and we didn’t dare to hope. The freeze-frame then gave an inkling of hope, which I banished and refused to accept. Indefatigable had got up to win by a short head, and as hoped we got to meet Martin Pipe again – the closest finish in the last race of the Festival that might not have taken place. We left through the North Gate and I drove home, sober as the judge who called the result of our race but intoxicated by the bubbles in the champagne and the wafts of wine emanating from my tweed. It was a much noisier drive home this year.

Some have had to be very patient before tasting sporting triumph…

Dick Saunders 1982 Grand National At the age of 48, Saunders, an amateur, piloted Grittar to a 15length victory at Aintree in a race in which ten horses fell at the first (including 1981 winner Aldaniti) and just eight finished. Nigel Mansell 1992 F1 season Mansell had finished second in the F1 championship three times in the previous six years before finally claiming the prize at 39. Having acquired the title-winning habit, he then moved to Indy Car in 1993 and won the CART title in his debut season.

John Elway Super Bowl XXXII The Denver Broncos legend had endured three heavy Super Bowl losses before he won Super Bowl in 1998 against the Green Bay Packers at the age of 37. He retired on a high note after winning a second title a year later.

Goran Ivanisevic 2001 Wimbledon The Croatian was ranked 125th in the world and was making his 48th attempt to win a Grand Slam title when, having broken British hearts by defeating Tim Henman in their rain-delayed semi-final, he then beat Pat Rafter in a classic five-set final. Darren Clarke 2011 Open The popular Clarke’s Open win at Royal St George’s at the age of 42 was one of the most emotional moments in modern golf. It was Clarke’s 20th appearance in the tournament.

Racing ceased four days later. All of us who were so lucky to attend or watch Cheltenham in March owe huge gratitude to the hundreds who managed to make the meeting happen, and I hope you understand that I am more grateful than most. My father trained two Festival winners, the last of which was Elfast in 1994, the year before he died. I feel he may have played a part in aligning the various stars in this story in the correct order, which enabled this fairy tale to become reality. To be a dual Royal Ascot winner and finally a Cheltenham Festival winning trainer feels good, and I send huge gratitude to everybody who made it happen. I assume lockdown is excused in Heaven, so I’m now very worried that the celestial pub, “The Open Arms”, may soon run out of Dad’s favoured brandy and ginger ale. n Paul Webber is busy preparing for Cheltenham 2021 at his

Oxfordshire yard.

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WITH 2020 BEING SUCH A DISASTER FOR SPORTS, we are looking

forward to a jam-packed calendar in 2021. With everything from the Super Bowl to the greatly anticipated World Handball Championship, I’ve chosen a wine for each occasion…

WI NE CALENDAR by Dom Jacobs

I would go with a natural Beaujolais, something that can be packed up cold but is not a disaster if it warms up bit. Morgon ‘Cuvée 3.14’ from Domaine Foillard is a great place to start. JUL Olympic Games, Tokyo 23 July – 8 August

JAN Australian Open, Melbourne Monday 18 – Sunday 31

I would ditch wine altogether in Tokyo and get stuck into their immensely smooth whisky. Now globally sought after, its price has skyrocketed, but Nikka from the barrel is still affordable and worryingly easy to drink!

Australia is one of the greats of the New World. While its past is littered with mass-produced wine of little merit, the established industry now bears wonderful fruit. Well known wines like Penfolds Grange have dominated the top end and have a real global presence, but around Melbourne in Victoria state some amazing wines are to be found. Yara Valley’s De Bortoli is a top estate producing an ace sweet wine called Noble One.

AUG British Grand Prix MotoGP, Silverstone Friday 27 – Sunday 29

The world’s fastest bikes deserve a sparkling wine, and fortunately these days the Brits can even outdo the French for fizz. Gusbourne is my pick of the best British sparklers – its Blanc de Blancs is sublime.

FEB Super Bowl, Tampa, Florida Sunday 7

The Orange State was the first in America to grow vines, after Spanish missionaries made it their home in the 16th century. That said, I wouldn’t drink anything from there. For me the Super Bowl is all about pomp. For this reason, the only wine for the occasion is big, bold American Bordeaux blends that burst out of your glass faster than Janet Jackson’s left nipple. Opus One is the one for me here, one of the great Californian Cabernet Sauvignons.

SEP Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Wisconsin Friday 24 – Sunday 26

For a fiercely fought team event like this, it seems fitting to go for an American sparkling. Taittinger set up shop with Domaine Carneros in the Napa Valley, and their Blanc de Blancs is a good place to start. OCT T20 World Cup, India Mid-October (TBC) – 14 November

India is producing a lot of wine these days, but my preference would be a wine from elsewhere to pair with the local food I would be eating. Pairing wine with spicey food is hard, but generally either sweeter wines or big, aromatic ones are the way to go. A white Rhône would be my choice here. Châteauneuf-duPape blanc is a much underrated wine, perfect for these purposes, and Chanté Cigale produces an excellent value one.

MAR Nordic World Ski Championships, Oberstdorf 23 February – 7 March

Some of the world’s most underrated wines come from Germany, once dogged by its Hock and Liebfraumilch. Sit me down with a fine magnum of Riesling from the Mosel Valley and I couldn’t be happier. They pair impeccably well with the roast pork knuckle I would be eating too. Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling magnums are available from Waitrose.

NOV Melbourne Cup Tuesday 2 APR The Masters, Augusta, Georgia Thursday 8 – Sunday 11

A more refined affair than the Super Bowl deserves a more refined wine. My best bet is the Pinot Noir ‘Isabelle’ from Au Bon Climat. As elegant as its Burgundian cousins, it still shows a touch of American flair. MAY French Open, Paris 23 May – 6 June

The French Open needs rosé for me – the finest Provençal tipple by the gallon to keep you cool. Williams Chase Provence Rosé is a perfect bottle and sponsors most of my summers! JUN Tour de France 26 June – 18 July

The Tour de France is a chance to drink wine out of a bottle on the side of the road. Classic, funky local wines, cheese and pâté are the required combination.

I would ditch wine altogether in Tokyo and get stuck into their immensely smooth whisky.

