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Anyone remember the name of a Henry Cecil trained 3yo colt from around 1979 that ran wide on a LH track (think it was Haydock or Thirsk) on the turn into the straight and crashed through the far rails?
I remember it was one of the first ITV 7 races on a Saturday, and being a short-priced favourite, he must have knocked out most of the bets
If memory serves, he was one of those progressive handicappers that was bordering listed status, and Joe Mercer was in the saddle.
I'll be very impressed if anyone recalls the horse, and the colours he sported.
I remember it was one of the first ITV 7 races on a Saturday, and being a short-priced favourite, he must have knocked out most of the bets
If memory serves, he was one of those progressive handicappers that was bordering listed status, and Joe Mercer was in the saddle.
I'll be very impressed if anyone recalls the horse, and the colours he sported.
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Saturday July 7th 1979
HAYDOCK - Good 1:30 Sporting Chronicle Handicap - 3-y-o - 7f40yds 1. OLDSTOCK - G Harwood - 9-1 - Greville Starkey 2. Bold Shot - 8-1 - Red Weaver 3. Middleham - 7-1 - Stuart Webster 4. Deed I Do - 7-11 - Denis McKay 5. Inside Quarter - 9-7 - Lyndsay Charnock 0. MYSTIFICATEUR - 8-1 - Willie Carson (lw, 6th when ran out entering straight, jumped rails, fell) 10 ran Dist: One length, 2 lengths SP: 5/2 2nd fav(op 5's)- 5/1 - 33/1 2/1 Fav MYSTICATEUR |
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Excellent work onlooker. I've been thinking about this question all day. I could remember the incident but not the horse, jockey or where it happened. Now that I've seen the result I can remember it clearly. Thanks very much.
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Onlooker only gets half-a-point because he didn't post what the colours were
 Impressive work, imo. |
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Had them ready - in order to 'bump' the thread up -
If it slipped down.  ------------------ Yes, pauli ^ Colours = Dark Blue Daniel Wildenstein, owner. |
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Wildenstein, I remember. Thanks again. Just a quick supplementary question onlooker. Do you know what happened to Mystificateur after that race?
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quality........
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inside quarter was owned by topper robson,something tells me he sold it on to khalid abdulla.
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Jockey on the 2nd-Red Weaver, can't recall that jockey?
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ray weaver
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Thanks Spotty, was Red his nickname?
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Prior to Haydock
MYSTIFICATEUR - Never ran as a 2-yr-old ------------- Racecourse DÉBUT - May 3rd - NEWMARKET - 1000 Guineas Day Unplaced - Hastings Maiden Plate - to Niniski and Steeple Bell 5/1 2nd fav (touched 6's and 3's) - 28 ran ------- SANDOWN - May 28th (Bank Holiday) WON - Bear MAIDEN Stakes - 1m 5/6 Fav - 11 ran ------- SANDOWN June - Waterloo Handicap 3-y-o 7f WON - 9-1 - Joe Mercer - by 1 length - from - 2. Silleys Knight - 8-12 - Paul Cook 3. Kings Ride - 8-1 - Phillip Waldron --------- NEWMARKET - June 2nd to ALERT in CRITERION Stakes Newmarket - beaten 1 length 11/8 Fav - 5 ran ---- AFTER HAYDOCK ... He appeared a little 'one-paced' in a finish Doubtful he would have kept starting so shgort a price if not trained by Henry Cecil ---- YORK - August - City of York Stakes - 7f 1. KAMPALA - Peter Walwyn - 8-7 - Pat Eddery 3. Mystificateur - 8-11 - Joe Mercer - beaten 3 lengths 4/1 2nd fav - 11 ran ------- KEMPTON - Geoffrey Hamlyn Handicap - 1m (Jubilee) 1. BLUE REFRAIN - Chris Benstead - 9-7 - Brian Rouse 2. Mystificateur - 8-10 - Joe Mercer - beaten Half length 2/1 Fav (from 3's) - 9 ran --- AYR (Western Meeting) September - Strathclyde Handicap 1m 1. TENDER HEART - John Sutcliffe - Ernie Johnson 4th - Mystificateur - 9st 5lb - Joe Mercer - beaten 5 lengths 13/3 Fav - 6 ran |
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Thank you very much onlooker. Some old favourites there. Cannot believe it's 33 years ago. Cheers.
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Onlooker I see Paul Cook get a mention.
Was it him that got injured when a horse put it's foot in a hole at York? Who else was injured at York that day? (not a quiz question by the way - just trying to remember) Thanks |
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Portland h'cap at Doncaster i think outpost.
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thanks SR think it was donny now that you mention it.
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Ray Cochrane, other jockey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS9_P7H0ypk |
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The third jockey injured that day was Ian Johnson.
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stewarts and SPOT
Feel certain he was known as Red Weaver. He may well have been a Ginger-Haired gentleman. |
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Notice that Tender Heart the huge Hunt Cup gamble won one of the races, laid out for the Hunt cup after its 1st run said the trainer, now what could he have meant by that!
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remember tender heart winning 7 lengths at york as a 2 y o and getting slung,one of bill watts got the race,bold front i think.
