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Seconded, a very game performance from "Flipper". He’s worthy of his place in these big 2 mile races if ridden with such comparitive restraint as he was today.
A double paon the back, I never realised darren owned him too, I thought he was just a big fan of the horse.
Well done indeed darren. Great to see, well done Darren. Wish I’d made it the main bet now
At least I had a bit more on when a pace bias seemed to manifest itself during the afternoon.Terrific stuff, what a battler!
Mark
Value Is EverythingWell Done Darren, goes to show what a chat session on on TRF can do. He told everyone the horse was flying at home, I had a small wager on the horse, wish i took the EP of 25/1 though.
Well done Darren, i cheered your horse home once my bet on Twist Magic was well and truely beat.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Not sure Darren owns Flipper but he represents Christian Von Der Recke a lot over here in the UK, at race meetings, owners events etc.
Top stuff all round
I think that’s him on RUK saluting the air carrying the natty man-bag….
Oh no!! Did I make an ar.se of myself?
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Do you seriously own Shuffle? Many congratulations indeed, in will add my own, what a thriller that must have been.
I think that’s him on RUK saluting the air carrying the natty man-bag….
Oh no!! Did I make an ar.se of myself?
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Not at all Darren, it was great to see how much pleasure his win gave you!
He aint ‘arf bad is he? I can’t believe I didn’t have a bet
But great to see him back up your supreme confidence 
especially after Sandown. What a thrill for you!First of all, I just want to say that I’m REALLY overwhelmed at all the lovely congratulatory messages and postings on this and the other thread, and a huge thank you to you all. Yes, that was me, sweating away in my dark blue suit complete with man-bag (it goes to all the courses with me)!!
You could say that Flipper has ‘outgrown’ his racing back home. We’ve always thought the world of him, but he’s always been ridden in an eyeballs out style. This time however, Jamie thought it would be an idea to restrain him a bit. I disagreed – we’ve always been of the opinion that if Flipper isn’t left to have his own way, then he loses interest. However, perversely, I think the fall in the Tingle Creek may have done him some good. He’s a lot more careful at his fences, but Jamie said he did get close to a couple today. Somehow, he settled when Jamie tried to pull him back a bit. In Germany, he’s always been flat out from the word go, but although I was ready to give the usual command in the parade ring, we decided to try something different.
What evolved was a Flipper that none of us had even seen before. Somehow, and I don’t know how he’s done it, but Jamie kept Flipper restrained, something his German jockeys have never done. This meant that Flipper had some reserves in the home straight. In the past, when Flipper had been challenged for the lead, he’d just given way quite tamely. This was different. Very cleverly, Jamie made sure he was at least level throughout most if not all of the race. I mentioned this to a journalist after the race, to which he replied with a puzzled look on his face ‘What? You’ve had him four years, and you’ve only just found out how to ride him?’. I think that’s a bit harsh, as eyeballs out has been successful in Germany.
Since I joined this forum, I’ve been waffling on regularly about Flipper, and I apologize if anyone thought ‘Why doesn’t he just shut up about this Flipper?’. But deep down, I knew he was special. Very special. I did. Christian did. We all did. What it just needed was possibly the best tactical ride seen on a racecourse in years by one of the best young jump jockeys Britain has to offer.
When Flipper passed the post in front, I took off like I was on fire, and ran across the concourse in front of the main grandstand. Apologies to any people, children or animals whom I may have accidentally belted in my frenzied sprint to get Flipper!
So what next for Flipper? Well, I mentioned to Christian about the Victor Chandler and Game Spirit, however, as we were celebrating Flippers victory, someone from Kempton Park told us that they have a graduation chase there over 2 miles on February 8th, so we’ll have to consider that.
Just to explain exactly who I am – I’m not the owner of Flipper. Basically, I work as the owners representative for those owners of Christians who cannot make it to the UK when their horses run. I should have picked up the trophy today, but I was shaking so much that Christians wife, Claudia, went up to collect the trophy. Afterwards, it was off to a champagne reception, where, regrettably, I hade a few glasses too many. After posting on the forum earlier, I decided that I needed a lie down – half a bottle of champagne coupled with 8 rum and cokes on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea at the best of times!
I got congratulations from some really great people today. Nicky Henderson was really gracious in defeat, and although you could tell he was disappointed that Petit Robin hadn’t won, he joined us for a drink in the bar with the delightful Henry Ponsonby, owner of Fleet Street. Several other well known racing personalities offered their congratulations, most notably Barry Dennis – a great character and a great guy.
It’s actually taken me hours to post this. Why? Simple. My PC is so old and shot that it keeps rebooting itself and crashing. Not any more. Tomorrow, thanks to the winnings, I’m off to the sales to get a brand new laptop, so I can finally post things on the same day that I started!!
So, to sum it all up, it really has been the most astonishing day. I mentioned to Christian before racing that, if any of our horses were to finish in the first 3, it would be a good result. What happened really was beyond our wildest dreams. Saturday 27th December was the day that German steeplechasing changed for good, thanks to Flipper – and one of the best rides from a jockey you’ll ever see on a racecourse! Thank you Flipper – and thank you Jamie!!
PS: I only had the Channel 4 coverage taped (I don’t have satellite), so if there’s anyone from Racing UK reading this, I’d love to get a tape of me leading Flipper in – I did see a camera on us all the way to the winners enclosure, and it would be great to see the footage if possible.
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Well done indeed darren. 
At least I had a bit more on when a pace bias seemed to manifest itself during the afternoon.
But great to see him back up your supreme confidence 
especially after Sandown. What a thrill for you!- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.