Festival Memories

Euronymous

Euronymous

Senior Jockey
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
19,195
Location
Leyland
Name your:

Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure

Festival Loser that hurt the most

Best Bet that Lost

First Winner

Best Memory
 
Mine:

Sizing Europe 2010 Arkle

Boston Bob 2013 RSA

My Tent or Yours 2013 Supreme

Young Hustler 1993 Sun Alliance

First time at the meeting, for Moscow Flyers second Queen Mother in 2005
 
1 Sprinter Sacre 2016

2 Baby Run when WTD lost his head and my place pot

3 Wayward Lad 1986 Gold Cup when at university

4 Sabin du Loir 1983 Sun Alliance Hurdle when he beat Dawn Run

5 If that is restricted to being present - Best Mate's third Gold Cup 60,000 people jumping up and down cheering him up the hill - otherwise 1989 Desert Orchid's GC

If we can add most satisfying winning bet - Rooster Booster 2003 CH and the humble pie eating of the late Alan Morgan .
 
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Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure- Hurricane Fly 2013 Champion Hurdle

Festival Loser that hurt the most- Detroit City 2007 Champion Hurdle

Best Bet that Lost- Detroit again

First Winner- Kings Curate 1991 Stayers

Best Memory- Sprinter Sacre 2016
 
Most pleasure - Sprinter in 2016; unashamedly cried by myself.

Loser that hurt the most - yes, Detroit City; how I loved that gutsy grey.

Best bet that lost - Royal Derbi second at 66/1 in the 1993 CH.

First winner - Bregawn, 83 GC.

Best Memory - The Dikler, 73 GC. Cheered on through the school assembly window by a wondrous 9-year-old, as the school caretaker watched his bet on Pendil short-headed on the line. He was massively fvcked off at me for cheering on The Dikler. I sort of got betting at that moment.
 
Mark Dwyer taking a pull approaching the last on Jodami.
Toby Tobias - long term GC fancy, who'd been backed accordingly, only to see him chinned at the death by the 100/1 Norton's Coin. The death of ante-post betting, as far as I was concerned.
Ditto.
Too long ago to remember first winner, though I recall backing Millhouse when he was toppled by some Irish interloper.
Kauto Star taking Denman apart for his 2nd GC win.
 
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Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure

Lots of candidates, but I think probably Solwhit's win in the 2013 Stayers Hurdle.

Festival Loser that hurt the most

Mick Fitzgerald putting Remittance Man on the floor in the 1994 Champion Chase

Best Bet that Lost

84/1 about Hurricane Fly in 2009 Supreme Novices - missed race with injury.

First Winner

Flown - 1992 Supreme Novices

Best Memory

Hurricane Fly's 2011 Champion Hurdle.
 
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Desert Orchid would be 1,2,4 & 5 so I'll play the w/o market.

1. French Ballerina. First big winner when at the course.

2. Denman. All year I'd been with him and was on track on the day and went up to place my bet. My pal gave me a wad of cash and asked me to place the same bet. By the time I reached the rails I'd drunkenly switched my allegiance to Kauto. I asked the bookie for a win on Kauto and a win on Denman. As I was walking away I realised he'd give me two Denman tickets, so I went back and got him to change one to Kauto. I was not best pleased.

3. My Tent in the Supreme.

4. Forest Sun

5. Sorry but have to stick with Dessie here.
 
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Ardross said:
1 Sprinter Sacre 2016

2 Baby Run when WTD lost his head and my place pot

3 Wayward Lad 1986 Gold Cup when at university

4 Sabin du Loir 1983 Sun Alliance Hurdle when he beat Dawn Run

5 If that is restricted to being present - Best Mate's third Gold Cup 60,000 people jumping up and down cheering him up the hill - otherwise 1989 Desert Orchid's GC

If we can add most satisfying winning bet - Rooster Booster 2003 CH and the humble pie eating of the late Alan Morgan .
Click to expand...

Aftertiming being right versus a dead man. A new forum low
 
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Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure: Rooster Booster (what else could possibly qualify??)

Festival Loser that hurt the most: Rooster Booster the following year.

Best Bet that Lost: the Mullins-Walsh 4-horse accie that went down with Annie Power's last-flight fall.

