MOST BIZARRE RACE

[llanrumneyboy]

Which, if any, is the most bizarre race you’ve seen. There are a couple of obvious examples, Foinavon’s National, and even you young pups would have seen the infamous Devon Loch incident on TV.

However, one that is overlooked in my opinion, is the 1974 Queen Anne Stakes where the first three were disqualified. Never before, or since, can I recall this, with the exception where the wrong route has been taken. It was even more bizarre for me as it occured at one of British racings "Showpieces".

Look forward to any input.

Cheers,

Dave

[Hayley Bell]

Family Business at Southwell

[graysonscolumn]

Alikat, Blue Sovereign and Allow Dancer all doing everything within their power to avoid winning a three-runner, 3m2f novices’ chase at Newton Abbot just over a year ago will live long in the memory.

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.

[rory]

Tedious selection- but Quick winning a pertemps handicap qualifier in December 04 at Cheltenham at 50/1. In the racing post’s very own words the race "was reduced to a farce when Quick was allowed to pinch a good ten lengths at the start, a margin he had soon extended to approaching 40 lengths. He was given a ridiculous amount of rope, and by the time the others had realised he was not going to come back the damage had been done".

i suppose I could name many others but as you so prudently wanted a "bizarre" race thought i’d give you one!

I can’t really agree ~ there are shedloads of races where front runners blaze a trail and aren’t caught. Quick may have been 50/1 but wasn’t a no hoper by any means. No great credit should go to the other jockeys, but bizarre is too strong a word.

Devon Loch’s Grand National is the obvious candidate ~ everything about the race was unbelievable, and had it been invented rather than experienced by Dick Francis, he would be a laughing stock.

[moehat]

that race at Aintree[?] won by Chief Dan George beating Wichita Lineman and an other[?]. I was going to back CDG but didn’t get to the bookies due to working later than planned. Was so relieved when CDG was well and truly beaten and had just started to nod off on the sofa when I heard CDG mentioned – the rest is history. The leaders had completely burnt themselves out.He was a huge price as well.

[graysonscolumn]

I can’t really agree ~ there are shedloads of races where front runners blaze a trail and aren’t caught. Quick may have been 50/1 but wasn’t a no hoper by any means. No great credit should go to the other jockeys, but bizarre is too strong a word.

Seconded. In that regard it’s only as bizarre or not bizarre as Astral Charmer’s Scottish National win, which was a mixture of enterprise from the winning rider and collective doziness from the remainder. There’d be scores of far lesser profile examples of exactly the same each year, I reckon.

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.

[rory]

Alikat, Blue Sovereign and Allow Dancer all doing everything within their power to avoid winning a three-runner, 3m2f novices’ chase at Newton Abbot just over a year ago will live long in the memory.

gc

I’d add the "match" between Ottowa and Harwell Lad at Wincanton.

[Ravel]

Family Business seconded. Wasn’t this when McCoy went back to the paddock before resuming the race?
There was a three horse race at Newton Abbot a few years ago when one of them fell quite early in the race, remounted and still won, despite his main opponent staying on his feet throughout the race.
One televised race has stuck in my memory for about 30 years. The leader fell when well clear two or three out. The horse that was left a clear leader fell a fence later, allowing the one that should have been third to win. It might have been called Red Ruler.
For bizarre races from the past, see Andrew Ward’s 1990 book "Horse Racing’s Strangest Races." PS – I am not Andrew Ward or his publisher.

[llanrumneyboy]

Ravel,

Thanks for mentioning a suitable book title. Next time I’m in Hay-on-Wye I shall try to obtain a copy, or even E-Bay. ‘Er indoors has informed me that it’s my racing books or her. Hope she’s happy with her new abode………but talk is cheap.

Regards,

Dave

[Pompete]

Alikat, Blue Sovereign and Allow Dancer all doing everything within their power to avoid winning a three-runner, 3m2f novices’ chase at Newton Abbot just over a year ago will live long in the memory.gc

A great call GC.

For anyone that missed it and has a sense of humour: 7th Aug 06

http://www.attheraces.com/search.asp?re … kat&type=H

(GC, a fine write up of Mighty Fine on your blog BTW very much enjoyed reading it)

[graysonscolumn]

There was a three horse race at Newton Abbot a few years ago when one of them fell quite early in the race, remounted and still won, despite his main opponent staying on his feet throughout the race.

