Forum Replies Created
- Posts
As was referred to by a poster on the thread yesterday, Hungerford week would usually coincide with O’Sullivan’s summer break and I will never forget how the standard presentation of the show slipped on the Friday Dalsaan and Swinburn were successful in the big race in 1981.
Tony Gubba was chosen to front the show and though I’m sure it was not the original plan, Ronnie Corbett stood beside him for a large portion of the programme, bringing out regular eruptions of laughter from Gubba. It left Walter looking genuinely embarrassed when he came into the box to be interviewed (by both of them!) after his winning ride. It made wonderful viewing though.
Thing is cricket is a team game, racing not. Those atending the 100 will have a much better knowledge of the participants than those coming along for the racing league. Those taking an interest in cricket as a result of the 100 may just carry that over to the longer format.
I remember the John Player league being slated in the 1970’s but it surely did the game good, live coverage of a full match on terrestrial tv every Sunday and you also saw those South Africans unable to play on the international scene – such as Mike Proctor and Barry Richards.
I can never accept that this daft Racing League concept will attract a new audience to the sport – just those that call the horses by their numbers. Had a chuckle at the fact that Dettori couldn’t be arsed to travel up to Donny to ride for ‘Wales’. I knew an Italian who had a soft spot for Wales because a relative was in a POW camp there and decided to stay after the end of the war.
Nathaniel does not have as yet a Flat stallion son at stud and if Crystal Ocean was not given a look in, it’s difficult to see him being marketed to flat breeders. Crystal Ocean’s sire at least has a successful bona fide flat stallion in Sea The Moon standing for 25 grand at Lanwades. The only point I could think of in Desert Crown’s favour is that Crystal Ocean did not really come to himself until his four year old season.
In recent weeks I’ve seen the Stones for £115, Roger Daltrey for £85, £20 for the opening day and £25 for the final day of a European Tour Golf event, and havehad no plan to go anywhere near a racecourse though I might just be tempted to go to York to see Baaeed in the flesh.
Would find it irresistible to fork out the same again for those concerts even though I can’t really afford to (affordibility checks for concerts hmmm) and given the age of Daltrey and Jagger you could well say a fool and his money are easily parted!
As for the Golf – what a bargain because once you’ve seen the showcase names live you just as much enjoy seeing those regular, hardy, middling European Tour regulars.
I’ve seen characters boarding the train at Birmingham New Street for Cheltenham at 9.30 am, drinking Scotch straight from the large bottle. At least the conversation seemed to be horses so partly forgiven.
However,it’s hearing talk of footy bets,often from those who at the same time refer to their horses by the number, that is testament to the general decline in popularity of the sport. During the running of Mastery’s St Leger there were attendees at the top of the stands talking of latest scores, oblivious that a race was being run. I guess it would have been the same as Camelot was attempting to complete the Triple Crown, but not in a time gone by when Nijinsky was in the process of sealing his.I guess we could all come up with countless similar examples.
On a side note I noticed that the York crowd was only 12% down on pre covid levels for John Smith’s Cup day on the 9th, while greedy,lost the plot Chester,lost 25% the same day in what used to be known as the Summer Cup day fixture. How I chuckled.
For those of us who are genuine racing fans and from the maturing age group, he’d be the showcase name of the sport. In fact across the sporting spectrum, I’d only accept Muhaammad Ali as a bigger name – I really would. Very sad that the emerging generations won’t fully appreciate his influence, achievements or pure aura. In fact I’ve currently got GB News on and when the news is read out, they show you a pic of him on Desert Orchid (if they had to pick a grey surely Petite Etoile would have been more fitting), and one of him with Dettori – feeling the need to link him up with something more modern and ‘trendy’.
If memory serves he was first in front of the cameras with a fleeting, possibly unplanned, RUK appearance in the late 1990’s/ early noughties, at a midweek fixture chatting paddockside for a minute or two to Gerald Delamere, whom I believe he learnt his trade from.
