Vodkatini

H

harry

At the Start
Joined
Apr 16, 2005
Messages
5,694
Just noticed we had a member called Vodkatini looking in.

I loved that horse....he would refuse to race but when he did run he'd win.

He was a Gifford horse and I was just getting into racing when he was running(or not)

Ran against Dessie a few times

Happy memories
 
Cuss of a horse. He'd either win or point himself in the opposite direction to the others and refuse to move... you had to love him.
 
As exasperating an animal as he was a gifted one, his last act on earth came in the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray Hunt Members' race at Parham in March 1995. All of 16 years of age by then, he lined up against fellow former top-notcher Door Latch, one year older than him at 17.

Vodkatini fell, brought down Door Latch, and both sustained fatal injuries.

A bizarre and tragic end to the careers of two popular old warriors, and Mackenzie and Selby summed Vodkatini up most apositely in their write-up for him in Hunter Chasers and Point to Pointers 1996 in calling him "one of the great clowns of racing".

gc
 
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I was at Aintree the day he refused to race. Couldn't see anything [certainly didn't see much of the National] and new to racing, so I didn't understand what was going on. Just heard a lot of boos and cheers and suchlike; not what I was expecting at a racetrack. He'd had a rather crashing fall at one time, I believe, so probably had the sense to say 'I don't want to do this, I might hurt meself again'. Did he get killed pointing after retirement? 'Said I didn't want to do this' would've been his epitaph. Perhaps one of my overriding memories of racing, and I never actually saw him.
 
As has been said, to back him, you had to be near the counter in a bookies and see if he jumped off. If he did, you got your bet on smartish before they clocked the till for the race. Loved him too....
 
moehat said:
Did he get killed pointing after retirement?
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Arguably. The race in which the two old warriors perished was Vodkatini's first for three years and Door Latch's first in five, which does beggar the obvious question as to the wisdom of their pressing back into competitive action.

The point to make, however, is that neither was being ludicrously campaigned as a serious Point-to-Point horse back in 1995. Rather, both would have been giving their then present connections (Lawrie Wells in the case of Vodkatini, still Josh Gifford in the case of Door Latch) some outstanding fun as safe conveyances in the hunting field well into their dotage, and were presumably thought to be well enough in themselves to be able to take in what is 99 times out of 100 the weakest race on a Pointing card (and one in which the only rivals would have been other horses they'd been hunting with in the Chiddingfold L&C pack).

This is certainly not an occurence without precedent. Only last Sunday the former Jessica Harrington-trained Django popped up at big odds in the Members at Thorpe Lodge on only his second run in the last three years and eight months - virtually all of which has been spent strictly as something to ride in hunts, not horse races.

Late-teenagers contesting Hunt Members races isn't even especially unusual. Only unsuitable underfoot conditions prevented the then 19-year-old Live Wire from contesting the Crawley & Horsham Hunt Members race, again at Parham, in 2010 (a race he'd won on his previous outing - in 2005); whilst the likes of Nenni at Whittington, Jemaro at Chaddesley Corbett and Bold Navigator have all won their Hunt Members as 17-year-olds in my time of following the sport.

All that's unusual in the case of Vodkatini and Door Latch was the back story and previous achievements of the two animals involved; and the fact that neither came home that evening. You could go Pointing for years, maybe even decades, before coming across another Hunt Members race in which two of the four participants get killed - theirs was just a horrible, freak happening (on, incidentally, a holding but entirely blameless surface).

gc
 
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Whatever happened to him, still better to have had a few years hunting and pointing than stood in a field getting fat and bored. Re the mention of the Giffords, I'm planning a trip to see Giffords Circus this year..has anyone else been to this wonderfully anachronistic event? I feel I shall be going back in time to something straight out of the pages of a Thomas Hardy novel.
 
Vodkatini was the first horse I ever started to follow and hence the moniker. And yes Dave G, the trick was to be standing by the counter while craning your neck at an insane angle to watch the start on the bookie's solitary TV (providing the meeting was on terrestial).

I can still distinctly remember half the sixth form (still in uniform) crammed into the local bookies (how time have changed) listening to Cheltenham on the tannoy. Vodkatini was following his usual hold up tactics and had hardly been mentioned. Needless to say, there were numerous mumbled threats and murderous looks aimed in my direction. Vodkatini comes with a late run and all hell broke loose, much to bemusement of the grumpy old git behind the counter. We all got paid out and told in no uncertain terms that if we showed up again the principal would be notified!

