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Growing up, this was my favourite horse. Just the name I think, very impressionable child as I was. And how about this for a claim to fame – the only horse to have lined up in a Grand National alongside Red Rum AND Foinavon ! If anyone has any information on this hero of mine I’d love to know. I know his last rules race was the 74 National, aged 14, but did he go point to pointing afterwards, or retire ? How long did he live ? Where ? Any information much appreciated.
Thanks !!!
My favourite horses - Red Rum, Spanish Steps, Proud Tarquin, Esban, Go-Pontinental, Barona, Charles Dickens, The Dikler, Astbury, Black Secret, Vulgan Town, Huperade, Well To Do, Crisp, Quintus, Argent, Colebridge, Pearl Of Montreal, Nereo, Sonny Somers, Tubs VI, Tartan Ace, Red Candle, L'Escargot, Bula, Beau Bob, Rouge Autumn, Rough Silk, Frodo, Deblin's Green, Prince Tino, Eyecatcher, The Pilgarlic, Captain Christy, Mr Midland, Interview II, Credit Call, My Virginian, Flush Of Diamonds, Scout, Money Ma
Here’s a summary of his career under rules:
Go-Pontinental
Trained by Bill Marshall, Go-Pontinental started his career as a three year old at Folkestone on 8th July 1963 in a maiden plate over 1m 4f. He finished last of the 10 runners and only beat one home in his subsequent outing at Birmingham a week later. Clearly flat racing was not the long term plan and he was quickly gelded in preparation for a national hunt career.
This commenced in a juvenile hurdle at Newton Abbot (Sept 1963) finishing 2nd. He was placed in subsequent runs at Plumpton (3rd), Cheltenham (2nd) and Windsor (2nd), before securing his first win by a head at Liverpool in December. He finished well down the field in a 4-y-o hurdle at Cheltenham the following month. Firm ground at Leicester over 3 miles in a handicap hurdle didn’t seem to suit and he was tailed off. He was back over 2 miles at Windsor, finishing 6th, before being tried again over 3m 1f at Newton Abbot in soft going. Go-Pontinental was sent off favourite, but just failed by half a length to justify the odds. A fifth at Newbury, followed by a midfield finish at Taunton in May, concluded his first season.
His second season began in early November 1964 at Sandown in a handicap hurdle (7th), followed by a second place in a 3 mile handicap at Wolverhampton. Go-Pontinental then suffered his first non-completion when falling at Windsor in December, a race won by the 1966 National winner Anglo. He was turned out 2 days later to finish 6th of 20 runners in a similar 3 mile handicap hurdle at Cheltenham. Outings at Leicester (9th) and Windsor (unplaced, behind Anglo again) preceded the start of a career over the larger obstacles.
Go-Pontinental jumped fences for the first time in public at Wincanton on 18th February 1965, finishing 6th in a 2 mile handicap chase. Back over 3 miles in novice company at Lingfield resulted in a fifth place, before falling at Doncaster five days later. A well-earned break of 2 months followed, before dropping back to 2 miles at the end of the season for trips to Newton Abbot (May) and Devon & Exeter (June), finishing 4th on both occasions.
Go-Pontinental didn’t reappear for the 1965/66 season until February and he was now in the care of John Sutcliffe in Surrey. Fontwell was the scene of his first win over fences, in a selling chase with David Nicholson in the saddle. After finishing a respectable 4th at Newbury, he was made favourite for a 3 mile novice chase at Lingfield five days later, but fell 3 out when leading.
Sent off favourite again at Stratford, this time he made no mistake in a handicap chase and he repeated the trick on Easter Monday at Huntingdon. His bid for a hat-trick of wins narrowly failed when he was just touched-off by a short head by Rutherfords and Michael Scudamore back at Huntingdon in May. To sign off a successful season, Go-Pontinental then won easily by 4 lengths on his return to Stratford, with Johnny Haine aboard.
Now established as a useful handicap chaser, Go-Pontinental began the 1966/67 campaign with a 4th place finish in a 2m 4f contest at Ascot in October, ridden by Josh Gifford. He was a disappointing last of 7 finishers in an 18 runner Wolverhampton handicap (Nov) before securing 3rd place at Newbury (Feb) in another two and a half mile race.
