Cheltenham Festival
Welcome to Live View – Take the tour to learn more
Start Tour
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
As Hurricane Fly prepares to bid to achieve the rare feat of winning three Champion Hurdles, and further press his claims to equine immortality, I thought, for those interested in such things, I'd dust down an old form book and relate some often overlookied details of the horse who was the best 2 mile hurdler I've seen.
The details of Sea Pigeon's battles with Monksfield and his two Champion Hurdle wins are widely known. However, he also put up the two most extraordinary performances I've witnessed much earlier in his career. This is the story of his 1976-77 season when he was 6, rising 7 in his third season hurdling.
Sea Pigeon kicked of with an "impressive" 5 length win at Ayr in October, carrying 12-7 in a handicap on firm going. (The runner-up himself won under 12-1 over course and distance later in the season).
He turned out again just a week later but was well beaten over 2m4f at Kempton by Lanzarote. One of the extraordinary things about Sea Pigeon was that, despite winning two Chester Cups and an Ebor under top weight, he never prospered over trips longer than two miles over hurdles.
After Kempton, owner Pat Muldoon transferred his horses from Gordon Richards to Peter Easterby. Sea Pigeon made his debut for that stable in the Embassy Handicap Hurdle at Haydock, a good prize in itself, and a recognised trial for the Schweppes (Betfair) Hurdle.
Sea Pigeon carried 12-2 that day and, as ever, stalked a big field. He made mistakes down the back and seemed to be going nowhere. Turning into the straight, he was plumb last. His new jockey, Ian Watkinson, pulled him wide. There was no point putting him under pressure as Sea Pigeon was not a horse who ever did much for the whip. He merely "clicked in his ear" as they approached three out and the horse took off. I met Watkinson many years later and he still maintained that he was speechless about what happened next. Eleventh two out, and only seventh at the last, Sea Pigeon ran away from his field to win in a canter by seven lengths. The form stacked up, too. The runner up, Gathering Storm, (received 33 pounds) won his next race, the fourth horse, Tanora, won off 12-5 later that season and the fifth horse, True Lad, (received 26 pounds, beaten 16 lengths) won the Schweppes next time out.
From Haydock, Sea Pigeon went for the Champion Hurdle. The prevailing wisdom was that he could not act on soft going and Jonjo O'Neill took him as wide as it is possible to go - out of sight of the camera for much of the descent, although the rest of the field, including stablemate and winner Night Nurse, who was also thought to detest the soft, hugged the inner. The combination of his detour round Tewkesbury, the heavy going, and the extended 2m1f trip saw Sea Pigeon's run peter out at the last and he finished an eight length fourth.
Despite that sapping race, Sea Pigeon turned out again at Aintree in the Allied Manufacturing Handicap Hurdle against a hugely strong field. This time he was burdened with 12-6. This time he was less spectacular than at Haydock, but, in winning by two lengths, achieved what Julian Wilson referred to as "impossible".
The runner-up, Multiple (received 37 pounds) bolted up by seven lengths at Aintree again the next day. The third horse, Flying Diplomat, (28 pounds) had been a close runner-up in the Schweppes. Top mare Mwanadike, back in fourth, had finished runner-up under 11-8 in the County Hurdle last time out, yet received 20 pounds from Sea Pigeon and was beaten 8 lengths. Next time out, at the Punchestown Festival, she finished just ahead of Champion Hurdle runner-up, Monksfield, at a difference of only 16 pounds. And, finally, in fifth was Troyswood who won a handicap at Fairyhouse next time out off 11-5, yet was beaten 17 lengths by Sea Pigeon, receiving 27 pounds.
Sea Pigeon had missed the Schweppes, for which he'd been a leading fancy, despite being scheduled to carry a colossal weight, on account of the heavy ground. Any reading of his form with those who ran in it would have had him winning that race with well over 13 stone! Ratings were never mentioned in those days, so it's hard to quantify just what he achieved yet, using the highly reliable Mwanadike as a benchmark, it would be very hard to rate her less than 155 and that would imply that Sea Pigeon was probably running to a mark of around 185. And, in the Haydock race, he won as he pleased.
Just to complete a remarkable season, Sea Pigeon also added the Scottish Champion Hurdle in April.
