JUST THE TYPE TO WIN CLASSICS

Of *course* the Middleton point-to-point at Sheriff Hutton was always going to go ahead. Were the weather gods really going to defy Uncle Mick?

Thus the pointing season's final Classic - poignantly dedicated this time to the late Alice Easterby - took place in glorious conditions, whilst all bar one of the weekend's other fixtures had to give best to the weather.  

Realistic to assume that the possibility (ultimately realised) of holding ground cleaved a few off the number of potential runners on the day. 

Realistic also to assume, however, that the connections of Just Your Type cared not one iota, Max Comley's Lord Ashton of Hyde winner landing a still fairly up to scratch renewal of the Grimthorpe Gold Cup, and in so doing becoming the first horse to win two Classics in the same season for fourteen years (Distant Thunder took the Lady Dudley Cup and Coronation Cup in 2009).

A word for Just Your Type's rider James King, already once a National Jockeys Champion, and as prepared as the likes of Gina and Jack Andrews, Bradley Gibbs, Dale Peters, etc. to come this far up the country every so often and test his mettle against the best the home challenge has to offer. 

In that respect, I'll always regard their achievements as that little bit more rounded and worthy than those of the seemingly more parochial Will Biddick, numerical hauls of career wins notwithstanding. Is that just me? Either way, King's ride on Just Your Type today oozed class.

Grand to catch up for the first time in person this term with Darren Owen, barely a day after a Twitter chat about commentators from many decades previously; we picked up where we left off. The Racing Post's Carl Evans ("don't back my horse today!", he implored, with good reason as it turned out) and Sky Sports Racing's Jamie Lynch were also kind enough to share a few words.

On a purely personal level, I appreciated the appropriateness of the day's final winner being named Martin Plage, with the beach (albeit not the eponymous one in Brittany) hopefully awaiting my young family in exactly a week's time. 

After a brutal week and a bit health-wise for the kids and a frequently tough 2023 so far for the adults for reasons I won't elaborate upon here, a holiday is going to be very, very welcome.