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Desert Orchid at Kempton – take your pick
first one
was there that day
it was a WTF moment :o :o
I’ve got stackloads of races – so many I can’t work my way through them!
However one standout race for me was the 2001 Irish Champion, Galileo v Fantastic Light. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Last week’s Nassau also had the same effect…shame I wasn’t there as was planned.
One of my earlier memories of a titanic battle was Lammtarra’s Arc in 1995…he showed all his grit and determination in ridiculously soft ground.
Over jumps last year’s Tingle Creek is an obvious one, likewise the 1996 Queen Mother Champion Chase which Drone referred to.
As far as breathtaking victories go, Dubai Millennium’s World Cup and Prince of Wales successes would have to be up there along with Xaar’s Dewhurt and Mark of Esteem leaving them for dead in the 1996 QEII Stakes.
Quote: from cormack15 on 4:57 pm on Aug. 11, 2006[br]Anyone who watched Dawn Run overcome Wayward Lad in the Gold Cup and failed to be moved by the experience is emotionally bereft!<br>
<br>Damn right!
Someone mentioned Black Jack Ketchum ~ can’t have that at all. Does anyone remember the ride Adrian Maguire gave to Sirrah Jay to win the Topham about 15 years ago. Wonderful, but mostly forgotten (I’d backed something else, so not pocket talk, but Maguire was at the very peak of his powers and was a joy to behold). Similarly, Lester Piggott’s ride on Teenoso in the King George when beating Sadler’s Wells, was a thrill to watch. So few moments in sport send a genuine shiver down the spine, but you don’t forget when they do. I still feel emotional hearing about Dawn Run’s GC, let alone listening to ‘The Voice’!!
A good thread, calling to mind hundreds of memories of great performances….and much lesser ones where we have been in the pay-out queue. Too many to list, really, but here’s a few:
1970 My first time at Longchamp, Nijinsky(L Piggott) just pipped by Sassafras(Y St Martin) in the Arc.
Year? Granville Greta in the Nunthorpe , can’t remember if she won or just got pipped.
1967 Frankincense(G Starkey) winning the Lincoln – I had 5/- EW@14/1
Vaguely Noble streaking clear of the field in the Observer Gold Cup
Alleged, Freddie, Spring Cabbage, Highland Wedding, Baronet, Petite Etoile, Maori Venture, Hawaiian Sound, Busted, Buckskin, Roman Warrior
and hundreds more.
Relkeel’s third Bula – a tearjerking moment if ever there was one. One of the biggest shames in racing that he was never right in March, otherwise he would have surely won a couple of Champions
:old: three year old nag
I had high expectatons of Razeen<br> but he ran rather matronly<br> after his Derby association
flatcapgamble.. wimbledon is full of good memories for horses – all short legs though
Spot on Happy Jack. Relkeel’s novice performances before he first got injured blew me away, and it was such a shame he didn’t fulfil his potential. He was definitely Istabraq standard IMO.
<br>I would probably come up with a different set of races tomorrow but off the top of my head –
Best Mate’s 2nd Gold Cup<br>Hawk Wing – 2003 Lockinge<br>Moscow v Azerty v Well Chief – 2004 Tingle Creek<br>Baracouda v Iris’s Gift v Limestone Lad – 2003 Stayers<br>Iris’s Gift v Baracouda – 2004 Stayers<br>Rhinestone Cowboy – 2003 Kingwell
I saw all of the above on TV only but in the flesh it would have to be Shamardal in the St James’s Palace. I remember being gutted on arriving at York to find that Dubawi was a non-runner but Shamardal’s prformance blew me away.
the:old:straight mile
Lucky enough to see Zilzal at Ascot<br> if see is the appropriate word
The acceleration raced the blood<br> and topheavied the trees with hats<br> whilst Goid looked down and wondered<br> what on earth he had let loose on the planet<br> to run like a thousand rabbit<br>
Relkeel was one of the best hurdlers of the last 15/20 years, Istabraq is one of the top 5 or 6 to have graced National Hunt racing.
Quote: from davidjohnson on 12:27 am on Aug. 12, 2006[br]Relkeel was one of the best hurdlers of the last 15/20 years, Istabraq is one of the top 5 or 6 to have graced National Hunt racing.
One of those horses so great he still won in a range of circumstances which very few horses are able to do at the top level
<br>People here have mentioned some great horses and races but im going to mention something most people might probably remember. Anyone here remember Cahervillahow, trained by the mouse and ridden by swan?? In my opinion possibly one of the toughest and most jinxed horses ive ever followed. To his roll of honour he has the following….mistakenly withdrawn from the gold cup only then to be left 10 lengths at the start of the other cheltenham race he was in (finished second to seagram) He also ran around to finished second in the void national and who could forget him loosing the witbred gold cup to Docklands express in the stewards room.
Well one of my favourite races to think back over was his titanic dual with Omerta in the irish national with the latter winning by the margin of cigarette paper. Cracing finish that even had the boring Irish commentator roaring his head off.
SHL
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Speaking of Relkeel, David Nicholson states in his autobiography that Carobee was by far the best horse he ever trained. I was at Chepstow when Carobee sluiced up in the Swish Hurdle in 1992; he remains the easiest winner I have ever seen. The fact that he went on to outpace the Supreme Novices’ winner, Flown, over the much sharper two miles at Aintree served to underline the gelding’s massive potential; unfortunately, he never raced again.
:(
(Edited by yquem21 at 10:10 am on Aug. 12, 2006)
The first horse race that I ever watched is still one of my all time favourite’s. The year was 1989 and my Mum had just picked me up from school and taken me to my Grandma & Grandad’s house, which was about a 5 minute walk from the school. When we arrived I went straight into the living room where my Grandad was watching the racing on t.v. The horses were just entering the stalls for the 1989 Derby and my Grandad gave me the newspaper and told me to pick a horse. I remember looking at the runners and asking why there were numbers next to the horses names. After a brief explanation I naturally just looked for the horse with alot of one’s next to his name!:) <br>The horse I chose had three one’s next to his name and he was called Nashwan. After the stalls opened Grandad pointed out the blue colours that Willie Carson was wearing and from then on I just kept my eyes on Nashwan for the rest of the race. When Willie Carson asked Nashwan to quicken in straight and take the lead I was so excited that I started jumping around the room! Nashwan went on to win brilliantly and I remember thinking it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen, from then on I was hooked on racing. I have watched so many great horses since the 1989 Derby but Nashwan will always be spiecal to me and I still maintain that he is the best Derby winner that I have seen. Generous, Lammtara, Sinndar, Galileo & High Chapparall are the best winners since and all of them were great horses and a pleasure to watch. However, I still rate Nashwan the best and given what he achieved before and after the Derby I think his record backs my statement pretty well.:)
Ever since the 1989 Derby I have always got excited before a big group 1 race or a top race over the jumps. Watching the best horses take each other on in the big races on the flat or over the jumps is what I enjoy most about the sport. There are quite a few other great races that I would like to mention but seeing as I have written alot already I’ll post my other favourite’s later on.
:old: favourites
<br> The noble neck stretching white flecked faced Al Bahathri seemed to make Jimmy Linley even pucer.
Pebbles was a peach
And Miesque was a bute.
I forget Pebbles distance – but milers bring out the adrenalin for me and I relax my tie for the last two.
<br> flatcapgamble…Can I phone a friend ? :(
I suppose it is just about possible to dredge up a reasonably interesting thread from the racing section from a bygone age. There’s one big problem though they all seem to be about horses and although horses can communicate with the odd whinny, they have never been able to talk.
Don’t despair though although they can’t sing, they can break records!
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