The culling of the Champion Hurdle distance by a furlong (and, just as important, the removing of the steep climb up past the winning post to the top of the course) removed a strange and unwelcome anomaly. Had that been done earlier, and had Sea Pigeon's connections realised earlier that he could handle soft ground very well (his final victory in the Champion was on ground as heavy as its ever been) then he may well have notched four or five Champion Hurdles. For me, he remains the best 2 mile hurdler we've seen. No horse will probably ever be asked to even attempt the feats that he achieved but, as with Arkle, those races are the ones which emphasise his greatness. As a come from behind horse, it was often impossible to know how far he was superior to his opponents yet, handicapped with immense burdens and shrugging them off with impunity, his greatness was truly defined.
The details of Sea Pigeon's battles with Monksfield and his two Champion Hurdle wins are widely known. However, he also put up the two most extraordinary performances I've witnessed much earlier in his career. This is the story of his 1976-77 season when he was 6, rising 7 in his third season hurdling.
Sea Pigeon kicked of with an "impressive" 5 length win at Ayr in October, carrying 12-7 in a handicap on firm going. (The runner-up himself won under 12-1 over course and distance later in the season).
He turned out again just a week later but was well beaten over 2m4f at Kempton by Lanzarote. One of the extraordinary things about Sea Pigeon was that, despite winning two Chester Cups and an Ebor under top weight, he never prospered over trips longer than two miles over hurdles.
After Kempton, owner Pat Muldoon transferred his horses from Gordon Richards to Peter Easterby. Sea Pigeon made his debut for that stable in the Embassy Handicap Hurdle at Haydock, a good prize in itself, and a recognised trial for the Schweppes (Betfair) Hurdle.
Sea Pigeon carried 12-2 that day and, as ever, stalked a big field. He made mistakes down the back and seemed to be going nowhere. Turning into the straight, he was plumb last. His new jockey, Ian Watkinson, pulled him wide. There was no point putting him under pressure as Sea Pigeon was not a horse who ever did much for the whip. He merely "clicked in his ear" as they approached three out and the horse took off. I met Watkinson many years later and he still maintained that he was speechless about what happened next. Eleventh two out, and only seventh at the last, Sea Pigeon ran away from his field to win in a canter by seven lengths. The form stacked up, too. The runner up, Gathering Storm, (received 33 pounds) won his next race, the fourth horse, Tanora, won off 12-5 later that season and the fifth horse, True Lad, (received 26 pounds, beaten 16 lengths) won the Schweppes next time out.
From Haydock, Sea Pigeon went for the Champion Hurdle. The prevailing wisdom was that he could not act on soft going and Jonjo O'Neill took him as wide as it is possible to go - out of sight of the camera for much of the descent, although the rest of the field, including stablemate and winner Night Nurse, who was also thought to detest the soft, hugged the inner. The combination of his detour round Tewkesbury, the heavy going, and the extended 2m1f trip saw Sea Pigeon's run peter out at the last and he finished an eight length fourth.
Despite that sapping race, Sea Pigeon turned out again at Aintree in the Allied Manufacturing Handicap Hurdle against a hugely strong field. This time he was burdened with 12-6. This time he was less spectacular than at Haydock, but, in winning by two lengths, achieved what Julian Wilson referred to as "impossible".
The runner-up, Multiple (received 37 pounds) bolted up by seven lengths at Aintree again the next day. The third horse, Flying Diplomat, (28 pounds) had been a close runner-up in the Schweppes. Top mare Mwanadike, back in fourth, had finished runner-up under 11-8 in the County Hurdle last time out, yet received 20 pounds from Sea Pigeon and was beaten 8 lengths. Next time out, at the Punchestown Festival, she finished just ahead of Champion Hurdle runner-up, Monksfield, at a difference of only 16 pounds. And, finally, in fifth was Troyswood who won a handicap at Fairyhouse next time out off 11-5, yet was beaten 17 lengths by Sea Pigeon, receiving 27 pounds.
Sea Pigeon had missed the Schweppes, for which he'd been a leading fancy, despite being scheduled to carry a colossal weight, on account of the heavy ground. Any reading of his form with those who ran in it would have had him winning that race with well over 13 stone! Ratings were never mentioned in those days, so it's hard to quantify just what he achieved yet, using the highly reliable Mwanadike as a benchmark, it would be very hard to rate her less than 155 and that would imply that Sea Pigeon was probably running to a mark of around 185. And, in the Haydock race, he won as he pleased.