It’s a bit early to be drinking if we are watching this from the UK, but should you record it to enjoy later in the day, a firm favourite of mine is Henschke from the Barossa valley. They produce exceptional reds, and their Hill of Grace is one of the world’s greatest Shirazes. It’s eye-wateringly expensive, though, so let’s hope you back a winner. DEC World Women’s Handball Championship, Spain Sunday 12 – 19

OK, so handball might not be top of everyone’s list of sports – but the wine will be good. My top pick is San Vicente from Sierra Cantabria, a wonderful and iconic wine from Rioja. n Dom Jacobs is the Wine Director at The Fitzdares Club. A case containing these 12 selected bottles is available to order from louisa@fitzdares.com for £1,250.

DancingOnTheEdge is a beautiful Kapgarde filly now in training with 11-times champion trainer Paul Nicholls. PRICE PER SHARE: £60

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10 William Woodhams looks ahead to brighter days for the Fitzdares family after a truly strange year

SURVIVING THE END OF THE WORLD (OF SPORT) This might be a good time to explain the profile of our membership and business at Fitzdares. While other operators saw an increase in their online casino traffic, ours reduced. We stopped all promotions and offers, feeling it unseemly to promote roulette daily in a pandemic. Secondly, we are a racing and ‘Tier 1’ sports bookmaker. For all our light-hearted trying, we know our members are just not that interested in Belarusian handball. Other bookmakers boasted of their success, but on the front of the Financial Times we had to admit we had one big bet on Taiwanese football, which, ho ho, won with ease. That, for all the obscure betting markets, was about it.

WRITE THIS DURING LOCKDOWN 2, and with news that multiple vaccines have been created. That may sound a bit like a diary entry from one of HG Wells’ protagonists. Little did we know back in February that we would be living within the pages of a fantastical horror story throughout most of 2020. Now that a beacon of light has been spotted at the end of the tunnel, it is hopefully not too soon to reflect

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on those dark first few months and focus again on the importance of sport. Without a shadow of a doubt, its cancellation, and eventual resurrection, played a huge role in how billions of people handled the year. We start on the Friday of Cheltenham. It’s not our place to weigh in on the debate of whether it should have gone ahead. However, by that Friday our staff had already started working from home while we were just wrapping up our marathon of Festival-related events. Within 48 hours, racing had moved behind

We had seen global racing and UK sport one by one stop like an agonising train of dominoes.

closed doors. Within a week of that, the nation had gone into lockdown. Sport had been wiped off the calendar, while people gathered around their televisions to await the latest news from the Prime Minister. This was not to last long – by that Friday, Boris himself had contracted coronavirus. For Fitzdares, it was a pretty swift and finite end to our business. We had seen almost all racing and every sport in the UK stop one by one, like an agonising train of dominoes. By the end of March there was really only Floridian and Hong Kong racing to keep us entertained.

There we were, looking down the barrel of two to three months with nothing to price up, nothing to do and potentially nothing left of a business. This is something only governments plan for (except this time) and there is no possible insurance to cover it. This, as I know many of you have shared, was a truly terrifying time. What saved us, then? A simple accountant would say it has been the safe and speedy resumption of racing in June (a special thanks goes here for the owners). We bookmakers also paid chunks into racing to get it up and running, but boy, was it worth it! But actually, the unsung hero of all of this was… you. Your feedback and support kept us going through the tough times. We wrote a daily email, ‘The Tonic’, which was nominated for marketing campaign of the year – the response and positivity over it made us genuinely emotional. We were also

one of the founding bookmakers to create an NHS appeal around the Virtual Grand National, which so many of you got your teeth stuck into – it was surprisingly fun and extremely heart-warming. We also took the time to make ourselves even stronger out of lockdown. After organising the world’s first Virtual Royal Enclosure and the Derby Drive-in, which you all supported so much, we also built a club. Yep, a members’ club! All through lockdown we plotted and planned, and, on 1 September a fully formed temple of sport was opened for Fitzdares members. What we’ve learnt through all this is simple. Sport is the global language. That’s why sport always goes on. The arts are still waiting for the nod to start, but sport is so unifying, and crosses so many borders, that it just had to find a way. And it did. Sometimes sport gets defined as simply a pastime, hobby or entertainment. Lockdown showed us we all need it. n William Woodhams is the silky-soft

CEO of Fitzdares.

VIP TOURS OF JACKDAWS CASTLE THE HOME OF JONJO O’NEILL We are delighted to offer the opportunity for you to visit Jackdaws Castle. Set in 500 acres in the heart of the Cotswolds we can promise a truly amazing experience, from your Champagne breakfast at the iconic Lygon Arms in Broadway to being driven alongside the horses as they work on the gallops to watching them swim in our equine pool. This is an access all areas experience whether you wish to spoil yourself or someone else by purchasing a tour as a gift, but don’t take our word for it here is what Sir AP McCoy says “Jackdaws Castle is without doubt one of Europe’s premier training establishments, you really do have to see it to believe it” Full Tour details & itinerary at www.jonjooneillracing.com

£250 + vat pp

Totally new for 2021, this new club offers members the chance to be involved with the legend that is Jonjo O’Neill. The club will lease two horses to run under the racing club banner; Tegerek, a 6yo gelding Tegerek rated 132 and a winner already this season at Cheltenham. He followed that victory up by finishing 3rd on his latest run in the Greatwood Hurdle at the same course. He will offer members some great fun over the winter. The other horse is His Dream, a 7yo gelding who is a 5 time winner and has run at Royal Ascot. He made a winning chase debut earlier this season at Perth and will run over the Summer. Membership includes the chance to go racing when the Club horses run, stable visits and a share of any prize money won. All this for £99 per share ,join today & spoil yourself or spoil a loved one or friend by giving membership as the perfect Christmas gift. Full details at www.jonjooneillracingclub.co.uk

Just £99 per share!

12 No one could have predicted how 2020 would turn out... But can you pick 2021’s big winners? There’s a jackpot prize for you if you can, but first Fitzdares’ own Rory Fairfax Sam Hockenhull Alex Mitchell & Harry Light have a go

Rory England @ 6/5 Sam England @ 6/5 Alex France @ 5/2 Harry England @ 6/5

CRYSTAL BALL SIX NATIONS Harry All you have to think about here is what price England are to beat France at Twickenham. Then you’ve got three complete non-runners in Italy, Scotland and… Wales. Scotland probably won’t even be let outdoors by their local government, to be honest. Alex I actually think the French are a big price here. Sam Shut up. Oh my god. Alex They are as in form as England, with a lot of exciting young players like Dupont. Vakatawa is a great ball-carrying centre. I would definitely have them to beat Ireland.

