absalom
At the Start
If your a fan of this era enjoy footage on my site via the following link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eneMHaB6fxU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eneMHaB6fxU
Sea Pigeon 1977 Colonial Cup Full Race on you tube
- Thread starter absalom
- Start date
EC1
On a break
he was injured in that race
Grasshopper
Senior Jockey
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- Nov 14, 2006
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- 16,050
What did the sectionals tell us? 
The fences were much bigger than connections had been led to believe. Sea Pigeon made a very bad mistake when being schooled over them and in the race itself he hit the fourth last when going well then got blinded at the next and came down. He was injured, as EC rightly states, then had a terrible journey back. There was a dock strike and he ended up travelling by air freight to Germany as "general cargo" in a narrow, improvised stall. He spent the night in a hangar in Frankfurt then was flown to Heathrow the day after but there was some problem with the paperwork and Customs wouldn't release him so he spent the next night in a hangar at Heathrow in a box with tortoises, snakes and "other animals" but no horses. Eventually arrived back at Easterby's yard thirteen days after he'd set off and, according to his lass, he had lost "a lot of weight" and was "stiff and sore. [Easterby] was very distressed when he saw him and his first reaction was that he might never race again."
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EC1
On a break
Sea Pigeon
At the Start
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2007
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First time I've seen that. Many thanks
French Hollow gets several mentions on the commentary. Ex-Dickinson horse, as I recall. Either won or went close in the Panama Cigar Hurdle Final, of blessed memory, for two-mile novice hurdlers.
There were loads of those "series" at the time. Others that spring to mind are the Embassy Premier Chase (first and second season chasers) and the Philip Cornes Saddle of Gold (staying novice hurdlers).
There were loads of those "series" at the time. Others that spring to mind are the Embassy Premier Chase (first and second season chasers) and the Philip Cornes Saddle of Gold (staying novice hurdlers).
The Colonial Cup was run on 26 November 1977. In the light of Sea Pigeon's condition when he came back from America, it's worth noting that he wasn't given that much time off to recover as he came out again as soon as February 4 when he won the Oteley Hurdle at Sandown.
His full record in 1978, flat and jumps, bears repeating:
Feb 4 - won Oteley Hurdle, Sandown
March 15 - 2nd, Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
April 15 - won Scottish Champion Hurdle, Ayr
May 1 - unplaced, Royal Doulton Hurdle, Haydock
May 10 - won Chester Cup, Chester
May 26 - 2nd, Lymm Stakes, Haydock
July 1 - 4th, Northumberland Plate, Newcastle
July 17 - 2nd, Tennent Trophy, Ayr
July 26 - won, Vaux Gold Tankard, Redcar
Aug 28 - won Moet & Chandon Silver Magnum, Epsom
Sept 14 - 4th, Doncaster Cup, Doncaster
Sept 23 - won, Bogside Cup, Ayr
Oct 14 - won, Sam Hall Memorial Trophy, York
Oct 27 - won, William Hill Hurdle, Newbury
Oct 28 - 2nd, St Simon Stakes, Newbury
Nov 18 - won Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Newcastle
Worth bearing in mind when we see the top Cheltenham-bound horses given "racecourse gallops" pre-festival and actually racing two or three times a year.
His full record in 1978, flat and jumps, bears repeating:
Feb 4 - won Oteley Hurdle, Sandown
March 15 - 2nd, Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
April 15 - won Scottish Champion Hurdle, Ayr
May 1 - unplaced, Royal Doulton Hurdle, Haydock
May 10 - won Chester Cup, Chester
May 26 - 2nd, Lymm Stakes, Haydock
July 1 - 4th, Northumberland Plate, Newcastle
July 17 - 2nd, Tennent Trophy, Ayr
July 26 - won, Vaux Gold Tankard, Redcar
Aug 28 - won Moet & Chandon Silver Magnum, Epsom
Sept 14 - 4th, Doncaster Cup, Doncaster
Sept 23 - won, Bogside Cup, Ayr
Oct 14 - won, Sam Hall Memorial Trophy, York
Oct 27 - won, William Hill Hurdle, Newbury
Oct 28 - 2nd, St Simon Stakes, Newbury
Nov 18 - won Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Newcastle
Worth bearing in mind when we see the top Cheltenham-bound horses given "racecourse gallops" pre-festival and actually racing two or three times a year.
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Sea Pigeon
At the Start
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2007
- Messages
- 505
Best dual purpose horse of all time 
EC1
On a break
thats how it was Gus wan't it?..top horses running many times a season. Times change..and now all trainers are copying Hen Knight due to her success with Best Mate...i'd probably do the same...she was constantly criticised for cotton wooling him..but now most trainers are doing it with their stars.
Cheltenham just wasn't the be all and end all in those days..its gone too far towards that now really.
amazing when you think that was just one year in that legend's career though
Cheltenham just wasn't the be all and end all in those days..its gone too far towards that now really.
amazing when you think that was just one year in that legend's career though
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Best Mate's record vindicated Knight's approach and I defended her at the time. The problem occurs when too many trainers adopt this template and we get uncompetitive races as a result.
In some respects, NH racing now resembles the Flat in the late-seventies and early-eighties: connections obsessed with avoiding defeat and losing sight of the fact that horses are bred to race. Sangster and O'Brien at least had the figleaf of stud values but that's not a consideration over jumps.