Just to complete a remarkable season, Sea Pigeon also added the Scottish Champion Hurdle in April.
The culling of the Champion Hurdle distance by a furlong (and, just as important, the removing of the steep climb up past the winning post to the top of the course) removed a strange and unwelcome anomaly. Had that been done earlier, and had Sea Pigeon's connections realised earlier that he could handle soft ground very well (his final victory in the Champion was on ground as heavy as its ever been) then he may well have notched four or five Champion Hurdles. For me, he remains the best 2 mile hurdler we've seen. No horse will probably ever be asked to even attempt the feats that he achieved but, as with Arkle, those races are the ones which emphasise his greatness. As a come from behind horse, it was often impossible to know how far he was superior to his opponents yet, handicapped with immense burdens and shrugging them off with impunity, his greatness was truly defined.
Show More
Superb write up Cyclops of my favourite all time great.
Also had some wonderfull flat performances 2 Chester Cups Ebor hcap under 10-0 but his best ever performance on the flat imo was in the 1978ish Tennet trophy @ Ayr when he gave Le Moss subsequent dual Ascot Gold Cup winner around 27lbs and just got beat about a neck
Also had some wonderfull flat performances 2 Chester Cups Ebor hcap under 10-0 but his best ever performance on the flat imo was in the 1978ish Tennet trophy @ Ayr when he gave Le Moss subsequent dual Ascot Gold Cup winner around 27lbs and just got beat about a neck
Thanks Geoff. Yes, that was extraordinary. From memory, it was the Doonside Cup, but I'll defer to you if you're sure. I know he won the Tennent at some point. Had there been more races for him over his optimum 1m5f/1m6f his amazing flat record may well have been even better. They spent quite a long time trying to make him into a Cup horse though he never quite got home over those trips (the unique Chester notwithstanding).
Cyclops thats funny as I always used to think it was the Doonside Cup until a fellow Pigeon fan put me right.
Altho im sure he did win the Doonside Cup & Tennet Trophy along with 2 Scottish Champion Hurdles @ the track plus 3 Vaux Gold Tankards @ Redcar to go with his dual champion hurdles & chester cups.
What a horse made the hair stand on the back of the neck.
Probably (pro rata) had my biggest ever bet on him in the 81 champion £18 backed from Nov onwards from about 7/2 downwards.
Have a wonderfull DVD compilation that I put together of him somewhere tucked away.
Francome was interviewed regarding Peter Easterbys instructions pre race he said Peter told him dont win to far!
Altho im sure he did win the Doonside Cup & Tennet Trophy along with 2 Scottish Champion Hurdles @ the track plus 3 Vaux Gold Tankards @ Redcar to go with his dual champion hurdles & chester cups.
What a horse made the hair stand on the back of the neck.
Probably (pro rata) had my biggest ever bet on him in the 81 champion £18 backed from Nov onwards from about 7/2 downwards.
Have a wonderfull DVD compilation that I put together of him somewhere tucked away.
Francome was interviewed regarding Peter Easterbys instructions pre race he said Peter told him dont win to far!
Yes, shame there's not more footage of him available. Some of those races would be great to see again.
Great memories lads, was in the Lygon Arms one night when the great horse won the Champion all the connections were there, a great time, met Peter and Mick a few weeks ago by chance and had a quick chat about that night and the PIGEON, 30 odd years ago but seems like yesterday.
For me, he remains the best 2 mile hurdler we've seen. No horse will probably ever be asked to even attempt the feats that he achieved but, as with Arkle, those races are the ones which emphasise his greatness. As a come from behind horse, it was often impossible to know how far he was superior to his opponents yet, handicapped with immense burdens and shrugging them off with impunity, his greatness was truly defined.
Indeed a very warm tribute to a great horse. However the rewriting of history and the comparisons with Arkle pay scant respect to that horse's superiority other ALL others and ignores the fact that Sea Pigeon had to wait until the Golden Age of Hurdling was in its twilight years before he could win the top hurdles crown.
