I suppose waterlogged Sandown on Saturday was one of the much heralded (but hard to find as far as my rubbish Internet researching skills were concerned) 170 Premier meetings that will enhance the racing experience in 2024, writes Tony Stafford.

Apart from the issue of expecting some extra prizemoney when unscheduled meetings such as Newcastle on Saturday are drafted on to live ITV coverage as a fill-in, there’s nothing much to remember about the weekend in the UK. The seven races at Gosforth Park had combined winners’ money of just over £29k. Scandalous really on a Saturday, especially if the course, as I would imagine, gets an ITV bung to go with the already-generous normal broadcast payment.

Meanwhile in California, Frankie Dettori was up to seven winners since Boxing Day after a Friday treble and a Saturday single at Santa Anita. No wonder, as he told Richard Hills, he’s enjoying himself and liking his percentages of the generous California prizemoney as well as the sunshine.

Then, over in South Africa, Piere ‘Striker’ Strydom, 57, so Frankie’s senior by four years, and with more than 5,000 career winners to his credit, was also coming to the close of his mainly domestic but similarly stupendous career. He went to the races on Saturday hoping for a record-equalling seventh success in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate over a mile at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. (Do you mind if I just call it the King’s Plate at Kenilworth from now on?).

Piere seemed to have the whip hand leading up to the King’s Plate as his mount See It Again had beaten 7/5 joint-favourite Charles Dickens quite comfortably when they met late last year in the WSB Green Point Stakes over the same course and distance. Then again, Charles Dickens hadn’t got the best of runs and could get going only soon enough for second.

See It Again is trained by Michael ‘Muis’ (or ‘Mouse’) Roberts, 69, many times champion jockey in his native South Africa, with two wins in the King’s Plate. He rode with great success in the UK and was champion jockey in 1992, and is probably best remembered for his partnership with the brilliant multiple group 1 winner Mtoto. That sound middle distance champion was twice successful in the Eclipse Stakes for Ahmed Al Maktoum and the late Alec Stewart. I will return to Master Roberts later.

The first of Strydom’s six King’s Plate victories came in 1990, coincidentally the year that Aldo Demeyer, partnering his main rival Charles Dickens on Saturday, was born. Strydom wasn’t the only jockey aiming to match Anton Marcus’ seven wins. Bernard Feyd’herbe made it six when upsetting the odds-on Charles Dickens last year with Al Muthana, who was also in the field with Bernard in the plate.

In the event, Charles Dickens didn’t just gain his revenge on those two, he obliterated them with a show of class and speed.

He had two and three-quarter lengths to spare over See It Again. Once more, Al Muthana’s run in fourth bettered what was expected of his 33/1 status.

The first two are slated to go to stud shortly. See It Again, until he beat Charles Dickens last time, had been racing over longer distances and Roberts has that option again before the final decision on a stud career is made. Successful owner-breeders Drakenstein Stud and trainer Candice Bass-Robinson can now anticipate a lucrative career as a stallion for Charles Dickens who stands at ten wins from 13 runs with three places on the racecourse.

He’s a son of South African champion sire, the US-bred Trippi. There’s a UK element to See It Again’s background as he is a son of Twice Over, a four-time Group 1 winner for Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdullah, including two Champion Stakes.

The tough, durable and honest Twice Over, whose final race was when fourth behind stablemate Frankel as a seven-year-old in the Juddmonte International at York, was bought and syndicated as a stallion by my friend Bernard Kantor.

Twice Over has proved a great success at stud. Bernard, of course, was co-founder and chairman for many years of Investec, the bank that sponsored the Derby for much of this century, helping it regain its international status.

Earlier on the card, the filly that was preferred to those principals in the big race for Horse Of The Year honours last time around, Princess Calla, was beaten in a 1m1f fillies’ and mares’ Group 1 race, Beach Bomb coming out on top by a neck. One of the performances that earned her award was when beating See It Again last July; Charles Dickens must be favourite for that distinction this time.

My Michael Roberts tale is simply told. Some bright spark suggested during my Daily Telegraph days that it might make a good feature if we would follow him around as he moved from course to course by small plane. Another couple of jockeys were with us but they were riding elsewhere. The pilot, Neil, who used to fly Frankie very often, warned that when he dropped us off for Leicester, time was limited with the other jockeys going on elsewhere; so as we went to get out, the plane was already moving gently forward.

The nimble Mr Roberts skipped out and away from trouble, but the more cumbersome pressman lingered a second or so, collecting his luggage when bash, the tail wing smashed into his back.

I was knocked flat, well flattish anyway. As the plane continued its progress, I assured Michael I was okay, and we moved over to the waiting taxi for Leicester races. By the time I got home that evening, there was a wide bruise across the middle of my back and it stayed there for much of that summer! That must have happened at least 35 years ago.

When I saw the result of the King’s Plate, indeed all through the winner’s career, I’ve internally reminisced about his namesake, a chaser with, I thought, Alex, but apparently Alan Kilpatrick. After such a long while, time and horses coalesce, but it was more than 50 years ago that the remarkable Major (later honorary Colonel Sir) Piers Bengough rode Charles Dickens to three consecutive wins (1970-72) in the Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown Park.

Old Etonian Bengough already had an interesting life in the army, stationed in Germany where he found time to train up to 11 of his own horses, winning races at Hanover, Dusseldorf, and Dortmund. Then it was back home with the Royal Hussars as the regiment’s Commanding Officer between 1971-73.

A long-standing member of the Jockey Club, he held several senior positions, but nothing was more appropriate for the tall, moustachioed army officer than to become for 15 years Her Majesty’s Representative at Royal Ascot, following the Marquess of Abergavenny.

It was he who had the final say when access to Ascot’s Royal Enclosure held much more of a social meaning than nowadays. One memorable occasion which made all the red-top papers was the exclusion of Joan Collins on the basis that she was wearing someone else’s badge! Fair enough Joanie!

Lady Bengough was a remarkable woman too. At the age of nine, Bridget Adams was the youngest in the UK to have earned a silver medal for figure skating and developed that skill to the extent that she represented the UK at the Olympics. Dutifully by his side at the races for all their years together, Lady Bengough survived her husband by 15 years.

- TS