• REGISTER NOW!! Why? Because you can't do much without having been registered!

    At the moment you have limited access to view all discussions - and most importantly, you haven't joined our community. What are you waiting for? Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join Join Talking Horses here!

Horses you never forgave and couldn’t like

archie said:
I still think that the comparison to GDC is valid because the latter's only 'out' performances have been at Punchestown with two of those over an inadequate trip first time out and the other two when probably not over the Gold Cup.

Wayward Lad, sadly, did not quite get the Gold Cup trip at that level.
Click to expand...

I was a huge fan of Wayward Lad and kept backing him at Cheltenham, convinced that his class would eventually get him home first.

For me. he never lost anything in defeat there.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I don't think anyone could ever seriously suggest DO was an 'in and out' performer. He was brilliant nearly every time and just couldn't show his best at Cheltenham, which seems to be the case with some horses.

Wayward Lad was another who struggled there despite giving his all.
Click to expand...
I think Colin Brown was the "in and out" factor regarding Desert Orchid.
Simon Sherwood was a proper horse man who helped improve the horse with every run.
The same could be said for Falbrav with Frankie as opposed to "the Dazzler"; his Hong Kong win after a long tough season was electric.
 
Connections said that Dessie had an ongoing back problem so perhaps that’s why he never performed well at Cheltenham. They said that, had he ran in the National, he wouldn’t have coped with the Canal Turn.
 
Good thread this.

Not sure the 'forgave' part is overly true for me, but I never warmed to Master Minded or Big Bucks.

Voy Por Ustedes was a beauty and I was a huge fan of him, and I remember Master Minded absolutely trouncing him at Cheltenham, so that may have something to do with it! Big Bucks, not sure why I didn't liken to him as reverting him back to hurdles was a master stroke, but I just didn't warm to him for whatever reason.
 
Gaz's Way De Solzen said:
Good thread this.

Not sure the 'forgave' part is overly true for me, but I never warmed to Master Minded or Big Bucks.

Voy Por Ustedes was a beauty and I was a huge fan of him, and I remember Master Minded absolutely trouncing him at Cheltenham, so that may have something to do with it! Big Bucks, not sure why I didn't liken to him as reverting him back to hurdles was a master stroke, but I just didn't warm to him for whatever reason.
Click to expand...
Not having love for Big Buck's is absolutely criminal. He was an absolute dude.
You need to go sit in the corner and have a serious word with yourself!
 
Ardross said:
Don’t mention that mares’ allowance !
Click to expand...
After she won the Gold Cup Dawn Run beat Buck House off level weights at Punchestown with Tommy Carmody looking as polished as any jockey over the last 50 years with Tony Mullins looking distinctly agricultural.
I'm not sure what difference the mares allowance made to Dawn Run -I think she was game beyond all belief -from running twice in 24 hours at Aintree, an incredible Champion Hurdle season and her incredible battling win in the Gold Cup.
It will be a look time before we see a Champion Hurdler win at Kempton,Leopardstown,Aintree and Auteuil in addition to Cheltenham.Also even though it is not impossible not many Gold Cup winners would have it in them to beat a reigning Champion Chaser.
 
Dawn Run has to be my all time fav. I was there when she won both her Champion Hurdle and again the Gold Cup....the most amazing atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed on a racecourse. It was pretty decent opposition too and she’s still the only horse to have done the double. I wept buckets when I heard she’d been killed.
 
jinnyj said:
Dawn Run has to be my all time fav. I was there when she won both her Champion Hurdle and again the Gold Cup....the most amazing atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed on a racecourse. It was pretty decent opposition too and she’s still the only horse to have done the double. I wept buckets when I heard she’d been killed.
Click to expand...
She was locally owned and definitely lifted the mood during a time when Ireland was permanently in recession.To put her fatal fall into perspective -she won the Cheltenham Gold up -then went on to Aintree and Punchestown and was having her second run in France when she was killed in the French Champion Hurdle.She was killed on the Friday of Royal Ascot -it was a sad day for sure.
 
