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Suny Bay – 1997 Hennessy Gold Cup
Peter O’Sullevan’s final commentary…
How horse and jockey stayed as one at the 4th fence we’ll never know. Some great names in that field, for example Barton Bank came second carrying top weight.
Suny Bay flew over the final four fences up the straight to seal the win – never touched a twig bar that major mishap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4GYaGR_9Ag
Cracking thread this by the way.
I think everyone knows where I was when
Dawn Approach
won the 2000 gns at 20/1 for me.
On channel 4 walking the horse into the winners enclosure, security must of thought you were Bolger.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
On channel 4 walking the horse into the winners enclosure, security must of thought you were Bolger.
Thats what you do Nath when you love a sport that brings not only financial reward but a feeling of self confidence and pride in your judgement of the Racehorse.I just got the ‘Red mist’ that day although I did exactly the same thing when
Xaar
won the Dewhurst,C4 captured me talking my best French to Olivier Peslier as we walked in.Pissed myself watching it when I got home on the VTR.
The one and only time I’ve ever been to Cheltenham was on the Thursday in 1989, back when Thursday was THE day.
It was snowy, wet and freezing, the only time I’ve felt more miserable on a racecourse was a couple of years later when I spent the first 4 races in the toilets at Doncaster throwing up, a sickness bug not drink related (honest).
I found a betting slip on the floor for a £10 bet on Carvhills Hill, but I didn’t want it to win and it didn’t, falling half way round to massive cheers and groans in equal measures.
I was somewhere near the winning post and when the mud spattered superstar passed the line first I seem to remember thousands of hats being thrown in to the air, but that may have been just an earlier memory from some 1940’s Pathe news reel.
Now I can tell the grandchildren (if I ever have any), that just like Max Boyce, I was there.
I was there that day too stood right on the top level of the temporary stand in the corner of the cabbage patch. I say temporary stand but in those days it was basically just scaffolding. The chap stood next to me was cheering the grey on for all he was worth and after he passed the post he turned to me and said "I must be mad, I’m here cheering for Desert Orchid and yet I’ve had 20 quid each way on Yahoo!"
Red Rum hauling Crisp back on the run in at Aintree, only time I have been to the National, never heard a noise like it since.
I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains
I've walked and I crawled on six crooked highwaysI was there…
– the day Quixall Crossett made it 100 Rules defeats in a row at Southwell. A hero’s reception for the most lovable horse – a loser at racing, but a massive, overachieving winner at LIFE.
– the day Whitwell-on-the-Hill Point-to-Point venue ran its last, back in April this year. Walked every blade of grass before and after. Took one last deep peer into the vast, natural open ditch; the last genuine jockey-frightener of its kind on any Pointing venue in this country. Wept buckets to see pictures of the permanent obstacles being torched fewer than 24 hours later.
– the day Hors La Loi III decided chasing could be quite fun and put in quite the most outrageously exuberant display of jumping I think Taunton will ever see. "From outside the wings of the fence" doesn’t go halfway towards doing justice to his leap three out. It got tougher for him after that, of course it did; but for about five minutes one afternoon in December 2005, at least, he looked the biggest, most gleeful show-off ever to be pointed at four foot something of birch.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Fantastic thread this PC.
Despite seeing the great Frankel 9 times he was never able to eclipse the best race I ever saw.
In 1996 Henry Cecil was trailing Godolphin in the trainers championship but it seemed to be all down to the Champion Stakes. Godolphin had the mighty and awesome powerhouse Halling who had destroyed everything in his wake that year. Cecil had the brilliantly talented but fragile Bosra Sham. Of course Sheikh Mo had just removed his horses from Warren Place which added further spice to the race. Halling went off slightly odds on and Bosra was 9-4.
In all my years going to Newmarket or any racetrack I have never heard a louder noise than the one that day. It started at the 3 pole and just rose and rose and in the end hats, gloves, scarves and newspapers were flying in the air. I was there with my dear old Granddad who first took me when I was 5 and there were tears in both our eyes. We both loved Henry. Whenever I see that race I think of my Granddad and the wonderful times we had together at HQ.
You can get a really good sense of it on this youtube clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9IU0TveHyM
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Dessie winning the gold cup was just magical and young Joseph winning the breeders cup on St nic abbey. Also Nijinsky winning the Derby gives me goosebumps.
In 1996 Henry Cecil was trailing Godolphin in the trainers championship but it seemed to be all down to the Champion Stakes. Godolphin had the mighty and awesome powerhouse Halling who had destroyed everything in his wake that year. Cecil had the brilliantly talented but fragile Bosra Sham. Of course Sheikh Mo had just removed his horses from Warren Place which added further spice to the race. Halling went off slightly odds on and Bosra was 9-4.
