Tag: sporting life

Who is Chelsea’s ‘Window Twerky’?

‘The Steeple Times’ asks readers to name the brilliantly batshit bonkers bird spotted gyrating in front of Chelsea shop windows during the coronavirus lockdown

Spotted on both the Fulham Road and Kings in Chelsea in recent days, a sometimes lycra-clad lady has been spotted by beady eyed readers gyrating in the glistening windows of empty shops. In days of old, we had ‘Widow Twanky’ and in days of coronavirus lockdown, we’ve got ‘Window Twerky.’

Presumably using said elevations as the mirror in which she can celebrate her very own maniac moves, little else is known about this non-conformist. Today, therefore, we ask anyone in the know to send in this wonderfully wacky woman’s name. We would like to contact her and push her forward to Simon Cowell for an audition as he will undoubtedly join in giving an almighty ‘YES!’

The Steeple Times joins those suggesting that this wacky wonder deserves wider public accolade and also a thank you for bringing joy to all who’ve witnessed her Fifty Shades of Crazy antics during this Strictly insane time. Bring on yet more batshit bonkers as, after all, that’s what the Kings Road was always meant to be all about.

Rock on ‘Window Twerky’ – Your nation needs you!

With thanks to Claire Rubinstein and Tom Griffiths for first sharing ‘Window Twerky’ at-work on their Instagram stories.

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April 27, 2020
Fahad Takes Flight

Blow to British racing as Sheikh Fahad places his Longholes operation in Newmarket, Suffolk up for sale for £6 million to spend more time in California

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic was always going set to cause havoc for the racing industry, but alongside news this week that prominent racehorse owners the Rooney family are to quit National Hunt racing for good, it has been announced that 30-year-old Sheikh Fahad Bin Abdullah Al Thani has put his Longholes stud, near Newmarket in Suffolk on the market.

Billed as a place for “preparing champions” and run by a “dedicated team” focused on pre-training and rehabilitation, Longholes was founded by the Accrington born “playboy” textile heir and racehorse breeder Sir George Bullough (1870 – 1939) in the 1920s and bought by Sheikh Fahad in 2013.

Sheikh Fahad Bin Abdullah Al Thani chats with David Redvers in 2016.

Sheikh Fahad wiht his brothers Sheikh Hamad, Sheikh Suhiam and Sheikh Khalifa.

Sheikh Fahad and his wife Sheikha Melissa with the late Roaring Lion.

Sheikh Fahad won the Corinthian Challege at Leopardstown on the Gordon Elliott trained Brutal in October 2017.

Comprising of 217 acres of paddocks, schooling grounds and a 6-furlong gallop, the “renowned Newmarket stud farm” – which is 16 miles from Cambridge and 70 miles from London – includes not only 88 boxes, but also what has been described as a state-of-the-art “feel good factor” spa with hydro and water treadmill facilities amongst other things. There is a stud manager’s house, a guest cottage, a pair of staff bungalows and a pair of workers’ log cabins also.

Of why the property is now for sale, David Redvers, racing and bloodstock advisor to the Sheikh – whom married an American named Melissa Margolis in 2018 and is choosing to spend more time in California as a result – told the Newmarket Journal on Friday:

“Sheikh Fahad purchased Longholes in 2013 with a view to turning the attractive and historic stud farm into a state-of-the-art pre-training and rehabilitation establishment servicing the requirements of his own Qatar Racing and also the wider training centre of Newmarket. Seven years later and Longholes boasts an incredible array of modern facilities, an outstanding team of committed and highly trained professional staff and a client list that boasts many of the most recognised names in horse racing, eventing and show jumping.”

“Sheikh Fahad is proud of what has been achieved at Longholes but a change in his own personal circumstances means that the farm’s exciting future now needs to be in another’s hands.”

