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Epsom Dash, June 2, 2012

admin July 11, 2025

Epsom Downs Racecourse, in Surrey, is home to two British Classic races, the Derby and the Oaks, both of which are staged over a mile and a half during the two-day Derby Festival on the first weekend in June. As such, Epsom has seen more than its fair share of nerve-shredding drama and history in the making.

Indeed, Classics aside, the five-furlong course at Epsom, which is downhill for all bar the last 100 yards or so, is the fastest in the world. Thus, it should come as no surprise to learn that the race which immediately precedes the Derby, the Epsom ‘Dash’ – a ‘Heritage’ handicap run on that precipitous course – produced a Guinness World Record on June 2, 2012.

On that occasion, 20 runners went to post in a wide-open renewal, in which the bookmakers bet 7/1 the field. The winner, though, was the unconsidered four-year-old Stone Of Folca, trained by John Best and ridden by Luke Morris, who, at 50/1, was jointly the rank outsider of the party. Having his first start since being gelded, the son of Kodiak – a leading source of speed – was ridden to lead with over a furlong to run and driven out to win by a half a length. His winning time, 53.69 seconds, was the fastest recorded in Britain since the advent of electronic timing, although he only beat the previous record, set by Spark Chief, nearly three decades earlier, on August 30, 1983, by just one hundredth of a second.

As a two-year-old, Stone Of Folca had finished second, beaten a neck, in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood and contested the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York – albeit finishing last but one of the 12 runners – before winning a lowly, four-runner median auction maiden stakes race at Folkestone at odds of 1/8. Remarkably, his Epsom heroics aside, that would prove to be his only other win in 31 starts.

Derby, June 1, 1983

admin July 11, 2025

The 1983 Derby, run at Epsom on June 1, was staged on unseasonably soft going after abormal spring weather, including notably high rainfall in England and Wales in April and May, led to the abandonment of several traditional Derby trials, including the Chester Vase.One trial that did take place, though, was the Lingfield Derby Trial, run on heavy going and won, in taking style, by Teenoso, owned by Eric Moller, trained by Geoff Wragg (in his first season since taking over the licence from his father, Harry, at Abingdon Place) and ridden by Steve Cauthen.

A confirmed mudlark, with proven stamina over a mile and a half and, following the defeat of Polished Silver, trained by Henry Cecil, in the Predominate Stakes at Goodwood, the choice of Lester Piggott in the Derby, Teenoso was, rather inevitably, sent off 9/2 favourite at Epsom. However, the market support proved well founded. Always prominent in the 21-strong field, Teenoso was sent into the lead with three furlongs remaining, soon went clear and never looked like being caught. Carlingford Castle stayed on past the weakening Guns Of Navarone inside the final furlong to finish second, as did Shearwalk, in third, but they were still three lengths and the same behind Teenoso at the line.

The winning time, 2:49.07, 17.74 seconds slower than the course record for the Derby, at Epsom, was the slowest recorded during the twentieth century. Nonetheless, Teenoso was a ninth Derby winner for Piggott, extending the record that he set with his seventh winner, Empery, in 1976 and extended with his eighth, The Minstrel, in 1977. Previously, Jem Robinson and Steve Donoghue had jointly held the record with six Derby winners apiece.

Teenoso stayed in training as a four-year-old, winning the Ormond Stakes at Chester, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, on good to firm going, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. At Ascot, on the fastest ground he had encountered, Teenoso faced the likes of Darshaan, Sadler’s Wells, Sun Princess and Time Charter but, having taken the lead with half a mile or so to run, was never headed and went on to win going away in what proved to be his last race.

1,000 Guineas, May 5, 2024

admin July 11, 2025

Some horse races are memorable because of the dramatic nature of the finish, some are memorable because of the wider ramifications of the result, in terms of the history of the race, itself, or the records of the horses, or connections, involved and some are memorable for a combination of the above. The 1,000 Guineas, run, as ever, on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, on May 3, 2024, fell into the latter category. Victory for the largely unconsidered Elmalka, a Kingman filly owned by

Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and trained by Roger Varian, was the first in a British Classic for Brazilian-born jockey Silvestre de Sousa, but was achieved in desperate, last-gasp fashion.