Rory McIlroy @ 10/1 Sam Rahm @ 10/1 Alex Matsuyama @ 28/1 Harry DeChambeau @ 10/1

Harry Perhaps you’d be looking to bet the forecast: England first, France second. Sam England will win that comfortably. Rory England. Moving on…

CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP Sam I quite enjoyed Minella Indo the other day. Although, if truth be told, Al Boum Photo has got an even better chance than Best Mate had of getting the hattrick, the way he’s been trained. If you can back Al Boum Photo at 6/1 and Minella Indo at 8/1, you’d have to side with the former. He’s

been there, done that. Twice. Alex If Al Boum Photo turns up and does the job on his reappearance, he certainly won’t be a 6/1 chance on the day. You’d have to say he’ll be about 5/2. I’d probably back Presenting Percy after his last run. If you go back to his novice form, his RSA performance was one of the best I’ve seen and he’s under the master talent of Gordon Elliott. He’s my pick at the price. Sam Mitch, when was the last time a horse had two cracks at the Gold Cup and won on his third attempt? Hasn’t happened. Percy’s not getting better, either.

Alex He might improve with the change of trainer – that, for me, could be the big difference. No matter how much you like him, Minella Indo isn’t an 8/1 shot. Sam Would probably have to agree on that. Rory No idea. Al Boum Photo did OK for me last year. Harry The Boum.

THE MASTERS Harry Only one runner here. Alex For God’s sake. Harry Big, bad Bryson. Sam “Par 67” my arse. Harry I promise, come April, Augusta will play like a par 67 and the real Bryson DeChambeau will turn up. He’s going to enter the big time and shut up all the snide commentators once and for all. Rory If only you could back McIlroy to win in a “without the first round counting” market, he’d be a bet at every single Major. He just needs to get his head right and play a solid opening round to settle the nerves. Harry Looking at DJ, I’ve never seen him want something that much. There’s often a bit of a hangover when you get your hands on one of the big trophies. I just wonder whether he’ll have that same zest next year. Alex No, I’ve got the Masters winner. It’s Hideki’s time. He’s always there or thereabouts – he just needs to get his putter right. Harry No, no. It’s all about Bryson. I have no idea why he is the same price as Jon Rahm – in an even-money match bet, there’s

only one side you’re taking. Having said all that, I do think he needs to mentally have a different approach there. I think it’s the hardest one to win because it’s the one they want to win more than any other. They all publicly say the Open, but if you were to give them a truth serum I’m convinced they would all say the Masters. Sam Sorry, but you are completely deluded about Bryson – he couldn’t even hit a fairway.

EURO 2020 Alex Spain hose up here. They just beat Germany 6-0, with the perfect blend of experience and youth. It’s a cliché but that combination will get them over the line. The one thing I think we can all agree on is that England are the lay of the century. Harry I wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole, especially at 9/2. How they can be joint favourites with Belgium, who have beaten them convincingly three of the last four times, is a joke. Alex We want as much England in the book as possible. Might have to push our price out! Harry What’s really changed with France since the World Cup? I’d have to side with them. Rory Yeah, the front three of Griezmann, Mbappé and Coman is as good as any. Having won the World Cup, they’ve got that biggame experience and know how to get it done. It could be a very similar situation to when Spain won the 2008 Euros, which set them up for the World Cup two

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GAMES years later (but in reverse). Another interesting shout are the Netherlands, who’ve got a bunch of talented youngsters like De Ligt, Van de Beek and De Jong. Alex None of them are really excelling themselves at the moment, but if they all get into form at the same time, and if Van Dijk recovers in time, they could be a real contender. You’d probably just watch them at the prices. Looking at outsiders, Scotland to get out of the group at 5/4 is probably not a bad shout. Croatia are a busted flush and the Czechs aren’t up to much. You can just see a fired-up Scotland

Rory France @ 5/1 Sam Turkey @ 80/1 (!) Alex Spain @ 7/1 Harry France @ 5/1

sneaking a few tight results. Probably won’t do a Greece at 500/1, though!

WIMBLEDON Sam Roger the dodger. Rory Perhaps a rogue shout, but Medvedev’s just won the ATP Tour Finals. He’s only played once at Wimbledon so it’s hard to judge whether his game is suited. That said, he’s a clever player. He takes a lot of pace off the ball, uses spin and is great with his angles. Also, he comes to the net a fair bit. Alex I’d take Raonic at the prices. He’s 33/1 and he’s already reached a final. He’s had a bit of a slump in recent years but if he can get back to his best, his game is ideal for Wimbledon. Sam What about Denis Shapovalov? That man has bags of potential and is still so young. Harry I’d back him at virtual tennis – he was quite useful in the virtual tournament in April! Alex I’m with Sam – I think it’s a Roger special. He’s injured now but he’ll time his run perfectly to be at peak fitness come the summer, and he’s got unfinished business with Djokovic. Sam What about the women’s game though? I loved watching Coco Gauff against Venus two years ago. She gave it another good crack last year and is so mature. This could be one of those breakthrough moments. Alex It’s 8/1 the field. What a betting heat this is. Halep for me. Rory There’s one player who really could be a superstar for the

next decade: Iga Swiatek. Harry To be fair, you can do that on clay if you’re a specialist. She’d need to prove it on grass, although I note she did win the junior title in 2018. Rory She smashed every single player in the French, never losing more than five games in a match. She’s so confident for a 19-year-old. At 11/1, you could do a lot worse.

Medvedev @ 17/2 Swiatek @ 11/1 Sam Federer @ 8/1 Gauff @ 20/1 Alex Raonic @ 28/1 Halep @ 17/2 Harry Tsitsipas @ 9/1 Bertens @ 22/1 Rory

Rory Al Boum Photo @ 5/1 Sam Al Boum Photo @ 5/1 Alex Presenting Percy @ 16/1 Harry Al Boum Photo @ 5/1

England and India with Archer and Bumrah, to be honest. But I’d love to see the Windies do a job. Rory England are T20 finalists, ODI winners, and in Morgan, Buttler and Stokes they have three of the best short game hitters perhaps of all time. A patriotic shout. Heart and a tiny bit of head. Sam I think Mitch is right. The fact the tournament is in India

makes them almost weighed in, especially if we have crowds back by then. On some of those pitches you can’t even bowl seam after a couple of overs. A lot of teams will struggle to take wickets. Harry I reckon if Australia picked Chris Green, they’d win… Alex Couldn’t even get a game in the IPL! It’s India, with Rahul and Bumrah to bring it home. n

If you thought that was all nonsense, it probably was! However, if you’ve got this far, you may not regret it – we are launching a mega jackpot in January for anyone who correctly predicts the winner of all of these events. Keep your eyes and ears peeled on our website fitzdares.com or via our marketing emails. In the meantime please email rory@fitzdares.com with any questions or if you’d like to subscribe to any of our content.

