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Colin/GM,
This interview where Richard Pitman spoke to me about that 1973 National might be of some interest.
As far as the thread goes, I have fifty years of memories and would need to sit down for a few hours and sort them out. There’s often a recency bias, although with us oldtimers it can be the opposite way around.
The best staying round of jumping over park fences was Mister Frisk’s Whitbread – well worth a watch.
For sheer power, athleticism and class, Vautour’s JLT victory will always be be at the forefront of my memory.
On the Flat, Frankel’s Guineas was a ‘did I just see what I thought I saw?’ moments. Many, many more and hard to pick out a favourite.
I’m fairly new to the sport, so mine is fairly recent: Many Clouds defeating Thristlecrack. I said in the months prior that Clouds would beat him and that he was a brilliant bet at 50/1 for the Gold Cup. Although I was vindicated, I love that moment when Clouds came back to lead at the line because he ran a brilliant race, showed a smart field how to jump a fence, gave his all and defeated the supposedly undefeatable. I’ll never forget roaring Clouds over the line – I was almost in tears because I was so blown away by his performance, and that was before the tragedy struck.
<p abp=”176″><p abp=”185″>Ps, LD73 I’m glad I’m not the only one who used to run home from school to catch the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. I could it in eight minutes. Then, not now 🙂
Back in the late fities I had a credit account but no phone at home. I was ever interested in any George Todd horse that got backed within a couple of minutes before the off. I’d be out of the door and a 200yd sprint to the nearest phone box and wanting to murder anyone who was using it.
Thanks Joe, very interesting interview. I’ve subscribed to your channel – mine has a playlist of footage from every National for which there is any, arranged chronologically. Regards, Chris.
I always think your earliest memories are your best ones, when I first got into racing were the most memorable. Now everything seems so predictable and aah, I’ve seen it before. An exception would be Frankel in recent years, some of what he could do took the breath away. I remember on his second run at Doncaster how he sauntered up to this other horse like it was standing still. I could still remember the hairs sticking up on my neck and realizing I was witnessing a champion.
But yes the most memorable were horses like Arazi, Zafonic, Lyric Fantasy when I was a kid. And Carvills hill over the jumps, when he destroyed his field in the welsh grand national, I just couldn’t believe a horse could beat his opposition by so far, and beat them so early in the race.
Frankel, whilst the obvious performances in the 2000g, Queen Anne & Juddmonte where all on a different planet (with his last race being just pure theatre from start to finish), I remember being left more than a little stunned after watching him on only his second start in a Doncaster Conditions Stakes over 7F. Watching a 2 yr old put 13L into the runner up (who in her next run went on to finish 3rd in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac) in less than 1.5F over 7F on good ground is not something you see every day (unless you are running on soft ground). I don’t think the commentator had a clue about just how understated his comment of ‘he might just have a touch of star quality about him’ would turn out to be. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jx6Ul9kqwY
Just seen this comment which echoes my own. I think it just shows how clueless most of these commentators really are, about racing. Wasn’t that Stewart Machin?
I recall going onto one of the forums and excitedly shouting up Frankel from the rooftops. Of course once he started winning everything and went off for every race at long odds on, it became somewhat less exciting. It’s always that moment when you realize you’ve just seen a champion that is the purest one.
Another one I forgot to mention was Selkirk in the 1991 QE2.
I backed him. I just had a feeling he’d win. When he passed the brlliant Shadayid and Kooyonga, the two old rivals, in the straight I was so excited. I just felt unbeatable in that moment.
Another great win or moment was numbersixvaldeverde winning the national. I was round my mates house, won over a grand on it and screamed the place down.
And Carvills hill over the jumps, when he destroyed his field in the welsh grand national, I just couldn’t believe a horse could beat his opposition by so far, and beat them so early in the race.
Still the best performance I’ve ever seen over fences and the definition of the term “demolition job”.