Speaking to Nick Luck of Racing TV in April 2019, Sheikh Fahad remarked:

“We love horses, we’ve grown up with horses, me and my brothers. The idea was always to build something for the future, hopefully the long-term future, for generations to come. I’d like to see my kids grow up into a dynasty of breeding operations, of racing operations that they can take on from there.”

“I watched I think, my early memories… I watched Channel 4 Racing, I think the Cheltenham Festival. It was very different to racing back home. We only had one racetrack and it was flat racing and they go round in the circle. My dad was the leading Arab racehorse owner in the country, so he won everything. It seemed like it was that easy to do and I started watching racing here and I saw all the different racecourses and National Hunt. And we don’t have National Hunt back home, so I was very curious about the whole industry. I wanted to learn as much as possible from every angle of it.”

“I think the quality of racing, as you watch racing around the world, the biggest quality of racing is in England and Ireland in terms of top-class racing… It is good for the breed, it shows the best horses to breed onwards. The classics in Britain always prove to be the best source of that.”

Of the flaws of British racing in general and perhaps hinting at a move to spending more time participating in American racing, the Sheikh continued:

“It needs to up its game. It needs to find ways to attract more people into the sport. At the moment we are very grateful for the Sheikh Mohammeds in the business… Without Sheikh Mohammed [Bin Rashid Al Maktoum], this year would have been a disaster for a lot of people. The thing is that British racing needs to find more ways to attract quality. I think quality is very important.”

“If you look at, for instance, Japanese racing, they have got a two-tier system. They have the JRA and the NRA. The JRA is the elite class of racehorses and horse racing and I think if you don’t break your maiden as a three year-old, then I think, that horse is not allowed to run in the JRA anymore. They have to go down to the NRA. Why can’t that some way be explored in British racing? We can’t be racing, I think you’re asking people to race for two grand or three grand… whilst in Australia they have Saturday races with a minimum of a hundred grand a race. And in America, maidens are worth a hundred grand. And in California, I’ve got horses, and it seems ridiculous that, if you are taking a business point of view of racing and you open your books, that it would be ridiculous to have horses [in Britain] in comparison to there. The only reason we’re racing here is for the quality and prestige that we have at the moment, but you can’t rest on that. You have to change.”

Later, in September 2019, the Sheikh’s Californian trainer, Simon Callaghan, told The Racing Post:

“Sheikh Fahad is upping his interest in racing in America. He’s spending more time in California, so he wants to go after some of these high-end colts and go down the road of the Derby, we hope… I think his Californian wife has something to do with it.”

Agents Windsor Clive seek £6 million ($7.5 million, €6.8 million or درهم27.4 million) for Longholes and offer it as a whole or in two lots. For the firm, George Windsor Clive remarked: “We’re still bringing Longholes to the market in these strange times [in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic] so that buyers can react quickly once restrictions are lifted.”

For now, the other European racing operations of the Sheikh and his brothers and their Qatar Racing Ltd. company – which includes a presence at the David Redvers owned Tweenhills Farm in Gloucestershire and their own Spring Lodge stud farm in County Limerick – remain unaffected.

Notable Results for Qatar Racing Limited – January 2016 to December 2020

2yo turf: Roaring Lion – 36 wins and 64 placed from 218 runs.

3yo turf: Roaring Lion – 40 wins and 45 placed from 222 runs.

2yo AW: Kameko – 10 wins and 23 placed from 72 runs.

3yo AW: Fierce Impact – 12 wins and 36 placed from 96 runs.

Pictured top: Sheikh Fahad Bin Abdullah Al Thani with his wife Sheikha Melissa Al Fahad.

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April 11, 2020
Stunning Stonewall

Co-founder of Calvin Klein Inc. puts his 740 acre equestrian estate just an hour from New York up for sale for £81 million; about 65 stake winners and several horses that have competed at the Kentucky Derby have been produced there

“Murdered grocer’s son from the Bronx” Barry K. Schwartz and his childhood friend Calvin Klein co-founded the now world-famous fashion brand Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968 and sold it for £589 million in 2003.

