On This Day In (Racing) History

edgt said:
March 20

1888 Donovan wins Brocklesby Stakes at Lincoln. Ends his 2yo career 11 wins from 13 starts. As a 3yo wins Derby and St Leger. Dawn Approach fans take heart!

1948 Sheilas Cottage wins Aintree Grand National. Bred locally in Broadford Co. Limerick by Patsy Boyce she won local P2Ps in Ballyheen before being sold to England.
Ridden by Arthur Thompson she bit the top off one of his fingers 2 days after the race.
She was the third consecutive GN winner sired by Cottage after Lovely Cottage 46 and Caughoo 47.

1968
Persian War wins first of 3 Champion hurdles.

1993
Lord Oaksey performs bungee jump live on C4 at Uttoxeter races on the day talking horse Mister Ed wins Midlands National at 25/1. ( Thanks to Tommo for that one!)
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Mr Ed, did we get pissed after that one:whistle:
 
1942
Mar 21 Medoc II wins Cheltenham Gold Cup ridden by Frenchie Nicholson.
Run in a thick fog though radio listeners were not told so by commentator Raymond Glendenning. Either because during WW2 weather reports were not broadcast or as a commentator rather than a race reader RG did not realise it was foggy himself.

Mar 21 1992
Lester Piggott's attempt to win Lincoln for the first time thwarted by his son in law Wm Haggas trained High Low. LP finished 2nd, 42 years after his first ride in the race.

Mar 21 1968
Fort Leney wins Cheltenham Gold Cup for P Taaffe and TW Dreaper on firm ground from The Laird and Stalbridge Colonist.
Englands Glory wins first Triumph Hurdle to be run at Festival.
It was firstly run at Hurst Park and then at April meeting.
 
Mar 23 1986
Royal Gait wins his first race in Madrid over 9f on Heavy going.
Connections said to be anxious to sell as heavy ground horses have little going for them in Spain!


March 23 1991
Alex Greaves became first lady jockey to win Lincoln on Amenable.
Meanwhile, Lester Piggott, who never rode a Lincoln winner, won his first All Weather race in UK at Lingfield on La Masass.
 
edgt said:
Mar 23 1986
March 23 1991

Meanwhile, Lester Piggott, who never rode a Lincoln winner, won his first All Weather race in UK at Lingfield on La Masass.
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Loosely connected quiz question ( no googling :lol:)

Who was Britain's only ever Champion Jockey for all weather jump racing ?
 
March 24

On this day in 1956 Devon Loch famously threw away Grand National glory by sprawling to the ground on the run-in, handing victory to ESB.
 
We're pondering this at chez moi.
Would anyone know .................
Has the Irish/English Lincoln Double ever before been achieved prior to today's victory by Sweet Lightning?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
icebreaker said:
We're pondering this at chez moi.
Would anyone know .................
Has the Irish/English Lincoln Double ever before been achieved prior to today's victory by Sweet Lightning?

Thanks in advance. :)
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Good question Icebreaker.
I do not believe so.
Few enough Irish trained winners of Doncaster race bar Saving Mercy for Dk Weld who did not win Curragh race as I recall.
Folk Hero won Irish Lincoln for my buddy Richard McCormick in 1981 and was being prepared for Doncaster race, maybe even ran in it in 82 but broke down.
A great story about him; bought by the Sheehy bros of Kinsale he ran as a 2yo with Steve Norton winning but jarring up, As a 3yo D K Weld trained him. He was lead horse for a DKW 2000gns prospect in a Leopardstown gallop.
The 2000g prospect did not pick up FH so ending his Classic career.
RJMc bought FH at Horses in Training sales for 3000gns and nursed him to fitness to win Lincoln beating a DKW favourite. DKW not amused !
Some one wiser may have the correct answer Ice.
 
Cheers Edgt, thank you for that.
Great story about Folk Hero. :lol:
(Goes to show that a "small" guy with a bit of savvy can sometimes beat the big fella's at their own game). :)
 
March 25

On this day 13 years ago, Dubai Millennium put up a hugely impressive performance to take the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba.

It's also the birthday (1976) of Troy.

Answer to "Who was Britain's only ever Champion Jockey for all weather jump racing ?" is Steve Smith Eccles
 
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Mar 25 a big date in Grand National history.
1887
A major gamble goes astray when Spahi who had never raced in a hurdle or chase was made 9/2 fav. He fell, Gamecock won, but Spahi came out the following day to win the Champion Chase over the same course.

1892
Capt Roddy Owen won GN on Father O Flynn at 20/1.
Did he get p****d after that ? Tell us if you remember Roddy !

1904
Moifaa wins at 25/1.
Legend is he survived a ship wreck off Irish coast on his way from New Zealand.
When Brough Scott was researching for a book on the subject he could find no real evidence. Pity.

1938
Bruce Hobbs became the youngest jockey to win GN on USA bred Battleship, an entire by Man o War. He defeated Royal Danieli ridden by Dan Moore ( L'Escargot fame) by a head.
Workman ridden by Eddie Newman finished 3rd. He was to win in1939.
Dan Moore as a jockey was the spitting image of Paul Carberry, his grandson.

1961
Two Russian horses Grifel and Relief ran in GN. Team tactics included having someone posted at each fence to help jockeys remount! On being remounted one jockey took off only to return, looking for his whip!. Horses ur and pulled up respectively!
 
March 26

On this day in 1994 Our Rita, ridden by Darryll Holland and trained by Dr Jon Scargill, won the William Hill Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster.
 
March 26 1955
Quare Times wins Aintree Grand National , the third of M V O Briens 3 in a row. Pat Taaffe rode.

Mar 26 1960
BBC TV televise GN for first time. Merryman II won for Neville Crump.
It was said that any public disapproval of the race on cruelty grounds was lost when they saw the spectacle of the race live on tv.

Mar 26 1966
Anglo wins GN at 50/1
Horse formerly known as Flag Of Convenience.
 
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March 27

On this day in 1993 Lynda Ramsden became the first woman to train the winner of the Lincoln when High Premium beat Mizaaya at Doncaster.
 
March 28

On this day in 1999, Almutawakel landed a surprise victory in the Group One Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba.
 
Mar 28 1884
Voluptuary wins Grand National on his first steeplechase start.
Winner of the Dee Stakes at Chester, he led the Derby field around Tattenham Corner before finishing 6th.He appeared nightly in Drury Lane Theatre in a production of The Prodigal Daughter jumping a water jump. Equine Multitasking!

1919


Poethlyn ridden by Ernie Piggott wins first post war Grand National.
All White ridden by T. Williams was pulled up to allow his jockey throw up. He then continued and finished 5th. Jockey blamed a sea food snack for his sickness.( Dont we all) What the connections thought of their jockey is not recorded.
 
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