2025

Cheltenham Gold Cup 1964

admin May 8, 2025

The Cheltenham Gold Cup run on March 7, 1964 featured the highly-anticipated showdown between Mill House, trained by Fulke Walwyn, and Arkle, trained by Tom Dreaper. Mill House had won the 1963 Cheltenham Gold Cup, as a six-year-old, and comfortably beaten Arkle, who was in receipt of 5lb, in the Hennessy Gold Cup (now the Coral Cup) at Newbury on their first meeting the previous November. However, Arkle slipped badly on landing after the third-last fence, and his jockey, Pat Taaffe, said later, “I always thought after the Hennessy that Arkle was the best horse if they were to meet again.”

In any event, on a bitterly cold, snowy day, in a field of just four runners, Mill House was sent off 8/13 favourite to defend his title, with Arkle at 7/4, King’s Nephew at 20/1 and Pas Seul (who’d won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1960 and finished close second in 1961) at 50/1. Mill House made the running and the ‘big two’ drew clear of their toiling rivals on the downhill run to the third-last fence. Rounding the home turn, Willie Robinson reached for his whip on Mill House as he was joined, and passed, by Arkle.

Arkle jumped the last a length to the good and only had to be kept up to his work on the run-in to win, going away, by five lengths.Passing the post, Sir Peter O’Sullevan said, rather prophetically, “This is the champion. This is the best we’ve seen for a long time.” For the record, Pas Seul finished third, a further 25 lengths away.

Arkle would, of course, win the 1965 Cheltenham Gold Cup, too, beating Mill House by 20 lengths and, in the absence of the ‘Big Horse’, go on to complete a hat-trick in the ‘Blue Riband’ event, at prohibitive odds of 1/10, in 1966. Cath Walwyn, wife of Fulke, once said in an interview, “It was the biggest shock of Fulke’s career…He thought he had the horse of the century – but he hadn’t.”

Belmont Stakes 1973

admin May 8, 2025

Owned by Christopher and Penny Chenery, under the Meadow Stable banner, and trained by Lucien Laurin, Secretariat won 16 of his 21 races and just over $1.3 million (approximately $9.5 million, accounting for inflation) in prize money. However, ‘Big Red’, as he was affectionately known, will always be best remembered for his three-year-old campaign, in 1973, during which he won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, thereby becoming the ninth horse in history to win the American Triple Crown.

Remarkably, Secretariat set, and still holds, records for the fastest winning times in all three races. His 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he completed in 2:24, led Charles Hatton, columnist for the ‘Daily Racing Form’, to proclaim, “He could not have moved faster if he had fallen off the grandstand roof.”

At Belmont Park in Elmont, New York on June 9, 1973, Secretariat faced just four rivals, the pick of which was Sham, whom he had already beaten in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Consequently, Secretariat was sent off at 1/10 to complete the Triple Crown, but even such hugely prohibitive odds proved entirely justified. Secretariat, on the inside, and Sham, on the outside, set off at breakneck speed and heading down the back straight were 10 lengths ahead of their nearest pursuer. However, after early exertion soon took its toll on the latter, who would eventually fade to finish last, as Secretariat drew further and further clear.

“He is moving like a tremendous machine!” exclaimed announcer Chic Anderson as Secretariat approached the home turn and the son of Bold Ruler galloped on in splendid isolation all the way to the finish line. His winning margin was, and still is, the widest in the history of the Belmont Stakes and his winning time took 2.60 seconds off the previous world record for a mile and a half.

Grand National 1973

admin April 29, 2025

It is difficult to argue that Red Rum is not the greatest Grand National horse of all time, having won the the world-famous steeplechase an unprecedented three times, in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and finished second in both the intervening years. However, on the occasion of his first win, on March 31, 1973, despite being sent off as 9/1 joint-favourite, he actually turned out to be the villain of the piece to some extent.

Trained by the inimitable Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain and ridden by Brian Fletcher, Red Rum shared favouritism with the Australian-bred Crisp, trained by Fred Winter and ridden by Richard Pitman. Indeed, it was Crisp who made much of the running and, having established a sizable lead, was left even further clear when his nearest pursuer, Grey Sombrero, fell at The Chair towrds the end of the first circuit. Despite top weight of 12 stone, continued in tremendous style throughout the second circuit and jumping Becher’s Brook was still 20 lengths clear of Red Rum.