If the current crop of riders were transferred back 40 years to replace the riders of that time, I’m sure Hughes would have been snapped up by Jimmy Fitzgerald who liked most of his animals ridden quietly. You could envisage Hughes giving Galway Blaze that prep for the Hennessey, then riding him when it was all go. Could also see him coming there swinging away on Forgive N’ Forget in the Coral Final. And of course, there’d be lots eyecatchers running on from mid div to finish on the heels of the leaders.
Costly day for me too Patriot – was with two drinking buds who are non racing fans ( as much as I’ve tried!) so done something I don’t normally do on course – drink all day!
Aspalls cider a steal at £ 7.20 per pint hahaAll food and drink was card payment only – this happened on Becher day but I was under the impression that it was done for Covid reasons. This has been brought in through the back door and I’m guessing it’s now the norm at all courses that are part of the Jockey Club portfolio. It takes the choice of personal touch away and I can’t see many tipping via a card. I would also expect one or two pensioners being to have been caught out by this.
Agree with the praise for the Thursday – the last Saturday I went was the Auroras Encore one, the last Friday at least half a dozen years back. The only problem for me with the Thursday is that four of us are usually in the mix to go – only one other besides myself is a genuine racing fan but he will be the most likely to be a non runner meaning that I will be one of those ‘racegoers’ in the bar in the equestrian/concert place for most of the day though I will ask the other two to accompany me to the paddock for the first to see Bravemansgame in the flesh and hopefully for the Betway Bowl, and to the final hurdle for one race at least – though hard work when I know they’ll never be bitten by the bug.
Have just checked your year, that was 85/86 – the 87/88 one was the Monday, Elsies Allied Newcastle won the race I referred to. I don’t think anyone believes there is anything above zilch chance jump racing on such surfaces will be reintroduced and although to be honest I don’t have any stats to support my claim of a notably higher number of animals finishing lame, I felt that just seemed to be the case looking at the close up comments in the Life the day after.
What I do find more concerning is what appears a push to end flat racing on genuinely fast ground. One of the worst examples of a racecourse bowing to the demands of influential connections was Haydock Park watering to allow Diktat to take his chance in the big sprint. Nowadays it would be par for the course to water anyway.
I just randomly opened the 87/88 form book and Aug 3rd Newton Abbott was run on ‘Hard’ ground and fittingly the second and third home in the 5 runner handicap chase were Yangtse Kiang, a former sprinter trained by Milton Bradley who made hay with fast ground jumpers, notably Grey Dolphin – and the third the 16 year old Carrigeen Hill trained by Jeff King but formerly with Nick Gaselee who I seem to recall a few years before citing this horse as reason why jumping should be allowed to continue on such a surface, though I think if you go back through the old form books you’d see a notably increased number described as finishing lame in races on this sort of surface. Devon &Exeter August 5th was also run on a ‘ Hard’ surface.
Here are Monksfield’s met appointments for the three seasons when he was at his peak. I’ve worked out I saw him in the flesh four times, his famous dead heat with Night Nurse in the 1977 Templegate, his runner up finish to Sea Pigeon in the same race in 1980, and his admirable runner up finishes to Royal Gaye and Beacon Light in the 1978 and 1979 runnings of the Royal Doulton. Sea Pigeon also had a crazy mad schedule book but I think this one matches anything for insanity. So much more entertaining than a season of laid on the plate, small field Graded non handicaps.
