favourite festival memories

tiedcottage

A bit facetious, I know, but anybody like to put forward their festival favourite memories. They have to be Grade 1 Races, not handicaps.

I know the Racing Post will talk about Desert Orchid's Gold Cup, which had everything, but admittedly lost some in the amount of casualties.

I could mention the awesome performances of Ten Plus, French Holly, Barton, Regal Ambition et al in the Sun Alliance Hurdle, or of the great Golden Cignet and slightly less great Brownes Gazette romping away with or Hors la Loi catching pigeons and cooking them in the Supreme Novices of their years. Or the battle between Bobsline and Noddy's Ryde in the 84 Arkle.

I have a fondness for the 95 Champion Hurdle and Alderboook's performance against a pretty strong field in only his third run (and to all intents and purposes his second) over hurdles. Unlike other flat horse champions, he loved hurdling.

But for me it would be two epic Sun Alliances. Firstly Miinehoma against Bradbury Star in 1992, because it was a rare case of a decent size field having quality to spare (Run for Free and Rough Quest filled the other places, what a roll-call the first four home would have between them).

But my best memory is a poignant one, the same race in 1995. The epic between Banjo and Harcon when half the field were gasping for air at half way on soft ground. Unguided Missile fell out on his feet at the top of the hill. Sweet Duke, who had Suny Bay a well beaten faller behind him in the Reynoldstown was a distant fourth. Up steps Brief Gale to crash the party, cannily aimed at distances less than her best by Josh Gifford prior to the event, but showing that her close proximity to Danoli in the hurdle equivalent was no fluke the prev year. Poignant because, but for a couple of races a few years later for Banjo, all the first four were never able to continue their rise the following year, so hence we don't quite know how good they were.

Morgans

Dawn Run winning the gold cup was probably the race of the century. Others that merit a mention to me include Dorans Pride in the stayers, Regal Ambition, Bobsline. Whither or Which winning the Bumper having lost 10l at the start.

fr wishy washy

indeed the dawn run finish would take some beating and who could ever forger des scahill's radio commentary .

on a personal level imperial call's win in the gold cup made me a happy camper as i had a small wager on him in the winter before he won @ 33/1 to win the race

tiedcottage

Oh yes, any you clean up on is a good memory, absolutely. I was never a major fan of Imp Call, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have improved but for injury as he was only 7 and he was certainly far better than Florida Pearl, who was always overrated.

I just don't think Imp Call's Gold Cup win was up to much. He basically only beat a top class handicapper by a few lengths, and Rough Quest came from well over ten lengths back at the top of the hill. But how you win is not half as important was winning.

I remember it more for the sad sight of One Man not getting home when he was clearly the superior horse in the race, just didn't get the Cheltenham trip the idiotic way he was ridden.

One a personal level, though the race was not high quality, One Man's Champion Chase win was fantastic.

Morgans

I dont suppose anyone one here saw Go Racing on TV3 last night. The sight of Golden Cygnet pulling Niall Madden's arms out going down the hill at Cheltenham in teh Supreme Novces Hurdle 1978 was something to behold. He was trying to pull the horse up but couldnt stop him from getting to the lead. Won in a canter and rated the best novice of all time, before falling and fatally injuring himself in the Scottish CHampion Hurdle, when about to beat Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse.

fr wishy washy

Morgans wrote:

I dont suppose anyone one here saw Go Racing on TV3 last night. The sight of Golden Cygnet pulling Niall Madden's arms out going down the hill at Cheltenham in teh Supreme Novces Hurdle 1978 was something to behold. He was trying to pull the horse up but couldnt stop him from getting to the lead. Won in a canter and rated the best novice of all time, before falling and fatally injuring himself in the Scottish CHampion Hurdle, when about to beat Sea Pigeon and Night Nurse.

indeed i did,
just wondering (as i d'ont know your age)was that the first time you saw the footage, as people d'ont believe me when i tell them how good this horse was.
just imagine in the race where he met his demise,he was still a novice and was cantering all over sea pigeon & night nurse amongst others at ayr.

he actually survived the fall but died from complications

tiedcottage

I know I've only seen it once, and some time ago, Fr Wishy Washy. It's the most devastating performance you'll see over hurdles, I quite agree. A friend of mine remembered the Scot Champion Hurdle in 78 (I was only five at the time) and says that the way he was hacking all over SP and NN was similar to the way Alderbook was toying with Large Action, Danoli et al in the 95 Champion. That may have been the Champion, but you don't need to be a genius to work out that NN and SP were, to put it mildly, some way above Alderbrook's victims in the hierarchy of memory (and yet the 95 Champion was probably the best in terms of depth of quality since the glory days of the seventies). Just goes to show the promise of the horse.

fr wishy washy

tiedcottage wrote:

I know I've only seen it once, and some time ago, Fr Wishy Washy. It's the most devastating performance you'll see over hurdles, I quite agree. .

nial 'boots' madden was actually hanging off the horse two out such was his effort to contain "the cygnet".his turn of foot that day will stay with me to my dying day