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Just on a happier note…we all know Bryony probably kisses her posters of Frodon and Black Corton every night before bed, and I hope and believe that most of the racing world has a love and respect for horses, but which people and moments really make you smile?
I’ll start with a few:
Tom Scudamore’s lovely tribute to Thistlecrack- “the privilege was all mine” and watching the replay of the King George when he pulls up and collapses face first into the horse’s mane with his arms around its neck you know that’s true.
Any of Harry Derham’s stable tour interviews at Paul Nicholls- he’s always got an arm around their cheek when he’s talking about their characters and how to keep them happy.
Willie Mullins’ joking how Appreciate It owes him a pair of sheepskin gloves- if he noticed a horse’s rug isn’t quite right he could probably click his fingers and have a minion sort it, but there is something a bit endearing about the horse reaching behind the back of the champion win-everything trainer who is head down carefully adjusting the horse’s buckles to make him comfy, oblivious to the horse cheerfully wrecking the good gloves he has taken off to do it.
The ITV cameras on the stable lasses watching the end of a race, galloping sideways and waving their arms about with the bits of tack in their hands flying around
Kauto Star’s reception at Haydock after winning his final Betfair Chase was quite amazing.
There is also a nice and pretty recent video from David Cottin sharing the same box with one of his horses.
Plus various photographs published by Poppy Bridgwater. Not all including animals only.
Last races of Istabraq & Kauto Star. Both pulled up after a couple of jumps when it was clear that they were shadows of their former selves and the Cheltenham crowd (many of whom would have backed them) erupting into spontaneous applause in tribute to great champions and support for their jockeys’ actions
April 1985, Ascot, Desert Orchid running in a handicap hurdle under 12 stone. He was already popular, but nothing like it would be a couple of years later.
Making all, he was still clear, but tiring approaching the last, took off too far from the hurdle, landed on top of it and crashed to the ground, where he lay for several minutes. Nobody left the stand, nobody moved to the bars, nobody went to the winners enclosure. Richard Burridge described what followed in his book:
“He knew the routine by now – fall at the last, have a bit of a lie down, get up – and the whole stand exploded in applause as they saw him get to his feet.”
Total strangers were hugging each other in a thoroughly un-British manner, and almost everybody was laughing with relief as we filed off the stand. There are people I spoke to for the first time ever that afternoon, that I still see on the tracks around London, and we stop to chat – the shared experience, the love of racing, the passion for the horses.
Graham Lee standing up and pointing at Grey Abbey before the line when he won the Aintree bowl …..I had tears in my eyes as well as money in my pocket … He was my first horse love …and the reason I love a bold front running jumper ….still the best jumper of a fence I’ve seen ….he jumped one like a stag one day the front legs stretched out
Fergal O’Briens twitter feed always makes me smile.
I know Briony has had a mention but I could listen to her post race interviews on loop.
And I never tire of watching Coneygree’s Gold Cup.
The day Frankel won the International at York. When Tom Queally took him back down the track in front of the stands, the applause from the crowd was wonderful. They knew they had witnessed something truly special and wanted to show their appreciation and respect. And it was made all the more poignant because everyone knew about Henry Cecil’s state of health and what the horse and his victory on his favourite course meant to him.
I’ve read 3 Cecil books , a man knocked down in both his professional and personal life but came back the stronger for it ….a man in Ireland could do with reading his books ! , Frankel kept that man going in the end and York indeed was a great day , Cecil was renown for talking to anyone on a racecourse
Listening to the far superior commentary of Simon Holt calling home Denman in his second Hennesey. I watch and listen to this on a weekly basis.
Seemore that was a great day ….I couldn’t believe his price either , people hadn’t cottoned on that he didn’t even have to be the horse that he was to win …I mean Jesus h Barbershop and the like …I just kept playing …then whooping
There are lots of moments but if I had to pick just one it would be Sea The Stars Arc win.
It looked as though he had no hope but as they passed where I was in the stands, Kinane made his decisive move.
I very rarely show any emotion when watching a race (even when Voy Por Ustedes won me a life changing amount of money in the 2006 Arkle I showed absolutely no emotion) but I was crying at the end of that race – it was sublime.
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