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All the Irish involved in racing, I say!
I read the other day that Noel Chance stated that a certain horse of his hated the bottomless going, absolutely *despised* it!
Some years ago, I was talking to an Irishman in a betting shop about half a mile away. After putting my bets on and probably watching a race or three, I started walking home.
Not far from home, said Irishman (evidently having caught a bus on the same route), stepped out from behind a bush in the front garden of a house I was passing and doffing his cap, (or perhaps an imaginary one), exclaimed, "Good day to you, Sir!" He’d obviously caught a bus.
Then of course there was that classic article about the Irish at the Cheltenham festival in the Sporting Life some years ago.
American film makers may have some romanticised notions about the Irish being great characters. But the truth is, as I’m sure most of us know, those film-makers are actually masters of understatement. ÂÂÂ
(Edited by Grimes at 2:31 pm on Feb. 2, 2003)
Just moving this back up to the top – the RP vote closes next week.  Any more votes/comments?
Nearly got run over by the Queen Mum in her golf buggy at Sandown a couple of years back. Even though I was in her way she still gave me a smile and a wave (although it could have been a grimace and the two finger salute). In any case, she still gets my vote :biggrin:
How the Queen Mother even got into the top 100 is beyond me……let alone the top ten. Has she really done more than Magnier,Eddery and co. An absolute joke.
Ryan Price was the one for me..although i wasn’t around when he won the NH titles ,i have read a fair bit about the man over the years and for me his achievements stand out.
A mate of mine in a Ford’s truck factory near Slough met Ryan Price on holiday and they talked a good bit about racing. He said he was as bent as a corkscrew (remember his great Schweppes handicapping skills?), but a fantastic bloke and had since given him one or two tips. Winners of course…
Somehow, I don’t quite see too many of the Captain’s peers fraternizing so freely and easily.  ÂÂÂ
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(Edited by Grimes at 11:11 pm on Feb. 6, 2003)
Was it not Hill House Grimes who was involved in all the carry on in the Schweppes…last year his nephew from Canada was put in touch with me over something concerning the captains brother Penry i think his name was..through a site run by someone from Findon..as far as i know the brother was not exactly a top bloke when contacted by the nephew as his father had been the black sheep of the family and didn’t get to many mentions in his book..for me still up there with the best .
as soon as he jumped the last  the crowd starting booing  as price was well known for his methods of laying out horses for handicaps
to make matters worse i believ he failed a drugs test  but the  medics proved that he had some sort of blood condition that produced a banned substance so he was allowed to keep the race    ÂÂÂ
 do u know the last derby winner to fail a drugs test but keep the race???????
my vote is with  mvob in the abscence of  douman being in the poll :biggrin: :biggrin:
(Edited by prince regent at 11:12 am on Feb. 7, 2003)
VOB is available at 2.16 for over £100 on Betfair.
If the above poll is to be believed it is buying money!
Do you know, phunter, that name doesn’t ring a bell, now – but it obviously was Hill House. But you know, it wouldn’t have been just that one, Hill House was just the last of an *impressive* clutch of Schweppes’ he won, as I recall. (I hope better than my memory of Hill House’s name). Yes, a great guy, and I believe very popular, despite the brouhaha over his *genius* for the Schweppes.
The horse of his I best remember was Bruni. He was a<br>fair sort, alright. I think he won the Leger. He’d broken the track record earlier in the season, for 10 f (I think at Kempton, though probably mistakenly).
Yep reading the book says it produced something in it’s own system and it dragged on for ages before it was sorted out.
Actually, I think that mate must have said he (RP) had a mind like a corkscrew – not "bent", just very devious.
(Edited by Grimes at 4:00 pm on Feb. 8, 2003)
Hill House was discovered to produce his cortisone, which was why he had failed the dope test.
The way Price and Gifford were treated by the racing authorities and the press over this matter was disgraceful. Price was certainly a good "plotter", but I don’t think he was half as cunning as people liked to make out.
I’m sure you’re right. But once the press get the bit between their teeth, the bare bones of just a possible story, seems enough to send them completely out of control.
And perhaps fortunately for us, the racing press themselves don’t go out of their way to discourage punters from looking only at the form of a horse’s last race.
marko,
thanks for that – I went over to betfair and snaffled that price up – and thanks to all the forumites whose votes made it obvious to me that I was wrong to think Lester would win.
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