Events / Will Hayler / 30 September 2009 /

Will Hayler looks back on some of his personal memories of the Arc meeting, starting with a highly profitable win My Best Valentine in the 1998 Prix de l'Abbaye

My love affair with racing had three defining moments in its fledgling years - backing my first winner, Desert Orchid winning the Gold Cup and My Best Valentine's win in the 1998 Prix de l'Abbaye.

The first for obvious reasons, the second because it made me cry with the pain of not being there to see it, and the third because it made me think 'I wonder if I could be a professional gambler'.

Since then I've wondered the same thing about twice a year ever since. When I was made redundant a couple of years ago, Dave Nevison did his best to persuade me to join him on the lonely road (I think he fancied getting a few free lifts), but my wife wasn't impressed by the idea and I am now in the fortunate position of having a writing income to supplement the winners I back and cushion me when I get it hopelessly wrong.

When heavy rain hit Longchamp, I thought My Best Valentine had a screaming chance. All of his best form had come with cut in the ground and he'd run well in all of the big sprints that year without ever getting really getting the breaks.

I'd followed him as a decent seven-furlong handicapper (he was even tried over hurdles once) when he was trained by John White, but a switch to Vic Soane had really seemed to improve him that year.

The bookies in Britain had put him in at around the 10-1 mark, and I'd backed him at [13.0] in the morning, but when the BBC showed the pari-mutuel prices 10 minutes before the race, he was among the horses at 25-1 bar.

I couldn't resist phoning the only firm with whom I had an account in those days. At some stage of the call, I had a rush of bravado and decided to have quite a stupidly large each-way bet. Self-control is not my strong point and I've fallen into the same trap plenty of times since, without the fairytale ending. He beat Averti by an easy couple of lengths and paid over 33-1.

Soane, who had to quit training a couple of years later after a couple of bad debts left him financially crippled, was interviewed by Clare Balding (at least, I think it was her) and said (I recall this bit a lot more clearly): "We pissed it, didn't we?". He looked like a man without a care in the world. I felt the same way.

Ever since, I've always loved the Abbaye, even though it often gets overlooked against the obvious charms of the feature race on Arc weekend.

Overdose's victory (I forget who the formbook records as the race's winner) was simply sensational last year will always be etched in my mind, as will the time Mirco Demuro returned to the winner's enclosure punching the air having thought that he had won the 2002 renewal aboard Slap Shot, only to find that David Nicholls' Continent had got the verdict.

Evidently, the BBC aren't such big fans of the Prix de l'Abbaye as you will have to look behind the magical red button if you want to watch it this year, but I'll be making the effort as I enjoy the rare pleasure of Arc day on the sofa rather than trying to find a hotel as cheap as the 25-quid-a-night one I stayed in last year where the walls shook every time a train went past.

The days of inflated prices on British horses are gone, sadly, despite the old cliches that some members of the media persist in peddling about bumper Pari-Mutuel prices on unfashionable British horses.

Visiting racegoers from this side of the Channel clearly outnumber the home team over the weekend and despite a handful of old wives tales about PMU operatives sometimes struggling to pay out the correct winnings, our punters by and large seem to like the thrill of betting in hard cash over the counter and are quite happy to play the pools rather than phone or 3G their bets back home.

As such, the eyecatching prices that flash up on screens at the course half an hour before each race have usually fallen roughly into line with Betfair's odds by the time the race gets underway - although there are still loopholes to exploit, for example any forecast that contains both a French-trained and British-trained horse usually returns a huge dividend as patriotic punters from both countries prefer to keep to their own when choosing their combinations.

As for the big race, I haven't had a bet and probably won't now, although I'd be surprised if Conduit finishes too far away.

History shows us if you keep running a good horse, eventually he'll get beat. But from a personal point of view, I would be thrilled if Sea The Stars can carry on the good work.

His trainer John Oxx could not possibly have handled either himself or the career of his wonderful, handsome, talented colt any better this season, answering every question off the track while his horse did the same on it.

Mick Kinane will be riding with a target on his back as every other jockey and trainer taking part in the race tries to find a way to get the favourite beaten, but Sea The Stars has shown in his battles with the Ballydoyle batallions this season that he has tactical versatility among his numerous other attributes.

If he wins, I'll be sorry not to have been there. If he gets beaten, I'll be pleased I didn't have to watch him come back to the parade ring as a loser for the first time this year. While I've no worries about how Oxx would handle defeat (with dignity, of course), I wouldn't be sure about whether Chris Tsui's up to the stress. He looks like he could do with a good meal, if you ask me.

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