Barry K. Schwartz with Calvin Klein.

Barry K. and Sheryl Schwartz.

Aside from spending his ever-growing fortune on horses – one of which he named ‘Degenerate Jon’ (after his son) and another ‘Killer Diller’ (after his friend the media mogul Barry Diller) – Schwartz and his wife, Sheryl, purchased 673 acres of land to the north of New York City in Westchester County in 1979 for the back then far from insubstantial sum then of £2.6 million.

There, not that far from Belmont Park racetrack in the small residential hamlet of Granite Springs, after adding yet more land to take their “equestrian estate” to a grand total of 18 deeded parcels on 740 contiguous acres, the couple created a world-class equestrian establishment that they filled with thoroughbred racehorses. Facilities at ‘Stonewall Farm’ – as it is now known – have evolved to include a turf racetrack, riding trails, a 40-stall yearling barn, two 24-stall broodmare barns, round pens and 4board fenced paddocks and pastures with run-in sheds.

A year after cashing in alongside Klein, stamp collector Schwartz’s new home was completed on the property. It features 24,000 square foot of accommodation, 8 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. There is a 2,200-bottle wine cellar, a pub, a two-storey library “that would delight any reader” and living spaces that “invites elegant entertaining, whether intimate or on a grand scale,” according to selling agents Christie’s International Real Estate.

Elsewhere in the grounds, there are 8 staff residences (to house the 30 employees that currently maintain the estate), a guest house and a caretaker’s house. Formal gardens, designed by Edmund D. Hollander in geometric French and Japanese styles, adjoin the house and there is a 60-foot long swimming pool within a 4,000 square foot pavilion also.

Stonewall Farm is situated just one hour from Manhattan, but now that Mr and Mrs Schwartz are spending more time at another of their homes in Santa Barbara, California, they have decided to sell. Of it, realtor Kathleen Coumou told The Journal News:

“It’s on one of the largest pieces of property that one can purchase in the county. It was so convenient for [the Schwartzes] to be on this farm, with all its privacy, and still be close to New York… [It’s] magnificently laid out, with a southern-looking main house and behind it, it’s like you’re in Kentucky. You see the pastures with the horses and lots of woodlands. It’s quite spread out – it feels like you’re somewhere else, not in Westchester County… You have gorgeous views – hills and ponds and horses and paddocks, and different levels of rolling hills… You certainly can’t see anybody else around.”

“[Stonewall Farm will be sold to] a billionaire, who could come from anywhere.”

The Names & Numbers – Stonewall Farm, Mahopac Avenue, Granite Springs, Westchester County, New York, NY 10527, United States of America

April 2020 – For sale for £80.7 million ($100 million, €92.1 million or درهم368 million) through Christie’s International Real Estate. Of why, they chose this sum, realtor Kathleen Coumou told The Journal News: “We did a very thorough appraisal of the property – the land and all of the buildings – and came up with a price of $110 million, and then we decided to round it down to $100 million.”

June 2005 – The house is featured in Architectural Digest.

1999 to 2004 – Construction of main house, a “colonial-style manor” with a “white clapboard facade and a slate roof repurposed from the Yale Divinity School,” was completed to the designs of the New York architect Rebecca Rasmussen with an interior by the London based interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

2003 – Calvin Klein and Barry K. Schwartz sell their company to Philips-Van Heusen (now known as PVH Corp.) for £589 million ($730 million, €672 million or درهم2.7 billion).

1979 – Barry K. and Sheryl Schwartz pay £2.6 million ($3.25 million, €3 million or درهم11.9 million) for 673 acres of land. Of buying it, Mr Schwartz later commented: “”It was the easiest negotiation of my life. The seller asked $3.5 million, I offered $3 million and we settled on $3.25 million.” The couple purchased further land shortly thereafter.

