Steve Mullington (@mulldog) remembers the late Greville Starkey and the impact he had on young horse racing fans...

I’ll be brutally honest with you; I’ve never met a human “hero” in person.

In fact, the majority of my heroes down the decades have been equine ones and I’ve seen most of my favourites up close and personal, either on a racecourse or at their stables.

However, for the purposes of a nostalgia piece like this I’ve been racking my brain to think back upon a handful of people or horses that I would have loved to have seen/met when they were in their heyday.

One of the names that have intrigued me the most over the years is...

Greville Starkey

I saw the po-faced Greville Starkey returning to the winners enclosure at Haydock Park as very young boy and it was a mental image that has been stuck in my mind ever since.

I mean, how could a middle-aged man who has just experienced the euphoria of riding a racehorse to victory look so down in the dumps as he returns to weigh in?

When many years later I read Starkey’s back-story, it made perfect sense to me as to why he wasn’t much of a smiler in the latter part of his career.

Greville Starkey (1939 – 2010) was quite possibly the most talented jockey in the past half century never to become champion jockey.

Sir Michael Stoute says Greville Starkey was a brilliant jockey and horseman plus a joy to work with. Sadly, the first thing many recall about him was his defeat on Dancing Brave in the 1986 Derby, won by the Stoute-trained Shahrastani.#RacingGreats @RishiPersad1 pic.twitter.com/7TRUYf79VO

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 1, 2022

The trainers he rode for regarded him as one of the best analysts of their horses, and of all the races that he rode in.

Starkey reached the highest echelons of the sport during his 33-year career in which he rode 1,989 winners, all of them long before the days of online horse racing betting. He was champion apprentice in 1957 and retired from race riding in 1989.

His impressive CV included the Derby and Oaks (English and Irish); the 2,000 Guineas; the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes; the Champion Stakes; the Ascot Gold Cup and the 1975 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on the German-trained Star Appeal.

He was also involved in one of the strangest incidents on a racecourse in modern times. At Royal Ascot 1988 he was bizarrely unseated from Ile de Chypre (a 4/1 shot in the betting) when the horse suddenly swerved across the course.

The reason it happened is still unknown, but one of the theories put forward was that the horse was zapped by a stun-gun.

After his defeat on Dancing Brave in the 1986 Derby, Starkey was replaced as his jockey in the subsequent big races. It was a massive blow to his pride and he never did quite get over it, hence the stern face and lack of emotion on the racecourse.

In actual fact Starkey was quite a joker and that facade of his on the track was merely a smokescreen. He was actually a party-loving, practical joker and a great animal noise (he did a mean Jack Russell dog) and people impersonator.

Starkey, who lived in Kennett, died in 2010 at the age of 70 after an eight-year battle with cancer.

Mourners at his funeral included former weighing-room colleagues Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Ray Cochrane, George Duffield and John Reid; such was the high esteem that he was held in. Starkey's long-time employer Guy Harwood also attended.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 22nd July 2022

Match Information

• Punjab Lions Bedford 2-0 Leamington Khalsa

• When: Sunday 10th July 2022

• Kick-off: 11am 

• Where: Hillgrounds Playing Fields, Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, Bedfordshire MK42 8QG

• Competition: Khalsa Football Federation Bedford Tournament Division One Semi-Final

• Attendance: 69

The Khalsa Football Federation was formed in 1987 for the UK-based Sikh community. Various tournaments are run throughout the summer at venues across the country.

These are extremely well-organised, catering for both junior (under-9’s upwards) and senior footballers. There is also an over-35’s ‘Veterans’ section.

Games are played over a weekend with fixtures spread across the Saturday and Sunday commencing really early at 9am. Teams are split into various divisions depending on ability.

The more successful sides can face a hectic timetable of four full 90 minute games in just two days with the possibility of extra-time and penalties as well. I wonder what leading Premier League managers would say about a schedule like that!

