NORMA'S COLOURS ARE FLYING PROUD

Robert Cooper sees Percy Willis and Kaadam grace white and green spots and red cap

- Robert Cooper

Wolverhampton's Saturday evening cards haven't been high on my viewing agenda recently, especially with 'Strictly' now in full swing. Sadly, while Chris McCausland was wowing the judges in Blackpool, I missed Percy Willis striving to make every post a winning one in the mile and a half handicap at Dunstall Park. In a rousing finish, honours were shared with the favourite Star Time, the judge calling a dead heat.

I wanted to see how Percy Willis got on for purely sentimental reasons, as he races in the same silks once registered to the great Norma Macauley, top of my all-time chart of trainers. The white, green spots and a red cap now run for The Unlikely Lads, one of whom is Simon Macauley, one of Norma's nine children. The great lady certainly packed plenty of action into her 88 years, not only on the racecourse.

I recently came into contact with Simon Macauley in somewhat bizarre circumstances via a personalised video website, hi-ya.com - all innocent stuff, birthdays and anniversaries, that kind of thing. I was introduced to it during my pre-retirement merry-go-round, guesting one morning on Chris Moyles Radio X breakfast show. Moyles, I was told, was a fan of the old viral chestnut 'it's a man actually Derek' video, and in passing he floated the greetings plan.

Light-heartedly I offered Moyles 10 per cent of my earnings 'Done!' he said in a flash; to date his commission is shy of a fiver, but I did receive a nudge from Simon Macauley, who knowing of my friendship with his mum, commissioned me to send a message to his friend and co-owner Andy Peake, himself a winning owner with Norma.