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Among big races, the 1958 Santa Anita Derby must take some beating.
The legendary Silky Sullivan performed one of his "specials", making up nearly 30 lengths from halfway to win easily.
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.
That reminds me of a race many years ago when I put a fiver on a horse named Run Over (Ridley Lamb was the jockey I think). Rounding the home turn, Run Over must have been a good 20 lengths behind the second last horse. He was completely tailed off and, because of that, I ripped up my ticket and threw it across the living room in sheer disgust. Approaching the last fence, the horse suddenly appeared from nowhere, jumped into the lead and sprinted away as though he was on nitrous oxide to win. I just stood there in disbelief looking at my betting slip that looked like confetti. Run Over’s price was 13-2.
Even more stunning was an eye-popping win in a 2 Y O race by a filly named ‘Dance Machine’ back in the 80’s I think. If anyone remembers this race, then you’ll know what I mean. This horse must of passed a dozen others right at the death to snatch it by a neck or so.
Don’t you just love flying finishers?
Exeter 31/10/06
Out The Black slamming on the brakes then slipping up and firing R Johnson out of the saddle in the shadow of the post, allowing Charlies Future to win, had a bit of the ‘Devon Lochs’ about it.
I remember watching that live Adrian, a truly strange race indeed. It was funny how they tried it again in his next race – the BC Classic no less – and he ended up beaten 24 lengths without ever landing a blow.
Staying in America, the sequence of events in the closing seconds of the 2003 Arlington Million that allowed Sulamani to win surely qualifies as bizarre.
There can only be one that will stay in my memory forever
Ile De Chypre, King George V Handicap, Royal Ascot 1988.
I can picture him now charging clear up the centre of the course when suddenly and inexplicably – he swerved violently across towards the stand-side rail, unseating poor Greville Starkey yards from the line when victory had appeared certain. Was it a stun gun? A whole court case later centred around that very question.
A few starts later that season he carried top-weight in the Cambridgeshire, which to my young brain was very unusual for a 3-y-o. I decided that being a class act he should be backed and I remember placing £5 e/w at 8/1, a massive amount for me the day before my 17th birthday. I can picture him now leading the huge field a merry dance right from the start as he cantered along under a confident Starkey. Past the bushes he was clear and as the cameraman closed in on him he was the only horse in shot – I started counting my £50 profit….what a birthday present!!..until as the cameraman panned back Quinlan Terry flew past him under George Duffield.
Exeter 31/10/06
Out The Black slamming on the brakes then slipping up and firing R Johnson out of the saddle in the shadow of the post, allowing Charlies Future to win, had a bit of the ‘Devon Lochs’ about it.
Good call.
At the same venue, at least 15 and maybe 20 years previously, I think there was hurdler called Log Cabin who went AOT apropos of nothing up the run-in with the race seemingly at his mercy, gifting victory to a rival ironically named Slip Up.
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.
I hope this will be a cue for a few examples of amusing commentaries about dire pointing performances.
Go far back into the annals of this forum, and you’ll find a thread entitled something like "Unusual comments in running". Adrian, Happy Jack and myself pasted some of our very favourite Mackenzie and Harris comments in there from a shortlist of hundreds!
I know what you were getting at with the proto-text speak of some of those comments – I do enjoy the appearance of "rfo" ("rider fell off") in those instances where "ur" would be laying too much blame for the splitting of the partnership on the horse.
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.
Once again there have been several this Pointing season including two races that were voided due to "no finishers", but the one that sticks out is a fourteen runner Maiden at Rhydygwern in which the remaining runners had to be stopped half way round due to "a loose horse with it’s legs trapped in a gate blocking their path"
Once again there have been several this Pointing season including two races that were voided due to "no finishers", but the one that sticks out is a fourteen runner Maiden at Rhydygwern in which the remaining runners had to be stopped half way round due to "a loose horse with it’s legs trapped in a gate blocking their path"
Indeed yes, I remember being told about that by near-witnesses of the incident when I went to Bonvilston a few weeks later. Crackers.
I think one of the others was a three-runner Members at Brafield-on-the-Green where everything refused or ran out, wasn’t it? To add insult to injury, two of the riders also incurred fines for being late into the parade ring.