A first experience of the national fences was next on the agenda in the Topham Trophy, where Josh Gifford produced him with a strong run, but just failed to overhaul the eventual winner, Georgetown, by three quarters of a length. Go-Pontinental had his final run of the season in the Whitbread Gold Cup, finishing sixth behind Mill House. https://youtu.be/FrDRq0QZfvI
Wincanton in November was chosen as the venue for his reappearance, but was one of three horses brought down in a four horse pile up at the fourth fence. Go-Pontinental was turned out nine days later for a five runner, 3m handicap chase at Kempton Park, winning by a head. At Sandown in January, he finished a creditable 5th in the Mildmay Memorial Chase, behind Stalbridge Colonist.
He was sent off favourite for his next two starts, finishing 2nd at Fontwell before falling at Newbury in February. Another 2nd place finish at Wincanton in mid-March preceded his first attempt at the Grand National, where he was one of five horses to exit at Bechers on the first circuit.
Go-Pontinental then ran in a minor handicap chase at Towcester, towards the end of April, but under top weight failed by a length and a half, as odds-on favourite in the 5 runner race.
Only two races were contested during the 1968/69 season, both in October. At Wincanton he came out second best to the other joint favourite Patricks Day after a battle up the home straight. Ten days later he was successful in a minor 4 runner race at Folkestone.
Presumably Go-Pontinental then met with a setback as it was over 4 years before he was seen on a British racecourse again at Wye in December 1972. Trained by H O’Neill, the now twelve year old finished last of the seven finishers under Mr C O’Neill. Clearly on the downgrade, he finished last again in an amateur riders handicap chase at Warwick in January. Trips to Stratford the following month and Southwell in March produced the same result.
Optimistically, he took part in the famous Grand National of 1973. He did manage to complete 16th of the 17 finishers despite being hampered at the final ditch along with several others, before continuing. https://youtu.be/aItQe5ePyZg
Go-Pontinentals’ final season (1973/74) started in August at Devon & Exeter, finishing 4th of the 5 to complete the course. He was a faller later that month on Bank Holiday Monday at Huntingdon. At Fakenham in September he was last of 5 finishers. Go-Pontinental was then stepped back in distance to 2 miles for races at Wye (4th), Lingfield (last of 11) and Leicester (7th). Back at Wye in January 1974 over an extended 3 miles, Go-Pontinental was an early faller.
Now a 14-y-o, he was optimistically allowed to take his chance in the Eider Chase at Newcastle, Unsurprisingly Go-Pontinental was tailed off and pulled up 2 out. A final outing at Liverpool for the 1974 Grand National predictably didn’t end well, exiting at the 3rd fence. https://youtu.be/gPMTknsYSR4
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
Wow ! Thanks. Can I assume from your name you are the same espmadrid with all those videos of old races on YouTube ?
My favourite horses - Red Rum, Spanish Steps, Proud Tarquin, Esban, Go-Pontinental, Barona, Charles Dickens, The Dikler, Astbury, Black Secret, Vulgan Town, Huperade, Well To Do, Crisp, Quintus, Argent, Colebridge, Pearl Of Montreal, Nereo, Sonny Somers, Tubs VI, Tartan Ace, Red Candle, L'Escargot, Bula, Beau Bob, Rouge Autumn, Rough Silk, Frodo, Deblin's Green, Prince Tino, Eyecatcher, The Pilgarlic, Captain Christy, Mr Midland, Interview II, Credit Call, My Virginian, Flush Of Diamonds, Scout, Money Ma
Looks like you have a full field of 1970’s Grand National runners there!
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
I looked up his 1963 Timeform annual entry –
“Of no account on the flat, fairly useful hurdler”
Funnily enough just two entries down from Go-Pontinental in the 1963 annual is a horse called…Goshen
From the Guardian Website
“Pontin’s wealth had helped him to acquire a string of racehorses, but, even here, his interest was less exhibitionism than calculated business. His first horse was named Go Pontin, followed by Pontingo and Go Pontinental. His instruction to his trainers and jockeys was that they must always finish in the first three or four – so that the sports commentators would keep on mentioning them – and give their owner free advertising worth millions. One of his horses, Specify, won the Grand National in 1971.”
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