- This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 16 years ago by
.
- Posts
I’ve taken the liberty of copying and pasting this from David Pipe’s website as it’s the sort of Memorial that you don’t mind reading so much…………RIP
Strands Of Gold Passes Away
by James C SmithIt is with sadness that I report that ex-Pond House inmate Strands Of Gold, the 1988 Hennessy Gold Cup winner has passed away peacefully at the age of 31. Strands or “Boysie” as he was affectionately known had enjoyed a long and happy retirement with our secretary Gail Harrison since 1993, and she was with him as he fell asleep for the final time on a riverbank in the sun only a couple of miles away from Pond House.
MCP added, “He was a lovely horse, and it was a great thrill to win the Hennessy with him, especially as he had been so unlucky in the Grand National. He enjoyed a wonderful retirement with Gail just down the road from us, and I saw him only a couple of weeks ago, looking happy and well.”
Strands of Gold arrived at the yard in 1988 as a very decent handicap chaser, who had finished fourth in the previous season’s Hennessy Gold Cup for Jimmy Fitzgerald. His target was that year’s Aintree Grand National, and the plan looked likely to come to fruition as he led, going easily under Peter Scudamore until capsizing at Bechers Brook on the final circuit. Connections are still adamant to this day, that he would have won…
That misfortune was followed by a gallant third only two weeks later in the Whitbread Gold Cup behind Desert Orchid and Kildimo. He was to make full amends for his Aintree fall when landing the Hennessy Gold Cup in November 1988 by an impressive six lengths with a further ten lengths back to subsequent Grand National winner, Mr Frisk.
Following a spell on the sidelines Strands embarked on a career in Hunter chases where he won at Bangor under Frenchman Florent Monnier, before Gail and her partner Raymond took him for four runs “between the flags” in point-to-points…he was partnered in those races by a certain Mr D Pipe.
On a personal note, I still remember Strands being one of my earlier ante-post wagers when winning at Newbury…I was only 14!
He was a wonderful horse, who enjoyed a long and happy retirement – he will be sadly missed by many
What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful horse! Brings tears to my eyes! I remember him well. I posted about David Pipe’s section on his website about the former inmates of Pond House how lovely it was that he devoted time and space for this and he comes up trumps again with this!!!
"…had enjoyed a long and happy retirement with our secretary Gail Harrison since 1993, and she was with him as he fell asleep for the final time on a riverbank in the sun only a couple of miles away from Pond House."
Would that all could leave this world like this …Heck, that’s so ‘Black Beauty’ and I’m already in floods of tears after watching the interview with Jenny Pitman just now. I had a lovely letter from the Pipes years ago about Sabin du Loir. And to think years ago they had so much flack about how they treated their horses. I had no idea that Strands of Gold was still with us until recently. Just shows how much love and care some of these old horses get after retirement.
When Bounce Back had such a horrid time in the National I emailed to see how he was and they sent a photo card back of him to me – I thought that was lovely.
Lovely tribute, and great to learn he had such a long and happy innings. Rest easy, old boy.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.