In the past, I have seen matches at the Khalsa Tournaments staged in East London, West London, Walsall and Leicester. I have found that the football action has been fiercely competitive.

Overall these events have a lovely carnival atmosphere with hundreds of people present. An array of tents circle around the pitches selling refreshments and showcasing the businesses who have given their support.

Ground Description

This particular tournament was organised in conjunction with the Shaheedi Sports Council Bedford who do a lot of good work locally.

Five pitches were marked out at Hillgrounds Playing Fields for the various matches with another pitch across the road in Addison Howard Park.

The tournament finals were played adjacent to the playing fields at the main Kempston Rovers FC stadium.

Programme Details

Normally a full glossy programme is issued for each of these Khalsa Tournaments with plenty of interesting background information.

However, there wasn’t one published at Bedford although a colour poster was available and that made a worthwhile souvenir of the occasion for me.

It stated that the weekend’s activities also included athletics, volleyball and tug-of-war as well as the football.

The Match

I wanted to see the local team - Punjab Lions Bedford FC – in action as I knew they would attract decent support. PLB are members of the Bedford & District Sunday Football League.

So when I arrived at Hillgrounds Playing Fields, I went straight to the Khalsa Tournament organisers’ information tent where all the fixtures were being collated.

The very helpful guys there pointed me in the direction of ‘Pitch 1’ where PLB’s appetising Division One Semi-Final was taking place.

Their opponents Leamington Khalsa FC are from the Leamington & District Sunday League. This turned out to be a tight match in extremely hot weather conditions.

It was scoreless at half-time but PLB stepped things up a notch in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory.

This was thanks to a couple of well-taken strikes by Raheem Jabbar on 50 and 74 minutes. PLB were roared on by their passionate fans who celebrated wildly when the goals flew in. 

The People

I recognised the assistant referee running the line at my match and had a really good chat with him.

He is former Football League ref Jarnail Singh and he has always officiated very well when I have seen him in action. A nice approachable guy too.

Jarnail’s sons - Sunny and Bhupsy Gill – have both followed in the family tradition to become football referees. 

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 22nd July 2022

Neil Callan (@neilcallan78) gives an update on Royal Aclaim ahead of the Nunthorpe Stakes, his thoughts on the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and three booked rides for Newmarket on Saturday...

Haydock Treble

It was great to get three winners at Haydock last Saturday with Night Bear, Spangled Mac and Savrola, but I was gutted to miss out on the fourth with Lord Uhtred in the seven-furlong novice.

We got done right on the line and it would have been nice to win the race for Charlie Hills and the horse’s Bahrain owners. But look, I can’t complain, I’m making lots of new contacts and riding plenty of winners. That’s the objective.

This game is all about opportunities. You’re going to have good spells and bad spells, but I don’t tend to change the way I ride.

It’s about keeping a cool head and ride like you do the whole time. Confidence is key and I’m riding with plenty of confidence at the moment because we’re getting plenty of opportunities to ride nicer horses.

Hot Hot Hot

We all know what it’s been like this week. Newmarket was up to 40 degrees, so it was one of the hottest places in the world. It was hotter than Dubai and I think Bahrain was about the only place hotter.

Of course we still ride out, but with a lot of horse racing cancelled on Monday and Tuesday it meant a few of us had a nice little break which you don’t often get in the summer.

They were struggling for water in Newmarket which meant the watered gallop wasn’t in use. That restricts where trainers can take their horses, so they were reliant on the all-weather gallops.

You need to get the horses out a bit earlier when it’s that hot and make sure you keep them well hydrated.

As a family we are very lucky that my in laws have a pool in the garden, so we just chilled there for a few days with the kids.

It was a bit like a mini holiday. You put your swimmers on, go to M&S, get some crusty bread, sandwiches, ice creams. It was a nice couple of days and allowed me to recharge my batteries.