T20 WORLD CUP Alex I don’t even need to see the odds. India are a bet at any price. Sam I’ve just had a poke at the West Indies. Chris Gayle looks as good as he’s ever been after the IPL and they are the holders. Has he retired, though? I’m not sure even he knows. Alex India’s team is unbelievable. Jasprit Bumrah is by far the best bowler in the world. Harry You’re basically only batting for 16 overs against

Rory England @ 4/1 Sam India @ 9/4 Alex India @ 9/4 Harry Australia @ 4/1

14 Racing needs a success story to lift our spirits like Best Mate did. Cornelius Lysaght relives those days with trainer Henrietta Knight and assesses another potential hat-trick hero

GLANCE AT THE FORMBOOK indicates that something of not inconsiderable significance may lead national hunt racing out of the misery of Covid-19. That’s what happened after the high-profile disruption of the season in 2001, when an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease forced the cancellation of the Cheltenham Festival. Even now I clearly recall the dark sense of swirling gloom that enveloped the sport as the three-day marquee event, at which months or even years of work had been aimed, was being lost to something that was not warfare for the first time in its then 90 years. Racing wanted to come out fighting and, as if by magic, along came the unforgettable Best Mate era, which was to

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WE ALL NEED A BEST MATE

include a glittering Gold Cup hat-trick from 2002, to provide the perfect bounce-back. So, after his two victories in the Festival’s central prize, perhaps the scene is set for the Willie Mullins-trained Al Boum Photo, his jockey wearing the yellow and black silks of Joe and Marie Donnelly, to become only the fifth three-time winner, after 1930s star Golden Miller (which was then successful in two more), Cottage Rake (1948-50), Arkle (1964-66) and Best Mate. At home near Wantage, Oxfordshire, Best Mate’s trainer Henrietta Knight, now retired from licensed training, is following Al Boum Photo’s progress with interest. “I see Willie is planning to give him one run, at Tramore [on New Year’s Day], and then go straight to Cheltenham,” she says. “That’s

Best Mate brought joy back to Cheltenham after the dark days of foot-and-mouth

what’s worked so well for them before – but when Best Mate had only one or two runs before the Gold Cup people criticised us. ‘Look at Arkle running all the time,’ they said, and ‘you’re wrapping him up in cotton wool’, but [her late husband] Terry [Biddlecombe] and I couldn’t care less. “Actually, we ended up quite enjoying it because it was obvious that they couldn’t find any other holes to pick in him. The thing was that he wasn’t the most robust horse, but he gave one hundred per cent and needed time between races. When we discovered he was capable of winning the Gold Cup, and we wanted to win another and another, that was the way to do it – now everyone does the same.” As well as being among the most

prominent horseracing figures of her generation, Knight, who enjoyed a colourful training partnership with former three-time champion jockey Biddlecombe until his death aged 72 in 2014, is a leading authority on every aspect of the horse as a breed. Her skills as a judge are much sought-after at shows, but apart from mutual mastery of the unique challenge presented by the famous fences and contours at Cheltenham, she sees limited similarity between Best Mate and Al Boum Photo. “They are the exact opposites, really,” she says. “Physically completely different. Al Boum Photo is not a very good specimen, no beauty, with a short neck and lacking scope, but he’s got a great, great engine – he doesn’t jump particularly well,

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GOOD KNIGHTS THE FITZDARES CASTLE but that doesn’t matter as he loves Cheltenham. Best Mate had outstanding confirmation and outlook, and walked around the paddock as though saying, ‘Look at me, look who I am,’ like Arkle, the ‘Look of Eagles’. In the showring, Best Mate would win – I think I’d give Al Boum Photo a ‘very highly commended’.” HE STORY WHICH WAS to propel Best Mate, the Knight/Biddlecombe team and the bay-coloured star’s owner Jim Lewis into the national sporting psyche started in February 1999 in a deluge of rain at an Irish point-to-point at Lismore, County Waterford. Although he pulled up in the mud that day, the trainers could not take their eyes off him and had “got to have him”, and a deal was struck with the owners, the Costello racing and horse-dealing family from County Clare, after an eight-length success in a two-runner race at the North Galway fixture a week later. In a six-year career under Rules from that November, when he got up late under regular rider Jim Culloty (uncle of champion flat jockey Oisin Murphy) to win a bumper at Cheltenham, Best Mate finished either first or second in every single race until he was pulled up in a race at Exeter and suffered a heart attack. As well as the three Gold Cup victories, there was also Kempton’s King George VI Chase (2002), after finishing runner-up behind Florida Pearl 12 months earlier. Also, what is now the Fitzdares Clubsponsored Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon was twice used as a springboard into his campaign – once with victory, but the other time bringing England rugby fans back down to earth after the breakfast-time 2003 World Cup final success in Australia with a shock defeat by French star Jair Du Cochet. All in all at Cheltenham, in six appearances he was successful on five occasions,

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and only narrowly missed out on a clean sweep in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the 2000 Festival, at which Knight posted form figures of 2115 from four runners after wins for Lewis’s Edredon Bleu in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and for Lord Noelie (RSA Chase); Chives was fifth in the Champion Bumper. The public and media took to their hearts Best Mate, with his catchy name; his ‘odd couple’ trainers – she, Miss Knight, a prim and proper one-time biology teacher at a convent school, and he a rough-andready ex-jockey; and Lewis and his wife, the exuberant Aston Villa-supporting (hence their claret and blue silks) Brummies. In contrast, there is a lingering thought that racing itself maybe never appreciated the horse as much as it might have. Despite his exploits, providing a bright light after the dark days of foot-and-mouth – and, actually, helping to restore the sport’s reputation and mojo after several corruption allegations – not everyone sees

Once up a time, boxes at Cheltenham were the done thing. Now it’s castles – specifically, the Fitzdares Castle. To herald the impending return of spectators to racing, we are letting down the drawbridge to Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire (pictured above). Eastnor is the sort of castle where the heating works, the water runs very hot and the beds are squishy soft. It’s just a six-hour horse-and-carriage ride from Prestbury Park, or half an hour in the car. We have snapped up all 13 state rooms for Fitzdares members, and your stay will include breakfast and dinner with a racing legend, as well as transport to and from the Festival.

