In Memoriam (Racing People)

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John Oaksey's book about Mill Reef got me interested in racing. Plenty of Col Blimp type passages, but fascinating none the less.
 
G-G said:
ITV had an interview with him recently - not sure if the ATR one so apologies if it was - where said Frankel wouldn't have got near Mill Reef. Bless, he said he had had a wonderful life. He, along with Piggott and Carson, the jockeys of my early memories, Loved Mill Reef, can still see the news clip of him in his cast and remembering how amazing it was they saved him and him having to put up with that.
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Brigadier Gerard surely GG.
Geoff Lewis rode Mill Reef and would probably have said the same about him.
 
an capall said:
John Oaksey's book about Mill Reef got me interested in racing. Plenty of Col Blimp type passages, but fascinating none the less.
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Mince Pie For Starters , Oaksey's autobiography I have just re read.
Pure unapologetic fun; his telling of a Houses Of Parliament tour of Northern Ireland he was on is classic Oaksey.
1970/71 was a great racing era I unfortunately missed, but writers like Lord Oaksey set the scene beautifully.
 
edgt said:
Brigadier Gerard surely GG.
Geoff Lewis rode Mill Reef and would probably have said the same about him.
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Maybe I'm wrong but what I thought he said was that Frankel had never beaten a horse as good as Mill Reef. Which is fair comment. I don't think he did.
Whether he would have beaten a horse as good as Mill Reef is where the argument starts.
 
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Eleanora Duse said:
Maybe I'm wrong but what I thought he said was that Frankel had never beaten a horse as good as Mill Reef. Which is fair comment. I don't think he did.
Whether he would have beaten a horse as good as Mill Reef is where the argument starts.
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This is what Joe said later:

‘Everybody asks how Brigadier Gerard and Frankel compare and last year, for a bit of fun, I said he would have made a good lead horse for The Brigadier, who achieved so much in his lifetime it was amazing.‘
 
I reckon I must have been one of the Brigadier Gerard's biggest fans and he was racing before I started doing ratings.

However, working on the assumption that Timeform's ratings are roughly 5lbs higher than mine, I would have to concede that Frankel was better as there were arguments in favour of rating him higher than 145.

It won't cause me to lose sleep at night. Nothing wrong with accepting what the evidence tells us.
 
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Magalen Bryant; owner of an impossible number of top-class French jumpers, has passed away at age 93.
 
Bert Firestone.
His flashy green and white colours lit up Irish racecourses from the 1970s, D K Weld training; I remember Vanishing Act carrying the colours to victory in Mallow 1977 ridden by Johnny Roe en route to a handicap win on Irish Derby day.
Also had plenty of French trained runners with F Boutin, indeed he had a Sunday retainer on Lester Piggott which Lester used to Jock Wally Swinburn off Blue Wind in 1981 Oaks after Wally, representing his son Walter got him job as stable jockey to Michael Stoute, thus jocking Lester off Shergar.
They owned Gilltown Stud before selling it to Aga Khan when the motorway reduced Ballymany Stud lands.
Rest In Peace.
 
He owned Theatrical who won the Breeders Cup race that Dancing Brave was defeated in but I remember him best for giving Law Society a right scare in the Irish Derby.
 
Sad to see the death of Andy Stewart reported yesterday following complications after a fall at his home in Barbados

His colours will mainly be remembered for Big Bucks but also Celestial Halo, Cenkos, Pacha du Polder, and many others. Also remembered for his charity work after his son's snowboarding accident

RIP
 
Donie Sheahan , owner of For Bill among other decent horses.
A staple of Kerry racing , born the same day as Queen Elizabeth they exchanged birthday wishes annually.
Got a great innings and enjoyed his life as best he could.
Rest In Peace.
 
Im a North End fan, rumours up this end are Trevor Hemmings has sadly passed away. Nothing confirmed yet though
 
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