by GRAHAM OLIVER THE Musidora Stakes is an Oaks trial held on the Knavesmire and named in honour of the 1949 Oaks winner. Musidora was a bay filly by Nasrullah out of Painted Vale by Gainsborough. She was named after the French silent screen star Jeanne Roques, whose stage name was Musidora. Nasrullah also sired …[Read More]
02
May 2017
Memory Lane: Fleet: 1967 1000 Guineas winner
by GRAHAM OLIVER Noel Murless saddled six winners of the 1000 Guineas: Fleet was number three, winning in 1967. She was a bay filly by the unraced Never Say Die stallion Immortality. Her dam, Review, was by Panorama, who had won the Coventry and Champagne Stakes during a seven-race unbeaten two-year-old career. Besides Fleet, Review …[Read More]
23
Apr 2017
Memory Lane: Tudor Minstrel
by GRAHAM OLIVER WHO was the greatest 2000 Guineas winner ever? Was it Tudor Minstrel, was it Brigadier Gerard, or was it Frankel? Of course, we will never know, but we can surmise. This short piece is about making the case for Tudor Minstrel… Foaled in 1944, Tudor Minstrel was a brown colt by the …[Read More]
05
Feb 2017
Horse race moments that will leave you breathless
by SHARON KAPLAN There are a number of people that can remember the sounds and smells of the horse track. Perhaps it was one of the your first memories as a young and innocent child; the day you held your grandfather’s hand while looking up at the creatures that were supposed to make your old …[Read More]
29
Jun 2015
Race of the century? 1903 Eclipse
by GRAHAM OLIVER The first Eclipse Stakes was run at Sandown Park in 1886 and was won by the six-year-old Bendigo. The race was worth £10,000, making it the richest horse race in Great Britain. The winning purse was very nearly double that of the Derby winner. The three main protagonists for the 1903 Eclipse …[Read More]
29
Sep 2014
Burrough Hill Lad: The Making of a Champion Racehorse
AS autumn leaves begin to gather on the pavements and the chillier mornings leave us with goosebumps, it can only mean that proper Jump racing is almost upon us. The Charlie Hall Chase is a few weeks away… the Paddy Power Gold Cup is within sight. But if you really want to set the National …[Read More]
04
Apr 2013
The Grand National: Tears and tantrums
THE scream was piercing. Then there was silence. The remaining horses had already streamed over the Canal Turn but most people’s thoughts and hearts were back at Becher’s Brook. The screaming woman was now in tears. Real, stinging tears. And she was not alone… This was 1987. It was my first Grand National. But to …[Read More]
Jason Heavey | One comment | Tags: According To Pete, Aintree, Aldaniti, Alverton, Andy Pandy, Becher's Brook, Corbiere, Dark Ivy, Gordon Richards, Grand National, Jenny Pitman, Maori Venture, Mick Fitzgerald, Neptune Collonges, Nicolaus Silver, Phil Tuck, Rag Trade, Red Marauder, Red Rum, Rough Quest, Synchronised, West Tip
05
Mar 2013
Cheltenham Festival memories: Peter Scudamore
SOME of my earliest Cheltenham Festival memories centred around the glorious failure of one man to ride a winner. Peter Scudamore was my favourite jockey when I was a youngster. He may have lacked the riding style and panache of John Francome but he always looked like he was giving 100% on his horse. I …[Read More]
03
Dec 2012
Memory Lane: Waterloo Boy
IT’S slightly strange how we become attached to certain racehorses. I have no idea why I loved Ben Nevis, so much so that I backed him to win the Grand National in 1980 as a young lad. Likewise, there was Barton Bank. He seemed to be around for years in the 90s and I willed …[Read More]
26
Nov 2012
Memory Lane: Hennessy Gold Cup
The Hennessy Gold Cup has a special place in national hunt hearts. It’s been won by the equine elite including Mill House, Arkle, Burrough Hill Lad and Denman, and remains one of the jewels in the crown of the jumps season. It has also been unspoilt by having different names and has the longest commercial …[Read More]
