The One's who made history

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The One's who made history

Post by Oscar Namechange »

I'll start with this picture.

No 8 takes Becher's Brook In 1973

The Australian Chaser Crisp was 30 lengths clear until caught on the run In.

He won the 1973, 1974 and 1977 Grand National. He was 2nd twice In 75 and 76

RED RUM

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At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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The One's who made history

Post by Lady J »

New Year - new races!

How is Penalty Scorer and Ted's Brother fairing out?

And I still haven't received my Christmas gift from you! :wah:

I thought with your winnings one would have arrived by now!!!:yh_rotfl
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Lady J;1471785 wrote: New Year - new races!

How is Penalty Scorer and Ted's Brother fairing out?

And I still haven't received my Christmas gift from you! :wah:

I thought with your winnings one would have arrived by now!!!:yh_rotfl
Tell me where to send It... I haven't forgotten !!!!

Next up.... For me... the saddest of those we remember.

This horse won the Sandown Classic Trial by 10 lengths. He won the Chester Vase by 12. Yet It was the 1981 Derby that saw him propelled Into true championship winning by 10 lengths making him a household name.

It was February 8th 1983 that the racing world mourned and the country was stunned. He remains one of the most unanswered crimes In the country for on this day he was kidnapped after his trainer and family were held at gunpoint at the Aga Khan’s Ballymany Stud. Ransom letters arrived soon after but he was never handed over

Due to the political climate, It Is widely believed that It was the IRA. In the 1990's a former IRA Informant claimed he'd met his death by machine gun. It's believed the IRA had no Idea of how highly strung a thoroughbred race horse can be and upon opening the box their end, the horse flipped out and they had no choice but to shoot him.

No part or body has ever been recovered although Investigations to his whereabouts still continue today In the racing world to bring him home and give him the funeral and plaque all our champions are afforded In death.

I truly hope that In my lifetime they find him and he gets buried with the honours he deserves. He;s owed that.

SHERGAR

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At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Next up, I nip over to America and June 9th 1973... a date some pundits still argue was the one of the greatest racing feats of all time. I would have to agree... completing the Triple Crown by an astonishing 31 lengths.

Half way round, he'd broken the track record, clocking one minute, 9.4 seconds.

Picture by Bob Coglianese



SECRETARIAT

Absolutely astonishing



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Next up, back to England.

Those who know me, know I have had a love affair with this horse for many years travelling all over the country to see him. In my closet hangs a coat that will never be cleaned after he sprayed me In horse snot one day.

Very few British horses has the honour of being afforded a nickname or tag. They have to be pretty special to deserve that honour.

This horse executed to perfection one of the greatest If not the biggest Steeple Chasing feats of our times.

Earnings £1,141,347

The Aon Chase at Newbury was renamed In his honour. 2008 Gold Cup winner and 2007 Lexus Chase winner. 2007, he took the Hennessy Gold Cup. In 2009 he was the third horse In history to bid to reclaim the Hennessy. What made It even more remarkable was he had been out of action with a heart problem and recovering from a road accident at home. His scars were visible on the day. The huge beast of a horse was described by the Guardian at the time as ; Big horses are an atrial-fibrillation accident waiting to happen; But this was no also ran. This was the one they dubbed ' The Tank'

He lined up for the 2009 Hennessy Gold Cup. The 19 entrants were no ordinary field. They comprised of a Gold Cup winner, a former winner of the race, a Grand National winner, an Irish Grand National winner and Irish challengers. Due to a blistering season, they handicapped him to the max. The average weight In the race was 7 stone 8 lbs. They weighted him down with lead weights to an astonishing 11 stone 12 lb, the most any Steeple Chaser had carried. They said he'd never do It, couldn't do It. By all accounts from his trainer, he was a difficult horse prone to dark moods. Those moods would see him dump his jockey In the nearest ditch If he wasn't In the mood as he did with AP McCoy, refuse to start or just stop half way round or absolute refusal to swing right handed on some tracks.

His style was to lead from the front and always find something extra where It mattered In the final stages running the finish out of the field.

Yet, they didn't call him Tank for nothing.

Photograph courtesy of errrrrrrrr ME

DENMAN aka The Tank

The greatest Steeple chasing feat I ever had the privilage to witness.



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Next up Is another British race horse who has the honour of being given a nickname and tag In the racing world..... The one they call ' The Machine.

Not a Steeple chaser but a hurdler.

