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Only a passing reference to the void Grand National, the biggest sporting farce of all time?
I remember watching it with the family and barking at the screen telling them to stop (yeah, yeah) with the family telling me to shut up and enjoy the race.
It’s on YouTube now, almost complete. Its compulsive viewing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yx1VBgV8vo8
Super commentaries all round – I love Aussie Jim’s “this absolute farce…”
Surely an error of judgement by Ruby to remount the horse before establishing it wasn’t injured, if my memory serves it did suffer a minor injury and was out for a while.
Colin
I thought it was bizarre actually, when i saw it he kind of chased the horse, i thought he was just doing it so it didnt run off loose. Yet he chased it, and got back on.
Well, at least this kind of thing can’t happen now.That must be a good thing?
Astral Charmer; as I remember he even tried to run out during the race, and lost a huge amount of ground in the process
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
Astral Charmer , a 66-1 shot, was ridden by young John Goulding, the younger brother of the much better known David Goulding, but by far the better jockey of the two IMO. He was very underated rider and a superb judge of pace from either the front or from way back if the pace was hot. He typified the "stopwatch in the head" expresion. I recall him coming from another parish to win a 3 mile chase on Calbeck at Catterick when everything else went off hell for leather.
Re Astral Charmer, Yes the horse did try to head for the stables going out on the final circuit. I recall the race well, arrived in the bookies when they were coming into the straight first time round, too late for a bet and as soon as I saw who was on the "runaway" leader I was 100% certain the horse would win, pity there was no betting in running in those days. n absolu
The lad was brilliant, I never knew why he didn’t become one of National Hunt’s great jockeys, he trained some moderate animals up in Cumbria for a few years then dissapeared off radar.This year’s French Champion Hurdle had a rather similar plot, and has to be one of the most farcical championship contests ever run.
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Probably been mentioned but the French Champion Hurdle where Soumillon was allowed to go 100 lengths clear is the craziest I’ve seen.
Will check some of the videos posted now. Thanks for the YouTube clips everyone.
This year’s French Champion Hurdle had a rather similar plot, and has to be one of the most farcical championship contests ever run.
This for me too, the jocks in behind, just didn’t seem to be bothered to do anything.
The way Mr Thriller won at Haydock last year was fairly odd.
The race that spawned the phrase "Silky Sullivan finish"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT_YxcoDhtYA six-way photo finish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhwZrnlGAcE
Cam Fella, the greatest pacer in history http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcOSEJG7 … re=related
The race at Southwell where most jockeys came off, the McCoy remounted and won, has to be up there!!!
Paddy Power Dialabet Chase 2005 when Roger Loughran mistook the winning post on Central House.
The race at Southwell where most jockeys came off, the McCoy remounted and won, has to be up there!!!
That’d be Family Business at Southwell in January 2002. The link to the race, plus a memorial following his passing many, many happy years later, are all to be found at this thread: https://theracingforum.co.uk/horse-r … 96971.html
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.
Paddy Power Dialabet Chase 2005 when Roger Loughran mistook the winning post on Central House.
If I recall the race correctly he was too busy watching Moscow Flyer and got carried away with claiming his scalp forgetting to give enough thought to the position of the post and that there were other horses in the race
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