Blimey, these names. Just reminds me what a privilege it is to have been a regular at York for many years
Saw Singspiel beat Bosra Sham, though despite a good bet on Singspiel the race was unsatisfactory as BS lost a shoe and finished last
Saw the first of Halling’s International wins with Swinburn up. It was touching because he’d recently returned from a career, and indeed life-threatening injury when thrown into the rails somewhere in the Far East. He was visibly knackered at the end of the race with legs of jelly
Wasn’t there for the following year’s International, had to have a day out or something tedious like that
Hitting the Turf – you can’t beat it
Denman’s second Hennessy oh my goodness very emotional. Filling up now !
Frankels 2000G electric, very exciting
If only the organisations that market horseracing could understand this thread, I don’t think they do. And then have the skill and imagination to project the feelings in their initiatives.
I think everyone knows where I was when
Dawn Approach
won the 2000 gns at 20/1 for me.
http://i62.tinypic.com/f5d5xs.jpg
I was there too, didn’t get to see him in the Parade Ring as the heavens opened and sadly didn’t see you leading him in TAPK, what an honour. We were up in the top stand cheering him home and couldn’t get to the Winners Enclosure because of the crowds but went round the back of the Parade Ring where he was cooling down and his lad brought him over to us so I got to stroke his nose.
Well done with your 20/1 I only got 7/2 but put my biggest bet £50 on him and 2 x lots of £20’s for friends who had birthdays. Never forget that day. Are you in the picture TAPK?
JacThings turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...Never forget that day. Are you in the picture TAPK?
JacHe had been escorted off the premises by then Jac…….
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Fifty years ago now, but I was lucky enough to be at Newbury for the 1964 Hennessy Gold Cup to see the rematch between Arkle and Mill House.
I remember Mill House walking around the paddock, what a magnificent physical specimen he was, and Arkle, with his head held high, peering around at everyone and everything.
And the race itself, the gasps from the crowd when Arkle, under the steadier of 12.7, pulled his way to the front with two miles to go.
Poor Mill House, finishing fourth, looking back he didn’t have a prayer, yet many expected him to reverse the Gold Cup form in receipt of 3 lbs.
Wonderful thread.
My "I was there" moment was Kauto Star taking the 2011 Lancashire Chase and I posted the following on the race’s thread;-
I’ve just come back in from Haydock and I’m still in ecstasy.
I wanted to see him in the parade ring prior to the race and even with a circuit to go in the fixed hurdle race I had to pinch the last place against the barrier.
As impressive as the Pipe horse, Dynaste was save for the connections of the horse, his glorious homecoming was met with polite indifference at best. Everybody came to see Kauto’s last appearance in a parade ring and the crowd was at least 5 deep before he was even saddled. Very few people spoke and those who did chose to do so very quietly. The tension was extraordinarily intense. When Kauto finally did come out to parade, the warm applause he deservedly received already had the lass in tears.
I took my seat in the grandstands and after a circuit, I think everybody was pleased to see Kauto jumping with fluency but as Long Run began to hit a few towards the end of the back straight, the sense that Kauto could be seriously involved in the finished began to take hold. As he jumped four out, the calls of "Come on Kauto" began to rise. Jumping three out, the calls turned to shouts. After two out, the crowd was urging him on with gusto and as he cleared the last, it was pandemonium. The crowd was in rapture, the hands stung with applause and the throats growing rough. Fists punched the air and Racing Posts graced the sky.
As he crossed the line, Ruby slapped the hero and the strangers who surrounded me in the stands were my best friends in the world because we shared a moment few people will ever experience. For at that moment, Kauto Star belonged to each and every single person who was at the course.
The guy next to me backed Long Run and didn’t begrudge the victory one bit. I personally don’t gamble any more but I picked up my biggest ever prize as a punter when he won the Gold Cup in 2007. Even so, that moment just couldn’t compare to what happened today.
I am incredibly lucky to be able to say that I was there and I saw what I saw and this is something I will never take for granted.
I’ve been lucky enough to see Frankel (at York), Big Buck’s (at Aintree) and Sprinter Sacre (at Sandown) in their pomp. I was actually at Ascot when Sprinter Sacre made his racecourse debut (when Monet’s Garden won the Ascot Chase – itself a wonderful occasion) and at Doncaster when he made his chase debut – the latter always makes me chuckle because I remember Michael Easterby saying to Lightening Rod "That’s what a real racehorse looks like". But that day at Haydock redefined for me what horse racing is all about. If I ever see anything like that again, I will be a very lucky man indeed.
– at Leopardstown when Florida Pearl won his fourth Hennessy. Wallowing like a yawl in a heavy sea after the last but the roar of the crowd got him and Dickie Johnson home. My most magical moment on a racecourse.
– at Chepstow when See More Business fell at the second or third last in the Rehearsal Chase. When he got up OK there was a roar that would have greeted any Championship winner at Cheltenham.
Jac
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