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I remember Tender Heart stewarts - think it went off 13-2 fav for the Hunt Cup. Also noticed King's Ride finishing third in one of the above races. He went on to land the following years Lincoln at 10-1.
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Used to love joininmg in on the John Sutcliffe gambles.
Even on an exposed Handicapper - whose 'turn was coming round' again - The Bookies would open up 3/1 - and you could then get 4/1 on the move up to, and back down from, 9/2 - and 'for some' - Before being backed into 9/4. Proper Bookies in those days - You would be lucky to see 11/10 to a 'tenner', at 9 o'clock in the morning, nowadays. |
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Didnt Kings Ride win a Lincoln??
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Excellent work Onlooker...some sterling detective skills, even with your reference books
 I knew the horse was called Mystificateur (and that it was Wildenstein's) but I actually thought it was Thirsk more than Haydock - I'd never have remembered any other horse in the race. Just how did you find the creature? PS - Outpost...Madraco was the sprinter that stepped in a hole |
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Anyone who punted Mystificateur from 3s into 2s for that handicap at Kempton must have been seething 12 months later when Blue Refrain won the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
John Benstead was one of the real unsung shrewdies imo. Not only was he winning handicaps with a Group-2 winner, but he even had a Cecil dodgepot to make the market for him. (By the way, I know John Benstead's full name was Christopher John Benstead, but I don't think he was ever known as "Chris".) |
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Benstead...a real blast from the past - am I dreaming in recalling his name on the racecard as C.J.Benstead?
 Welshwyn was a smashing filly he trained around 1980, and if memory serves it was Marwell that proved her Nemesis. |
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(By the way, I know John Benstead's full name was Christopher John Benstead, but I don't think he was ever known as "Chris".)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Foetus 11 Jul 12 02:03 Benstead...a real blast from the past - am I dreaming in recalling his name on the racecard as C.J.Benstead? |
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^ trained that standing dish at Windsor? Mahrajan? seemed to always win two on the trot and then nowt till same time next season [may just be rose tinted memories, mind)
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John Benstead the very 1st trainer to train for Shake Mo, he was sent a horse or two
for evermore until he retired. |
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I remember being at Sandown when Mystificateur won his maiden. He was a very handsome dark bay with a long narrow white blaze - tall and elegant. He won easily, but veered right over towards the stand rail in the straight, but still won easily.
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(The veering was not due to the jockey making a choice on soft ground).
Blue Refrain won at Royal Ascot at 2,3 and 4. |
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Baronet was one of Benstead's. Placed in the Cambs about 4 years in a row.
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Did Benstead train for Sheikn Mo? I always associated him with Sheikh Hamdan and the late Maktoum-Al-Maktoum.
The very first horse owned by the latter was Shaab. Maktoum sent it to John Dunlop, who failed to win a race with it at 2 and 3. Then he transferred it to Benstead, who duly got a race out of it. Baronet was a real Benstead special. Second in the Cambridgeshire in 1978, then won it twice and was second again. Ridden by Brian Rouse, which is enough to confirm Benstead was a little bit, er, cleverer than most punters realized. Blue Refrain was another specialist. Won at Royal Ascot three years running. (Windsor Castle, Jersey and Queen Anne (only a Gp 2 then)). Notice the way the cunning trainer targeted the three easiest races open to the horse. Operatic Society was a 310 gns yearling who beat 43 others to land the Manchester Nov. H'cap. Went on to win 7 times at Brighton. Benstead won 30 (!) races with the gelding in total. As Delta noted with Mahrajan, Benstead was a master at laying one out, yet shrewdly seemed to avoid the publicity and consequent short prices associated with other Epsom trainers such as John Sutcliffe or Reg Akehurst. |
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Akehurst, Benstead & Sutcliffe.
Weren't they all based in Epsom? |
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I remember talking to Paul Cook at Chepstow in the early 70's. He was riding one for D1ck Hern in it's first handicap, it had 5 duck eggs. Apparently D1ckie telephoned Paul's boss Ian Balding and told him not to run his because this would win. So he didn't and Paul got the ride. Finished 4th. Won 5 times the next season.
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Mention of Blue Refrain and his 1980 Queen Anne victory reminds me of Kampala's epic battles with that horse. Kampala beat Blue Refrain by a neck (receiving 2 lbs) in the Victoria Cup in what I think was a record time. The two met again after Royal Ascot in the Beeswing Stakes at Newcastle where Kampala won by 1/2 length (receiving 4 lbs). Great memories.
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Foetus
11 Jul 12 02:03 Joined: 17 Apr 12 | Topic/replies: 880 | Blogger: Foetus's blog and if memory serves it was Marwell that proved her Nemesis. Marwell was the dam of the great Marling who had that amazing Sussex Stakes duel with Selkirk at Goodwood. Must have been one of the most exciting races ever. |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6WUMW5f4iI
Closing stages of Marling/Selkirk race shown around the 50 second mark. |
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Remember that Sussex Stakes Outpost it was a very strong renewal. What a battle those two had and a great ride by Pat Eddery got Marling home by a head. Great stuff.
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