First Winner: Too far back to remember. I started punting in about 1970 thanks to Nijinsky so it was probably the following year for the festival, so maybe Crisp in the 2m Champion Chase?

Best Memory: Everything about Foghorn Leghorn's win from first putting it up on the forum as a possible winner after he beat Mr Cool at Kempton right through the debates and arguments on the forum, seeing him pish up in the Greatwood en route etc etc.
 
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Slim, I can vouch for the fact that Adross was very-strong on the Booster at the time. It was around then that I first joined TRF, and started wading into online debates, and I was a vociferous supporter of old Foghorn Leghorn myself. I think my very first post might have been a round trashing of Back In Front's chances, which upset a fair few of my new-found friends, but it did mark me out as the form-God you have all become acquiainted with. :ninja:

I also think the reference to Alan Morgan is open to interpretation, and it would be kinder (and probably more appropriate) to file it under 'fond memory', rather than default to 'grave-dancing'.

Peace be upon you. :cool:
 
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Grasshopper said:
I also think the reference to Alan Morgan is open to interpretation, and it would be kinder (and probably more appropriate) to file it under 'fond memory', rather than default to 'grave-dancing'.
Click to expand...

Definitely (but I didn't think Slim was serious either).
 
DO, harking back to my earliest days on TRF, was it you that built-up a nice ante-post position on Rigmarole, the following year? Think you posted as 'Maurice' at the time?
 
Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure - Badsworth Boy (1983 Champion Chase) - first winner when I was present and one I'd touted for a while.

Festival Loser that hurt the most - Ten Plus (1989 Gold Cup) - so many reasons.

Best Bet that Lost - Ten Plus (1989 Gold Cup) - one of the reasons.

First Winner - Comedy Of Errors (1973 Champion Hurdle)

Best Memory - The Famous Five (1983 Gold Cup) because I was on the right one.
 
Euronymous said:
Name your:

Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure

Festival Loser that hurt the most

Best Bet that Lost

First Winner

Best Memory
Click to expand...


Moscow 2005 - What a reception. Sizings Arkle second.

Moscow 2004- week ruined

Golden Cross - Fcuk you My Way De Solzen

Arriving early the first time I went over, seeing the track, the uphill finish and soaking everything in
 
Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure: Kauto second gold cup

Festival Loser that hurt the most: Well Chief on the comeback trail in the QMCC. Was convinced he'd win and to fall early was such an anticlimax

Best Bet that Lost: too many to count

First Winner: Istabraq's sun alliance hurdle. First time at the festival with my late father - great days.

Best Memory: the atmosphere when Kauto won that second GC was the best I've experienced at any sporting event before or since
 
Grasshopper said:
DO, harking back to my earliest days on TRF, was it you that built-up a nice ante-post position on Rigmarole, the following year? Think you posted as 'Maurice' at the time?
Click to expand...

It was indeed.

I can't say it was my cleverest ever investment but I think I backed it at 120 and laid it off at shorter so I'm not sure I lost out on it. I would credit Rigmarole, though, with the accolade of being the horse that got me thinking about discrepancies between handicap and non-handicap ratings, something I've finally addressed (I reckon) and accounted for in recent seasons, to my benefit, so if I did lose on him at the time I've probably more than recouped the losses thanks to him.

But's that's all another story...
 
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BennyB said:
Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure: Kauto second gold cup

Festival Loser that hurt the most: Well Chief on the comeback trail in the QMCC. Was convinced he'd win and to fall early was such an anticlimax

Best Bet that Lost: too many to count

First Winner: Istabraq's sun alliance hurdle. First time at the festival with my late father - great days.

Best Memory: the atmosphere when Kauto won that second GC was the best I've experienced at any sporting event before or since
Click to expand...

Nice story about your Dad. Good memory to have.
 
Only realised when researching this how long it took me to latch onto the Festival. I distinctly remember cheering Seagram home in the 91' Nash but have no first hand memory of any Cheltenham race before 2000.

Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure:-
Recency bias maybe but I think Don Cossack. He rounded off a very nice accumulator which ran through the week and being on the right side of the brilliant debate on here through the season also helped!

