Euros of which 93,000 go to the winner of today's Lexus Chase at Leopardstown which features a clash between leading Irish Gold Cup contenders Flemenstar and Sir Des Champs.
A-Z of Horse Racing (Part 2)
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Giant Bolster, The - a legendary giant said to live near the cliffs at St Agnes in Cornwall. He was rumoured to eat children so he wasn't all bad.
His namesake on the racecourse might be difficult to place for a while now. I hope I'm wrong. Pulled up in bad ground at Kempton the other day.
His namesake on the racecourse might be difficult to place for a while now. I hope I'm wrong. Pulled up in bad ground at Kempton the other day.
Originally Posted by jmclaugh:
“Yuletide. 6 horses listed with this name. Only two mares, one by Santa Claus and another out of Merry Christmas, have any real connection in their pedigrees.”
“Yuletide. 6 horses listed with this name. Only two mares, one by Santa Claus and another out of Merry Christmas, have any real connection in their pedigrees.”
Jingle Bells - similarly of the 12 horses given this name only 2 (a mare by Christmas Tree and a gelding out of Christmas Cactus) have a seasonal connection in the pedigree.
Last day of the old guard on C4 coverage yesterday as Big Mac, Alistair Down and Francome amongst others bade farewell to our screens.
National Hunt Chase - novices' chase for amateur riders run over 4m 1f at Cheltenham in March.
The longest race run at the Festival & the contest around which the 3 days was originally framed.
Before moving to Cheltenham permanently in 1911 the race was held at several venues, the long defunct Market Harborough course holding the inaugural contest in 1860.
The longest race run at the Festival & the contest around which the 3 days was originally framed.
Before moving to Cheltenham permanently in 1911 the race was held at several venues, the long defunct Market Harborough course holding the inaugural contest in 1860.
Quevega - has contested only 6 races in the past 3½ years (3 Mares' Hurdles and 3 Grade 1 Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdles) winning them all.
Syringe - due to our cat almost being totalled by a car 10 days ago I will be spending New Year's Eve feeding him with a Syringe (1960 French filly by Clarion).
Wyck Hill - inmate of David Bridgwater's yard at Wyck Hill near Stow.
Much improved since being tried over fences winning 4 of his 6 chases including a £43,000 Listed handicap at Ascot a couple of weeks ago.
Happy New Year.
Much improved since being tried over fences winning 4 of his 6 chases including a £43,000 Listed handicap at Ascot a couple of weeks ago.
Happy New Year.
Yesterday as the first day of C4's new racing coverage I watched with interest to see just how it would be and all in all was a bit mixed.
Despite the loss of the Cheltenham meeting on the positive side the visit to Seven Barrows was very interesting as was the piece on the recovery from an horrendous injury of jockey Isabel Thompsett at Oaksey House. Along with the views of a few jockeys it was obviously part of the objective to increase the focus on those who work in the sport and it worked well.
On the negative side however I wondered why no one from the team actually bothered to venture to Musselburgh but stayed in a studio in Cheltenham. The touchscreen and the graphics definitely need some tweaking. No one seemed sure how to operate the former and the latter were often far too small to read and didn't even show the trainer! However the most disappointing aspect was the time given ahead of the races to see the runners and what was happening in the ring and on the exchanges. It was woefully too short and at the end of the day that is what horse racing is about for most enthusiasts.
Hopefully they can tweak the balance and get it right. All just imho of course.
Despite the loss of the Cheltenham meeting on the positive side the visit to Seven Barrows was very interesting as was the piece on the recovery from an horrendous injury of jockey Isabel Thompsett at Oaksey House. Along with the views of a few jockeys it was obviously part of the objective to increase the focus on those who work in the sport and it worked well.
On the negative side however I wondered why no one from the team actually bothered to venture to Musselburgh but stayed in a studio in Cheltenham. The touchscreen and the graphics definitely need some tweaking. No one seemed sure how to operate the former and the latter were often far too small to read and didn't even show the trainer! However the most disappointing aspect was the time given ahead of the races to see the runners and what was happening in the ring and on the exchanges. It was woefully too short and at the end of the day that is what horse racing is about for most enthusiasts.
Hopefully they can tweak the balance and get it right. All just imho of course.
Zuzka - gave jockey Patrick Mullins his 73rd winner of 2012 last Saturday when obliging at Leopardstown.
This is a new record number of winners for an Irish amateur rider in the same calendar year beating a mark of 72 set back in 1915.
This is a new record number of winners for an Irish amateur rider in the same calendar year beating a mark of 72 set back in 1915.
Cult - in noting the rise to prominence of John McCririck, racing journalist Jeffrey Bernard is reported to have said, "That man is in danger of making a cult of himself".
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