Best Mate as a jumping ‘great’. He reached an official rating of 175, markedly below subsequent high-profile winners such as Kauto Star, Denman and Long Run, though the same as Al Boum Photo. Knight agrees. “The people of the country gave him the credit that he deserved but others didn’t,” she says. “People are so keen to knock horses once they’ve

You may also find a Racing Post slid under your door and a case of Claret in the car park before you leave. The investment is £300 per person per night, which is roughly the same as the local Holiday Inn and a kebab. We can’t wait to see you there. To book your room email louisa@fitzdares.com – we anticipate all the keys being handed out not long after you read this, so don’t be shy. NB: We are leaving Cheltenham tickets to you – frankly, it’s far too much hassle for Louisa and we need to focus on making sure the moat is full before everyone tries to jump on this offer.

put them on a pedestal. The senior handicapper told me that he regretted not being able to give Best Mate a higher rating, but it was based not so much on him but on what he’d beaten, which was hardly his fault.” As the pace on the road to the 2021 Cheltenham Festival gathers, Knight remains very much involved. Aged 73, she combines buying and selling horses – plus her beloved Connemara ponies – with honing the jumping skills of steeplechasers and hurdlers using “really good horsemen” jockeys to help: Jerry McGrath, Brendan Powell Jnr, Johnny Burke, Tom O’Brien and Kielan Woods all received particular mentions – though she jokes that Woods “smashed one of my [jumps] wings last time so might not get asked back”. There is no doubt which big-name, bigrace contender she is most looking forward to in the months ahead: the Cheveley Park Stud-owned Envoi Allen, trained by Gordon Elliott, because – you guessed it – he brings back memories of you-know-who. “Like Best Mate,” she says, “he’s so quick with his feet in front of a fence – they just pat the ground. He’s fantastic.” n Cornelius Lysaght is a racing writer and

Henrietta Knight with Peterborough Chase winning jockey Daryl Jacob

broadcaster with over 30 years’ experience and a Fitzdares WhatSport Ambassador.

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A CHILL WIND Whoever gets the gongs at the delayed Oscars, Joe Hodgson knows who 2020’s big winner is in the movies

trousers is still unlikely to qualify. So with very few big-budget films set to be in contention, what on earth will be winning the top prizes? Well, I suspect you’ll be hearing a lot about Mank – David Fincher’s biopic of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz. Hollywood loves stories about Hollywood, and Fincher’s excellent body of work means it’s probably about time he had a Best Director gong on his mantelpiece. Expect multiple nominations for

OSCARSODDS THINK IT ’ S FAIR TO SAY that 2020 has been something of a disappointment. And, as a huge fan of cinema, I feel particularly underwhelmed. This is not how the movies told me a deadly global disaster would pan out. There have been no reckless nighttime car chases, no hurtling earthbound asteroids, and no thrilling montages of scientists cracking codes on big screens to the sound of propulsive dance music culminating in cheers from a packed laboratory quickly followed by enormous, wild celebrations at Times Square, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben… and somewhere vaguely in India or Japan. And why the hell haven’t we heard from Bruce Willis yet?!

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Viola Davis could hit the right note with Academy voters, as might David Fincher’s ‘Mank’ or ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’

In the absence of unfettered crowds,

cinemas have struggled. Hopes were raised by the eventual release of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet – his brand of slick, cerebral-blockbuster fare was sure to get the popcorn flowing again, right? Like many audience members, however, Hollywood studio chiefs were left bemused. Not just because Tenet was an impenetrable, mirth-free noodle-scratcher, but because it only made around $350 million at the box office. You might think such an amount would buy you an awful lot of kale smoothies – even at Sunset Boulevard prices – but when your production and marketing costs are approximately $450 million, it doesn’t even get you a packet of seeds to grow your own, pre-smoothed kale. Following Tenet ’s travails, an enormous CGI wave of panic crashed

into the Hollywood sign and major studios pushed their big releases back to next year. While films such as No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Widow, Top Gun: Maverick and lavish re-imaginings of Dune and West Side Story may not have reeked of originality, they were sure to contain the whiff of enormous piles of money. While studios desperately attempted to refrigerate their prime cuts, several tasty cinematic giblets were sold to streaming services. Disney, however, is in the position of having its very own streaming service and opted to release its live action remake of beloved animation Mulan via this medium on a pay-per-viewtype basis in the US and UK, cutting out cinemas altogether. A limited cinema run – the biggest market being China, where it received a muted reception – did not bring in the hopedfor cash. And while it served as very good publicity for Disney+, such a distribution method is unlikely to have generated enough to cover the hefty production costs for Mulan either.

Best Picture Nomadland 7/2 Mank 6/1 The Trial of the Chicago 7 15/2 Da 5 Bloods 10/1 Best Actress Viola Davis 3/1 (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) Jennifer Hudson (Respect) 9/2 Frances McDormand (Nomadland) 11/2 Andra Day 8/1 (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)

Obviously a lot could change between

The upshot of all this is that while

To bring home the megabucks right now, studios still need cinemas to exist.

the pandemic will have undoubtedly moved new distribution methods much further up important developmental agendas, in order to bring home the desired megabucks right now, film studios will still need cinemas to exist. So they’d better hope that by leaving them hanging this year, they haven’t totally torpedoed them for next year. One thing Hollywood will never underappreciate, though, is the need for regular and robust back-slapping.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom too. Another August Wilson play gets the cinematic treatment – following on from the acclaimed Fences – and could well deliver another Oscar for Viola Davis, this time in the Best Actress category. But while Davis is likely to be part a congested field – alongside Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit), rising star Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), and undisputed legend Sophia Loren (The Life Ahead) – her Ma Rainey co-star Chadwick Boseman may ride unopposed to what would be an emotional posthumous Best Actor award. Multiple nominations should transpire for Nomadland, The Trial of the Chicago 7, One Night in Miami and Da 5 Bloods, and don’t too be surprised if musical The Prom winds-up being an unexpected key player in proceedings. Often, when distressing off-screen events have occurred, Hollywood likes to garland a film that serves as a light, entertaining distraction – Chicago winning the post-9/11 Best Picture award being an example of this. The Prom also stars Meryl Streep, and for a world seeking a return to normality, could there be anything more quotidian than a beaming Streep sitting front row centre at the Oscars, expertly hogging the limelight?