Royal Aclaim Nunthorpe Bound

As I said a couple of weeks ago, it was a shame I wasn’t able to do the light weight on Royal Aclaim in the City Walls at York, but she was hugely impressive and is now the favourite for the Nunthorpe.

Different class 👑 

Royal Aclaim bolts up to win the John Smith's City Walls Stakes 🥇 

Make that three from three for her 🤩#ITVRacing | @yorkracecourse | @Atzenijockey pic.twitter.com/syIhcpilpx

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) July 9, 2022

I’m not sure if she’ll have another run before then, but I obviously hope to get the ride back. A three-year-old filly won it last year [Winter Power] and I think she’s got a big, big chance.

The clock is telling how good she is and it doesn’t look an overly strong Nunthorpe to be honest. I won it on Borderlescott back in 2009 and it would be lovely to win it again.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

I think the favourite in this [Westover] is a worthy one after his romp in the Irish Derby.

Having said that, I do like Emily Upjohn and I think the track will play to all her strengths. She’s a strong stayer with speed and she travels, what more could you ask for. I think she can upset the boys in this.

I also think you can expect Mishriff to bounce back from an unlucky Eclipse, if David [Egan] was offered the chance to run that race again he’d probably take it.

This will be a bit tougher and over a bit further but his second in this race last year proves he’s very capable over the mile-and-a-half. Although, I think the younger brigade could outclass his experience.

There’s no doubt this will be a tactical affair and that’s why I’m siding with Emily Upjohn because she’s uncomplicated and will put the speed to the others and make them stay.      

Newmarket Rides

I’ve got three rides at HQ on Saturday starting with DIVINE MAGIC in the seven-furlong fillies handicap (1.57pm) who comes here on the back of a well-deserved win last time out.

She had been running well and came third to a nice filly of Richard Hannon’s [Heredia] who followed up by winning the Sandringham Stakes at Ascot.

When she went up to Leicester and won, she had Benoit de la Sayette’s claim to help out, but she could probably have won without that. The key to her in this race is that she’ll need a bit of pace on in this small field.

I ride BERGERAC in the six-furlong handicap (3.42pm) for Kevin Ryan who I had finished second on earlier in the season at this track. He’s a tough, consistent sprinter and almost gives the feel that he could get seven furlongs.

If he can get in a nice rhythm here and reserve as much energy as possible, he could be there at the finish. He’s not a horse that quickens but he has definitely got a strong finish in him and could bounce back here.

The last ride of the day is UZINCSO in the mile handicap (4.17pm). I haven’t ridden this horse before, and it looks like he’s been off the boil slightly since doing a lot of winning as a four-year-old.

He’s had two thirds in his last three runs though, so hopefully he’s coming back to a bit of form.

FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st July 2022

I HAD the bizarre case of my girlfriend disappearing into thin air on a football trip to the Manchester area in 1991.
 
This actually happened during a really historic occasion. It was the first ever live televised match outside of the Football League at Altrincham versus Barnet and I was booked to commentate on the game.

It was being shown by a TV channel called Sportscast which used to broadcast exclusively into pubs around the county. So I travelled up north with my lady friend – who we will call Tina – the night beforehand and we stayed in a nice hotel.

On the day of the game, I had to clamber up a steep ladder to the precarious broadcasting gantry. This was perched on top of the grandstand roof at Altrincham’s Moss Lane ground.

Therefore I said to Tina: “It’s not really very safe for you to climb up there as well. So just take a seat in the stand and watch the match. I’ll be back down after the final whistle.”

At the end of the match, I descended the ladder to meet her. But she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. 

I spent four hours looking for Tina – in the football club’s bar, back where I had parked my car and back at our hotel. It was before the advent of mobile phones so I couldn’t contact her.

As a last resort, I decided to go to the local police station and report Tina as a missing person. It created quite a stir and a number of officers crowded around to take down the details.

