Can anyone tell me about Moon Madness ?

Trained by John Dunlop ,graduated from handicaps ,liked good ground.

Used to bite his rivals

Moon Madness

* 27-y-o (01Jan83 b h)
* Vitiges (FR) (10.4f)

From memory.
4th in a 2yo maiden.
Won 4 on the trot incl handicaps at 3.
3rd in one race, maybe the Voltiguer,
Won the Leger.

Finished well on the outside behind Nisnad and Mashkour in the Volt

verbotene liebe 30 Apr 22:10


Finished well on the outside behind Nisnad and Mashkour in the Volt

Yes, held up near the back by Pat in a slowly run race, as far as I remember.

Did Tony Ives win on him.

chicken and egg 30 Apr 22:09

Used to bite his rivals


That was Moonax thicket

Loved the horse - that rare animal, an eventual stayer with a turn of foot.

Dam - Castle Moon, good family.

Did Lady Herries train a half brother who was decent.

Moono Madness signing in oiii oiiii

I was at Doncaster when he won.
Prob got a racecard somewhere.

Ran once at two - 4th of 14 to Faraway Dancer in a Goodwood maiden.

At three, won a 10f Salisbury maiden first time out in May and a handicap at Newmarket (by five lengths) over the same trip later that month. Odds-on, won a handicap at Haydock the following week under a penalty and then won the four-runner Mecca Bookmakers' Scottish Derby in mid-July. Then ran third in the Voltigeur, beaten a head and the same by Nisnas and Mashkour. Trotted up in the leger by four lengths and two from Celestial Storm and Untold before finishing third of eight to Allez Milord in a Group One in Germany later the same month.

Won three from eight at four, notably the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (from Tony Bin) but also the Geoffrey Freer and Cumberland Lodge. Less successful at five but did win the Yorkshire Cup. His last run was sixth of fourteen to Pay The Butler in the Japan Cup, beaten about two and a half lengths.

Eddie - Tony Ives was on him when he won the Scottish Derby.

And you're right about the half-brother, Eddie - Sheriff's Star. Very useful horse.

*Leger

I think the Volt was the only time I saw him in the flesh. Took a pic of him leaving the parade ring with P Edd staring towards the lens ( though only a cheap Kodak instamatic!). On a related subject, the disappearance of the powerful English based owner breeders seem to have affected the number of progressive sequence building 3 y-r-o' s who come through the handicapping ranks. OK, it may be as much to do but with them changing the system whereby it was possible for a horse to run under penalties for a month, but the likes your Hollingsworths, Mollers, Oldroyds, Joels, Freemans ,De Walden's ect owned operations bred mainly from families that had long been at their studs, and could be consistently relied upon to contain a few in every crop that would suddenly blossom in the summer of their second season.

Fair point, VL. At least we've still got the Sobell/Weinstock horses under the Ballymacoll banner.

Moon Madness was by the 2000 Guineas runner up Vitiges, as , interestingly enough, both the next Two St Leger winners, by Mill Reef and Kris respectively

I can remember it absolutely dotting up in a handicap at Donny before going on to win the Leger.

i had one of my biggest ever bets in the race,a filly called untold ,totally convinced myself that this horse was a firm ground performer so kept my eye on the weather saw no rain was due and filled my boots at 13/2 ew ,frightened myself to death

Think that Moon Madness won the King George Vth handicap at Royal Ascot ridden by Cash Asmussen.

You're absolutely right, Ali. I'd missed that one in my earlier summary of his career. Went off 4/1 fav, carried 9-4, including a 7lb penalty, and trotted up by five lengths from Weshaam.

Didnt Shareef Dancer win that race as well, or was it the King Ted??

King Ted, Zil. 10/1 shot, beat Russian Roubles a length.

Thanks Augustine. Loved John Dunlop's way of improving the handicappers into Group horses. Do you remember Sea Chimes? Around 1980 I think. Handicapper that I believe won the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. Happy days.

Cheers Augustine...........

I remember Sea Chimes very well, Ali. Won his last four races at three in 1979, culminating in a six length win under Piggott in the King George V. At four, took up where he had left off when winning the City and Suburban at Epsom by three lengths under top weight of ten stone. Then won at Doncaster and Goodwood before winning the Coronation Cup. Ridden by Piggott, who set a steady pace before quickening up and beating the previous year's Leger winner, Niniski, who would have been suited by a stronger pace. beaten next time out in the Eclipse, won by Ela-Mana-Mou.

The other Dunlop big improver I recall was North Stoke. Won a string of races as a three-year-old in 1977 including the Trafalgar House Handicap under 8-6 at Sandown in May by fifteen lengths and ended up winning the Group One Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes at Leopardstown in September by eight lengths.