1968 – Calvin Klein (born 19^th November 1942) co-founds Calvin Klein Inc. with his childhood friend Barry K. Schwartz (born 25^th May 1942) with a loan of £8,100 ($10,000, €9,200 or درهم36,700).

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April 8, 2020
Tigger Bounces into a Cowshed

Scottish farmer Bruce Grubb caused an armed standoff after calling police to “tackle a tiger on the loose”; it turned out to be a giant cuddly toy

An Aberdeenshire farmer panicked and brought in armed police when he saw what he thought was a tiger in his cowshed.

Bruce Grubb, 24, told The Scottish Sun: “It was very scary” and added: “I was stone cold sober, drink had nothing to do with me thinking it was real.”

A 45-minute stand-off followed until Grubb and police realised the creature was nothing but a cuddly toy. Roar!

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February 8, 2018
Harnessing a Horse Track

Well-equipped 0.5-mile harness racing track in Yorkshire for sale for £1.5 million; it was the scene of an “ear biting incident” by a traveler in 2009

A dream property for harness racing enthusiasts has been put up for sale in Yorkshire. Its star feature is a 0.5-mile all-weather racetrack and it also comes with 26 acres of land, a spectator stand, a trackside club house with bar and catering facilities, 50 stables and a horse walker.

Created by former boxer Michael Welling with what he described as “very little or no help from the racing fraternity” and built-up over ten years from 2006, York Harness Raceway and the Camden Stud was closed in 2016. It had been a destination with harness racing enthusiasts and was also the setting of a well-thought of annual horse sale.

York Harness Raceway owner Michael Welling

A photograph of racing on the circuit

In 2009, a traveler turned harness racer named John Harrop was jailed for 4.5 years after biting off part of the ear of an official at the track whilst on steroids, but of it, in 2013, Welling more positively told The Yorkshire Post:

“This was where I fell in love with the sport. It is the first harness racing track I ever came to. I was intoxicated by the speed, the excitement and the atmosphere… It’s a speed thing in the same way as having a fast car and once you’re hooked you start setting aims.”

“I’m throwing everything into making the track the success it deserves to be. This place has my heart and soul and I am determined to make it work as a realistic business. When I first started racing in 1993 it was only a hobby for me but it has now taken over my time and I’m here 24/7. When I was a kid I was brought up with horses and carts so it’s really in my blood. This place holds so many happy memories and the people who come here are salt-of-the-earth families. I’m certain that if more people came to see what we offer they would be hooked in much the same way I was.”

Additional features at the property include an “almost brand new” 3 reception room, 5-bedroom detached house extending to 3,222 square foot and a large modern barn with a wash bay and tack room.

Agents Jackson-Stops seek offers over £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.3 million) for the property. An additional 75 acres of land is available by separate negotiation that is partly prone to flooding.

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November 21, 2017
Bigots & Baseball Caps

Intolerance comes in many forms but the very worst kind is middle class hypocrisy

In a week when Damien Hirst was told: “Go home!” by animal rights activists in Venice (who also dumped 40kg of dung outside where he is due to exhibit a non-animal related show at the Palazzo Grassi), I, myself, experienced the wrath of a middle class maniac.

On Saturday, minding my own business, walking along a quiet South Kensington street, I was accosted by a well-dressed woman. She screeched at me: “Take that hat off. It promotes terrorism”.

My crime? Wearing a William Evans baseball cap. The reasoning for her distaste? The cap was captioned: “Gun and rifle makers, 1883”.

After I responded to this ridiculous individual by telling her: “I can wear whatever I wish” and she had had her chance to rant about about intolerance and extremism, I realized one sorry thing: Here, in front of me, stood was nothing but the worst kind of bigot.

William Evans signature baseball caps are available for £25. Wear one at your peril.

