Rutherford set to take up trainers’ licence

By Lewis Anderson

Gary Rutherford always fancied giving training a try once his days in the saddle were over.

The Jedburgh-based jockey just never expected it to happen so soon.

Rutherford, 28, had hoped to spend at least another decade in the saddle as a rider on the northern circuit, but his career was turned upside down by a horror fall at Cartmel nearly three years ago which saw him fracture and dislocate his hip.

He spent 15 months on a long road to recovery, which included an extensive rehabilitation programme, but after securing only eight rides and riding just one winner the following year, Rutherford decided not to renew his jockey’s licence when it expired in March.

Rutherford had his riding career curtailed through injury.

Now the former 5Ib claimer is turning his hand to training.

Borders businessman Ian Herbert recently sent him three horses to run in hunter chases and point-to-points and Rutherford said: “Ian was looking for someone to train a few horses for him at a place he’s bought near here, my name got put forward and that’s how we met.

“Even when I was riding, I was always interested in training – it’s just happened a bit sooner than planned!

“It’s early days and because I don’t have a licence yet, I can only run Ian’s horses in hunter chases or in point-to-points. We’ve had only five runners and our best result was with Miss Biscotti who was fourth in a hunter chase at Kelso.

Rutherford is still head lad for local trainer George Bewley, but he added: “Ian’s been kind enough to give me a great opportunity. I don’t want to waste it.”

On his runner’s in the coming weeks, Rutherford said: “Barrick’s Hill is set for another hunter chase at Kelso on Sunday week, Miss Biscotti goes to Cartmel the following week and Teviot Prince heads to Hexham this Sunday.”

 

In other racing news, Howard Johnson has announced he has no intention of making a dramatic return to training, stating he would lack the necessary confidence after four and a half years away from the ‘National Hunt’ scene.

The County Durham handler, best known for his handling of three-time World Hurdle winner Inglis Drever, was free to re-apply for a training licence after serving a suspension for breaching horse and welfare medication rules in 2011.

Howard Johnson won’t return to training.

Amidst speculation the 62-year-old could be coming out of retirement following the completion of his ban which ended last August, Johnson outlined he has no plans to take up a new licence and is instead focused on his farming operation in Crook, near Durham.

“I’m not going to bother,” he said. “There’s been a bit of contact with a few of my old owners wanting me to start again, but after five years out, I wouldn’t feel confident.”

Dying of a broken heart : New research suggests bereavement risk

Danish medical researchers studying unexpected deaths of recently widowed life partners suggest there may be a very real health risk attached to an emotionally broken heart.

According to the new research, there may be a “transient risk” of a bereaved person developing a potentially fatal heart rhythm problem up to a year after their partners death. The riskiest period for affected persons has been estimated to be “8-14 days after the loss, after which it gradually declined.”

The study, published in the Open Heart medical journal, sampled the collected medical data of almost one million Danes between 1995 and 2014. Its aim was to identify whether recently bereaved life partners were more at risk of developing atrial fibrillation, or AF, the most commonly identified heart rhythm disorder. The condition results in a transiently or permanently irregular heart beat, which has already been linked with high blood pressure, excessive smoking and alcohol consumption.

“The risk of developing an irregular heartbeat for the first time was 41% higher among those who had been bereaved than it was among those who had not experienced such a loss,” said the study led by Dr Simon Graff.

Younger and middle-aged widows and widowers were identified to be more at risk to experience the disorder, with most identified cases aged less than 60. In those cases where the partner’s death was unexpected and sudden, the risk was considerably greater.

Previous studies have attempted to investigate the medical phenomenon where a person is more likely to die soon after a loved one, even when they had been previously considered healthy. Most observed cases tend to involve heart disease or stroke-related illnesses.

A condition known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or “broken heart syndrome”, has already been identified, originally seen within the populations of Japanese fishing villages. It is described as a temporary weakening of heart muscle seemingly caused by a sudden stressful or traumatic event such as sudden bereavement, which can occasionally lead to the development of acute congestive heart failure and following death.

 

 

David Bowie: A creative colossus bows out

By Lewis Anderson

David Bowie was arguably the most influential and successful British pop star since The Beatles.

His fusion of art with music and the constant re-invention made him an iconic figure to a generation of fans. He was a non-conformist, and always explored new styles and ideas to keep his sound fresh.

 
Millions of music fans including the biggest names in showbiz were left mourning his death from liver cancer at the age of 69 last week.

 
The release of his final album ‘Blackstar’ just two days before his death was a typical piece of memorable theatre in keeping with his ability to surprise and amaze.

 
His contemporary style was apparent throughout his highly successful music career. For his work in the 1970’s, Bowie was considered by various musicians and critics as an innovator.

 
Born and raised in South London as ‘David Jones’ in 1947, he developed an interest in music as a child. He first picked up an instrument at the age of 13 and began singing with his first band at 15 before rising to fame in 1969 with ‘Space Oddity’.