Winner of The Cleeve Hurdle 2009 and 2012

Winner of The Liverpool Hurdle 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012

Winner of The Long Walk Hurdle 2009, 2010 and 2011

Winner of The Long Distance Hurdle 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012

Earnings £1,275,333

He goes Into the history books for being the only horse to win 4 consecutive World Hurdles In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Injury saw him miss the 2013 World Hurdle and returning In 2014 he was clearly not recovered enough. As he returned to the unsaddling enclosure at the Cheltenham Festival In March this year, people took to their feet to give him a standing ovation as his retirement was announced by Paul Nicholl's. I even saw grown men shed a tear at the announcement. He now lives out his days with Denman In retirement.

For me, the greatest staying Hurdler of my generation.

BIG BUCKS aka The Machine

Picture courtesy of Wikki

I have to say that this race gave me one of the biggest near heart attacks I have come close to thanks to a french pretender Vole La Vedette who frightened the life out me In the closing stages. This race also saw my beautiful beautiful Dynaste but he was outclassed.

History was also made on this day.... 16 wins on the bounce.



RIP Oscar Whiskey

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Next up Is a tiny little mare who Is also one of the very few privilged with a nickname by the racing world, simply ' The Wonder Mare'.

She's an odd example this one as most race horses work their way up gaining experience but this Willie Mullin's superstar was only ever geared to two races.

Winner of The World Series Hurdle 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013

She goes down In history as the only horse to win the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle 6 consecutive times. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

By all accounts she Is a difficult one to handle and It's believed she's was the most pampered and cosseted horse In training. I've also heard rumours that she'd take your face off as soon as look at you.

When she returned to the winners enclosure In March last year, the roof came off. Yet, as always, she left her challenge right to the last moment giving me a fright every year,

QUEVEGA aka The Wonder Mare

Photograph care of Wikki

Quevega makes history.



RIP Cockney Sparrow





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At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Just slip this In... Big Bucks returns to the winners enclosure after winning his 4 th World Hurdle and the roof comes off.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Those who know me well, will know I couldn't get much further without bringing In the horse I have traveled the length and bredth of the country for. The only other with the privalage of being given a nickname and that Is simply ' The King'.

I have over the years unashamably followed this horse like some demented groupie but my efforts at least gave me the privalage of witnessing history on more than one occasion.

There Is so much to say about him but where do you start.? What I do know, Is this Is the greatest Steeple Chaser of my generation and we won't see his like again.

I simply can't list all his wins. Far too much but he made history time after time. He became the first horse ever to reclaim The Gold Cup. The first horse to win 5 King George;s. The First horse to win 4 Betfair Chases. Add Two Tingle Creeks to that. The Novices Chase at Kempton Park Is named after him. At Kempton Park a statue honours him along with a bar named after after him. At Cheltenham there Is a resturant named after him and at Haydock Park, another statue honours him.

No photograph needed as this video says It all. Although the accolades are out of date due to him winning after the video was made.

KAUTO STAR aka The King



The Legend of Haydock Park



eta... Kauts also made history In another way. It was him that made the Horse Racing Authority change remounting regulations after In his early days Jockey Walsh remounted him after falling and drove the Injured Kauto Star to the line.

I don't believe I'll ever see another 3 miler plus like this In my lifetime.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Before I retire for the night, I'm going to put another In who didn't officially make history but for us race goers, he did In another way by being the greatest horse never to win a Gold Cup. One that fills me with great sadness when his name Is mentioned.

He should have won a Gold Cup and he was one of Cheltenham's most loved Chasers. As other pundits put It, his only downfall was being unfortunate enough to belong to the same era as Denman and Kauto Star who he just couldn't get pass.

But, of that era, he was one of the most highly rated chasers,

Winner of the 2008 Lexus Chase

Winner of The Totesport Bowl 2007

Winner of The 2007 Cotswold Chase

Winner of The 2006 Paddypower Gold Cup

Winner of The Boylesports Gold Cup 2006

Runner up to Kauts or Denman In many races.

His final race was The Totesport Bowl at Aintree on 2nd April 2009 shortly after coming 3rd behind Kauts and Denman In the Gold Cup. As ever he gave his all finishing 2nd on the most gruelling course In the UK.

After the race he was taken as usual to his box stall where he suffered a massive heart attack, laid down and died.

He had taken on Kauto Star 8 times In his career and just couldn't get past him but he remains one of our greatest chasers.

