Mama Mia! Smyslov visits Ayr! - September 15, 2000

Fuel dispute permitting Smyslov will be in Ayr on September 15.

The visitor is not the 79-year-old former world champion but the two-year-old racehorse called Smyslov.

From Racing Post site:
3:30 Scottish Equitable/Jockeys Association Nursery (Class C) (2yo,0-95) 
 Winner £7,572.50 1m SOFT  
 
           
DRAW   LASTEST RUNS HORSE TRAINER AGE WEIGHT JOCKEY OR TS PM 
1 (9) 523219  Perfect Plum8   Sir Mark Prescott  2 9-7  G Duffield 85  91  -  
2 (2) 514  Act Of Reform11  R Charlton  2 9-5  K Darley 83  81  -  
3 (10) 4531  Min Mirri13   M R Channon  2 9-4  Craig Williams 82  74  -  
4 (3) 8441  Smyslov24   J L Dunlop  2 9-2  F Lynch 80  101  -  
5 (4) 443221  Siena Star21   J L Eyre  2 9-0  A Culhane 78  87  -  
6 (6) 031  Princess Emily16   B S Rothwell  2 8-10  D Mernagh(3) 74  93  -  
7 (8) 09320  Thewhirlingdervish18  T D Easterby  2 8-7  J Carroll 71  90  -  
8 (5) 437121  Fazzani18   M W Easterby  2 8-4  P Hanagan(7) 68  93  -  
9 (7) 70563  Thorntoun Dancer24  J S Goldie  2 7-13  J Quinn 63  73  -  
10 (1) 577  Save The Pound20  T D Easterby  2 7-10  P Fessey 58  -  -  

Smyslov won the 2.50 at Hamilton Park on August 22. How many punters knew (or cared!) the animal was named after Vassily Smyslov, the 1957-58 world chess champion?

Smyslov's maiden victory gained a prize of £1,190, some loose change for owner Benny Andersson.

The winner who took it all was none other than the bearded keyboard player with 70s pop icons ABBA.

Benny has another horse with leading trainer John Dunlop called Steinitz, named after Wilhelm Steinitz the first official world chess champion (1886-94).

In the south of Sweden Benny breeds racehorses at his own stable called Chess Racing.

The ABBA connection to the royal game is of course the musical Chess, devised by lyricist Tim Rice with a score by Benny and Bjorn Ulvaeus, their first major project outside ABBA. The Cold War story of love and betrayal featuring 'One Night in Bangkok,' 'Heaven Help My Heart' and 'I Know Him So Well', still has a cult following and has enjoyed several revivals.

Check out http://members.home.nl/union.songs/html/benny.html for loads more information (including this 1996 photo).

The Aberdeen Opera Company will perform Chess in February next year.

Theatre: His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen
Performance Dates: February 13 through February 17, 2001
Curtain Times:
Nightly  .....  7:30 PM
Saturday Matinee  .....  2:30 PM
Ticket Prices: Ticket prices: £9 - £15
Box Office: +44 (0)1224 641122
(Note: Do not call regarding the production until November 2000, per
Manager's request. Thank you.)
Production Company: Aberdeen Opera Company



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