NIGHT NURSE
MONKSFIELD
PERSAIN WAR
COMMEDY OF ERRORS
LANZAROTE
BULA
were all Champions rated higher by Timeform than Sea Pigeon and had retired from hurdling (excluding Monkfield, he himself having to wait his turn) before Sea Pigeon had his time in the limelight.
Even then, his task was made easier by the tragic death of Golden Cygnet who, as a novice, was about to give Sea Pigeon the first of many beatings when falling in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
The best hurdler we have seen?
No, not for me.
Indeed a very warm tribute to a great horse. However the rewriting of history and the comparisons with Arkle pay scant respect to that horse's superiority other ALL others and ignores the fact that Sea Pigeon had to wait until the Golden Age of Hurdling was in its twilight years before he could win the top hurdles crown.
NIGHT NURSE
MONKSFIELD
PERSAIN WAR
COMMEDY OF ERRORS
LANZAROTE
BULA
were all Champions rated higher by Timeform than Sea Pigeon and had retired from hurdling (excluding Monkfield, he himself having to wait his turn) before Sea Pigeon had his time in the limelight.
Even then, his task was made easier by the tragic death of Golden Cygnet who, as a novice, was about to give Sea Pigeon the first of many beatings when falling in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
The best hurdler we have seen?
No, not for me.
dont think he was the best hurdler of all time but is my favourite racehorse of all time always gave you a run for your money used to love them battles with birds nest an co
Brings back lots of memories and you are 100% correct loper. I was at Ayr when Golden Cygnet, fresh from his Supreme victory, was cantering all over an established field, when he fell fatally at the last. We will never know the heights GC might have scaled but let's just remember the great Sea Pigeon
He would have won 3 champion hurdles if jonjo hadn't fecked up in 79,he panicked after Kybo fell and got there far too soon but hey ho,my favourite ever horse along with Nijinsky.
Yep Willie established field certainly was as Pigeon was also accompanied by stablemate dual champion Night Nurse you dont get hcap hurdles like that any more.Winners of 4 champion hurdles in a hcap.
Anyone recall the winners of 6 champion hurdles in a hcap??
Anyone recall the winners of 6 champion hurdles in a hcap??
i've said this on another (unread ! ) thread . how i wish there was a 'proper' northern challenge nowadays at cheltenham. it goes without saying that chatting to peter easterby and then young tim in the bar years later peter remembers that francome ride as a real frightening moment . then you think of all the dickinson horses ....
great write up can remember his races well :-) great horse 
loper, I made no comparison with Arkle, simply pointing out the way in which handicaps can sometimes showcase talent more accurately than conditions races.
I meant this thread to be an appreciation, not to start a "who was the best?" thread. There could easily be plausible cases made for half a dozen hurdlers since Persian War.
However, I would take issue with Timeform's extraordinary ratings for top hurdlers. Indeed, I now boycott the main entrance at Cheltenham since they stuck those ratings in full view! No idea how they would argue their case, but maybe of more relevance is that both Fred Winter and Fulke Walwyn were independently asked who the best hurdler they had seen was and both answered "Sea Pigeon." Winter, of course, trained Lanzarote and Bula. (Sea Pigeon's biography by Bill Curling).
I would also argue that Sea Pigeon was not being cantered all over by Golden Cygnet at Ayr; he was in his slipstream, about to make his move. In the event, he was hampered by Golden Cygnet's fall, had six lengths to make up on Night Nurse and did so, despite conceding seven pounds. Peter Easterby said he thought he'd have won anyway. The race is on You Tube (enter Golden Cygnet).
And, finally, I stressed "the best two mile hurdler". Once the course was shortened, he won two Champions with dismissive ease and I'm sure he'd have outspeeded Monksfield not only once, but twice, had the alterations been made earlier.
Geoff m, The Royal Doulton hurdle (now Swinton). Monksfield, Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon.
I meant this thread to be an appreciation, not to start a "who was the best?" thread. There could easily be plausible cases made for half a dozen hurdlers since Persian War.
However, I would take issue with Timeform's extraordinary ratings for top hurdlers. Indeed, I now boycott the main entrance at Cheltenham since they stuck those ratings in full view! No idea how they would argue their case, but maybe of more relevance is that both Fred Winter and Fulke Walwyn were independently asked who the best hurdler they had seen was and both answered "Sea Pigeon." Winter, of course, trained Lanzarote and Bula. (Sea Pigeon's biography by Bill Curling).
