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Always fascinated in his runners and how he manages to survive but Fast Deal beaten in a Fakenham selling chase last time out and a 45 race maiden under both codes wins a race at 150-1 over nearly 3 1/2 miles. Been running over the wrong distance all this time!
Is this the same Michael Chapman that trained Foresail in Red Rum’s historic 1977 Grand National?
You should have used clickbait a name the thread “Alan King has a 150-1 winner!!!”
Oh no, wait, it was Alan King the jockey…..
I have an old Directory of the Turf, which tells me that Michael Chapman was born in March, 1938 and obtained his trainers licence in 1976.
So he’s probably the oldest trainer still active in this country and the colours carried by that winner today are certainly familiar. His only other winner this season was back in August at his beloved Cartmel and that one started at 80/1. So any stable followers are well in profit this season!
He bought a horse from me back in 1982, the Rising Fast whose story is told elsewhere on the forum. A few weeks after the sale he ran the horse from about 15lbs wrong in the handicap in a 2M flat race at Kempton. I introduced myself to him and he told me this was just a prep for his main target, a novice hurdle at Cartmel.
I missed a trick there Ruby. He does seem to use a lot of conditionals. Not sure if that’s because most of his horses are way out of the handicap or the pro’s aren’t interested. They all seem to jump well.
“He’s probably the oldest trainer still active in this country”.
I am not sure how involved Mick Easterby is on a daily basis but his name is still on the licence. He was born in 1931.
“They all seem to jump well.”
Yes, looking at his NH string, you rarely see a PU or F before the horse’s name. They all seem to jump well and come out of their respective races okay.
Always remember his horse Feeling Peckish. Just 1 win in 139 races under rules.
He had Orpen Wide who won 19 of his 172 races although he ended his career with a 54 race losing streak.
You can’t say he wraps his horses up in cotton wool.
I wonder how he managed to get a Grand National qualified runner so early on his training career? I assume Foresail must have won a race of a certain value?
I remember Ei Ei who was a decent summer jumping performer and probably his best horse. He was a hurdle in front when taking a fatal fall at the last in a Market Rasen hurdle. Must have been some 20 years back and that was another horse that ran 15-20 times a season.
Chasers and Hurdlers, first ever edition covering 1975/76, shows Foresail trained by Earl Jones, a 30L winner of a 3M chase at Worcester with an end of season Timeform rating of 113.
The 1976/77 edition confirms the switch to M Chapman and the run in the National. So far as I remember, there was no set of qualification rules for entry in those days. It was just the highest weighted 40 that were declared would run.
CAS – quite right, I’d forgotten Spittin’ Mick was still going strong and when you see him these days, a great advert for the efficiency of braces.
Mick and David Easterby had a winner at Thirsk last night. I wonder if anyone older than Mick has trained a winner in Britain?
Didn’t he have a horse placed in the Tote Gold Trophy many years ago? It was ridden by Billy Worthington. He was a decent horse who lost his form after being run far too often if my memory serves me well.
I wonder who has the better record, Chapman or Aytak Sadik?
It’s probably Non Vintage (3rd in 1996) who you are thinking of patriot1. He was also third in both the Fighting Fifth and County Hurdle that season.
“I wonder who has the better record, Chapman or Aytak Sadik?”
I think this one isn’t even close. Surely, it must be Chapman by miles, I’d say. But, as usual, correct me, if I’m wrong.
Non Vintage was a former Easterby horse. He ran 144 times!
L’Es Fremantle was coming up on the rails with the 104 runs (one win). He’s never fallen. Unseated twice.
The horses always seem to enjoy what they’re doing even though they’re moderate. On the whole they’re safe conveyances for conditionals.
I remember L’es Fremantle’s only win which came at Market Rasen when he finished like a train to get up under Rachel McDonald(a Sandy Thomson conditional who has disappeared from the jockeys ranks).
Only 40-1. Was rated in the mid 60s at the time.
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