1976/77
October 16 Curragh unplaced in a 29 runner flat handicap
October 20 Punchestown 3rd of nine in a handicap hurdle carrying 11 – 3
October 30 Curragh unplaced in a 23 runner flat handicap
November Naas unplaced in a 26 runner flat handicap
November 20 Navan 3rd of 14 in a handicap hurdle carrying 11 – 5
November 27 Naas unplaced in a handicap hurdle
December 4 Fairyhouse won a 16 runner handicap hurdle carrying 11-4
December 28 Leopardstown 4th of 19 in the Irish Sweeps Handicap Hurdle carrying 11-0
January 22 Naas 4th in a 14 runner handicap hurdle carrying 11-10
January 24 Navan won a handicap hurdle carrying 12-0
February 12 Fairyhouse unplaced in a 11 runner handicap hurdle
February 12 Leopardstown 3rd in the Erin Foods Champion Hurdle
March 5 Navan 3rd of 17 in a handicap hurdle carrying 12-0
March 16 Cheltenham runner up to Night Nurse in the Champion Hurdle
April 2 Liverpool dead heated with Night Nurse in the Templegate Hurdle
April 16 Naas won a 25 runner apprentice handicap on the flat under Mick Kinane
April 27 Punchestown 4th of 18 in a handicap hurdle carrying 12-41977/78
October 19 Punchestown unplaced in a 8 runner handicap hurdle
October 29 Curragh 3rd in a 21 runner flat handicap
October 31 Leopardstown 3rd in a 9 runner handicap hurdle carrying 12-2
November 5 Down Royal 3rd of 7 in a conditions hurdle
November 12 Leopardstown 9th of 22 in a flat handicap
January 21 Navan unplaced in a 8 runner handicap hurdle
February 18 Leopardstown 3rd of 16 in the Erin Foods Champion Hurdle
March 15 Cheltenham beat Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse in the Champion Hurdle
April 1 Liverpool beat Night Nurse in the Templegate Hurdle
April 19 Leopardstown won a 22 runner flat Stakes race
April 25 Naas repeated his victory in a flat apprentice handicap, again with Mick Kinane aboard
May 1 Haydock 2nd of 20 in the Royal Doulton Hurdle carrying 12 st1978/79
October 7 Curragh unplaced in a 23 runner flat handicap
October 28 Curragh unplaced in a 16 runner flat handicap
November 4 Down Royal won a 7 runner conditions Hurdle
November 25 Naas 2nd of 10 in a handicap hurdle carrying 12-4
December 2 Fairyhouse 2nd of 10 in a handicap hurdle carrying 12-0
December 27 3rd of 12 carrying 12-0 in the Irish Sweeps Handicap Hurdle
February 24 Leopardstown unplaced in the Erin Foods Champion Hurdle
Cheltenham March 14 beat Sea Pigeon and Beacon Light in the Champion Hurdle
March 31 Liverpool beat Kybo in what was now called the Colt Sigma Hurdle
April 16 Chepstow beat Bird’s Nest in the Welsh Champion Hurdle
May 7 Haydock 2nd of 17 to Beacon Light carrying 12-0 in the Royal Doulton HurdleThe Champion Hurdle was once established as a clear second to the Gold Cup in terms of the importance of the Festival events but as it has gradually lost its mojo, the Champion Chase has sailed past it. I think this is one of the influencing factors in the smartest novice hurdlers more likely to turn straight to fences.
Altior was another at that crossroads – I just can’t believe that a few decades back, even though the hurdling division was overall stronger, that he would not have started off the following season in the Fighting Fifth or Cheltenham Champion Hurdle Trial come Bula. Christ, he really looked the part as a hurdler the day he won the Supreme and that’s without the crystal ball to see how the career of the third home would map out.
A cracking thread by the way…
The top level two mile hurdling sphere has been overall average for many years now. God knows how many potentially smart recruits to hurdling who in times gone by would have been bought by patrons of the the big jumping yards now end up in the Middle East or Australia. I am certain that nowadays Sea Pigeon would have ended up in Royal Blue at the Meydan meeting then appeared again in the likes of that that 1m 6f listed race at York in June. So too could have Comedy of Errors who was a solid handicapper on the level.
I think most of the recent Champion Hurdle winners would have been bit part players in the era beginning with Persian War, continuing with Bula, the Comedy of Errors/Lanzarote rivalry, Night Nurse, Monksfield, and ending with Sea Pigeon’s first Champion Hurdle in 1980 – despite the popularity of the 81 victory he was past his best by then.
And would agree that the buzz has gone from the modern diluted down Cheltenham – I remember a few years back seeing an interview with Willie Mullins who was calling for the introduction of a mares novice chase – Cheltenham was once about doing the utmost to shape your charge into whatever was the most suitable target as opposed to calling for a perfectly tailored race for your animal.
If he was starting out today he’d sadly never get a look in with the raising of minimum weight and the most valuable handicaps having a compressed look to them. Was there the day he won the Vernons on Absalom – was a G2 then and run in November, invariably on soft ground. I got Greville Starkey to sign my racecard as he went out to partner Vaigly Great who finished third.