And to that end, the Oscars will still be taking place – though, like most of the nominees, it too will have undergone a bit of cosmetic surgery. Principally, the Oscars ceremony is now set to take place in April rather than February, and the eligibility criteria for hopeful films have also been tweaked – a cinema release is actually now no longer an essential requirement. Sadly, that YouTube video you posted of your mate spilling a tray of snakebite down his white

now and April – I may still get my hurtling asteroid, who knows? – so by all means add a bigger pinch of salt to these predictions than usual. But I can confidently tell you already who the real winner will be: Netflix. Events have conspired massively in its favour, and nearly all the potential winners and nominees I’ve just mentioned will be available on its platform. So what are you waiting for? Drop some coins into your Netflix transmitter post-haste, put some glowing embers into your finest copper bedwarmer, and get chilling, as I believe young people are fond of saying… n Joe Hodgson is a writer who blogs at

www.fitzdares.com and tweets @fitzdares

20 Christmas shopping can often be a complete nightmare, so we’ve done a whirlwind tour of Lapland to give you a little help. (Given Santa is probably under travel restrictions this year...)

SirPlus boxer shorts This two-pack of Tana Lawn cotton boxer shorts (for unparalleled softness), presented in a luxury gift box, is an homage to the English vegetable garden. Comfort is king, so the wearer’s own two veg are sure to love them. £60 Alexandra Llewellyn backgammon set A beautifully made red leather backgammon set designed to be played anywhere on your travels. The cream leather triangles are inlaid into a leather surface printed with black and white pheasant feathers. The playing pieces are made from uplifting yellow agate and tiger’s eye, which has a silky lustre, and the set comes in a black branded slip case. £1,400

The Chin Dictionary This is the hysterical dictionary for, and by, the English upper classes. Packed with crucial entries and illustrations for the discerning “chin” – a demographic that hasn’t moved house since 1066 and thinks meritocracy is a regional nightclub – it perfectly captures the everyday struggles of upper class life. £18 Coates & Seely Brut Reserve Disgorged in 2017/18 with 2½ to 3 years on lees in the North Hampshire Downs, this is a blend of 2014 base wine and 2013 and 2011 reserves. Decanter calls it “complex, yet graceful” and delights in its “ripe citrus and peachy aromas” and “pure white fruity notes on the finish”. £31.95

London Sock Company collection Upgrade someone’s sock drawer with the 15-pair Simply Sartorial Collection, which features bold, refined colours ranging from East India Saffron to Curiously Orange. These are high-quality socks crafted from super-soft Scottish lisle cotton. £175 Polkra candle Designed by award-winning artist Katie Scott., this candle is made with all natural wax in ceramic pots. The collection of five scents features five botanical drawings with a surreal twist. Long after the wax meets the bottom of its wick, these candle pots also make fabulous vessels for paintbrushes, pencils, plants and more. £49

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Pragnell emerald ring The Five Stone Colombian Emerald Kingdom Ring features a trapezoid-cut emerald, flanked on each side by two matching pairs of baguette-cut emeralds for a total of 3.5 carats, set in finely finished bright 18ct white gold. A unique piece designed and crafted by the Pragnell workshops in the heart of the English countryside. £39,500 Olivia Von Halle pyjama The proud glamour of the jazz age is alive in the Coco Baronet silk velvet pyjama, which brings the cabaret to you. With a riot of foliage, Old Hollywood is born anew in sumptuous velvet with sequin, beaded embroidery and Swarovski crystal buttons. £1,250 Old Gold Racing ownership shares This is an original Christmas gift that lasts for 14 months. The recipient will become an owner and get to enjoy the thrill and excitement of following a racehorse that they own. A single investment in Old Gold Racing brings racing fans closer to the sport of kings by offering affordable shares in top-notch horses. £60

Ruuby beauty package This package combines a voucher for three worldclass blow-dries from the legendary Japanese haircare and styling brand Shu Uemura with their award-winning “Wonder Worker” styling product. The perfect gift for any party girl. £200 n

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50SHADESOFBLUE There’s more to being a stereotypical Chelsea fan than wearing the right gear, says Rory Fairfax staple of the terrace era, it was first worn by Toby as a joke, then religiously to every game. This class appropriation was compounded when he started mysteriously dropping Ts and Hs in some words (see ’ave it or twa’) and emphasising them in others (see Lamphard or Jay-T). Then, as an adult with a red-brick degree and an Amex of his own, football was less important. He still loved the club somewhere in his heart, but as his Canary Wharf job tore into his weekends his life became an ever greyer shade of blue. On the odd occasion he could go to a match, he even stopped wearing the club shirt. Instead, only his boots that could be considered Chelsea – and they were made in China. Not that he could go to games any more since lockdown. But that wasn’t the point. He actually started missing not being able to go to matches, and this manifested itself with increasingly deranged behaviour. His affliction began with a comment here and there, the odd “Ohhh Chelsea, Chelsea”, or the occasional, “Suuuper, super Frank”. In bleak lockdown moments, staring out on to Daymer Bay, he’d start by humming a tune, then increasing the volume with each verse until a fullblown rendition of “10 men went to mow. WENT TO MOW A MEADOW” was bellowed out.

OBY HAS ALWAYS loved Chelsea. Not just the King’s Road, Embargo’s or Phat Phuc, that oh-so-cleverly named noodle bar. What he’s always loved, more than anything in the entire world (and he saw large swathes of it in 2012), is Chelsea Football Club.

T

It all began when he was six. His mother had Addison Leed him from their Parsons Green pied-à-terre to a Chelsea birthday party at the Bridge. Future Sporcle answer Tore André Flo had been wheeled out for the meet-and-greet, ruffling Toby’s mop before signing his yellow Autoglass top; Zola (who else) emblazoned in white furry cotton on the back.