March 27, 2017
Picture of the Week – Come Fly With Hawks

Saudi royal buys plane tickets so his hawks can fly (first class, of course)

Nothing is insurmountable it seems: A Saudi royal, according to a Reddit user named @lensoo, was told a maximum of 6 birds of prey were allowed in the cabin on a Qatar Airways flight this week.

His response? He bought tickets for all 80 of his hawks. He even went as far to pay for them to go first class. You couldn’t make it up.

January 31, 2017
Kind Hearts and Box Ejectors

William Evans 12-bore commissioned by Sir Alec Guinness in 1959 to be auctioned; it cost just £95 new

Sir Alec Guinness (1914 – 2000) was undoubtedly one of Britain’s finest ever actors. He is remembered for playing eight characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets in 1949 and also appeared in The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

In 1959, the screen legend was knighted and in the year, he commissioned St James’s Street gun makers William Evans to make a 12-bore boxlock ejector gun for his son, Matthew. He paid £95.18.6 (the equivalent of £1,994, $2,528 or €2,390 or درهم‎‎9,284 today) for it and now that gun is to be sold by Holts on 8^th December in London.

Of the gun, Alastair Phillips of William Evans commented:

“I can only imagine the excitement in the gunroom the day that Sir Alec Guinness walked in. We have had many well known names pass through our door, but I would have definitely liked to have met Sir Alec, a legendary film actor and knighted Brit. It is wonderful to know that he embraced and enjoyed what the British countryside has to offer, and we are excited we can now share the story of his passion with the public”.

An estimate of £3,000 to £5,000 ($3,800 to $6,400 or €3,600 to €6,000 or درهم‎‎14,000 to درهم23,400‎‎) has been set and Matthew Guinness’ initials remain engraved on the gun’s oval.

December 4, 2016
Shoot and Stay

Kelly Double suggests where to learn to shoot and where to stay within easy reach of London

There’s seldom a diversion from city life as effective as a session of clay shooting. In the wake of Team GB’s Olympic successes and as the shooting season is getting underway, there’s never been a better time to put your finger to the trigger and immerse yourself in this heritage, country sport.

The wide rural skies and focus on hitting targets can easily chase away the stresses of urban living with exhilaration. With both grouse and partridge already in season, and pheasants joining at the beginning of October, I have pulled together my top four destinations for learning how to shoot, and which countryside establishment nearby you can rely on to provide you with delicious sustenance afterwards. My options have varied menus and low-key luxury bedrooms and are thus perfect spots to recharge after a long day in the fresh air.

Shoot at The Oxford Gun Company

Located just an hour outside London and set in some 400 acres of stunning quintessential British countryside, The Oxford Gun Company is an award winning family-run shooting ground with over 40 years’ experience in the business. Surrounded by rolling countryside, and a course set across babbling brooks, there is no better place to become immersed in this heritage sport.

The instructors at The Oxford Gun Company teach the Stanbury Method and have the experience that it takes to truly give you the best introduction to the sport, guiding you from the very beginning – Amber Hill trained here and completed its TSC Academy, so they know what they’re doing. Whether you aspire to the Olympic rings, or just want to enjoy some time in the countryside, the team can help you hit the targets to get there.

Then dine and stay at The Pheasant

Celebrate a successful day’s shooting at The Pheasant, Brill. Just down the road from The Oxford Gun Company, the pub is perched on a hill and enjoys views over the historic Brill Windmill and neighbouring counties. The Pheasant, to my mind, offers the true country pub package.

You can sample a wide range of traditional dishes, made on site with locally sourced, seasonal produce and then head to bed in one of the cosy rooms. Service is friendly and the atmosphere excellent.

Shoot at Lady’s Wood

Set amidst the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, with easy access from both the M4 and M5, Lady’s Wood is not far from Bristol and Bath. The grounds are set in 65 acres of natural woodland with a quintessentially welcoming Cotswold stone lodge.

