2007 Departures - Horses In Training

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CLAN ROYAL, one of the best Grand National horses never to win a Grand National, on Tuesday entered honourable retirement as one of the most successful yet unluckiest horses in Aintree history.

Confirmation that the 12-year-old had run his last race came from trainer Jonjo O'Neill, who revealed that he and JP McManus had decided that the time was right to draw stumps on the veteran's racing career.

Although successful on his first two missions over the Grand National fences when triumphant in the 2003 runnings of the Topham and Becher Chases, Clan Royal is sure to be remembered for the races he never won but perhaps might have granted better fortune.

Competing in his first Grand National in 2003, the French-bred was robbed of glory after a race not to be remembered fondly by rider Liam Cooper. The young jockey first lost his whip at the 26th fence and then effectively threw away any chance of victory when steering his mount towards the Chair and not the Elbow in the closing stages.

Jockey error was in no way to blame 12 months later when Clan Royal and Tony McCoy were carried out by a loose horse while in front and seemingly going strongly at the second Becher's Brook. Defeat was more palatable in 2006 when the combination finished third to Numbersixvalverde, while one year on the stayer completed in 11th place.

O'Neill said: "JP and myself came to the decision to retire him as he owes us nothing, and it's always good to let these old horses go out while they are still somewhere near the top.

"He will spend the rest of his days at JP's Martinstown Stud, where he will join the likes of Istabraq, who has been there ever since he was retired.

"The old horse really loved Aintree, and he must be one of the unluckiest not to have won a Grand National, but it was not to be."

Although frustrated in the Grand National, Clan Royal did win eight times, the first three when trained in County Kildare by Arthur Moore. In all, he raced 30 times, amassing £334,697 in win and place prize-money.
 
From the RP

BARTON BANK, one of Britain's best chasers of the 1990s, has been put down at the age of 21 after enjoying a nine-year retirement with bloodstock agent David Minton.

The top-flight chaser, destined to be remembered as much for his last-fence mishap when leading in the 1994 King George VIChase as for his famous defeat of Bradbury Star in the same race 12 months previously, was suffering serious problems with his feet.

Minton, who bought Barton Bank for 28,000gns as a four-year-old on behalf of Raymond and Jenny Mould, said: "He'd been here ever since he left Jackdaws Castle, and after hunting in the early years he spent the last six nannying the youngsters, which he loved. But he had terrible trouble with his feet recently and after discussing it with Raymond we decided it was the kindest thing to do.

"He never quite conquered Cheltenham, but he should have been a dual winner of the King George and he also had a great record in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby."

In a career with the late David Nicholson that featured 11 wins in 38 races and earnings of £332,055, Barton Bank won for Robert Bellamy, Carl Llewellyn, Richard Dunwoody and David Walsh, the last-named also steering him into second behind Mr Mulligan in the 1997 Gold Cup, with Dorans Pride in third.

He had three other attempts at the Gold Cup, never quite excelling at the track where he was pulled up as hot favourite for the SunAlliance Chase in 1993. He fell behind Master Oats in the Gold Cup of 1995, ran fourth to Imperial Call in 1996 and eighth to Cool Dawn in 1998.

After that run Nicholson retired Barton Bank with immediate effect, 24 hours after making the same announcement for Viking Flagship after his champion 2m chaser had been beaten in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Barton Bank will forever be associated with Adrian Maguire, who immediately struck up a great partnership with the son of Kambalda and rode him in four King Georges. Their triumph in the 1993 running helped Nicholson to the first of his two trainer's championships.

Hearing the news on Tuesday, Maguire said: "It's sad news but he had a good innings and David and Juliet Minton have him a great life after racing.

“He gave me one of the highlights of my career when winning the King George, and probably the lowest too 12 months later when I was unseated at the last, although I'm still not convinced he'd have won that day.

"I'll never forget his win in the King George, where he was as brave as a lion.

“He even attacked Bradbury Star after the line, leaning over to grab his neck and bite him, as if to say 'how dare you'. He was a real good horse, but I believe he had an accident as a youngster and I think that contributed to the mistakes he was inclined to make."

Alan King, Nicholson's assistant throughout Barton Bank's 6½ year racing career, confirmed: "He reared over backwards in his first season in training and fractured his withers.

“He was probably an inch or two shorter after that than he ought to have been and I'm sure that affected him, as he always had his own way of doing things and never really rounded that well over jumps.

"He was a little bit brittle, but he was a very classy horse with a huge talent. He certainly enjoyed his retirement as he looked fantastic the last time I saw him
 
"Old" !! Not at all old at 12. In fact, a perfect age for a showjumper, for example. He owes them nothing with returns like that, although there's no reason why he and Isty shouldn't be ridden for fun now. I welcome them retiring safe and sound, but I do hope they're given something to do to stop them getting bored and to keep up joint and cardiovascular fitness.
 
It certainly isn't old is it shrug::

It sounds like Martinstown is full of equine field ornaments! although didn't isty suffer from some kind of artiritis?
 
Did he? I just hate the thought of perfectly capable and fit horses just losing all their fitness, especially cardio. There were quite a lot of us on here agin 'retirement' homes for horses which could still be leased out for years to come, doing something, not necessarily competitive. As Isty wouldn't be competing any more, he could be given (and I'm sure he is) anti-arthritic drugs anyway. There are loads of horses on such modern medicines, keeping them going and letting them have a change of scenery as they chug around the lanes and fields. If they can walk around the same old grazing field every day, they can walk around a variety of different places, to keep them interested and from going sour. Just my thought on 'retirement' - by all means retire from the hurly-burly of full-on competition, but it doesn't mean you do absolutely nothing. (Although I believe DEANO'S BEENO made sure it did!) :D
 
I'm sure it was something like that as he was suffering from it before he was retired & that is why he was pulled up in his last race?
 