It was on that day he made a choice that would impact his life ’til I die. He may have been born in Fulham, but he was made in Chelsea – a subtle distinction, even more so when you consider Stamford Bridge is on the A304, commonly known as the ‘Fulham’ Road. But from that moment onwards, he’d be a Chelsea boy. Or, a Chow-see boy to his native London cabbie. And ever since the Romans had invaded (Abramovich and Mutu), he’d had a big fat Chelsea smile on his face. Not that kind of Chelsea smile. Although there had been a period after watching Green Street where he was genuinely petrified of the concept of Millwall fans, despite obviously

None of these Chelsea fans, famous or not, bear any resemblance to our tragic hero...

He may have been born in Fulham, but he was made in Chelsea.

never encountering one. That was the pre-teen, Swiss-army-knife phase of his life. In his adolescent years, he’d begun to semi-embrace the Green Street vibe, a sort of faux hooliganism that was never fully complete without the earring, shaved head or sense of working-class injustice (none of which were permitted by school). He’d even carry around the family American Express card to games, brandishing that as his new weapon. He’d regularly parrot the movie line: “Do you take American Express?” Ironically, the card did more damage than the pen knife ever had. One of its first purchases was a retro Eighties Sergio Tacchini top. A

Then the shirt started reappearing. First as pyjamas, then casually on weekends. Some mornings he’d pick it up off the floor, thrice worn, and sling it on. Once he’d broken the Zoom call barrier with the office, all bets were off. Chelsea was his uniform and, guess what, sport was back on. Three months of quiet madness were over. Chelsea were back, live against Villa, and now he’d finally be able to exorcise his demons. Perhaps, as his girlfriend Kitty hoped, he would also stop making her wear the shirt in bed. Right? Wrong. The cottage didn’t have Sky and the wi-fi was poor. He’d have to return to London to be able to watch the games. It was a tough decision but, after minutes of deliberation, he stood firm: he would be staying in Cornwall all summer. He checked BBC Sport. 2-1 Chelsea. A quiet fist clench, no more, no less, and off he went to play golf. n Rory Fairfax is rather unsurprisingly

an Arsenal fan, and also the Editor of the Fitzdares Times.

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In September, we opened the FITZDARES CLUB. Everyone followed the rules religiously, which included bringing their dogs, ordering a Horse’s Neck Martini and enjoying the wonderful sport. We can’t wait for more of you to enjoy the Club over the coming months, years and decades.

Off The Bridle podcast stars George Scott and Charlie Fellowes combined for a stellar all-weather hat-trick… except the latter is actually the name of the FITZDARES-SPONSORED HORSE. The real Charlie Fellowes was busy training Prince Of Arran to another Melbourne Cup third – bravo!

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In July, we brought back summer spectator sport post-lockdown (sort of). Our DERBY DRIVE-IN saw hundreds of would-be racegoers pour into the smart Wasps car park for picnics, champagne and the best race in the world: the Epsom Derby.

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Seeing the world as a Formula One team member is an adventure in itself – but for one mechanic the real fun starts when he downs tools and heads out to refuel his belly… HAVE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE to work in a team competing in Formula One for the past 10 years. My role entails looking after all the car’s compositerelated (ie carbon fibre) components – in essence, all of the bits you see flying off the car in the event of an accident, which is why I’m often the one caught on camera grimacing when things go wrong! The many places we visit have also enabled me to indulge in my passion of finding different and interesting places to eat and documenting the quirks of culinary culture. I thought it would be fitting to start writing this piece while sitting in the botanic gardens in Melbourne and pondering my favourite places around the world to eat, as this is one of them. Thanks to the pandemic, that race never actually took place. But what struck me at the time, and I’ve continued to think of when writing this article since, is the question of authenticity, as when it comes to food it’s almost impossible to quantify.

I

Take for instance the park in Melbourne. I was sitting with a cool glass of Chardonnay from the Mornington peninsula (yes, yes, very authentic), among an assemblage of trees, none of which are native to these lands. The date palm to my left was from the Canary Islands, the newly planted oak sapling to my right from England, and the two black swans in the fore preening each other were native to New Zealand. All this beauty and serenity made my chicken and avocado sandwich one of the best of the year, because it’s the

atmosphere and character that make a great place to eat. Due to the noisy, disruptive nature and size of race circuits, they are rarely in city centres. Shanghai, for instance, is around 30km from the centre. This means the landscape and culture are quite different, but I feel they’re usually more reflective of the country. While out and about searching for food there, I stumbled across a small restaurant that specialises in doing just one thing, which from my experience is very common across China. A very thin and long barbecue is used to cook meats and vegetables on small wooden sticks, hard and fast with a couple of office fans used to diffuse the spitting fat and thick smoke away from the diners. This being China, the sauces and marinades are a heady mixture of sweet, salty, acidic and eye-wateringly spicy, with simple accompaniments: plain rice, shredded veg and pickled vegetables in a very strong rice wine vinegar. Skewered quail and frog are local favourites, washed down with a crisp, cool Tsingtao beer.

The race in Austria is held in the delightful town of Spielberg, just an hour’s drive from Graz. Surrounded by mountains and beautiful rolling countryside, it’s one of the more aesthetically pleasing places we visit. Hearty fare is the general theme, probably due in part to the higher calorific desire during inclement weather in winter. My personal favourite there is pork schnitzels with a fine batter speckled with pumpkin seeds, with rice or spätzle (a kind of potato noodle) and huge salads lashed in pumpkin oil (pumpkin is a very important thing here). By far and away the best version of this dish I have had is in the guesthouse in which we stay, Landhaus Wilhelmer. The guesthouse is run by two sisters with their families, and the family touch shows: the service is friendly and the food always faultless. The stunning scenery and a large tankard of Gösser lager make this very high on my list of favourite places to eat. Singapore is a cultural melting pot of expats from all over the globe, which makes it a very diverse place when it comes to food culture. A large majority of the population dine out most evenings in one of the city’s vast food markets. Communal seating allows the diner to grab something to eat from their chosen vendor and sit with friends who may be eating an entirely different cuisine – a novel idea that’s only just making it to our shores. Don’t be fooled though into thinking these are shoddy ventures selling basic, uninspiring food. Two vendors in Singapore

