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For those who do not wish to humour an old man’s ramblings I would say that there’s no real point to this thread ! However, for someone who doesn’t believe in inside info or tipsters I go back to the mid ’70s and my only experience of a winning tip. A friend and I went to Crayford dogs and I had a copy of the Evening Standard sticking from my coat pocket. Suddenly this chap approached and to my annoyance asked to borrow my paper.I looked upon him suspiciously as he explained that a bookmaker friend was going to give him a tip for Newmarket the following day but couldn’t remember the name of the horse but he would tell us what it was when he came back….a likely story ! Sure enough he returned a few minutes later and whispered Beacon Light. I scanned the paper and discovered that the race was around 14 runners all of whom were unraced 2 year olds racing over the longest distance possible for 2 year olds (10 furlongs I believe). I was sceptical in the extreme. But the following day saw us in Corals,Woolwich and against my better judgement we had backed the said nag at 16-1,14s and 12’s encouraged by the obvious market interest.There were no SIS pictures in those days so we could only listen to the commentary.As they approached the last 2 furlongs there was absolutely no mention of Beacon Light and Lester,and I kid you not they were into the dip and past the bushes until we got a mention in about 8th place.A whole minute seemed to go by before our nag moved slowly into 6th, then 5th etc…I turned to my mate and said ‘this must be the longest last furlong in history….the jockeys have all backed Lester,and they’re looking round shouting where the hell are you Lester’ but he eventually got up and won going away. Some of you may recall that Beacon Light went on to have a successful career as a hurdler and chaser,I believe winning at Cheltenham. My only winning tip in 50 years and it came from a bookie ! You couldn’t make it up !
I didn’t get interested in racing until I was in my 30s……….that would have been the mid-80s……….Slip Anchor was the first derby I remember watching……….
Not particularly related to the post above but this maybe of interest to older readers.
As a total non racing person by age 30 I later tried to think of all the racehorses that I would have been aware of during my non racing years. It was a pretty small list !
Arkle, Red rum, Foinavon and Brigadier Gerard.
If someone had asked me in 1980 to name as many racehorses as i could, that would have been about it.
I wonder if a non racing general sports fan aged 30 today could name more than 4 racehorses ?
Good idea, thought I’d try it out, my daughter is a sportswoman and I asked her to name any horses; Arkle, Red Rum, Sea The Stars, Denman, Kauto Star, Istabraq, Rock of Gibraltar
no Desert Orhid, no Zenyatta, no Nijinsky, despite my prompting. Interesting, isn’t it?
I remember Beacon Light, one of the Golden Age of hurdlers, just below the top rung of Night Nurse, Monksfield, and Sea Pigeon. He won the Swinton hurdle, receiving a stone from Monksfield who was second.
H was also a decent novice chaser, and was favourite for the Arkle where he was run over by Ananglogs daughter, who was a machine that dayJust to refresh your memory Beacon Light had actually come third at Lingfield on his only start as a 2yo – trained by Tom Waugh.
As a 3yo though, in the Spring of 1974, he did win first time out – a 24 runner maiden at Newmarket over 12 furlongs.
He didn’t win again on the flat but of course he became the top class hurdler we all liked.
Your memory has played a few tricks on you, oldjohn, but you’ve certainly got the betting side right. As Adrian has pointed out, the race was run at the Craven Meeting in April, 1974. Beacon Light was backed from 20/1 and started at 12s. However, the jockey was Tony Murray. According to the Form Book, Beacon Light led well over a furlong out, was headed inside the final furlong by the favourite, Tintoretto (ridden by Willie Carson), before leading again in the last strides. The winning margin was half a length.
As befair points out he was really unlucky to be around at the wrong time, with a mass of great hudlers such as Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon, Monksfield , Birds Nest etc..
If memory serves me right these came straight after another group of great hurdlers such as Comedy of Errors, Lanzarote, Bula etc.
Happy days, or am I just remembering things through rose tinted glassesFor those who do not wish to humour an old man’s ramblings I would say that there’s no real point to this thread ! However, for someone who doesn’t believe in inside info or tipsters I go back to the mid ’70s and my only experience of a winning tip. A friend and I went to Crayford dogs and I had a copy of the Evening Standard sticking from my coat pocket. Suddenly this chap approached and to my annoyance asked to borrow my paper.I looked upon him suspiciously as he explained that a bookmaker friend was going to give him a tip for Newmarket the following day but couldn’t remember the name of the horse but he would tell us what it was when he came back….a likely story ! Sure enough he returned a few minutes later and whispered Beacon Light. I scanned the paper and discovered that the race was around 14 runners all of whom were unraced 2 year olds racing over the longest distance possible for 2 year olds (10 furlongs I believe). I was sceptical in the extreme. But the following day saw us in Corals,Woolwich and against my better judgement we had backed the said nag at 16-1,14s and 12’s encouraged by the obvious market interest.There were no SIS pictures in those days so we could only listen to the commentary.As they approached the last 2 furlongs there was absolutely no mention of Beacon Light and Lester,and I kid you not they were into the dip and past the bushes until we got a mention in about 8th place.A whole minute seemed to go by before our nag moved slowly into 6th, then 5th etc…I turned to my mate and said ‘this must be the longest last furlong in history….the jockeys have all backed Lester,and they’re looking round shouting where the hell are you Lester’ but he eventually got up and won going away. Some of you may recall that Beacon Light went on to have a successful career as a hurdler and chaser,I believe winning at Cheltenham. My only winning tip in 50 years and it came from a bookie ! You couldn’t make it up !
Aah the memories of the old "proper" Crayford running through the tunnel!!
Beacon Light
Lester
Proper racing, proper horses, proper people
Good post mate
Just a quick addition to these memories, I still think of Mill Reef as my favourite of all time,and the most astonishing Derby was seeing Lester physically lifting Roberto over the line to beat Rheingold the form totally endorsed by Rheingold’s victory in the Arc,and Roberto’s defeat of Brigadier Gerard in what used to be the Benson and Hedges at York. These 3 horse alone would have to feature in my top ten of all time yet Roberto and Rheingold seem to be largely forgotten.
As befair points out he was really unlucky to be around at the wrong time, with a mass of great hudlers such as Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon, Monksfield , Birds Nest etc..
If memory serves me right these came straight after another group of great hurdlers such as Comedy of Errors, Lanzarote, Bula etc.
Happy days, or am I just remembering things through rose tinted glassesDon’t forget Gay George.
Fantastic fast ground horse until his fatal fall.
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