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Looking back through ‘The most glittering Golder Era’ thread about how Golden Fleece had the potential to be a ‘legend’ (but it never happened), what horses did you admire greatly … only to be gutted by seeing them come to premature end?
Here are three that instantly come to mind :-
The Grey Bomber – All I recall of this horse was the fact that he was unbeaten over hurdles (think he was a novice) but he had bags of potential and won about five races. Looked a class act.
Gloria Victis – A young chaser who looked destined for top honours until he lost his life in one of the Cheltenham Gold Cups after falling at one of the last fences … the irony being, he was such a cracking jumper.
Celtic Ryde – Another hurdler who could’ve been one of the greats. Possessed a wonderful turn of foot. Lost his life after a horrible fall.
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Unworldy by QUEST FOR FAME x SPIRIT – won five from six including a G1, G2, G3, 1400m to 1600m – she had the potential to be anything and won so convincingly. She broke a leg in trackwork shortly before she was to run in the G1s in Melbourne as a 3YO.
Goes back to the 70s, chaser Killiney was destined to be star until perishing at Ascot.
Rob
Teofilo
Top rated 2 year old, unbeaten in 5 starts, ante-post favourite for the 2,000 Guineas and The Derby, regarded as one of the best horse ever trained by Jim Bolger…….
The rest they say is history.
Mike
Not exactly an unexposed jumper, but Jair Du Cochet was finally starting to fulfil his potential before a leg injury ended his life days before the Gold Cup.
Also I think Arkle would have continued to do very well if he hadn’t broken his pedal bone.
Previously unbeaten Barbaro – brilliant winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby, who shattered his leg in his next race, the Preakness Stakes and never raced again. Later put down.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Golden Cygnet – biggest winning margin in the history of the Supreme Novices, fatal fall in the Scottish Champion Hurdle following month.
Noddys Ryde – great battle with Bobsline in the Arkle, died in the Haldon Gold Cup the followng autumn
AP
Gloria Victis for me as well. A 6-y-o who looked like going so close in the GC had to be a champion in the making. IIRC, the reaction to his death was on a scale I’ve never seen before, everyone knew a future legend had been lost.
Gloria Victis would surely have had races like the King George at his mercy, but did he not have a touch of the Racing Demon’s about his jumping? He certainly showed a marked tendency to go right in the Gold Cup and I’m pretty sure he jumped to the right when winning at Newbury.
Have to agree about Golden Cygnet, what a terrible loss.
In the 60s, Talahasse could have been anything after his 2-y-o career.
Going further back, Rustom Mahal.
MANDURO has to be mine, it put up one of the best speed ratings in years and i was on it big style for the arc, i can jinx the best,chipmunk
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Over the sticks, I’d have to say Carobee. The late David Nicholson rated him by far the best he had ever trained and the strapping Kings Ride gelding would have gone right to the top but for injury.
On the flat, I was on the gallops in Newmarket in 1986 when a three-year-old colt called El Cuite demolished Bonhomie by twelve lengths, on the bridle. The latter had been second, albeit at a respectful distance, to Sharastani in the Irish Derby a couple of weeks earlier and had won the King Edward VII at Royal Ascot, while his stablemate was having only his second spin after injury. Subsequent gallops were just as impressive and El Cuite ran three times that season, winning all three races and ending up a Group One winner in the Prix Royal Oak. However, recurring niggles meant that he was only ever ninety per cent fit as a three-year-old. Forget Dancing Brave: if El Cuite had stayed sound, he’d have been the horse of the year in 1986 and one of the modern greats.
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