Festival Loser that hurt the most
Maljimar getting collared by Wichita Lineman. The pain may have subsided by now if they didn't bloody keep showing replays of AP's ride on that hound.

Best Bet that Lost
Commanche Court - because I also had Best Mate and the both of them in a reverse forecast

First Winner:-
Sausalito Bay 2000 Supreme Novices

Best Memory:-
Istabraq getting pulled up passing the stands. The saluting of a true champ by the crowd before cheering home the next generation was a microcosm of the sport. From that moment on I was well and truly hooked.
 
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1) Kauto Star Gold Cup 2009

2) My Tent Or Yours Champion Hurdle 2014

3) My Tent or Yours Supreme Hurdle 2013

4)Black Jack Ketchum 2006 Brit Insurance

5) Sprinter Sacre 2016 Queen Mother.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Most pleasure: Kayf Aramis in the 2009 Pertemps. Told all those I was with on the day to get on as well so enormous satisfaction

Loser that hurt most: probably Master Minded in the 2010 QMCC as I'd emptied a few accounts to back him

Best bet that lost: Hill Society in the 1998 Arkle. Still can't believe that photo went to the Pipe horse

First winner: Garrison Savannah in the 1991 Gold Cup

Best memory: Lots to choose from but two that stand out were Viking Flagship in the 1994 QMCC and Brave Inca in the 2006 Champion Hurdle


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Festival Winner that gave you the most pleasure

My mother wasn't a racing follower but every now and then she'd latch on to one of the big names - Arkle, Red Rum and Desert Orchid were among them of course. Monksfield got added to the list after I made her sit down and watch the little 750 guinea horse with the dishing stride win his first Champion Hurdle in 1978.

Festival Loser that hurt the most

I was the Festival loser myself a few years ago when I left the track early on the last day and didn't bother to back 33/1 winner Zemsky, ridden by the excellent Derek O'Connor who normally always carries some of my money in such races.

Best Bet that Lost

Golden Cross is a good shout, he was robbed.

First Winner

Don't remember, maybe Captain Christy winning the Gold Cup in 1974.

Best Memory

My first time going to the Festival was in 2006, just to be there and take it all in was such a thrill. I had my biggest bet ever on Brave Inca and backed the first five winners that day. A real case of beginners luck. On the track itself, Denman's Gold Cup win was an awesome affair, the sheer power of it.
 
Most pleasure; Bellvano Grand Annual chase. Carberry magic on a horse that could not stay up the hill for anyone else. i can only imagine what Barry G must have thought when Paul came upsides beside the winning post. I still watch it.
Close second is Dunguib's Bumper win. To see Pat Smullen shoving on Rite of Passage and Dunguib pulling Brian O' Connell's arms off upsides before scything clear was Festival Magic.
Loser that hurt : Tied Cottage 79 and 80 Gold Cups. He did everything right and deserved to win both imo.

Best bet that lost : On the train to London Gold Cup Day 2014 i marked out Tiger Roll, very Wood, Lord Windemere, Don Poli for an ew docket.
Could not find a betting shop with an Irish branch near the train station, the ones i was in had slots and were dog rough so i did a quick docket, leaving out three of the four ! I lost the bet rather than the horses losing.

First winner: Night Nurse 1976 Champion

Best memory : Supreme Novice Hurdle 2011. I had finally made it to the Festival. the roar, the atmosphere and the comradery that followed over the next years has been an absolute joy.
To paraphrase a buddy's song

"It is a Magical place, where great stories unfold
A horseracing mecca, a joy to behold
It's The Garden of Eden, it is Tir na nOg
And I am heading there next Monday morning !"
 
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FESTVAL WINNER THAT GAVE YOU THE MOST PLEASURE
Sizing Europe - Champion Chase

FESTIVAL LOSER THAT HURT THE MOST

Sizing Europe - Champion Hurdle


BEST BET THAT LOST

Foreman in the Arkle one year, had him at fancy prices on Betfair, went off 5's on the day, but he could only manage third. I didn't trade out.

FIRST WINNER

Some 4/7 shot in a lucky 15 in about 2002!

BEST MEMORY

Denman V Kauto in the Gold Cup, when Denman got the better of the argument that day.
 
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