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.
3:45 The Sportsman Newspaper Hungerford Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3yo+) 7f
[off 3:46] £51,102.00, £19,368.00, £9,693.00, £4,833.00, £2,421.00, £1,215.00
Draw TRAINER Age Wgt JOCKEY SP OR TS RPR
1 Welsh Emperor (IRE) 8 T P Tate 7 9-3 Jamie Spencer 13/2 110 87 115
2 ½ Jeremy (USA) 2 Sir Michael Stoute 3 8-12 M J Kinane 100/30 112 84 113
3 1 Caradak (IRE) 5 Saeed Bin Suroor 5 9-3 L Dettori 5/6F 114 83 111
4 1½ Mac Love (GB) 1 R Charlton 5 9-3 Richard Hughes 20/1 105 79 107
5 hd Royal Power (IRE) 6 M R Channon 3 9-0 Ryan Moore 25/1 107 78 107
6 1¼ Etlaala 3 B W Hills 4 9-3 R Hills 9/1 112 75 103
7 13 Sir Xaar (IRE) 7 B Smart 3 8-12 Philip Robinson 40/1 107 37 697 ran TIME 1m 26.76s (slow by 2.56s) TOTAL SP 112%
Comments In running
Welsh Emperor
made all, hard ridden final furlong, held on gamely, all outJeremy
chased leaders, ridden to go 2nd over 1f out, stayed on well under pressure final furlong but always held by winnerCaradak
chased leaders, ridden 2f out, stayed on same pace under pressure final furlongMac Love
slowly into stride, headway to chase leaders over 2f out, hard driven and not quicken from over 1f outRoyal Power
chased leader, ridden over 2f out, headed approaching final furlong, weakened final 110ydsEtlaala
slowly into stride, behind, headway 2f out, soon ridden, never going pace to reach leaders, stayed on same paceSir Xaar
slowly into stride, in rear but in touch, ridden 3f out, weakened over 2f outWhat about when Beef or Salmon beat The Listener earlier on in the year.
The Listener must have been 25 lengths clear and even the commentator stated that Beef or Salmon was ‘staying on’ but had no chance of getting there.
Then out of no where, on the home straight, Beef or Salmon got up as The Listener was tiring.
Was some comeback.
That reminds me of a race many years ago when I put a fiver on a horse named Run Over (Ridley Lamb was the jockey I think). Rounding the home turn, Run Over must have been a good 20 lengths behind the second last horse. He was completely tailed off and, because of that, I ripped up my ticket and threw it across the living room in sheer disgust. Approaching the last fence, the horse suddenly appeared from nowhere, jumped into the lead and sprinted away as though he was on nitrous oxide to win. I just stood there in disbelief looking at my betting slip that looked like confetti. Run Over’s price was 13-2.
Don’t you just love flying finishers?
Well done that man! Run Over performed a similar feat elsewhere that season but the race at Doncaster really sticks out ~ he was tailed off by twenty lengths in a reasonably run race where the rest of the field (and we’re talking 16 plus runners) were closely grouped. He made Arazi look a plodder as he came through to hit the front at the last and was 15-20l clear when he crossed the line. I waited to see this amazing horse run again but to no avail. It turns out he fell and broke a knee on his next start and had to be destroyed. Timeform had the gall to give him a squiggle. B*stards!
I remember a race a bit like that actually.
I had a bet on Royal Shakespeare.
It was 2nd, a good 15 lengths from the leader.
Absolutely no chance of getting there, what happened at the last fence? ? ? The leader was down, Royal Shakespeare goes into the lead and takes the race.
I dont like to see any falls in horse racing, but it was a timely one.
was’nt there a race at southwell where a horse took the wrong course by jumping the running rail, cavorting around tatts and then hitching a lift in a pram ? and they say banded racing was low grade.
We must have different definitions of what "bizarre" means Rory. Devon Loch was strange, and pure fecking weird, but bizarre? no! It was quite plausible although it would have been quite something seeing it live.
I believe that the OED entry for Bizarre does indeed read: "strange, and pure fecking weird". What did you think it meant?
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