- This topic has 35 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I would like to know who your No.1 is, I know I have ommitted two of the candidates in the Racing Post’s Poll, no offence intended. If you want to vote for the Queen Mum or Admiral Rous, then just write it in a post.
Hey I know who Bear will vote for, A.P, thats right Bear isn’t it!!!!
Just for the record i voted for the great man himself, Vincent O’Brien. No explanation needed me thinks, his record speaks for itself!
There is an individual, who is so much better than most of those mentioned, and missing from the list, he would probably have been the greatest national hunt trainer of all time if carrying on….barring none………MICHEAL DICKENSON……….who had it all before him before he left………Best Ever……In my book.
Winchy
But JohnJDonoghue – Alice Plunkett isn’t on the list!
No, my vote goes to Lester – I voted for him as the greatest ever Britain as well, Winston Churchill, I don’t think so. It’s all very well fighting on the beaches and never surrendering etc. but let me take you back to 1984.
It’s the first Wednesday in June, it’s late afternoon, the place Epsom racecourse. Our hero is being led in on Teenoso after winning the Derby, when he is approached by a bloke in a grey morning suit with a top hat in one hand, a microphone in the other, and a village idiot smirk on his face. His name is Derek Thompson.
V Idiot: "Lester – we’re live on ITV – what was that like?"<br>Hero: "F..K OFF!"
Yes, for this one incident when a man of so few words spoke for the whole of the racing world, Lester surely deserves to win any poll of the racing greats.
It has to be Vincent. How many Grand nationals? How many Gold Cups? How many Champion hurdles? How many Derbys? And in his old age a Breeders Cup! Yes it has to be Vincent. On top of that his brothers were gentlemen!.
When that Top 10 Britains was going on, I based my final selection on asking myself ‘what would the rest of the world think’? (which led me to Shakespeare, and Darwin).
Ask non-racing folks – Lester Piggot – every time.
<br>Not sure what criteria were used to make the selections, but personally I’d exclude jockeys and trainers. They take a living from racing and the likes of Piggot, Dettori, McCoy, O’Brien have generated a massive following within the sport and recognition outside it. But despite their achievements, they didn’t have as much impact on the sport as my choice.
I’d actually vote for someone that didn’t make the final list, Lord George Bentinck. In a short life, he introduced a great many things into racing that we now take for granted and had the influence to get his ideas accepted without making enemies.
He ran Goodwood, and made that course an important venue, as well as devising jockeys colours, racecards, number boards, flag starts, scheduled starts, parade rings and the canter down in front of the crowd. And all that in the period between 1820 and 1840.
And no, I never met him myself ……….
Alan
MVOB—- A  FARMERS SON who was about to leave for OZ in 40’s until he managed to swing a non -secured loan from AIB-Cork and then ran up a record no one will ever equal.      <br>    VOTE VINCENT      <br>    ==========<br>
(Edited by ericc at 11:19 am on Jan. 30, 2003)
It has to be Vincent O’Brien, who has made his mark in three separate domains. Master of the jumps, then the flat. One of the first to spot the importance of North American bloodlines, and one of the builders of the Coolmore empire.
He also helped rescue Irish racing. The Phoenix Park project in the 1980s, although ultimately a failure, showed the way to other Irish tracks at a time when racing was in the doldrums. Every race on every card was sponsored, and the prize money reached a level few could have imagined. Leopardstown and the Curragh were stung into quickly following suit, and many other Irish tracks learned from the example set.
At a time when the quality of horse in Irish stables was mediocre, the standard of Irish racing was maintained, even if it meant that the feature race virtually every Saturday went for export.
Which west country spoke to your friend ?
Please Ian you really should name your sources otherwise this becomes all hearsay and supposition was it Wales, Ireland or maybe the U.S
As a former racing journalist and champion of the role of the editor you have left yourself open for some gentle ribbing here
My father had a horse with M Pipe in 1990 called Our Tinker which ran I think three times for Pipe who subsequently said it was not very good and it was promptly sold – horse left yard – did not run again – nothing sinister – horse just not very fast
As far as I am aware L Lungo adopts a very similar spartan approach when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff.
Pipe does have long term owners in Ennis, Weedon, Kilpatrick and the Archers – it is hard to think that any them would knowingly send their horses to be mistreated
it was a toss up between vincent+lester, but then i voted lester for the reason vincent got them ready , but lester got them home.<br>                   burnie
Quote: from conall on 3:37 pm on Jan. 30, 2003[br]<br>As a former racing journalist and champion of the role of the editor you have left yourself open for some gentle ribbing here <br>
<br>Ian,
you’re an erudite man, but I feel you are a little quick to go on the defensive when challenged on your views.  I’m not a genius, but it appears to me that Conall’s "gentle ribbing" had nothing at all to do with your views on Mr. Pipe, and everything to do with your grammar!
Keep up the good worm (sic).
To acheive what Vincent O’brien has done is unreal and with the sport being far more competrtive as time passes anyone who can even get slightly near his tally of black type would be a top draw trainner.I came into the sport at the end of this mans reign and to be associated with Piggot surley a golden era never to be equaled.
I notice you can bet on this with both Corals and Ladbrokes with VOB and Lester joint 6/4 fav’s.
O’Brien looks a standout price if only people on TRF were aloud to vote !!!!! but I gues Lesters more populist appeal may swig things in his direction.<br>
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.