Here is a video of one of my first television jobs where I was co-commentating on Altrincham v Barnet in 1991 https://t.co/ncxl6oXbZL

— Tony Incenzo talkSPORT (@TonyIncenzo) April 18, 2022

A worried-looking CID detective said: “We haven’t had an abduction round here for years. We’ll call in extra men and carry out house to house enquiries.”

Then the detective added: “Have you tried to phone her at home?”

So I replied: “No, she has a flat in South London. She won’t be there. We’ve been up north since last night. There‘s no point in phoning her.”

“Well I think you should just try her number before we get this major investigation under way.”

“Ok, but it’s a waste of time. She won’t be in London. We came up for the weekend and she can’t get home as I’m driving.”

So he handed me a phone and I called Tina’s flat. It rang four times and then to my total amazement she answered!

I said: “What the hell are you doing?”

And she replied: “Oh, I got bored watching the football so I decided to leave.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I went outside and there was a man standing there so I told him ‘Look, if you see Tony coming out of the match, then tell him I’ve gone home’.” 

“Who was this person?”

“Some guy on the street corner.”

“And you think he was going to stand there for the next few hours waiting for me to come out of the match?”

“Yeah, he said he would pass the message on.”

“So how did you get home?”

“Well I got a bus into the centre of Manchester and then I saw a railway station and there was a train about to leave for London so I got on it. I’ve only just this minute got back to my flat. And by the way Tony, you owe me £37 for the train fare.”

I swiftly left the police station after receiving some very strange looks from the CID detective. 

And I decided that it was best not to see Tina again.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st July 2022

Match Information

• Corinthian 3-1 Bearsted

• When: Saturday 9th July 2022

• Kick-off: 3pm  

• Where: No 2 Pitch, Corinthian Sports Club, Gay Dawn Farm, Valley Road, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LY

• Competition: Pre-season friendly

• Attendance: 57

Way back in 1982, I became aware of an intriguing football fable which I didn’t quite believe to begin with. It concerned a millionaire who had marked out a full-sized football pitch in front of his house on a farm.

This was so that his sons could play together in a team with their friends. They only took part in friendly fixtures. Well it was before the internet so it was hard to find out more information.

But I did some rudimentary research and discovered that the gentleman in question was called Mr Ronald Billings and he had formed Corinthian FC at Gay Dawn Farm in Kent.

So I consulted Directory Enquiries and rang the farm to learn that there was a Sunday afternoon friendly match coming up against Carshalton FC. This captured my attention and I set off for the game by train.

It was a couple of miles from the nearest railway station and I couldn’t afford a taxi in those days as I was an impoverished university student.

Therefore I intrepidly walked along a series of narrow and quite dangerous country lanes before I eventually found the farm which seemed in the middle of nowhere.

The first person I met there was Mr Billings himself and he took a great interest in the fact that I was a keen football explorer. He invited me into the farm to meet his family and offered me refreshments before we watched the match together.

After the final whistle, Mr Billings drove me back to the train station as he didn’t want me to walk down the country lanes again! My only disappointment was that no match programmes had been published for the fixture.

But a couple of days later, I received a letter in the post. To my great surprise, Mr Billings had written and printed a single programme for the Carshalton game just for me and sent it to my home address!

I have never forgotten the warm welcome I received at the farm all those years ago. After that, Corinthian eventually joined the formal ranks of competitive Non-League football in 1985.

The main pitch was fully enclosed by then with spectator accommodation added. I understand that Mr Billings sadly passed away in 1991.

Nowadays, Corinthian are members of the Isthmian League. So when I heard that this pre-season friendly versus Bearsted was being played on their second pitch, it was an opportune time for me to make a groundhopping re-visit.

Ground Description

It is still a working farm containing several large barns complete with agricultural machinery.

But the Corinthian Sports Club within the site has expanded over the years to include extensive football, golf, ball court and sports bar facilities.

The ‘No 2 Pitch’ that I was interested in is mainly used for youth football. It has floodlights, pitch railings, dug outs and a totally unique-looking 110-seater grandstand. 

