the final sporting life. (part 1)

​In a desperate search for my long-kept copy of the first Racing Post, to my surprise, and no little delight, I found I had also squirreled away the final edition of The Sporting Life.
I had forgotten the ‘Life’ was a broadsheet and the final edition, at least, was in two parts. In a short editorial on the front page, the editor claimed for the paper, though under a different title, the coining of ‘the Ashes’ for cricket and bizarrely took credit for the paper bringing international athletics to Britain. The ‘Life’ left racing, he wrote, buoyant with increased attendances and betting turnover, yet beset by many problems, ‘many of its own making’. Since Tuesday May 12th 1998, not much has changed, has it? The Sporting Life cost £1
The final front page lead story was ‘Cecil’s hot line to sixth Oaks’, a review of that day’s Musidora Stakes at York, with Matthew Taylor favouring Cecil’s Midnight Line to beat Bahr in a 4-horse affair. The 4-jockeys were Fallon, Swinburn, Harrison (Dale) and you guessed it the seemingly immortal Dettori. 
On a Derby update, Pascal Bary was waiting to see if ‘an ace’ came out of the Dante pack before confirming Croco Rouge an Epsom Derby runner. Meanwhile Shippy Ellis, agent to Olivier Pellier, also, apparently, an immortal, was busy trying to find his boy a Derby ride after Xaar was ruled out. Dr. Fong, also trained by Cecil, methinks, was favourite for the Dante.
The other major race was who would become British Horseracing Board chair, Savill or Purves? It was Savill. Oh, and Tim Henman won a major tennis tournament, the Italian Open, beating clay-court specialist Fabrice Santoro. 
On the inside page there is a photograph of David Ashforth, another immortal, then senior reporter, Bryan Pugh, chief sub-editor and Tony Smurthwaite, a humble news reporter, discussing the composition of the final front page.
Ladbrokes profits hit £110-million. Jack Berry trained his 1,500 winner the previous day at Redcar, Red Charger ridden by Gary Carter.
Amateur Patrick Faulkner was given a 14-day ban for whip abuse at Redcar. It was his seventh-ride in public. Many described the abuse as the worst they had ever seen, though Patrick Hibbert-Foy, possibly another immortal, said he had seen worse.
Aintree’s marketing manager, Joe McNally, was snapped-up by Tote Direct.
Richard Dunwoody gave up his rides the previous day in Ireland – he possibly only suffered a small fracture of a limb – and was due to resume at Chepstow the following day.
Cape Verdi was the generally 8-1 favourite for the Derby. You could have got anything from 14 to 33/1 about the eventual winner High Rise.
Page 3 was devoted to magic memories and if I start reading what Geoff Lester, David Ashforth, Monty Court and Clement Freud, wrote about I’ll never get this finished, which I doubt I will anyway.
The Breeding Colum was penned by Andrew Caulfield, a man who went on to do well for himself. As would remain the case today, Caulfield’s article was headed ‘Coolmore’s mixed bag’.
There was a poem or lament for the passing of the ‘Life’. There was a letter or tribute from Neal Wilkins on either the passing or retirement of Doug Newton, the ‘Life’ chief S.P. reporter and a letter from Steve Miller thanking the Life for 30-years of enjoyment.
Page 5 had a final piece from Clement Freud, ‘Things I shall Miss’, and articles by John Sexton, Michael Clower and Ian Carnaby. In his final piece for the ‘Life’ Julian Armfield reported good news for Aintree racecourse as it was given a ‘massive boost of confidence’ by local civic and business leaders. This was the year after the bomb scare debacle, which apparently improved racing’s image in the local area.
Diana Pointer, former travelling head-girl for David Murray-Smith, left paralysed after a fall on the Lambourn gallops, finally left hospital to move into a specially converted house in North Devon, my neck of the woods. I hope her life was or remains good to her.
Andrew Caulfield made the prediction that Sam Stronge, stepson of Robert, who had just won his first race, would be the next big name in the sport. Sadly, it was a prediction that failed to deliver.
Kids playing on a bouncy castle in Newmarket’s New Astley Club were ‘thrilled’ when Frankie Dettori and Olivier Doleuze gate-crashed their entertainment to demonstrate their ability to do somersaults. Frankie would do the same today. Caulfield’s magic memory from 19-years serving the ‘Life’ was Dawn Run’s 1986 Gold Cup. He thought, if she had lived, she would have won the next 3-Gold Cups. I doubt if many would agree with him.
On Page 6 there are two photographs of very young John Gosden and Luca Cumani. Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths, as it wouldn’t today.
Anthony Bromley, perhaps another of the ‘immortals’, paid 50,000 guineas of somebody else’s money for an Ardross 4-year-old at Doncaster Sales. Paul Nicholls also spent lots of someone’s else’s money.
What memories and surprises Part 2 has in store I will leave for another day as if I open the slightly crusty pages, I’ll be behind this keyboard until darkness descends and the fire needs to be lit, the cats want feeding, as do I.