Len Madeiros said:
I was a great story that suddenly turned very sour in 1986, especially when we found out Jonjo was being treated for cancer too.
Click to expand...
I think the Mullins family have kept a lid on what they really think for the best part of 40 years.The story definitely turned sour with Dawn Run getting killed,Jonjo getting cancer and Buck House who was also a big part of the story failing to survive a bad dose of colic.
 
Gaz's Way De Solzen said:
Good thread this.
Big Bucks, not sure why I didn't liken to him as reverting him back to hurdles was a master stroke, but I just didn't warm to him for whatever reason.
Click to expand...
I know how you feel.
I was there the Trials Day he beat Punchestowns receiving 6lbs.
From the Stayer's Hurdle on I tried to find a horse to beat him but could not.
Dynaste, Voler La Vedette and others flattered to deceive; when BB hit that flat spot you thought something would/could take him but no . That Stayers Hurdle with Ruby and Andrew Lynch playing cat and mouse was an amazing race to watch.
 
edgt said:
I know how you feel.
I was there the Trials Day he beat Punchestowns receiving 6lbs.
From the Stayer's Hurdle on I tried to find a horse to beat him but could not.
Dynaste, Voler La Vedette and others flattered to deceive; when BB hit that flat spot you thought something would/could take him but no . That Stayers Hurdle with Ruby and Andrew Lynch playing cat and mouse was an amazing race to watch.
Click to expand...
As losing rides go, one of the best from Lynch.
 
The Demon Barber for me.
Was at Ascot in 94/95 ish and had backed the first three winners in singles doubles and accumulator.
The fourth leg was a horse called Classic Statement who would pull himself up if in the front for too long.
Going to the 2nd last Classic Statement was sat behind the leader who duly fell.
The Demon Barber made up about 10 lengths to win in a photo and cost me about 15k which was a fortune to me then!
 
I backed Wayward Lad win only at 12/1 and tipped him in the Racing & Football Outlook Week End Special as the ground was Good that year and I thought he'd have a chance of getting home.

But he was overhauled late on by Dawn Run, getting the 7lb gender allowance.

I don't think she wins without it, but I still agree Wayward Lad was essentially a 2m4f-3m Park course chaser and run the race over 3m round Kempton Park and the 7lb doesn't matter because she never gets anywhere near him.
 
Last edited:
Totally agree. I was a huge WL fan and that blinded me to the realities of that race.

But it never stopped me from being his fan and I found it more difficult to forgive myself for backing him that day rather than holding him in any lesser regard.

Nor could I say I disliked Dawn Run. What I didn't like was the way the racing media fawned all over her like she was Raquel Welch waving her knickers in the air.
 
Same as that - when then colleagues raved about her, I'd sarcastically reply: "Yeah, it takes a great horse to beat Cima three parts of a length getting 7lb - I can only think of about ten other horses in training right now (never mind the past) that could do it."

Tough, game, talented, mare but the Champion Hurdle/Cheltenham Gold Cup heroine wins neither without the allowance and she narrowly beat one of the worst-ever Champion Hurdle runners up in one and a perennial Cheltenham Gold Cup non-stayer in the other.
 
Last edited:
I think as far as this forum is concerned, Ian, the people who didn't rate Dawn Run could fit in a phone box and still have room for Wayward Lad.

Edit - and just in case any of our younger forumites have no idea who Raquel Welch was:

raquel.jpg





Okay, I admit it, it was only an excuse...







.
 
Last edited:
I think we fell in love with Dawn Run for a few reasons, and not all racing-related: a. The Peter O’Sullevan GC commentary; b. Jonjo’s battle with cancer; c. She died in her very next race.

But, sod it, I’ve just a magnificent reminder of the beauty and absolute phwooooarness of Raquel Welch! Cheers, DO.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top