Steal A March was proving to be the most reliable horse in the yard but his consistency was to come second. After finishing runner up at Thirsk in the Norby Plate and again at Ripon in the Pateley Plate it was time for a change of luck for Henry Brown's pride and joy. Henry loved that horse and every Sunday morning he would come down to the yard and he'd talk to him as he stood in his box. In Henry's eyes Steal A March was a winner but the formbook told another tale as Steal A March boasted form figures of '22222' and he was paying his way but he just wasn’t getting his head in front.
The tendency for Henry Brown's big black colt to finish second actually began at Edinburgh on the same day that I sent out my first winner. Great Rock had won the Edinburgh Spring Handicap and Steal A March had finished second in the following race, the Inveresk Plate, thus denying me a double just five days after my first runner had taken to the track.
In a bid to find that elusive win I entered Steal A March for the Monkton Handicap at Ripon, the last race on the card, and booked Eddie Hide.
I accompanied Henry to Ripon, and as usual it was in my car. Henry had made an excuse that his battery was flat or his petrol tank was low, or something along those lines so that he didn't have to use his own fuel.
Henry was in his element that day and he was convinced that his luck was about to change and Steal A March was going to win. However, despite his cheerful demeanour he still never managed to put his hand in his pocket all afternoon.
I stood with Henry as the jockeys came out from the weighing room and Eddie Hide walked across to talk to us.
Henry was clearly wanting to talk with Eddie, and those of you who have read the previous tales will perhaps now appreciate my concern.
Here we go, I thought to myself, hoping that Henry wasn't planning to give out instructions as we didn't have that much time.
"Her-her-her-hello Err-err-err-Eddie", said Henry as he greeted the rider. "He's in ger-ger-ger-good form is Ster-Ster-Ster-Steal-A-Mer-Mer-Mer-March. I think he might wer-wer-wer-win today".
While Henry continued his lengthy introduction, I interjected to give Eddie instructions, not that he needed them as he'd had watched Steal A March’s previous races and had a plan to cover him up in the race and come late on. Steal A March was a horse who stopped as soon as he hit the front and Eddie thought he'd been ridden all wrong.
It was a brave move as if it went wrong the jockey would inevitably get blamed, but the only way to get the old rogue to win would be to trick him, and that is precisely what Eddie planned to do.
Eddie and Steal A March went to post and Henry and I headed for the stands. It was a Saturday afternoon in August and it was Ripon's biggest meeting of the year. The racecourse had been packed, although the crowds had started to thin out a little with it being the last race on the card.
We’d just watched Final Test win the two-mile Tote Investor’s Cup and Cracksman take the Ripon St Leger Trial and now it was our turn.
The runners set off and Steal A March was handy. Henry was frantic, he was convinced his horse was going to win and anything other would be a great disappointment. Two furlongs out Eddie Hide had plenty of horse left under him.
Then, as Steal A March made his move Henry started with is unique brand of encouragement.
"Cer-cer-cer-cer-come on Ster-ster-ster-Steal-A-Mer-Mer-Mer-March."
I was glad of the noise around as it drowned out Henry's urgings.
Steal A March hit the front and in accordance with Eddie's plan they passed the winning post a neck ahead of Jack Waugh's horse, Abundance, and all before Henry had got out his final "Mer-Mer-March".
It was another winner in my first season but I was thinking ahead to the presentation.
I'd be lucky if Henry would manage to spit out everything he had to say before it got dark. It was perhaps a good thing that that it was the middle of August and we did at least have daylight until about half past eight.
