In Memoriam (Racing People)

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Ann Potts, joint owner of Sizing John and others with husband Alan, has passed away after a long illness.
 
I'm sure he will and the sight of Ann Potts hugging Robby Power after the Gold Cup tells me she would have wanted him to.
 
Tommy Craig who I got to know back in the day has passed away aged 81. R.I.P. Old pal

I got to know him well and we met at Newmarket sales one day and he went out of his way to have a look without any axe to grind at what I had bought Never forget what he said "You'll be fine he said he's got a head like Arkle"
When I told him what we paid for him at the sales he said we should be wearing masks...The horse won 30 times what we paid for him so he was right:0)

My trainer Tommy and I ended up having dinner with late Willie Stevenson that night (not WA) a man he regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
I had no idea who the elderly gentleman was but Tommy said you are in the company of greatness.
A gentleman who was always up for a good old tongue wag...anyway for those who don't remember him

a little info from 15 years ago

AS the nephew of Scotland's only Classic-winning trainer, Tommy Craig had a hard act to follow at his Tilton House stables, Dunbar.

Even though he never achieved George Boyd's feat of winning the 2000 Guineas, he still enjoyed a fairly successful career with a licence over jumps and on the Flat.

Having set up on his own in 1970, Craig saddled nearly 300 winners as a trainer before quitting almost a decade ago.

Now a sprightly 66-year-old, he is still a regular at most of the Scottish tracks and rarely misses Musselburgh.

He said: "I was at Ayr for the New Year meeting just before the cold weather set in and I love going to Musselburgh, especially for the Flat. I prefer Flat racing but I still enjoy a good day's jumping too."

Craig may not have had a Rockavon in his yard but he trained some decent animals including speedster Goldhills Pride, Takachinho, Davett and the useful chaser Tangles Brother.

He recalled: "Goldhills Pride was a terrific sprinter and he won the Portland Handicap at Doncaster in 1978 for Kevin Leason who has had a sex-change operation and is now a woman called Karen!

"Lester Piggott rang up for the ride as the horse had been third in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket so owner Henry Ford had another pounds 1,000 on. Kevin wasn't a bad wee jockey and we landed quite a gamble that day.

"Tangles Brother won a few races over fences for us but one of his best efforts was when he was second at Aintree's Grand National meeting one year."

The East Lothian yard pulled off another coup at Lanark in 1974 when Can Donna was backed from 7's to 9-4 before winning the seller.

But tragedy had struck a year earlier shortly after Song Of Gold won at Edinburgh when the horse got loose, bolted and was killed by a van.

Another low-point came when Leason and Halsall were demoted having finished first past the post in the 1976 Cumberland Plate at Carlisle.

Craig's best season was in 1977 when he racked up 24 winners and he said: "We had some good jockeys and I remember Allan Mackay having his first winner on his first ride on Lanark Birk at York's October meeting in 1976."
 
Nice post Tanlic.
I read a story where Rockavon was being featured in some newspaper a few days before travelling to Epsom for The Derby.
The horse was being plated and the photographer wanted a photo. The farrier looked up to smile into the camera, drove the nail the wrong way and Rockavon missed the race. You can possibly confirm or deny the truth of this.
 
Sorry never heard that one before but Tommy was trainer for the day at Newmarket when the old man couldn't get a flight down.

I have a few friends on FB will ask them but a nail through the foot seems unlikely because he won that month before getting beat in the KG
 
Liam Cosgrove (97), former Taoiseach of Ireland and Steward at Leopardstown and Naas.
I often saw him at Leopardstown over the recent years and he kept a full interest in affairs racing .
Always came across as austere (remember his portrayal as minister for Hardship on Hall's pictorial Weekly) but the story goes he agreed Coalition Government Cabinet with Brendan Corish ( Irish Labour party leader) behind closed and locked doors in 1973 quite quickly before they settled down to the serious business of watching Cheltenham Races on TV and did not emerge until the races were well and truly over ; The man had his priorities right.
Rest In Peace.
 
Sadly the world of racing lost a couple of characters today.

Former trainer Pat Haslam, father of Ben Haslam sadly passed away earlier today after a long battle with illness which had left him in a wheelchair for the last few years. He was such a polite man and easy to talk to. An ex of mine used to ride for Ben and when I used to visit her, Pat and Anne, Bens parents were always very friendly. RIP Pat. Thoughts with Anne, Ben and Alice.

also tonight Ken Dooley who worked for Amanda Perrett was sadly killed at Kempton. He was kicked in the face in the stable by the horse and by the time he got to the stable office was in a bad way and collapsed and then suffered some form of seizure. Despite expert medical attention, he sadly passed away at the track. RIP Ken, and thoughts with his friends and family.
 
Mary Reveley dies suddenly at 77. A wonderful trainer back in the day and I loved Cab on Target.

So sad to hear that and thoughts go out to family and friends.

RIP
 
Sorry to hear that.......she was more-or-less the Number One trainer in the North, when I first started watching racing (Arthur Stephenson finished-up within a season or two of my first taking an interest).

Real shame.
 
Terribly sad news. Always looked out for her runners as knew you would get a run for your money. Marello still one of my favourite horses to this day. RIP
 
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Sad news about Mary Reveley and sounds like it was very sudden. Very tough for the family.
 
I remember Mary getting a mare rated 125 form john Joe Walsh's in late 1990s and improving her to a 161 rating.
Function Dream was the mare, dam of Captain Chris.
Melottie started life as a Bumper horse before winning a Cambridgeshire, book ending a seventy plus race career with victories.
Some lady to produce winners. R.I.P.
 
Alan Potts has died within three months of the passing of his wife earlier in the Summer.
 
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