Your favourite Paddy Power/Thomas Pink/Mackeson etc memory

Our Vic 2005, like many had followed it since its early days. 12 months earlier I thought he was a gonna after falling after the last but 15 minutes later was back up to the biggest cheer of the day. I never gave up on him (despite many calling him every name under the sun) and had a huge bet ante post 8-1. He duly obliged and till this day is one of my all time favourite horses, the enigma Our Vic!

Dublin Flyer. Some time in the mid 90's. Loved that horse. Made almost every yard, giving lumps of weight and was as game as you like.

Pawwnbroker winning for WA when I worra lad.

Pegwell Bay

Dublin Flyer getting back up to beat Egypt Mill Prince and Tranquil Sea.

Neville Crump's Cancello winning in 1976 - it was run at Haydock that year. And Half Free beating very Promising in the mid - 80's - which was the last one I attended.

Senor el Betrutti - 33/1 in the morning in a 9-runner race, mainly (I guess) because he was out of the weights. Jamie Osborne on him for the first time, who was a good jockey for him. In truth, he was helped by Dublin Flyer making a mistake at half-way, which left the Senor in a free lead, which he kept to the end.


Cancello not a favourite with me, as he beat the gallant Bula, who was giving him over a stone.

Dublin Flyer for me, lovely jumping horse, the Mackeson as it was known back then, was a much smaller, select field,look at it today 8/1 the field,just another large field Cheltenham handicap & bookies benefit sadly.

The brilliant but often forgotten Half Free winning it twice, and then nearly giving weight to subsequent QM runner up Very Promising when going for the three timer....   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WorRpkDIO_U

Bruslee and Bright Highway (probably the last time I backed the winner). Bright Highway completed the double in the Hennessy.

I've just gone and watched a re-run of the 86 race as for some reason I had it in mind that Half Free had won. Was defo there though - the last Mackeson I've seen live. They had a minuites silence for the 100 year anniversary of Fred Archer's death. Only winner I backed was Melendez in the last, the juvenile hurdle.

Exotic Dancer.

Remember him running about 7th in a world hurdle aged 5 i think (top class performance for me), then in his novice season and thinking he could had actually won in all them if up for it.

Fell in love with him when he won the PP, to think he then was runner up in a KG & GC to the mighty Kauto Star is crazy.

Exotic Dancer & Al Ferof have given me my biggest wins/pleasure in nh.

Well Dublin Flyer already mentioned. I will throw in a couple
Challenger Du Luc what a ride by Dunwoody and it was my biggest win in the race
Another Coral for Nicholson  and Bradbury Star.
I loved this race as a kid and nothing has changed.

Dunkirk 1965