OpinionChris Cook
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Forget Ian Botham or Ben Stokes - it's a Scottish sports legend I have in mind when thinking of Ahoy Senor

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Ahoy Senor and Derek Fox will be able to maintain their association at Wetherby on Saturday
Ahoy Senor has an obvious chance of glory in Saturday's Betfair ChaseCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Peter Scudamore tried to explain the mystery that is Ahoy Senor this week by saying he was a sort of mix of Ian Botham and Ben Stokes, with a dash of Viv Richards. I love it when racing people get lyrical and imaginative about their horses, and some of my colleagues seemed very pleased with this insight. 

Unfortunately, it sailed straight over my head because I spent my first 28 years in Scotland, where the incentive to pay attention to cricket is practically zero. Apparently, the similarity has something to do with unrefined technique, or a swashbuckling, devil-may-care approach to sport.

Scu is much more of a legend in my eyes than any of those he mentioned, so I'd never dare criticise. Still, he's been o'er the border for quite some time now and he must have noticed, when dropping "silly mid-off" or "dibbly-dobbly" into conversation over a pint of Deuchars, that some of the brightness goes out of the eyes of any locals around the table.

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Published on inChris Cook

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