Red Rum, who was carrying 10st 5lb, 23lb less than his market rival, started to make steady headway on the run to the third-last fence, but was still fully 15 lengths behind as the pair started off up the infamously long-run in. Agonsingly, approaching the Elbow, Crisp started to wander around under pressure and inside the final furlong the writing was on the wall for the ailing leader. Sir Peter O’Sullevan described the action thus, “Crisp is getting very tired, and Red Rum is pounding after him. Red Rum is the one who’s finishing the strongest. He’s going to get up! Red Rum is going to win the National. At the line Red Rum has just snatched it from Crisp!”

Just three-quarters of a length separated the pair at the line, with a yawning, 25-length gap back to the third horse home, L’Escargot, who had already won the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice and would win the Grand National in 1975. Red Red also set a new course record of 9:1.90, which would stand until 1990.

Grand National 1956

admin April 29, 2025

On March 24, 1956, ESB, trained by Fred Rimmell and ridden by Dave Dick, won the Grand National, coming home 10 lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, Gentle Moya. However, the bare result masks the fact that, moments earlier, the race had produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of the celebrated steeplechase.

Devon Loch, owned by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, trained by Peter Cazalet and ridden by Dick Francis, jumped the final fence ahead of ESB and extended his advantage on the run-in. Just yards from the finish line, though, with the race seemingly at his mercy, Devon Loch slithered to the ground in an unflattering belly flop, with his forelegs splayed out in front of him, and his race was over. Devon Loch regained his feet but, believing his mount was injured, Francis quickly dismounted.

However, the racecourse veterinary surgeon subsequently reported Devon Loch perfectly sound afterwards, so the cause of his mishap remains an abiding mystery. Various theories have been suggested, including that Devon Loch slipped on a patch of false ground, collapsed due to cramp and exhaustion or was confused by the sight of the Water Jump – which is jumped only on the first circuit of the Grand National – on his inside. Newsreel footage of the incident does show his front feet leaving the ground, in a fly-jump of sorts, but also that he pricks his ears immediately beforehand. It may well be, as Francis suggested, that Devon Loch, who was making his Grand National debut, was simply overwhelmed by the rising cacophony of noise from the grandstands, in anticipation of a popular Royal winner.

Victory for ESB may have been overshadowed by the bewildering failure of Devon Loch, but he turned out to be the first of a still joint-record four Grand National winners for Fred Rimmell. ‘Mr Grand National’, as he became known, went on to saddle Nicolaus Silver (1961), Gay Trip (1970) and Rag Trade (1976) and shares the record with George Dockeray and Donald ‘Ginger’ McCain.

King George VI Chase 2011

admin April 29, 2025

The King George VI Chase has been a fixture of the Boxing Day card at Kempton Park since 1947 and its roll of honour includes the likes of Arkle, Pendil, Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid and Best Mate, to name but a handful of its illustrious winners. However, any of those famous names would do well to match the in-running comment recorded in the ‘Racing Post’ following the victory of Kauto Star on December 26, 2011. It read, “Jumped impeccably, prominent, tracked leader 6th, led 8th, stepped up the pace from 12th, about 4 lengths clear from 15th, never going to be caught after, ridden out flat, awesome.”

Superlatives were definitely in order for the by then-11-year-old, who was in the twilight of his racing career, but both trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh deserve plaudits for devising, and executing, tactics that allowed Kauto Star to beat his old rival Long Run. Long Run had beaten an out-of-sorts Kauto Star by 19 lengths in the rescheduled renewal of the 2010 King Geoge VI Chase, run in January 2011 and, again, by 11 lengths, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two months later.

Long Run started even money favourite at Kempton despite being beaten eight lengths by Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock the previous month, but the latter was not to be denied in his attempt to win the Boxing Day showpiece for the fifth time in six years. To his credit, Long Run kept trying, despite a mistake at the final fence but, although he closed on the run-in, he was never able to challenge and Kauto Star passed the post a length and a quarter to the good. In so doing, he beat the previous record set by the inimitable Desert Orchid, who won the King George VI Chase four times, in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990, and made his swansong appearance in the 1991 renewal.