He did have arthritis. Galileo will probably know the story better, but basically he had good days and bad days with it - and sadly that Champion Hurdle day wasn't a good day.
 
Worryingly I seem to be seeing the "meat wagon" going out an awful lot lately from its base which means its off collecting dead horses round Newmarket either from the vets, gallops or studs. I doubt we will ever get the full number.
 
Anyone who was wondering about Xaluna Bay at Windsor the other night aftr she pulled up pretty sharpish, i was worried as it didn't look good, she actually burst a blood vessle due to the oil seed rape but is perfectly fine now.

Sadly In On The Act was put down after breaking a leg at plumton, the girl who looked after her, rode her, led her up etc.. is Liza poulton who also looked after Theatre, so she has just got over the loss of one and had to go through it again poor girl.

A couple of retirees, I don't know if anything was said on here at the time I can't remember, but Darasim was retired to the BRS at the end of last year and earlier this year (not as good but a star in his own right) Quiet Reading also has gone to BRS
 
The fields of rapeseed play havoc with many horses' respiratory systems at this time of year. I understand that at Hannon's they've put up anti-pollen screens around the boxes, many are suffering breathing problems, but a few have been so incapacitated that they've had to be sent away to an area not growing the stuff. Blame the farmers!
 
ooh er :what: I've been talking to someone on another forum I go on as she is having major prolems with her dog a GSD, it keeps on having nosebleeds & wheezing at the moment & so far the have spent £2000+ on tests & xrays that have not brought anything up, it always happens in the evening & a trial run in the last few days of Piriton has eased them off a little shrug::

Think I might mention this!
 
LE - is Liza Poulton related to Jamie Poulton the trainer of Theatre?

thanks for news re Darsim too, was just thinking about him the other day.
 
It really is time that the HRA - and the BMA - tackled the authorities on the subject of oilseed rape. The problem is, there is n ot much they can do excapt lobby the EU to subside linseed more heaily as an alternative crop. The reason farmers grow it, is that they only grow stuff which is subsidised by the EU - and rape is, year in year out, heavily underwritten as it's a biofuel crop. The effect on human, canine and equine health is incalculaple. Beurocrats livbe in cities of course, so it doesn';t affect them; and if you for an allergy test they just give you a SKIN allergy test - and tell you you're making it up!

I suffer from severe sinus problems and they are greatly exacerbated by rape pollen; but it's the chemical pesticides which are dumped on the stuff in enormous quanties almost year round which does the more damage. I have a theory which can't be proven that when the stuff flowers, it releases not only the pollen but some admixture of chemicals from the spraying, and it's the combination which is so lethal. I have to drive aorund with my aircon full on and the car windows shut at this time of year; I also have to leave home as there is so much around in East Anglia it makes me really ill - sick headaches, total exhaustion, sinus congestion etc .

Every spring racing stables with rape fields nearby are badly affected by this evil stuff - eg in New Seeker's 4 yr old season when he should have been going great guns, the whole of Clive Cox's string went totally off the boil and it took all summer for them to recover. It's a four year cycle, so he will be dreading it again next year in the fields adjoining the gallops. Year year in year out, you see all the gallops belonging to Francome and Cole - which stretch right across the top of the Downs from the Wantage Road to past Upper Lambourn surrounded by fields of yellow. And it's getting worse - I've never seen so much rape around as I have this year, all around the country.

It does affect dogs too - and people should be esp careful NEVER to walk dogs close to or esp through a field of rape at any time, as I know of several which have been killed presumably by inhaling the organo-phosphates with which it's liberally sprayed - they don't have to be careful as the stuff isn't grown as food. I also had a freind who got severe inflammation of the brain lining after walking her dogs through recently sprayed rape- one of the dogs died, both had convulsions. Another friend living nearby and walking his dogs in the area also lost one.

Lisa Poulton is the trainer's daughter iirc, and is totally hands on with the best horses in the yard. Very sad for her.

I imagine the frequency of the meat waggon at Nmkt is due esp this year to the effects of the unseasonal firm ground on very immature equine legs, foaling mishaps also probably paying a part
 
REBEL REBEL, second in the 2,000 Guineas in 2005, was put down last month after failing to recover from a fractured cannonbone sustained in the Hong Kong Mile in December.

Trained by Neville Callaghan, Rebel Rebel won the Easter Stakes before finishing second to Footstepsinthesand at Newmarket.

He was later sold to race in the US, where he was trained by Richard Dutrow jnr as a four-year-old and won a Grade 3 handicap at Belmont Park.
 
Worcs

Hearthstead Wings
held up and behind, headway 3 out, ridden when blundered badly and broke leg last, soon pulled up, dead
 
Oh, very sad news indeed - such a likeable horse and one I always enjoyed seeing race. I'm also much saddened to learn of REBEL REBEL's death, too. It was always a pleasure to greet his slightly raucous UK owners, and to wish the horse well when he was racing at courses where I was working. They were pleased to sell him to the US for a rather good sum, I believe, and it's sad to think that he came to grief there after his bonny career here. They must've been trying hard to save him over the past few months.
 
Connections had a winner with Hearthstead Maison at Newmarket and all. What a weird day it must have been for them.
 
Two horses died at Badminton Horse Trials - one staked itself on a flag which pierced an artery and the other dropped dead after it competed.
 
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