“All a little bit surreal against the backdrop of seeing missiles in the sky and hearing explosions.”
Things feel different this week — in the world, and on The Paddock.
The weekly horse racing show, usually a lively around-the-table debate between Oli Bell, Nick Luck, Rishi Persad and Tom Stanley, took on a very different tone ahead of Cheltenham.
What was meant to be an in-person special at Sandown quickly became something else entirely.
Host Oli Bell addressed it immediately, saying: “Welcome everyone to our Cheltenham Festival special of The Paddock where we had hoped to do it in person at Sandown but sadly the world had other ideas.”
Those ‘other ideas’ were the airstrikes on Iran and the rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Regular contributors Rishi Persad and Tom Stanley have been stranded in Dubai since the weekend, after airspace closures grounded flights across the region.
Speaking from the UAE, Rishi explained the strange limbo they’ve found themselves in, saying: “There is no official word as to what’s happening. We have been, since Saturday, in limbo waiting for news on what’s going on.
“As things were progressing we were not entirely sure of the severity of it because obviously we were working.
“We were aware that there were concerns about safety. We understood that there were missiles being launched and intercepted in the Gulf. The racing took place. Sheikh Mohammed turned up. Watched Rebel’s Romance win. All a little bit surreal against the backdrop of seeing missiles in the sky and hearing explosions.”
Despite the extraordinary circumstances, the racing continued, forming an eerie contrast between sport and geopolitics.
But once airspace closed and airlines, including Emirates, cancelled flights, reality set in.
“Since Saturday night and the closure of the airspace, we have all been waiting for news as to when we can return home,” Rishi said.
“It changes every day. Hopes get up and we are told to keep looking at your phones, register with the relevant authorities, and news will come through. But it’s simply a case of waiting.”
There is, at least, some comfort in shared experience.
“The fact that we are together, obviously Tom is alongside me, it’s reassuring to have some company through it. Friends, colleagues.
“For some people it’ll be quite a hard experience being out here on your own, waiting for the news that you can finally go home to your friends and loved ones.”
It’s certainly not your usual episode of The Paddock — and a reminder that even in sport, the wider world has a way of intruding.
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