LOOK SHARPE: In Which I Recall Rickman, Then Make A Derby ‘Rick’

Sports betting PR legend GRAHAM SHARPE brings you his latest ‘LOOK SHARPE’ column…

As I was strolling along the pavement recently, whilst on holiday, I spotted an elderly lady backing her car out of the driveway into oncoming traffic. As I approached, she hesitated, and looked at me – I indicated I would walk round past the front of the car. She looked relieved and waved at me, saying: ‘Thank you for being a gentleman, my dear!’

As it happened I was at the time walking towards a local betting shop to place a small wager, and her complimentary remark immediately made me think of the late tv racing presenter, John Rickman, a man of perfect manners, who would always raise and doff his hat to the screen as he spoke to viewers and punters.

John may not literally have been born with a silver spoon between his lips but he was related to racing royalty – his maternal grandfather was one William Carter, son of Elijah Carter, trainer to King Victor Emmanuel of Italy. His maternal grandmother the daughter of leading 19th century trainer, Tom Jennings, whose French-bred Gladiateur won the English Triple Crown in 1865.

John, born in May, 1913, inherited a love of racing, and began an apprenticeship as a reporter with the Bristol Evening World newspaper. He rose through the journalistic ranks – at one point writing as a ‘Zoo correspondent.’

He served with distinction during WW2, and returned to civvy street in 1946, joining the Daily Mail, accepting the post of ‘Dalrymple’, the paper’s second racing correspondent. John’s pater, Eric, was the paper’s leading racing writer, under the pseudonym of ‘Robin Goodfellow’. John’s big breakthrough to public awareness arrived when he selected 66/1 outsider. Ayala, to win the 47 runner, 1963 Grand National.

In 1965, John, who had been cutting his television teeth on the BBC racing coverage, joined the new Independent Television Company, and became the first front-man for the new channel’s racing coverage, that began in 1956, and he maintained the role until his retirement in 1978 when John (‘Noble Lord’) Oaksey replaced him.

JR enjoyed a lengthy life, expiring in 1997, seven years after writing his autobiography, ‘Old Tom and Young Tom’, (Allborough Press).

As we have done so often in the past, my wife and I spent our holiday in Jersey – and were able to attend the late-July meeting there at the picturesque Les Landes racecourse, which surely boasts the most impressive outlook across the track, with a backdrop of the islands of Alderney, Sark, Herm and Guernsey.

Also present, carrying out the vital task of being race commentator, and organising a prize draw via punters’ losing betting slips, was the ubiquitous Derek ‘Thommo’ Thompson, another racing man with an autobiographical book to his credit – which was called, despite the ‘h’ in his surname, ‘Tommo: Too Busy To Die’.

He takes some stick from racing fans who don’t enjoy his permanent, good humoured enthusiasm, and accuse him of dumbing down the sport. But I think he just has the ‘common’ touch and is very good with people who enjoy racing, but don’t necessarily understand its more specialised ins and outs.

I am also very pleased that Derek, a successful competitor in the National Junior Showjumping Championships as a youngster, has overcome serious illness and survived to tell the tale.

It was Jersey Derby day, sponsored by Coinshares, while we were there, and Sumatran Tiger, a dual previous winner of the event, which, unlike its mainland counterpart, is not just open to three year olds, was out to become just the fourth horse to score a hat trick in the event. However, he finished down the course as 9/4 shot, Roi Du Monde took the honours under leading Jersey rider and top amateur, Fred Tett. A four year old, the horse, from the local stable of leading trainer on the island, Alison Malzard, and her 6th Derby winner, will clearly take all the beating in next year’s renewal, so look out for the first ante-post book quoting him!

Sadly, having been driven to the course by a cabbie who claimed to live right next to the course and to have seen Roi Du Monde’s fellow Malzard inmate, Cueros, ‘cantering all over’ his stablemate. I made a real ‘rick’ when I believed him and took his tip – not only that, I had to pay him again to take me back to my hotel after the sports. D’oh. He did not, though, when the tip he received was somewhat less than the one for the outward journey.

The local paper, the Jersey Post, does an excellent job of promoting the racing scene on the island, with columnist, ‘Bobsbest’ writing regular news and tipping columns for the meetings. I’ve become friendly with the man behind Bobsbest, the excellent John Henwood, who also doubles up on the island’s tv as a political commentator and who had obviously tipped me Roi Du Monde.

While on the island I had begun reading again the national newspaper for which some years ago I used to write a weekly tipping column, which quite often contained a winning selection or two – the Daily Express. I’d got out of the habit of reading it regularly, for some reason, but have to say I was pleased to note that it not only has very decent daily racing coverage, was offering readers a regular daily free bet with an island-based bookie, and also clearly enjoys printing betting info and stories – unlike, I have noticed more and more frequently, these days, the ITV racing coverage. Which seems to me to make a point of carrying as little betting content as it can get away with, even though Ed Chamberlin, one of its more prominent senior presenters, used to work for a bookmaker, but rarely seems to introduce an interview with one.

This, I’d suggest, is likely to be a command passed down on high for reasons probably relating to current, patronising, opinions held increasingly by those with the ability to influence media output of various kinds, that responsible adults need ‘protecting’ from themselves.

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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