- This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 5 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Killutagh vic won the conditions hurdle at Punchestown yesterday in impressive style after a 23 month break. However It may have gone unnoticed that another horse in that race a Grade 3 hurdle winner “Whatever Jacksays” was making his racecourse reappearance following a 5 year and 3 months long layoff. My question – is this the longest gap between races?
Barrington Bolt makes his racecourse debut at the age of 13 in the 7.50 Hunter Chase at Warwick tomorrow night. With form figures of PFPFPP/ (presumably in Point To Points) I just hope he comes back safe as Warwick is a bit of a jumping test
Taken from Katie Frisby’s Facebook feed. Square brackets are my own:
“Barrington got down to the start and didn’t want to go. He wasn’t naughty. He has done nothing wrong. He has done everything I have ever asked of him. He made the decision today not to jump off and I would rather him of [SIC] done that than head to the first not really wanting to go and fall. He has been through so much over the last few years [accident with a lorry over a year ago] and I am so proud of everything he has overcome. So I can now say Happy Retirement Barrington you truly deserve it”.
HTH,
gc (on holiday)
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Per the OP’s specific question, I’m sure the history books abound with point-to-pointers being dragged out for one last hurrah between the flags after five, six, seven, who knows how many years’ retirement – maybe in a hunt members race rather than anything more competitive.
One example at least partly grounded in Rules racing which sprang immediately to mind, however, was that of TELF, Peter Clarke’s owner-trained former pointer who found himself contesting basement grade handicap chases off a low-60s mark in 1995-6.
Telf’s reappearance in a Plumpton selling chase in October 1995 as a 15-year-old represented his first outing of any description since unseating in a point at Dunthrop in April 1990!
I think that’s the winner so far, but doubtless there’ll be something to top even that. I’ve got it in the back of my brain that one of Ted Caine’s charges went even longer between outings, but I’ve no way of checking that right now whilst enjoying the heatwave on my holiday in Saxony…
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.