Category: Horses

Did Sea Pigeon win the Ebor Handicap?

At the time of the retirement, as a 12-year-old, in March, 1982, Sea Pigeon was described as

‘probably the best known horse after Arkle and Red Rum’. He is best remembered for winning the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1980 and 1981, but arguably his most memorable victory came in the Ebor Handicap at York in 1979.

Saddled with top weight of 10 stone and ridden by his regular hurdles partner, Jonjo O’Neill, Sea Pigeon was sent off the longest-priced of three runners trained by Peter Easterby, at 18/1. O’Neill had actually broken three toes in his left foot the previous week, but ‘hoodwinked’ the racecourse doctor by presenting his uninjured right foot for inspection and was passed fit to ride.

In any event, Sea Pigeon – on whom, according to Easterby, ‘you couldn’t come too late’ – hit the front, travelling easily, with a furlong to run and looked like winning comfortably. However, he stopped quickly and, with O’Neill dropping his hands in the closing stages, was tackled close home by the 3-year-old Donegal Prince, to whom he was conceding 40lb. After a nailbiting wait, Sea Pigeon was called the winner, by a short head, thereby smashing the previous weight-carrying record for the Ebor Handicap.

Where, and when, did Stradivarius make his racecourse debut?

Now a 7-year-old, Stradivarius has been a fixture of the major staying races of the season since winning the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, as a 3-year-old, in 2017. Indeed, he has won the Goodwood Cup, over 2 miles, a record four times and his three wins, so far, in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, over 2 miles 4 furlongs, has been bettered only by Yeats. Following discussions with owner Bjorn Nielsen, trainer John Gosden recently announced that Stradivarius will stay in training, as an 8-year-old, in 2022, with the Goodwood Cup and Gold Cup pencilled in as likely targets.

Already the winner of 19 of his 32 starts, including seven at Group 1 level and eight at Group 2 level, Stradivarius has amassed just shy of £3.2 million in prize money in his illustrious career, so far. However, even superstar stayers have to start somewhere and Stradivarius made a low-key racecourse debut, as a 2-year-old, in a modest maiden stakes race, over an extended mile, at Nottingham on October 5, 2016. He finished fifth of nine, beaten 4½ lengths, on that occasion and, after another unplaced run behind stable companion Cracksman in a similar race at Newmarket two weeks later, opened his account when dropped still further in class on the Tapeta surface at Newcastle in early November. From those modest beginnings, he improved 40lb throughout his 3-year-old campaign and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

What is a weight cloth?

In any horse race, a jockey must, subject to any weight ‘claim’, carry at least the weight shown on the racecard. Accordingly, jockeys ‘weigh out’, along with all the equipment they will carry in a race, including the saddle, in front of a racecourse official known as the ‘Clerk of the Scales’. In the event that the combined weight of the jockey and his/her equipment is lighter than the weight shown on the racecard, additional weight, in the form of thin lead weights supplied by the racecourse, is added to make up the difference.

In this case, the horse is question wears a special cloth, known as a weight cloth, beneath the saddle. The weight cloth fits securely underneath the saddle and typically has two or more pockets into which lead weights can be placed to distribute the additional ‘dead weight’ evenly. Most racehorse trainers prefer their horses to carry as little ‘dead weight’ as possible, on the grounds that it is more difficult to carry than the ‘live weight’ of a jockey, which can move relative to the horse. Nevertheless, in situations where the weight of the jockey doesn’t closely match the weight allocated, a weight cloth is an unobtrusive solution, which creates no distraction for horse or rider.

How many steeplechases did Desert Orchid win?

Foaled in April, 1979, Desert Orchid was a prolific novice hurdler, winning six of his eight starts in 1983/84 and being sent off 7/1 second favourite for the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1984. However, it was when switched to fences in 1985/86 that ‘Dessie’, as he became known, started to endear himself to the racing public with his front-running style and bold, attacking jumping.

In a long, illustrious career, characterised by a never-day-die attitude, regardless of distance or going, Desert Orchid won 34 of his 71 starts, over distances ranging from 2 miles to 3 miles 5 furlongs, and amassed over £650,000 in prize money. His 27 wins over fences included the King George VI Chase at Kempton four times, in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990, the Whitbread Gold Cup – now the Bet365 Gold Cup – at Sandown in 1988 and the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse in 1990.

However, it was in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989 that Desert Orchid recorded his most famous victory. Despite a left-handed track and heavy, barely raceable going, neither of which was in his favour, Desert Orchid was nevertheless sent off 5/2 favourite for his first attempt in the ‘Blue Riband’ event. Left in the lead by the fall of Ten Plus at the third-last fence, Desert Orchid was soon headed, and looked beaten, until rallying up the Cheltenham hill to beat Yahoo by 1½ lengths.

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