Which is the most successful horse in the history of the Queen Mother Champion Chase?

In the history of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which was established, as the National Hunt Two-Mile Champion Chase, in 1959, several horses have two victories to their names. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, Moscow Flyer, Sprinter Sacre and, most recently, Altior, have won the race twice.

However, for the most successful horse in the history of the Queen Mother Champion Chase we need to look a little further back when, for a bright, but brief, period, National Hunt racing was dominated by Michael ‘The Mad Genius’ Dickinson. Dickinson is best remembered for saddling the first five finishers in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup, but also saddled Badsworth Boy to the first two of his three wins in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, in 1983 and 1984.

Dickinson, who described Badsworth Boy as ‘the best I trained over jumps’, said, ‘I would urge anyone to watch his first Champion Chase [which he won by a distance] on YouTube because it was the most devastating performance you’re ever likely to see.

In the summer of 1984, Dickinson was recruited by Robert Sangster to train his Flat horses The family licence passed to his mother, Monica, who saddled Badsworth Boy to a record third win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1985.

How old is John Gosden?

Five-time champion trainer John Gosden was born in Hove, Sussex on March 30, 1951 so, at the time of writing, he has recently turned 70 years of age. Gosden has been based at Clarehaven Stables on Bury Road, Newmarket since returning to the ‘Home of Horse Racing’ from his previous base in Manton, Wiltshire in 2006.

Gosden is on the record as ‘not looking to retire any time soon’ but, since March, 2021, has held a joint training licence with his son, Thady. Thady Gosden, 25, had been assistant trainer to his father for five years and regularly represented the yard at racecourses around the world. According to Gosden Snr., he is ‘more than ready to take over’ and, with Gosden Jnr. supervising the training of Mishriff, winner of the Saudi Cup at Riyadh and the Sheema Classic at Meydan in recent months, few would care to argue.

The father-son partnership, described by John Gosden as a ‘fair compromise’, was successful with its very first runner, Regent, at Lingfield on March 26, 2021. Thady Gosden was not present to witness the landmark victory, though, because he was already on his way to the Dubai World Cup Meeting.

Which Grand National had the fewest finishers?

The most attritional renewal of the Grand National in recent memory came in 2001, when just four horses finished and just two of them completed the course unscathed. The combination of bottomless ground and ‘carnage’ at The Canal Turn, caused by the riderless Paddy’s Return, conspired to whittle the 40-strong field down to just seven heading out on the final circuit. Further mishaps followed and, at the fence before Becher’s Brook on the second circuit, the field was reduced to just two. Red Marauder made the best of his way home to beat Smarty by a distance, with the remounted pair Blowing Wind and Papillon and equally distant third and fourth, respectively.

However, the Grand National with the fewest finishers ever was the 1928 renewal, in which 100/1 outsider Tipperary Tim was the only horse to safely negotiate all 30 obstacles at the first time of asking. He was followed home by just one other finisher, Billy Barton, who fell at the final fence, but was subsequently remounted to finish a distant second. Once again, conditions at Aintree were atrocious and, once again, a melee at The Canal Turn on the first circuit put paid to the chances of many of the 42 runners. At the third last fence, Great Span, Billy Barton and Tipperary Tim were the only three left standing, but Great Span and Billy Barton both departed to leave Tipperary Tim to win unchallenged.

What’s a horse racing syndicate?

As in other walks of life, in horse racing, a ‘syndicate’ refers to a group of people engaged in a shared enterprise, in this case the ownership of one or more racehorses. Obviously, the initial purchase price of a racehorse varies according to its age, pedigree, soundness and so on, but between £10,000 and £20,000 is not uncommon. Coupled with annual training costs, typically between £16,000 and £23,000, it is easy to see how the cost of buying a racehorse and keeping it in training is beyond the means of many individuals.

Consequently, groups of like-minded people, who may be strangers to each other, are brought together by a syndicate manager to share purchase cost(s) and the day-to-day cost of ownership among them. A typical syndicate consists of twenty or so members, each of whom buys a fixed share, say 5%, in one or more horses and makes an annual contribution towards training and other costs. Any prize money is, likewise, shared among syndicate members, but most people join a syndicate for the love of the sport, rather than an opportunity to make money.

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