 
Bowie’s website’s biography describes him as someone who “elevated his music to what can only be described as an art form.”
Over his lucrative career, he released 26 albums which included 9 live albums, and 111 singles. Five of his songs reached number one in the UK charts and an estimated 140 million record were sold worldwide.

 
His first album, ‘David Bowie’, was released in 1967 and was followed by ‘Space Oddity’ in 1969 and ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, in April 1971. Three months later his then wife Angie gave birth to their son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie.

 
The singer declared himself bisexual during an interview with Michael Watts in 1972 after media coverage had been exploring his sexuality due to his flamboyant costumes and eye-catching use of makeup.

Bowie dropped out of the public eye in the early 80s as he began a sporadic acting career. He focused on film projects which saw him play the lead role in ‘The Hunger’ in 1982 and the Goblin King Jareth in the hugely successful ‘Labyrinth’ in 1986.

 
During the ‘Live Aid’ concert at Wembley in 1985, Bowie performed a memorable duet single with Mick Jagger and also dedicated his performance of ‘Heroes’ to his son.

 
In 1996 he was the first artist to produce a song that was distributed on the internet and ‘Telling Lies’ was downloaded over 350,000 times by fans in the United States. This subsequently led him to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 
A year later he celebrated his 50th birthday with a star-studded performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden with various star guests including Lou Reed and Foo Fighters.

 
Bowie kept a relatively low profile in the early 20th century, which included just a few cameo appearances and he opted to stop concert touring in 2004.

 
His life, career and influences were the focus of the David Bowie Is exhibition which began at London’s Victoria and Albert museum in 2013. The exposition of 300 costumes, handwritten lyrics, photographs, set designs and performance material from his career demonstrates how his work was influenced.

Bowie performs ‘Starman’ during a live concert in New York.

Many celebrities took to social media sites to pay tribute to the influential icon:

 
Mick Jagger: “David was always an inspiration to me and a true original. He was wonderfully shameless. We had so many good times together. He was my friend, I will never forget him.”

 
Sir Paul McCartney: “Very sad news to wake up to. David was a great star and I treasure the moments we had together. His music played a very strong part in British musical history and I’m proud to think of the huge influence he has had on people all around the world. His star will shine in the sky forever.”

 
The Rolling Stones: “Shocked and saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend David Bowie. As well as being a wonderful and kind man, he was an extraordinary artist and a true original.”

 
Val Kilmer: “David Bowie was always contemporary, that was the great thing about him as an artist. Planets will be named after him.”

 
His song ‘Starman’ proved very popular amongst his fans, rather fitting perhaps as the Rock and Roll scene grieve the loss of their “Starman”.

Why Does Fashion Matter

Despite what social media may lead you to believe, it would appear that students don’t pay attention to what’s in fashion, according to the results of a poll on bizarre beauty trends. Only 17% of people who took part claimed they regularly try to stay in fashion, in contrast to the 83% who follow trends sometimes or not at all.

Bad news for magazines

When asked whether they regularly bought fashion magazines, the results came back as a unanimous no, in contrast to previous generations.

Throughout the Second World War, many people turned to fashion magazines for ideas and patterns in a bid to save money due to rationing. However, once fabric became more widely available, many people decided to put down the sewing needle and buy their outfits from clothes shops. As a result, the middle class became less interested in high fashion, and began to wear clothes simply for their appearance, rather than the label. But why does fashion remain so important amongst the rich and elite?

In the Middle Ages, fashion was mainly designed to show off how much extra money you had by emulating clothes worn in royal court. The royal family and associates were the celebrities of the day, so ordinary people followed their trends closely.

In the modern world, there are two main theories explaining people’s fascination with designer labels. The first reason remains unchanged for centuries: social status. As fashion trends trickle down from the high end of society, they allow people the chance to demonstrate wealth and status by emulating clothes worn by their favourite actor or singer.

The second theory is that the rapid rate trends are churned out by major fashion companies is actually a way of maximizing profit. Fashion followers wouldn’t want to be seen wearing last years cast offs, so a regular influx of new clothes brings more money into the fashion industry. This means that many major fashion houses release a minimum of six new lines a year. Thanks to modern machinery, factories can produce clothes at a faster rate than ever before for high street brands, so the fashion world needs to be fast moving in order to stay ahead of the game.

High Fashion?

Glaswegian fashion designer Rebecca Torres, says “Apart from a few exceptions, many people just wear what they feel comfortable in, rather than wearing it for the sake of what’s trendy. Most outfits you see featured in fashion shows are fairly outrageous, and need a lot of tweaking before brands such as Topshop and River Island adapt them into more wearable designs for the public.”

Originally, changing trends demonstrated social hierarchy: the closer you were to the royals, the quicker you could pick up on their latest fads. However, nowadays most people are more likely to wear an outfit worn by their favourite celebrity, regardless of whether it came off the runway in Paris or not.

 

 

Margaret Ann Macleod