The course has a large variety of sporting traps which can simulate anything, from a bolting rabbit to a long distance pheasant thrown from the 120 ft High Tower – a special feature of the school and one of the highest in the country. Lady’s Wood instructors are always delighted to introduce new shooters to the sport, delivering a full and thorough understanding in all aspects of gun safety and shooting etiquette. The team are skilled in the tuition of juniors and ladies and will make you feel relaxed and safe whilst building confidence in your new skills.

Then dine and stay at The King’s Arms

A traditional British pub and hotel set within the small village of Didmarton in the beautiful Cotswolds, The King’s Arms is an absolute treat. Serving local ales and beers alongside an evolving menu of seasonal British cuisine it’s a sure fire way to enjoy countryside comfort. The restaurant only uses the freshest locally sourced produce and all game on offer comes direct from the neighbouring country estates.

With a choice of self-catering cottages in the stables of the original 17^th century King’s Arms, or cottage-style bed and breakfast rooms the luxurious touches will allow you to feel like the Cotswolds is truly your home. Dogs are welcome too – so there’s no need to be afraid of bringing the pooch along for an adventure.

Shoot at The Royal Berkshire Shooting School

Established over two decades ago, The Royal Berkshire Shooting School is recognised as one of the finest facilities of its kind. The school employs seven full-time, professional shooting instructors, and has one of the most expansive shooting grounds in the country.

Its frontline team of shooting professionals has amassed over 100,000 hours as instructors and more than 125 years of experience in the shooting and fishing business. You will know you’re in safe hands. If you want a challenge in a forward-thinking environment, this is the place for you.

Then dine and stay at The Yew Tree

The Yew Tree Inn is a delightful 17th century country pub with rooms and excellent dining situated in the lovely English countryside, moments from Highclere Castle. The food here is an absolute treat, and as a result, The Yew Tree has quite rightly built up a reputation for its high standard of food and service.

With two AA Rosettes, The Yew Tree’s superb kitchen team is headed up by Emma Broom whose has over 20 years of experience cooking great British cuisine. Menus are inspired by the surrounding English countryside, so expect to dine on fresh fish and game plucked straight from forests and rivers nearby. Every one of the rooms has been designed with comfort and relaxation in mind and you’ll not be disappointed. Dogs are more than welcome in some of the rooms and The Yew Tree can even provide facilities such as dog beds and water bowls on request.

Shoot at Bisley

Easily accessible from London and set in the Surrey countryside, the short journey to the countryside will evoke a sudden release of tension that only the outdoors can prompt. A leader in the world of clay shooting, Bisley was founded in 1895 and its grounds are continually being developed to ensure an unbeatable service and variety of targets. It’s ideal for both beginners looking for an introduction to the sport and more seasoned shots. Each instructor is carefully selected and the great majority have shot for Great Britain.

Beginners looking for step-by-step advice can request one-to-one lessons to start off on the right foot whilst seasoned professionals can polish their skills with top tips from the very best in the business.

Then dine and stay at The Inn at West End

Just 20 minutes from Bisley and recently refurbished to the highest standard, The Inn at West End is the perfect escape from the city. Fresh, seasonal produce is the cornerstone of each and every plate and longstanding, excellent relationships with its suppliers mean that the menu changes and evolves according to the best ingredients dependent on the time of year. Nuanced, innovative dishes sit happily alongside more traditional, British pub classics. Disappointment is not an option.

Each room is individually decorated in a contemporary country style and equipped with all you need for a relaxing stay in rural idyll. With beds that look (and feel) like clouds, flat-screen TVs, broadband access, en-suite wet rooms, safes sized to accommodate shotguns and many other thoughtful details this is an inn that will impress. Two rooms even cater for dogs, and one for guests who require additional accessibility facilities.

Kelly Double is an account executive at Zambuni, a marketing agency specialising in the country lifestyle sector. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyDouble1.

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September 17, 2016
The 70mph shed

Garden shed capable of speeds of in excess of 70mph takes to the roads (more…)

March 13, 2016