Elmalka had won on her debut, despite running green, in a lowly novice stakes race at Southwell the previous November, but left that promising effort some way behind when a rallying third, beaten just a neck and the same, in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes, over seven furlongs, at Newbury on the first start of her three-year-old campaign. Drawn in stall 16 of 16 at Newmarket, Elmalka did herself few favours by missing the break, but having raced in last place, made good headway heading into the downhill penultimate furlong and, although briefly unbalanced heading out of ‘The Dip’, ran on strongly in the closing stages. She eventually caught the front-running Ramatuelle a stride or two from the line, as did the second-placed Porta Fortuna, to win by a neck in a driving finish. Ramatuelle finished third, a further short-head away, the eyecatching Tamfana fourth and Ylang Ylang in a race where the the first five home were covered by just a length.

Thus, Elmalka became the third British Classic winner for Varian, who had previously won the St. Leger twice, with Kingston Hill in 2014 and Eldar Eldarov in 2022. She had three more starts in 2024, all in Group 1 company, but failed to trouble the judge in any of them. In fact, she finished fourth in all three, the Coronation Stakes (behind Porta Fortuna), the Nassau Stakes and the Sun Chariot Stakes (behind Tamfana).

William Hill Trophy 2009

admin May 9, 2025

The race currently known, for sponsorship purposes, as the Ultima Handicap Chase is run over three miles and a furlong on the Old Course at Cheltenham, where it has the distinction of being the first of 12 fiercely competitive handicaps run at the Cheltenham Festival. Between 1998 and 2010, the race was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill and hence run as the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase.

History records that, on March 10, 2009, the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase was won, by a neck, by the 5/1 favourite, Wichita Lineman, owned by J.P. McManus, trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by Tony McCoy. However, that bare result does not tell the full story.

Despite his position at the head of the market, Wichita Lineman was never jumping with any fluency and McCoy did well to survive a blunder at the ninth fence. The eight-year-old proceeded to hit the next fence, hit the last fence on the far side, when making ground, and put in what commentator Mike Cattermole described as a ‘shoddy jump’ at the third last, by which time his chance appeared to have gone.

However, McCoy said later, “I knew he’d come home well if I could just give him a chance by keeping close enough.” Remarkably, McCoy did give Wichita Lineman a chance and, to his credit, his mount started to rally from the second-last fence, and jumped the final fence in third place. He still had plenty to do to catch the leader, Maljimar, who traded as low as 1.06 on the Betfair betting exchange but, given the office by McCoy, Wichita Lineman produced a strong run to lead in the dying strides and win a neck; he had been matched at a high of 60 on Betfair. Sadly, there was no fairytale ending for Wichita Lineman, who suffered a fatal fall at the first fence in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse the following month.

RSA Novices’ Chase 2020

admin May 9, 2025

The Broadway Novices’ Chase is run over an extended three miles on the Old Course at Cheltenham, where it is currently scheduled as the second race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival, otherwise known as ‘Ladies Day’. The race has been run under various sponsored titles its history, most recently as the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, but for the best part of five decades was sponsored by the RSA Insurance Group and its predecessors.

Coincidentally, the 2020 renewal of the RSA Novices’ Chase, which was the last to be sponsored by the long-serving general insurance company, also produced one of the most memorable finishes of recent times. A total of 10 runners went to post, with the market headed by Allaho, trained by Willie Mullins, and Minella Indo, trained by Henry De Bromhead, who had finished third and first, respectively, in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. Both had made a smooth transition to the larger obstacles, but Minella Indo was sent off marginal favourite at 5/2, with Allaho at 3/1, Champ, trained by Nicky Henderson, at 4/1 and 6/1 bar that trio.

The market leaders, who had been 1-2 throughout, looked to have the race between them from the second-last fence, and were 8½ lengths clear of their nearest pursuer, Champ. They continued to duel up the run-in, with Minella Indo, ridden by Rachael Blackmore, looking the more likely winner. Meanwhile, though, Champ, ridden by Barry Geraghty, in the famous green-and-gold colours of J.P. McManus, continued to make up ground hand-over-fist on the ailing leaders. In the last half a furlong or so, he swept between them to win by a length, going away. Minella Indo finished second, a similar distance ahead of Allaho, who was fully 22 lengths ahead of the fourth horse home.