On this day in 1989 Vicario Di Bray went off the 4/7f for what is now the Betfair Hurdle but could only finish second to Grey Salute.
On this day in 1989 Vicario Di Bray went off the 4/7f for what is now the Betfair Hurdle but could only finish second to Grey Salute.
Illegitimi non carborundum
On this his day 1964 Ryan Price's Rosyth won the Schweppes Handicap Hurdle. Stewards considered it "abnormal improvement" and the trainer was disqualified until the end of season.
On this day in 1661 the first recorded race meeting took place at Epsom in the presence of King Charles II.
On this day in 1964 Arkle won the first of histhree Cheltenham Gold Cups, defeating reigning champion Mill House.
Epsom and Cheltenham on the same day, I'm glad they sorted that one out.
On this day in 1980 Cheltenham Gold Cup 1983 and Champion Hurdle 1996 winning jockey Graham Bradley rode his first winner, Talon at Sedgefield.
Good old Brad; one of the finest jockeys ever to sit on a horse.
I was a huge fan of his .
My favourite Brad memory is of him coasting home on French Ballerina in the Supreme, with His Song trailing in his wake.
"Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".
SlimChance, March 2018
You'll never beat that ride on Morley Street to win the Aintree Hurdle in 1993
That's the one I remember, DG.
Ah! but a man's reach should exceed his grasp......
His Gold Cup on Bregawn was a master-class in pace and race riding.
The older I get the better I was.
Merry Gale at Aintree 2005 another favourite especially Jim Dreaper saying after the race " You would not want to have Bradley riding for you everyday !"
Cavies Clown in 88 Pillar Chase another classic the way he had him pinging the fences, the list goes on and on.
On this day in 1992 Jamie Osborne ended the THREE day Festival with 5 winners equalling the record set by Fred Winter in 1959.
On this day in 1989 jockey Doug Smith passed away.Amazing but true, he had ridden a winner at every British racecourse by the time he was twenty years old.
On this day 31st May 1970, the greatest National Hunt horse of all time Arkle, lay his head down and passed away.
On this day in 1982 Dawn Run,who won both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup, scored her first victory,a £572 flat race at Tralee,ridden by her owner Charmian Hill,62.
After-timing
On the 20th June 1969 the Derek Candy trained, Brian Jenks owned, Song won the Kings Stand Stakes (then the premier RA sprint) at Royal Ascot as a 3yo. He had won the New Stakes at the 1968 meeting.
On this day in 1965 Newmarket became first British racecourse to use starting stalls, the first race being the Chesterfield Stakes over 5 furlongs for 2-year-olds.
On this day in !978 Gunner B won the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown. Though he'd won the Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot it wasn't then a Group 1 so this was the first Group 1 of the Cecil/Mercer partnership.
Gunner B was a 5yo who joined Cecil that season. He'd previously been trained by George Toft In Yorkshire The Eclipse was his 4th win of the season from 4 runs.