Champion Hurdle 2015

I remember Fredcoteri was a huge tip down Clydebank / Dumbarton way when it won the Sweeps Hurdle. Somebody was a pal of Terry and word had got out.

Didn't back it myself but recall the brother had something on it. 33/1 early?
 
That actually could have been me:lol: My girlfriend lived in McGee Street and I told her old man and couple of friends to back it....Actually Terry would stop people in the street and tell them so I don't think too many would have taken him seriously........I certainly never when he told me it would win the race again but the fooker did.....helluva horse
 
That another race that seems to be totally ignored these days by us Brits. We haven't won it since Barnbrook Again yet some our best went for it in the 70's
 
night nurse won it didn't he?

it was a really big race then..irish sweeps hurdle..big deal made of it

there was a CH winner who won it in the 80's..then finished 4th in the schweppes..then won CH..can't think of name without googling it
 
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1982, owned by the Heaslip brothers who painted Cheltenham green white and gold after the race.
He was involved in the infamous schooling hurdle in Punchestown National Trial meeting in 1984.
The BBc covered that meeting and stayed around for this race.
Anyway Mick o Toole had a Soverign Path gelding Regal Dawn who had not run under rules but won a p2p and was ante post 2nd fav for Supreme Novices hurdle.
He was one of three horses to wear the same number cloth in this race and finished second to For Auction.
Cue Cheltenham, a real talking horse where he finished 6 th or 7th, fellas having followed him over a cliff into the unknown.
Those were the days !!!
No wonder we love the wonder of The Festival !!
 
Tanlic said:
That another race that seems to be totally ignored these days by us Brits. We haven't won it since Barnbrook Again yet some our best went for it in the 70's
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The race was "transferred" to Ascot where it is now run as the Ladbroke Hurdle. The Pierce Hurdle is a replacement race at Leopardstown but with lower prize money.
 
Now the Boylesports.
Sweeps hurdle was a conditions race until 1975, (when Night Nurse won )became a handicap in 76 with a new conditions race run in mid january first sponsored by Erin Foods.
As it happened Master Monday won both the first year at 20/1 each time, beating Comedy of Errors in the latter.
 
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Tanlic said:
That actually could have been me:lol: My girlfriend lived in McGee Street
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McGhee Street, Clydebank??

Talk about a small world! My Auntie lived in the house on the corner with Kilbowie Road. It was actually my mother's family house but when both her parents had died and my auntie's husband had been tragically killed in a freak accident at his workshop, the family agreed that she and he 5 young kids should get the house.

As for Fredcoteri, I'm pretty sure I got a call on the Saturday morning from my brother who was told by someone coming out of church that morning that the owner wouldn't hear of defeat for it. I think it might have been one of the Curries from Dumbarton that passed the tip on but when I went into the Hills shop in Hardgate (near where I lived) everybody was already talking about it.
 
Well here's something I'll be amazed if you will remember but I remember really well bc I'm old:)......Persian War ran in the race when Normandy ridden by Terry Biddlecombe won it in 1969 around Xmas and Persian War finished 3rd.

Persian War never won a race that season and was beaten by TANLIC but at Cheltenham he bounced back and won his 3rd Champion Hurdle then in December ran in the race again with top weight and won it but it was a hard race and put paid to any chance he had of winning a 4th Champion Hurdle.....Bula actually beat him out of sight before they ran in the Champion because Alper insisted he run again......Bula as you know win in 71..........Alper ran him in everything before and after he should have been retired. I went to Ayr and he wasn't a shadow of himself but somehow raised everyones hopes he was going to win in the home straight but the younger Coral Diver ended up beating him comfortably into 2nd .......Alper would win the award for the worst owner of all time hands down.
 
I remember bits and bobs of the jumps stuff from round about that time. It was only then I started getting interested in racing, pretty much from Nijinsky's 3yo season, although the Grand National already was a really big deal among the family. Specify was a huge winner for everyone in our house. I think my old man had backed it ante-post several weeks earlier but I don't think he beat the 33/1 sp. According to my brother, my father had £10 ew on it. That was a vast amount, considering he only earned less than 3-grand-a-year at the time. Still, we all had our bob each-way on it. That would have been more than our weekly pocket money in those days.

The reason I remember some bits is that we had a wee scheme going on a Saturday, called 'the bobs'. We each put a shilling in the kitty and picked a horse in each of the televised races and you got a point for every SP point. Whoever had the most points at the end of the day took the kitty. There were several of us: my father and three of the five boys (one was too young and the other was away in a seminary), and our pals who were anything between two and six in number on any given day, so it was a nice wee pickup if you won without having to punt anything.
 
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No positive confirmation that Townend rides The Fly, but pretty safe to assume he does.

I'm actually quite happy with that - Townend deserves his shot.
 
Just came on to say exactly as the above post,cracking value.Prices being pushed out in quite a lot of races,makes you a bit sick if you're losing out but great if you're looking between now and tomorrow.#excitement
 
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