There are far too many special moments, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread, for me to narrow it down to just one but to add something new I’ll throw in Mark Of Esteem’s defeat of Bosra Sham in the 1996 QEII. It looked as though he’d just joined in at the furlong pole; quite remarkable. And El Gran Senor’s Guineas…
Thanks Joe, very interesting interview. I’ve subscribed to your channel – mine has a playlist of footage from every National for which there is any, arranged chronologically. Regards, Chris.
Thanks, Chris. That was something of a one off. It’ll be a while before I post anything you might find interesting. Have you a link to yours please?
Joe
Funnily enough the playlist is literally the only thing on my channel:
Please let me know if the link doesn’t work, Joe, because I will be linking to the playlist when I have finished my website on Grand National history in a couple of years. I’ve so much typing up and further research to do that I won’t be studying form and betting this season. Thought it would add to my overall perspective to step back from the weights and measures and try to be more intuitive so will still be watching and adding my two-penneth worth about some races on here though!
What is “obnoxiously brilliant” meant to infer?
This sort of description always confuses me – what is dangerous about being well-handicapped?
I wouldn’t read too much into it Colin, the emphasis should be on “brilliant.” I suppose I’m alluding to the sheer contempt in which Frankel held his rivals to go and do something like that. Only an athlete so confident in their abilities, nearly obnoxiously so, would attempt to do what he did. The best part of course, is that he pulled it off.
As for the second part of your question I can’t say I understand you.
Hard to pick out just one. So here is my list of favourites (in no particular order)…
Frankel’s 2000 – I think I may have stopped breathing during the first half of this race. The second half, I just laughed in disbelief as the field fell apart behind him like a trail of equine debris.
Dancing Brave’s Arc – This is the race where I nearly pooed myself watching it. The tension was unbearable as the race unfolded because I had visions of Dancing Brave doing a carbon copy of the Derby. Then that moment came when he went supersonic…
Sprinter Sacre’s 2016 Queen Mother – Quite possibly the most emotional I’ve felt during and after a race. So many butterflies until Sprinter surged into the lead rounding the home turn. Seeing that old spark fire back into life and showing Un De Sceaux who the real boss was brought a lump to the throat with dewy eyes.
Celtic Swing 1994 Racing Post Trophy – Even though he never quite hit the heights as a 3YO, there’s no denying that this was a stunning win by Celtic Swing. Making his move well over 3 furlongs out and storming clear for a 12 length demolition. A 2YO performance to match anything Frankel did at the same age.
Astral Charmer 1981 Scottish Grand National – The craziest display of front-running I’ve ever seen as Astral Charmer goes for broke. An amusing, hair-raising and unforgettable victory.
I managed to leave out arguably my favourite racing moment of all.
Montjeu was a horse that captured my imagination like no other, and I still remember the sheer anticipation before his appearance in the King George of 2000. I remember my nerves as he was more temperamental than usual in the preliminaries, even refusing to enter the paddock. He settled these nerves in quite decisive fashion, his towering figure cruising past Daliapour as if he was standing still. The awe I felt watching him that day has never been equalled since, although Frankel has ran him close.
What a race, what a horse.
I haven’t a huge bank of experience to draw on but mine would be two already mentioned: Vautour’s JLT and Many Clouds and Thistlecrack’s battle up the Cheltenham hill. Both times shouting through the house “Quick, come and see this!!” to anyone around whether they gave a stuff about racing or not.
Un de Sceaux’s Ryanair this year was fun to watch too.Another memorable moment, though spoiled by the company I was in, was listening to the Grand National on the radio when Suny Bay was trying to give Earth Summit over a stone and a half on soft ground. I was getting a lift in a carful of people and one of the others had backed Suny Bay. When it became apparent that the horse was well beaten I was mentally applauding its gallant effort…and he was loudly cursing it up and down as only fit for the glue factory. I was younger than all the others and quite shy then so I said nothing just sat in silent fury. Wish I’d had the nerve to ask what did he expect backing topweight on soft and wasn’t it obvious even from just the radio that the horse was trying his best. Ignorant fool knew nothing about horses and cared even less.
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