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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.

King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1975

admin May 9, 2025

The King George & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 26, 1975 was soon dubbed the ‘Race of the Century’. The mile-and-a-half contest featured a stellar field, including Dahlia, who had won the race is both 1973 and 1974, Dibidale, who had won the Irish Oaks the previous season, and Star Appeal, who had already won the Eclipse Stakes and would go on to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

However, despite the strength of the opposition, the race developed into a showdown between Grundy, trained by Peter Walwyn and ridden by Pat Eddery, and Bustino, trained by Dick Hern and ridden by Joe Mercer. Grundy had won both the Derby and the Irish Derby in taking style, while Bustino, who had won the St. Leger as a three-year-old, had broken the course record when winning the Coronation Cup – run over the same course and distance as the Derby – en route to Ascot.

In an effort to expose any stamina deficiencies in his main rival, Hern employed not one but two pacemakers, Highest and Kinglet, who took the field along at a blistering gallop for the first mile of so. Rounding the home turn, Kinglet finally capitulated, and at the top of the home straight – which, at Ascot, is just two and half furlongs long – Bustino held a definite advantage over Grundy.

Approaching the final furlong, it became clear that the pair had the race between them, but it was not until the final 150 yards that Grundy, the three-year-old, put his head in front. Even when he did, Bustino, the four-year-old, rallied under maximum pressure and looked, momentarily, like he might get back up. He didn’t, though, and Grundy passed the post half a length to the good, in a time of 2:26.98, thereby smashing the course record.

Stayers’ Hurdle 1999

admin May 9, 2025

On March 18, 1999 – the same day on which Paul Nicholls won his first Cheltenham Gold Cup with See More Business – a dozen horses went to post for the three-mile hurdling championship, the Stayers’ Hurdle. Deano’s Beeno, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Tony McCoy, and Le Coudray, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Charlie Swan, shared joint-favouritism at 2/1, with Lady Rebecca, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Norman Williamson, next best at 3/1 and 16/1 bar the front three in the market.

Deano’s Beeno was the only one of the market leaders who failed to figure in the finish, paying the price for setting a strong pace and weakening to finish only ninth of 10 finishers. Le Coudray and Lady Rebecca, though, went head-to-head on the run to the final flight and Le Coudray looked all over when taking a two-length lead inside the final hundred yards. However, in a classic case of “It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over”, Anzum, who had been noted starting “pick up for a place” by commentator Graham Goode approaching the final flight, produced a strong run to deny Le Coudray by a neck.

Trained by David Nicholson and ridden by Richard Johnson, Anzum had looked a bona fide 40/1 chance beforehand, having finished fully 52 lengths behind Lady Rebecca, on the same terms, in the Cleeve Hurdle, also at Cheltenham, two months previously. He would, however, follow up in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown a month later, for all that Le Coudray, who was sent off at 1/2 for that contest, finihsed distressed after being pulled up entering the straight. The following December, having been transferred to the care of Nicholson’s former assistant, Alan King, Anzum also beat Deano’s Beano, at level weights, in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Kentucky Derby 2009

admin May 8, 2025

The 2009 renewal of the ‘Run for the Roses’ featured 19 runners and was run, as usual, over a mile and quarter on dirt at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on May 2, 2009. Run on going officially described as ‘sloppy’, following overnight rain, the race was memorable for a long-priced winner, a wide winning margin and slightly bizarre television commentary.

The winner was the unheralded Mind That Bird, trained by Bennie ‘Chip’ Woolley Jr. in New Mexico and ridden by Louisian-born Calvin ‘Bo’Rail’ Borel. The son of Birdstone had won his first three starts, all at Woodbine, for David Cotey, but finished last of 12 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, following his transfer to Richard Mandella and had been beaten on the first two starts of his three-year-old campaign, both at Sunland Park, for Woolley Jr.

Down the back straight, Mind That Bird was, rather dismissively, described by announcer Tom Durkin as ‘well behind the rest of them’. However, on the approach the home turn, apparently unseen by Durkin, Mind That Bird started to make rapid headway from the rear of the field, such that he was in eighth position setting off up the home straight. Switched off, and back onto, the rail to avoid a tiring rival, Mind That Bird actually took the lead with just over a furlong to run but, Durkin, still apparently oblivious to his presence, continued to focus his attention on the better-fancied pair Pioneerof The Nile and Musket Man.

It was only when the eventual winner was three lengths ahead and drawing further clear that Durkin acknowledged, “er, Mind That Bird” in the lead. The winning margin was eventually seven lengths, the widest since 1946, and the winning odds, 51/1, were, at the time, the second-longest in the history of the Kentucky Derby. The aoforementioned Pioneerof The Nile finished second, coming out best in a three-way photograph with Musket Man and Papa Clem.