The horse in question was Vague Idea, a grey Tout Ensemble trained by, would you believe, our old chum Oliver Carter. Although the likes of Venn Ottery and Early Edition have won races for him as an owner since then, Vague Idea’s victory in a crazy Abbot 3m2f handicap chase on July 27th 2003 remains Carter’s most recent owner-trained success – he’s 0-54 with all his runners since.

The Racing Post write-up says it all, really. And look which other cult character had a role to play in this race….

<quote>
THIS boiled down to a three horse affair following a host of withdrawals and provided proof that miracles do happen in racing as odds on favourite VAGUE IDEA was hampered by Blazing Batman‘s fall at the third fence. He was remounted but was a fence behind; however, under a patient ride he edged closer before going on down the far side for the last time and eventually came clear. From a form book point of view this race should be ignored. Shepherd’s Rest was having his first outing for over seven months and lack of race fitness told in the soft ground.
</quote>

Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)

Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.

[Friggo]

Family Business at Southwell

The obvious choice of the last 10 years or so at least. Can’t think of a more farcical contest.

[graysonscolumn]

Ta very much on both counts, Pompete – I just like to write, me.

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.

[Adrian]

Most of these examples will be over jumps but one flat race which sticks in my mind was the ex-Brian Meehan trained Freefourinternet winning the Hawthorne Gold Cup (Gr.2) in 2004. With half a mile to run he was about a furlong behind the leader – the odds on Perfect Drift. Then Greta Kuntzweiller (great name!) began to get a run out of him and he came flying down the stretch to win going away. I wonder what price he’d have been on Betfair.

The most bizarre race I’ve actually witnessed was in the maiden for 8yo+ at 2004 North Norfolk Point to Point run at Fakenham. Only 5 ran and we lost one early. Then 6/4 2nd fav UR at 15th leaving the 11-8 fav A Fine Story well clear but he fell at the next! This left two hopelessly tailed off horses to fight it out. The bizarre thing was they were both trained by Patrick Millington and he’d chosen to ride Macrobert’s Reply whilst his groom Louisa (?) Fear having her first ride rode Society Scandal. Macrobert’s Reply went on until 2 out when Mr Millington got stuck into him and was riding him for all he was worth. Ms Fear then came cruising past and took it up approaching the last to win by 20 lengths. You probably have to know the characters involved to appreciate the story.

[Alchemist]

There was an almost as farcical race run at Stratford earlier in the year, eventaully won by Maldoun. Nearly every horse in the race either fell or unseated, leading to Maldoun winning, having been nearly tailed off at 1 point in the contest. The in running betting was possibly the most bizzar I have witessed, with Bob Bites Back reaching 1.0something with a circuit left to run, before unseating dow the far side (and being remounted to finish a distant 3rd).

[Ravel]

Thanks for identifying Vague Idea so quickly, Grayson.

Adrian’s post reminds me that reading the write-ups of each horse’s performance in the point to point results (when they used to be in the Post), you could work out there were some dramatic if not bizarre events in dire Maidens and Members races. And these would be conveyed using the most succinct abbreviations, long before textspeak was invented.

I hope this will be a cue for a few examples of amusing commentaries about dire pointing performances.

[The Judge]

I must give a mention to the 2m3f Custom Fittings Novices’ Chase at Doncaster in 2003. In a match, Nicky Henderson’s Tanikos departed at the seventh going away from the stands, seemingly gifting the race to Silk Trader. However, Silk Trader refused six out, unseated the jockey and ran loose across Town Moor. All this was going on the other side of Rose Hill and was unbeknown to Tanikos’s jockey Marcus Foley who slowly and steadily trotted a none-the-worse Tanikos the back way to the grandstands. As Foley got back to the paddock, a security guard had to run out on the track to inform him that Silk Trader was loose. Comically, he set off again at racing pace, weaving around the fences they had successfully jumped until they got back to the seventh where they recommenced the race proper. Meanwhile, a frantic search for Silk Trader was eventually successful and before Tanikos got to six out, Brian Crowley remounted and Foley’s 6 furlong detour had failed: Silk Trader won by a distance.
The winning time for this 2m3f race? 9 mins 2.80secs (a mere 262.80 secs slower than standard)

[Author]

Posts