Programme Details

Priced at £1 for four pages - a good effort for this friendly.

I enjoyed reading the manager’s notes where Michael Golding described his squad being “cherry picked by sides around us” and “trying to rebuild a side with no budget” as the club’s long-standing amateur ethos remains in place. 

The Match

Those family traditions continue as two of the original Mr Billings’ grandsons - Jamie and Jack Billings – were playing in this game for Corinthian.

Well-known professional cricketer Sam Billings (another grandson) was in attendance watching the match. 

The People

Aforementioned manager Michael Golding was very helpful in confirming the fixture and providing background information for this blog.

Meanwhile, Phil Hannah from the Corinthian coaching staff spoke to me in great detail about his love of being involved in Non-League football.

In addition, I had a lengthy chat with Mr Billings’ son – also called Ronald – who was absolutely fascinated by my recollections of meeting his father when visiting the farm 40 years ago.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st July 2022

Leeds were fighting relegation until the very end of 2021/22. Premier League betting odds envisage a similar campaign for the Yorkshire club in 2022/23 with only the newly promoted teams having shorter odds to go down.

It took 18 years for Leeds to return to the top flight, but after a ninth-placed finish under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020-21, many are tipping them for the drop in 2022/23.

This is a club which has lost arguably its two best players in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips this summer.

There shouldn’t be any surprise that sports betting markets once again project a relegation-threatened season at Elland Road.

Busy Summer At Elland Road

Raphinha and Phillips are in Barcelona and Manchester respectively, but Leeds haven’t hung around spending that influx of cash.

Three players – right-back Rasmus Kristensen, midfielder Tyler Adams and attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson – arrived from the Red Bull family.

Some nice words from Patrick Bamford on Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha after they left Leeds this summer. States they 'deserve' the opportunities at Manchester City and Barcelona (via PA). #lufc pic.twitter.com/pSagR3mn6B

— Tom Carnduff (@TomC_22) July 21, 2022

Winger Luis Sinisterra was picked up from Feyenoord for over £22 million, while Marco Roca signed from Bayern for a shade over £10 million.

Depth was an issue in 2021-22, and Leeds have made a marked effort to add bodies. Their manager’s links to the Red Bull project have clearly played a part in their recruitment, too.

Fixing The Defence

Jesse Marsch made quick progress in improving the Leeds defence.

While they still finished the season with the second-most expected goals against, Leeds’ 19 goals conceded from March 1st onwards was fewer than eight Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.

Tens of millions have been invested in defensive personnel in Kristensen, Adams and Roca. Rumours continue that Marsch is searching for another left-back, with Burnley’s Charlie Taylor mooted as a possible target.

Leeds defenders weren’t a popular FPL pick in the Bielsa era – could that change under Marsch’s leadership in 2022-23?

How Can Leeds Improve?

With the defence making a real step forward in the closing months of last season, attention will turn to the attack. Raphinha top scored in the league with 11 goals in 2021-22. Jack Harrison was the only other player with more than six.

Patrick Bamford was limited to under 600 minutes, which didn’t help their front line after his stellar debut campaign in the Premier League, but it’s clear quality is needed in the final third.

Leeds will hope Sinisterra is part of the solution after the Colombian scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in the Eredivisie in 2021-22.

Further reinforcements are probably required too, though, with transfer links ranging from Otavio and Juan Mata to Cody Gakpo and Nicolas Pepe.

Leeds Prediction for 2022/23:

There will inevitably be a range of Premier League predictions for Leeds this season.

This is a squad with sufficient upside to talk yourself into a top half finish, but the losses of Phillips and Raphinha will naturally provoke relegation speculation.

Marsch showed enough last season to suggest he can extend Leeds’ Premier League stay. Anything more than that seems out of reach with the calibre of players they have sold.

Leeds Premier League prediction: 15th