Your own 'stunning moment'

[stevecaution]

My stunning moment that took the longest time to develop was when my cashier and I backed

Bit Of A Clown

in a Towcester race on bottomless ground.

It is no exaggeration to say that he was being rowed along before they came to the

first

fence. The jockey was giving him reminders all the way round and he looked odds on to be pulled up. Gradually the ground started to take its toll on the horses who were able to go the pace early, and one or two started dropping out. It still looked unlikely for Bit Of A Clown but suddenly the leaders started looking a bit tired and he was keeping on at one pace, making slight inroads into the gap. The last few fences and the run in looked like a race replayed in slow motion, as Bit Of A Clown started coming with a wet sail, only a wet sail that was like watching a snail catching a tree. Unbelievable cheers and hoots of disbelief went up from the two man Clown backing team, as he hit the front and went on to finish, not so much like Red Rum’s "Flat Horse" 1977 win but more like a Flat Tyre. I suspect the race time might just have been slower than standard but as my mate said at the time:-

"That race will live with me forever"

Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.

[seabird]

Crisp making the Aintree fences look like hurdles.

Col

[IanDavies]

Since I started watching racing….

Lester Piggott cruising up to Buckskin on the bit and motionless before winning the Gold Cup on Sagaro

The astonishing surge that took Troy was hopelessly placed to seven-length winner of The Derby

Shergar kicking in and going what must have been 20 lengths clear from the 3f pole in The Derby

El Gran Señor accelerating twice to secure the 2,000 Guineas and being back on the bridle at the line

Slip Anchor quickening 15 lengths clear and being called the winner of The Detby at Tattenham Corner

Arazi’a surge clear in the Breeders Cup Juvenile

Sea The Stars coming from an impossible position to win the Arc easily

Red Rum pulling away from Churchtown Boy to win his third Grand National

Sprinter Sacre earning the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Arkle with that amazing Champion Chase win

Istabraq’ first Champion Hurdle

Sea Pigeon finally winning the same race and storming clear of Monksfield

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[befair]

Hurricane Fly’s novice hurdle at Leopardstown is one I was lucky to be in attendance for. Oscar Delta’s Foxhunter calamity was a real wtf moment too.

Remember that one well, The Fly accelerating effortlessly away from Go Native

[Gede]

I share many of your views, but I would like to add the three below:

–

Rock Of Gibraltar

in the Grand Criterium at Longchamp. He didn’t beat a strong field that day, but his turn of foot in the last two furlongs looked absolutely unreal.

–

Harbinger

in the King George. It is one the most brilliant performance I have seen over the classic distance. Unfortunately, there wasn’t going to be anything else…

–

Lamtarra

in the Arc. I couldn’t think that winning the Derby, the King George VI and the Arc was possible (even though Mill Reef did it but that was done in a former era). He was a lion. A real fighter.

[CharlesOlney]

The Good – Some will say Harbinger’s King George and other’s will say Frankel’s Queen Anne or even either of Treve’s Arc wins. However, my own ‘stunning moment’ has to be Danedream’s Longchamp stroll in the sunset. It is the only Arc I have attended and the way this mostly overlooked German filly sprinted away from the rest of the field was simply stunning. I think the fact that she was a 20/1 outsider enhanced its ‘stunningness’ so to speak. And it wasn’t a flash in the pan either, as she went on to win what was probably the best King George since Grundy vs Bustino.

The Bad – Although I was tempted to say that my bad stunning moment was Sprinter Sacre pulling up at Kempton or Denman’s defeat to Madison Du Berlais at the same place I’m going for one which perhaps nobody has thought of yet. Yep, I’m going for Zaynar’s shock defeat in the Morbattle Hurdle at Kelso in February 2010. The Henderson trained hurdler was undefeated in 6 outings including a Triumph Hurdle victory and easy 6 length wins in the Ascot Hurdle and Relkeel Hurdle so far that season. Already skinny in the ante-post markets for Cheltenham, Zaynar was sent of at 1/14 in a field of 4 yet somehow, in conditions akin to a marsh, went down by a length to Quwetwo, a 7 year old Howard-Johnson trained novice having his first run for 344 days and rated 35 pounds inferior to Zaynar. Although he went on to finish a modest 3rd in the Champion Hurdle next time out, Zaynar’s career was pretty much finished as his performances only proceeded to get worse finishing with a disappointing chasing career.

The Ugly – This has to go to the whip ban handed out to Christophe Soumillon after Cirrus Des Aigles victory in the Champion Stakes. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear – what a massive f”k up that was.

[Ghost of Rob V]

Of those already mentioned, Dancing Brave’s Arc and Arazi’s Breeders Cup were stunning moments indeed. Also…

Special Cargo winning the 1984 Whitbread Gold Cup has to be the most thrilling three-way photo finish I’ve ever seen.

Astral Charmer and his marvellous front running heroics in the 1981 Scottish National was mesmerizing.

Celtic Swing looking like a total superstar when annihilating all before him in the 1994 Racing Post Trophy.

[Author]

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