No pic needed.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Have you ever heard thousands of people take a sharp Intake of breathe In unison ? One of which your own.? The silence between that gasp and the exhaling that seems to last forever.? Scroll through to 6 minutes In the video when I believe thousand of hearts stopped In horror Including mine.

The 2010 Gold Cup

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Now something that made history In that It saw one of the fences renamed.

A pile up so spectacular that It forever was know In history as ' Disaster at the 23 rd. '

The 1967 Grand National.

One horse, shouldn't really have been there at all. In two seasons, he hadn't managed to clock up one win. Such a rank outsider and no hoper, that neither his trainer nor owner even bothered going to Aintree that day to see him. In fact, the pundits treated him with complete derision.

All was well by the 22nd obstacle with the no hoper far behind. Popham Down had been brought down at the very first obstacle and had ridden riderless. Then for reasons still unknown today, he sharply swung out to the right, crashing Into the field. What followed was the biggest pile up In racing history.

One horse was so far behind that he avoided the disaster..... By the time jockeys had scrambled to remount, they couldn't catch him.

The 23 rd was renamed ' The Foinavon' In his memory.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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This went down In history as one of the most bizzarre. To this day, no-one knows what happened and why this horse did what he did.

The 1956 Grand National

He didn't have just any owner for his owner was Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

He had success at Cheltenham that year and was well fancied and well backed.

Toward the end of the race, only 10 horses remained on their feet and It was looking good for The Queen Mother. He was on the final run In, just 40 yards from the winning post, right In front of the Royal Box and 5 lengths clear.

There's many speculations to this day as to why he did what he did. Some pundits have offered, stomach cramp, a shadow being thrown up from the water jump on the opposite side, even cheers from the crowd spooked him but what he did went down In history as ' The Phantom Leap'

In racing now, the term ' To do a Devon Loch' Is a metaphore for an unexpected failure.

DEVON LOCH

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Post by Oscar Namechange »

I didn't put a link In for ' Rummy' Red Rum... I like this best, a tribute.



Red Rum Is buried at the winning post on Aintree race course, home of The Grand National. It's a very humble place to be where grown men leave roses and shed tears. It's hard not to.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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Next up, a horse simply known as Dessie. Many argue that simply because he was a Grey, the nation took to their hearts more than others.

He made history In 1990 when he became the only horse to win 4 King George Stakes and a statue honours him at Kempton Park. He lost that title when Kauto Star eclipsed his record winning 5 King Georges.

1989 winner of the Gold Cup.

The racing world still mourn and honour him but sorry, I dispute many a pundit who claim he was the greatest steeple chaser of our time. I had the honour of seeing him race and parade myself and he certainly had a presence so many others lack.

DESERT ORCHID



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The One's who made history

Post by FourPart »

I was mainly raised just a few miles down the road from Aintree, in Ormskirk.
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FourPart;1472293 wrote: I was mainly raised just a few miles down the road from Aintree, in Ormskirk. Lucky you !!!! So many of the Grade 1 Steeple Chase races are held there, not just The Grand National. I find the journey from Bristol when I do go as difficult and tiring. I'd be there all the time If I lived near.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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I'm going to put one In here that I am sure no pundit would Include. He may not have made history per say but for me he did In another remarkable way and no doubt why he'll be talked about by pundits for many a year.

I had a soft spot for this horse since I first saw him charging up the Cheltenham Hill On March 2009. A young novice who Impressed me and we believed we'd witnessed a future great. I really do believe he was headed for championship and great things possibly even a Grand National winner.

On 19th March 2011 I was devastated when he fell at Uttoxeter In the Midlands Grand National and broke his neck. Seeing him stricken on the turf really upset me and I openly sobbed that day.

Yet testament to his trainer Paul Nicholl's he was winched up and given months of specialist care Including months of box rest. No-one ever expected to see him on British turf again so you can only Imagine the reception he got when with such bravery he ran at Huntingdon after being out of action for two years In February last year. Not only did he run again but he won that race.

It was a treat to see him parade at Cheltenham last year but sadly he was pulled up In his race. No shame there after what he went through.

TRICKY TRICKSTER

Scroll to 1.22



I can't help but wonder how good he'd have been without that fall that robbed him.

The day Tricky won the Aon ... look at that finish !!!! Also the day, Denman dumped AP McCoy on the Newbury turf.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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