have Michelin stars, and at a couple of pounds a go it’s a cost-efficient experience. Singapore is a night race, so we don’t finish until some time between 2am and 6am. Before I head off to bed, one of my favourite places is the Al-Amin food paradise in Newton Food Centre. The butter chicken and garlic naan combo are out of this world; a fine example of a gravy style Indian curry. After a day in intense heat and humidity, with temperatures in the garage above 35°C and the humidity nearing its limit, it’s a welcome treat. Fortunately for me, the US Grand Prix is held in Austin, Texas – the home of American barbecue. Each joint seems to have a claim to be the ‘best BBQ in Texas/America/the world/the universe’. Hyperbole aside, I’ve never had a bad meal there. If I had to pick one place to eat, though, journey over to Terry Black’s on Barton Springs Road. Run by two brothers, it opened in 2014 and has had a huge queue waiting for smoked briskets, beef rib and sausage ever since. If you visit Austin in race week, you can’t miss the opportunity to head into town and go and see some live music over a bourbon at Pete’s Duelling Piano Bar. It’s a favourite of team members and drivers, and over the years I’ve seen instrument-playing drivers, a TV pundit and a team principal’s Spice Girl wife take over on a Sunday night and do their best to wow the crowd. n Follow our gallivanting mechanic’s culinary travels on Instagram @travelledcook

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WINTERREADS

Five of the Fitzdares team recommend books you’ll want to stay in with – no matter which tier you reside in

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World By Tom Wright and Bradley Hope Wall Street Journal reporters Tom Wright and Bradley Hope unravel the biggest financial scandal of the century in this winding true story of astonishing hubris and greed. Their detailed work reveals how Jho Low, a young Malaysian social climber who was educated at Harrow and then Wharton Business School in the US, pulled off one of the biggest financial heists in history. The book shines a light on the dark practices and excesses of the global elite, ranging from Saudi Arabia to Hollywood, and exposes big banks and major politicians. Such was the scale of the 1MDB scandal that the book’s publication in the UK was delayed by nearly a year, thanks to legal squabbles (Low remains on the run, supposedly holed up in Macau). It was worth the wait. Will Woodhams, CEO

The Silent Patient

The Searcher

By Alex Michaelides This psychological thriller was one of the big hits of the genre last year, and it’s easy to see why, with an intriguing plot that pulls the reader in before delivering a savage twist. After Alicia, a successful painter, shoots her husband Gabriel five times and then does not speak another word in the next six years, forensic psychotherapist Theo becomes convinced he can succeed where all others have failed in her treatment. Obsessed with investigating her crime, he makes discoveries that begin to shed light on Alicia’s silence. British-Cypriot author Alex Michaelides has certainly struck gold with this debut novel. It will be interesting to see whether Brad Pitt’s production company, which has snapped up the rights, has a hit when it adapts it for the big screen. Ed Guiver, Head of Racing

By Tana French Tana French has firmly established herself as a big hitter in thriller circles since her 2007 debut novel In the Woods won a host of awards and sold prolifically around the world. This, her latest, release, is a thoughtful slow-burner that takes some patience but eventually rewards anyone who sticks with it. Perhaps the most important character of the book is the stunning, atmospheric location itself, a tiny community in rural Ireland where Cal, a retired Chicago cop, moves after his divorce in search of peace. Naturally, he doesn’t find it. Once the action does finally begin in earnest, it packs an emotional punch. This an intense and disquieting tale of suspense, superbly written and featuring characters with genuine depth. French again has found le mot juste. Louisa Kerr, Membership Manager

A Short History Of Drunkenness by Mark Forsyth The author has great fun exploring humankind’s long love affair with booze in this brief and breezy stagger through thousands of years of bacchanalia. What did people drink? How much? Who did the drinking? The little gems of information Forsyth has unearthed help the reader find out how and why Neolithic Shamans, the Greeks and the Romans all got tipsy. We learn that saloon bars in the Wild West never really existed like in Westerns, and that in London gin was once served out of dead cats. He doesn’t hold back in the chapter on Prohibition, which he describes as the epitome of America’s stupidity. You can digest this book over time, sipping each chapter lovingly, or see it off in one frenzied binge – either way is a rewarding experience. Bobby Burns, Head of Marketing

THE FITZDARES TIMES CROSSWORD

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ACROSS

DOWN

1.

The world’s finest sporting club (3,9,4)

1.

Dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner (5)

5.

A form of religious fundamentalism (10)

2.

2020 Women’s French Open winner (3,7)

8.

Ruined 2020 (5)

3.

Former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5)

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1

12. Important Arab title (4)

4.

Type of spaniel (6)

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1

14. A violent and cold northern wind (4)

6.

A quick and venomous snake (5)

15. Hand of God, RIP (8)

7.

A vantage point (7)

17. Outdoor swimming pool (4)

9.

Francesco Totti’s only club (4)

19. Symptom of Coronavirus (5)

11. Schauffele, US golfer (6)

20. Sam, Olympic winning hockey player (4)

13. Type of yacht (4)

23. Spurs footballer (4,4)

16. Virgil’s epic poem (6)

25. Type of whale (4)

17. Home of the Lakers (3,7)

27. Northern river (4)

18. Latitudinal, invisible line (7)

28. Team affectionately known as the Biscuitmen (7)

21. School (4)

31. A feeling of boredom (5)

24. Chelsea’s mascot (4)

32. Special flat meeting (5,5)

26. A Brexit stance (6)

33. Racing’s best journalist (9,7)

29. Information of military or political value (5)

32

30. Tier 1 Isle (5)

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10. Football club owned by Ryan Reynolds (7)

22. Colloquial term for a Spanish club (5)

£100 PRIZE for the first correct submission! Email answers to rory@fitzdares.com

By James Haskell Brawny, brash and blond, James Haskell was one of the biggest characters in any rugby match he played in. So it’s perhaps no surprise that his memoir is not one of those bland sports autobiographies that shy away from saying anything meaningful. Instead this is a blunt confessional that combines great humour with moments of searing honesty, including a frank assessment of what went wrong for England at the two World Cups he played in. While there’s plenty of discussion of rugby itself (including the transition from an amateur game to a professional one), Haskell also calls on his vast experience of the social side of the game, recalling incidents that will leave readers in tears of laughter. And, of course, he makes the case that he was misrepresented in last year’s I’m a Celebrity “bullying” row. Clive Harris, Head of Sports

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