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A blog about one of my favourite racehorses of all time
My Favourite Horses – FloydThanks for posting this. This was about the time I started watching jump racing and as soon as I read the name it sparked some long forgotten memories, though my first thought was that he was a little dark brown horse. A sad end for him, had well earned a retirement before then.
Loved Floyd. Even called my cat after him! So sorry to hear that he didn’t have the retirement he deserved. I never heard that he’d died. Happy memories though
I was also a big fan of Floyd in his time with David Elsworth, with whom I had a couple in training in the early 80’s.
To add to your info, I can tell you that the race you saw him in at Kempton was the last on the card on Easter Monday, April 4th 1983, a 12F maiden. That was also his racecourse debut as he never ran as a 2-y-old and in that race and two more after it, he was trained by Paul Cole.
He moved to Michael Madgwick shortly before winning a 10F maiden at Windsor in August. Timeform rated him 73 at the end of that season and note him as a ‘keen walker’.
One other point is that the foaling date you mention on your blog is presumably taken from the Post website, but it’s a safe bet that he wasn’t born on Jan 1st – that’s just the default setting on their database which appears when they have no accurate info.
I’ll see what I can dig up on his early hurdling exploits.
His juvenile hurdling season included a win on his third start, at Fontwell on Dec 28th, when he made all to beat sixteen rivals over 2m 2f. He was ridden by the trainers son and started 7/2 2nd fav. He also twice finished second, but I’ve no clues as to where those races took place – he was second on debut and second again in the race after his win.
He followed that with a third in the Tote Placepot Hurdle at Kempton at the end of February, beaten a length and the same by Clarinbridge and the famous Amrullah – same jockey that day and he was a 14/1 shot. Richard Linley took over for the Triumph Hurdle, in which he fell and started at 66/1.
He was rated 121 over hurdles by Timeform in Chasers and Hurdlers 1983/4 – the Triumph winner was rated 142 and See You Then 140.
Lovely write-up, Racingahoy. He was a cracking little horse. There can’t be a racing fan who didn’t enjoy watching him
Thank you everyone for reading.
And thank you apracing for the fantastic extra info, glad my memory can still remember things correctly from when I was 9 years old! If anyone does have his true date of birth I would love to update.
Lovely read Racingahoy. Foaled on May 14, 1980
https://www.equineline.com/Free-5X-Pedigree.cfm?page_state=PROCESS_SUBMIT&horse_name=floyd&foaling_year=1980&dam_name=&x=28&y=17&nicking_stats_indicator=YWonderful story Racingahoy.
Sad to hear Floyd did not have a good retirement, especially when quite a few seasons were ended prematurely with leg trouble. But then again, can just imagine the old boy loving leading the young ones up the gallops.
Elsy went to the same – one room – village school as my Mum. I once asked how he got so many ultra-genuine front-running horses; Floyd, Persian Punch, Desert Orchid etc? (And you can add Arabian Queen to that list now). Shrugged his shoulders and replied: “Well, I’m brilliant”. Not done badly for a fellow Chutite. Easy to forget how dominent the Westbury stable was over jumps.
Floyd was one of my favourites too. Likewise, came to prominence just as I started getting interested/going racing. Remember winning a few quid on him at Newbury and Wincanton. Suppose it was the way Floyd won that enshrined him in many of our hearts and raced so often, invariably giving his all – fighting back once headed. Imperial Cup and County coming hard on the heels of the Holten Pils at Newbury, three hurdles wins in twelve days! Form-wise there were better hurdlers around in the eighties, but in that era he was my Number One.
Value Is EverythingThat winning spell in the early months of 1985 came after he’d been gelded and he hadn’t raced again in 1984 after the Triumph Hurdle. These were the races he won:
Feb 2nd 2M Handicap Hurdle Sandown 4/1
Mar 2nd 2m Handicap Hurdle Newbury 3/1
Mar 9th Imperial Cup Sandown 13/8
Mar 14th County Hurdle (7ex) Cheltenham 5/2
Apr 6th Queens Prize (2M flat) Kempton 5/2
According to Timeform, he didn’t get any penalty in the Imperial Cup for his Newbury win, which explains the very short price.
He subsequently ran in the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock in early May (fin 8th) and then continued to race on the flat, winning a 2M handicap at Newbury in July. His last flat run was in the Cesarewitch on fast ground and he finished tailed off after chasing the early pace, perhaps already feeling the leg injury that prevented him from running right through the 1985/86 jumps season.
Ginger,
Whitsbury, not Westbury.
The former is a racing stable, the latter a railway junction!
Ginger,
Whitsbury, not Westbury.
The former is a racing stable, the latter a railway junction!
Oops!
Never can get place names right AP.
Know I’ve called it Whitcombe in the past.
Value Is EverythingYou might as well surrender now, Alan, after about 17 posts, Ginger will have turned that around
All aboard for Whitsbury!
You might as well surrender now, Alan, after about 17 posts, Ginger will have turned that around
All aboard for Whitsbury!
:lol:
It’s all that Colm O’Donoghue’s fault Joe. Someone told me everything is his fault.
Value Is EverythingI think I took this photo at Ascot before his Long Walk Hurdle victory as a 10yo. Life had hit me with a few knockdown punches at the time, and I can’t put into words how this horse’s umpteenth comeback from injury lifted me. Having a £1,000 to £80 helped too, mind you.
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