I would also argue that Sea Pigeon was not being cantered all over by Golden Cygnet at Ayr; he was in his slipstream, about to make his move. In the event, he was hampered by Golden Cygnet's fall, had six lengths to make up on Night Nurse and did so, despite conceding seven pounds. Peter Easterby said he thought he'd have won anyway. The race is on You Tube (enter Golden Cygnet).
And, finally, I stressed "the best two mile hurdler". Once the course was shortened, he won two Champions with dismissive ease and I'm sure he'd have outspeeded Monksfield not only once, but twice, had the alterations been made earlier.
Geoff m, The Royal Doulton hurdle (now Swinton). Monksfield, Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon.
Thought I'd bring this up again, as Cheltenham approaches, for those that like a wallow in history to stir the blood.
Been re reading The Ditch At The Top Of The Hill this week. I love NH
Great write up Cyclops..im sure that sea Pigeon was withdrawn on the eve of the 75 Champion as a 5yo on account of the soft ground.. the year Comdey of Errors regained his crown
Indeed he was. Just a novice that season.
The following one he was also withdrawn when a fancied third favourite at around 8/1 (from memory). On that occasion, he was bitten by an insect two days before the race, which was won by Night Nurse from Bird's Nest, on the quick ground that Sea Pigeon loved at that stage of his career.
The following one he was also withdrawn when a fancied third favourite at around 8/1 (from memory). On that occasion, he was bitten by an insect two days before the race, which was won by Night Nurse from Bird's Nest, on the quick ground that Sea Pigeon loved at that stage of his career.
In their book A Century of Champions, John Randall and Tony Morris ranked Sea Pigeon the tenth best British or Irish hurdler of the 20th century.
Great memories.
Great memories.
He gave Le Moss 27 pounds and just got beat ????????
how come he was rated so much higher than this multi Gold Cup winner ....and three times victor over the awesome Ardross .
I take it Le Moss was a work in progress.
how come he was rated so much higher than this multi Gold Cup winner ....and three times victor over the awesome Ardross .
I take it Le Moss was a work in progress.
Le Moss had won the Queens Vase @ Ascot as a 3yr old on his previous outing and received lumps of weight due to the wfa scale which favour 3 yr olds over longer trips in mid summer.
I think the trip was 1m 7f lucky for Le Moss it wasnt a furlong shorter as Pigeon was lethal over 1m6 on the flat.
I think the trip was 1m 7f lucky for Le Moss it wasnt a furlong shorter as Pigeon was lethal over 1m6 on the flat.
loper, I don't think Tony Morris has ever seen a jump race and Randall is a strange bookworm. The opinions of Walwyn and Winter hold just a little more weight in my view.
I'd take the opinions of an independent assessor any day before a jockey/trainer which opinions are almost always subjective.
Depends who the assessor is.
But when those trainers are assessing a horse to whom one of them could have put up a rival (Bula) then I see no reason why that view does not merit respect, particularly when Walwyn and Winter were the outstanding trainers of their era.
But when those trainers are assessing a horse to whom one of them could have put up a rival (Bula) then I see no reason why that view does not merit respect, particularly when Walwyn and Winter were the outstanding trainers of their era.
of course they commend respect but that's why there's an referee in football with an objective view, the players/trainers won't ever be able to judge things on their merit because they'll mix their subjectiveness with reasoning.
All views as to the merits of racehorses are subjective. Whose views you give weight to are as well. My point is that Walwyn/Winter were far better placed to assess these merits than the two characters cited.
Yes but their views in the book were based on Timeform ratings which trainers/owners use themselves as an reliable independent source. Also when Morris and Randall wrote the book Istabraq had yet to perform at the highest level, otherwise he would've been on 2nd place along Persian War and Monksfield.
Timeform is a long way from infallible and I'd refer to the main thrust of my argument, i.e. that Sea Pigeon showed himself comfortably superior to Monksfield when the Champion Hurdle distance was reduced to two miles and probably to all others. It was his misfortune that an extra furlong and a steep uphill climb was thought necessary for so many years. What he did, on many occasions, has never been matched in my opinion.
Post Your Reply
Please login to post a reply.
Wonder
Instance ID: 13539