Cahervillahow (?) was a similar quality but quirky type but if memory serves he repeatedly broke my heart.
 
vodkatini said:
Cahervillahow (?) was a similar quality but quirky type but if memory serves he repeatedly broke my heart.
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Never had Cahervillahow down as anything other than thoroughly reliable, and I'm still pissed off with the Sandown stewards for chucking him out after he won the Whitbread on merit.
 
rorydelargy said:
Never had Cahervillahow down as anything other than thoroughly reliable, and I'm still pissed off with the Sandown stewards for chucking him out after he won the Whitbread on merit.
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Me too, my first ever (and only ) disqualification to Docklands Express:mad:
Loved the colours too if I remember correct....hearts?
 
Oh I remember that disqualification so well - absolutely killed me.

I may be wrong but I seem to remember backing Cahervillahow when he lost 20 odd lengths at the start of a festival race and ultimately ended up being beaten into second by a short distance.

That said, I can barely remember where I left my keys these days so I may be wrong....
 
vodkatini said:
Oh I remember that disqualification so well - absolutely killed me.

I may be wrong but I seem to remember backing Cahervillahow when he lost 20 odd lengths at the start of a festival race and ultimately ended up being beaten into second by a short distance.

That said, I can barely remember where I left my keys these days so I may be wrong....
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This race?

Cheltenham Result
14 Mar 1991

« 4:05 » Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase (5yo+) 3m1f Good
£29,589.00, £8,862.00, £4,256.00, £1,953.00


« 1 Seagram (NZ) 6/1 11 10-11 D H Barons 146 147 160 »
ch g Balak - Llanah (NZ) (Bally Royal) N Hawke
Always prominent, led after 3 out, driven out


« 2 5 Cahervillahow 13/2 7 11-10 M F Morris 159 156 168 »
br g Deep Run - Bargara (Bargello) Charlie Swan
Started slowly, headway 11th, hard ridden 3 out, ran on one pace from 2 out


« 3 20 Outside Edge 5/1 10 10-4 M C Pipe 139 123 128 »
b g Kemal (FR) - Smooth Lady (Tarqogan) Peter Scudamore
Headway 8th, every chance when mistake 18th, 3rd and beaten when mistake last


« 4 6 Forest Ranger 14/1 9 10-018 J A C Edwards 135 115 118 »
b g The Parson - Nora Grany (Menelek) Norman Williamson
Led until after 1st, every chance 3 out, one pace


« 5 5 Gala's Image 33/1 11 10-2219 J C McConnochie 137 113 115 »
br g Gala Performance - Chilita (Tarqogan) J Shortt
Headway 6th, mistake 15th, soon weakened


« 6 1 Gainsay 25/1 12 10-6 b Mrs J Pitman 141 117 118 »
br g Tepukei - Swift Response (No Arguement) B De Haan
Pulled hard, led after 1st until after 3 out, beaten when mistake last


« 7 15 Beau Rose 66/1 8 10-021 C C Trietline 135 101 97 »
b g Beau Charmeur (FR) - Rosantus (Anthony) S Earle
Mistake 6th, behind when mistake 14th, tailed off


« 8 12 Sam Da Vinci 9/2F 12 10-7 D Nicholson 142 99 92 »
ch g Saucy Kit - Fortilage (Fortina) R Dunwoody
Behind, reminders 9th, no response, tailed off


« 9 Hettinger 150/1 11 10-017 J Ffitch-Heyes 135 — »
b g Maximilian - Fawnamore (Menelek) E Byrne
Not jump well, tailed off when blundered 14th


« PU Bishops Yarn 33/1 12 11-2 G B Balding 151 — »
br g Tycoon II - Lilac Veil (Dumbarnie) Richard Guest
Well behind 10th, pulled up before 18th


« UR Plenty Crack 25/1 8 10-07 Bruce Mactaggart 135 — »
b g Deep Run - Perspex-Pride (Perspex) M Bowlby
Held up, mistake 12th, mid-division when blundered badly and unseated rider 16th


« PU Boraceva 6/1 8 10-12 G B Balding 147 — »
b g Salluceva - Boreen Queen (Boreen) J Frost
Behind until pulled up before 3 out


« F Envopak Token 12/1 10 10-22 J T Gifford 137 — »
ch g Proverb - Luck Token (Festive I) D Murphy
Third when fell 8th


« PU Alone Success 7/1 8 10-5 Nicky Henderson 140 — »
br g Strong Gale - Tabankulu (Selko) J White
Prominent, ridden and weakened 12th, behind when hampered 16th, pulled up before 17th


14 ran TIME 6m 32.50s Total SP 119%
1st OWNER: Sir Eric Parker BRED: Mrs J A Broome TRAINER: D H Barons
2nd OWNER: Mrs Miles Valentine
3rd OWNER: B A Kilpatrick




HTH,

gc
 
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Ooooh! Some of the names there. Fortina, Tarqogan, Deep Run, Menelek. A night out with my racing club at a cricket club somewhere in Nottingham, me saying to someone 'I quite fancy Seagram for the National'; the reply being 'of course you do, because he's going to win it'. Happy days [now wallowing in nostalgia...]
 
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