Four British flat horses on stamps ( since 1960 )

mill reef and shergar?

shergar ?

nijinksy

Likely they will want to span eras

Dessie
Arkle
Red Rum
Kauto Star

Frankel
Shergar
Dancing Brave
Mill Reef

Was Nijinsky truly 'British' or Irish?

Red Rum surely

Black Caviar had her own postage stamp, and ran on the "British Flat"

Deadly Serious winning the Galtres in 1980...

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/GB-FDC-1997-Her-majestys-race-horses-signed-by-Lester-Piggott-Windsor-special-/351931129249?ha****m51f0badda1:g:lQIAAOSwwpdW3JQc


..plus the 2nd horse is in the picture too, if you work out who it is.

If you ask people on the street to name a horse they are gonna say Shergar or Red Rum.

Red Rum - sprinter...qualifies...

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I have some metal stamp replicas of Princess Anne from way back, she looks a bit like Red Rum on them tbf, probably less so on the actual stamps.

Just got back (from plummers) - Is this another one of those posts where the poster thinks he knows the answers, but isn't sure, and then isn't even sure how to frame the question?

I would opt for Saddlers Wells as he has probably done more for the breed than any other in the era.

Dayjur?

Mahmoud 1936 Derby winner is  on a 1979 first day issue

Could be horses since 1960, Pumphol.     A 19th century Goodwood Cup winner is on a 1970's Hungarian Postage stamp - he'll be along in a minute

As far as I can see, Nijinsky has never been on an Irish postage stamp.

Surely the last Triple Crown winner has to feature on a British set. Canadian-bred, US-owned, Irish-trained, British-ridden ... nationality is irrelevant. The fact is he's the last animal to achieve the target which made the thoroughbred what it is. Celebrating Nijinsky means celebrating the thoroughbred as one of England's greatest inventions.

My four guesses would be ; Frankel, Brigadier Gerard, Nijinsky and Dunfermline.
Suggestions for the jumps ; Arkle, Desert Orchid, Red Rum and Kauto Star.

BB its how you read the question, my interpretation is stamps issued since 1960
Though that's possible not what the OP is asking

jamilla - Why did you choose Dunfermline??   I think she may have been the unnamed model for a past British Postage Stamp from 1978??
I am not a phit phal....... Stamp Collector though.
Where is the OP?

Pacha Du Polder must be one of them.

Challenger Du Luc , Vodkatini , Derring Run and Mad Moose ....

Blackbarn - I chose HM The Queen's Dunfermline simply because she owned it, she won the oldest classic the St Ledger beating Alleged a two time Arc winner.
I wouldn't be surprised if we saw one of her majesty's in the famous braided silks, or perhaps one of her favourite jockeys Sir Gordon Richards aboard Pinza.

On the jumping front, a couple to chuck in the mix are Best Mate and Sprinter Sacre. The former a triple winner of Cheltenham's Gold Cup and the latter the highest ever rated chaser since ratings began.

Link to Mahmoud

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https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=postage+stamp+mahmoud+horse+1979+uk&espv=2&biw=1101&bih=750&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwim8oTej6nRAhUkAcAKHcFUA-oQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=Wm3DwTgdOR6ZrM%3A

I misunderstood the OP when I posted earlier on the thread. It's not asking what horses have appeared on stamps already issued. It's a question in response to an article which appeared in the RP on the day this thread was started, announcing an imminent issue of 2 sets of 4 stamps.

THE legendary Desert Orchid will feature in the Royal Mail's special stamp programme this year, along with seven other yet-to-be-named racehorses.

For more than 50 years the Royal Mail's stamp series has commemorated anniversaries and celebrated events relevant to British heritage and life, and in April 'racehorse legends' is the title of their programme.

Eight horses - four Flat and four jumps - from the past six decades will be honoured with an original-artwork stamp. Desert Orchid's portrays him en route to winning in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, while his career highlights also included four King George triumphs.

The Royal Mail's series includes a set of prints from Windsor Castle, while the Songbirds collection will feature ten birds that herald spring and summer in Britain.

According to the Royal Mail, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gift givers in Britain. The Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are issued.

2017 special stamp programme:

January                    Ancient Britain
February                  Windsor Castle
April                          Racehorse Legends
May                           Songbirds
June                          Windmills and Watermills
July                           First World War: 1917
July                           Landmark Buildings
August                      Classic Toys
November                Christmas

Thanks ged.   So what exactly is the question?   What horses born since 1960 will be on the upcoming set of stamps?

According to the Royal Mail, they will be stamps commemorating "eight champion horses achieving their greatest wins on UK race courses over (the last) six decades.  There will be 8 stamps, four "flat-racers" and four NH Horses. We know that Desert Orchid will be one of the latter four.

Here's my go

Flat - Nijinsky (nap), Sea the Stars, Frankel, Shergar.   Reserves Brigadier Gerard/Mill Reef (both unlucky to be same decade as Nij.) 

National Hunt - Arkle (nap), Kauto Star, Red Rum, Desert Orchid. Reserves Istabraq/Best Mate/Sprinter Sacre - I could go on but then I wouldn't have Desert Orchid in my top four

Blackbarn:
Arkle and Istabraq were Irish.

Oldgit - I am aware of that, but read the Royal Mail quote below.  It does not say that Irish horses are excluded and is worded in such a way that strongly suggests that the nationality of the horse is irrelevant.

Agree about Desert Orchid , apart from winning a Gold Cup , 4 King Georges , Whitbread , Irish National under top weight, Martel Cup, Victor Chandler Chase, Tingle Creek Chase , Racing Post Chase and being one of less than half a dozen racehorses that joe public can name , what does he bring to the table ?

Very witty sixtwosix.  For my part, I am in no way decrying the achievements of Desert Orchid; He just wouldnt make my top four NH horses. My guess is that hardly any of us would have the same four

Sorry to attack your Naps, Blackbarn, but the theme is Best Of British.  I will be disappointed if Irish-trained horses are included even if they mainly ran over here.  No Arkle, no Istabraq, no Nijinsky - begone.

Thanks Headmaster - I took my info directly from the Royal Mail website relating to this upcoming issue.  Is the entire year's stamp issue headed "Best of British"?

Yes.  Given the current doom and gloom they've done rather well picking 12 themes and stringing them out over a year, what?!

Thanks Hm.  I'll re-do my list.   Shall I exclude Irish and French-breds   I may be sometime

I think if we also exclude (IRE) and (FR) suffixes we'll be in trouble mate

Blackbarn. I would say that they assume British trained. As for Istabraq his reputation was rather tarnished in his last appearance in what I cannot even call a race.
I think that Red Rum and Desert Orchid will get in due to their popularity with the public. The Queen evidently has a say in all stamps issued so I hope that she is not too modest to include Dunfermline. One I would have liked in it but she is just out of the time scale would be Meld.

Are there any stamp collectors on the Forum ?
I have quite a big collection but topped buying stamps around the mid 80's. I meant to get all my accumulated loose stamps into albums when I retired in 1994 but never have.

Jenny thought BHL was better than DO. So do I.

What defines a horse's nationality? The breeder, the trainer, the owner, the rider? What makes the location of the trainer so special? Bred in Canada, trained in the Republic, owned by an American and ridden by an Englishman, on which country's stamps is Nijinsky supposed to appear?

Winning the English Triple Crown under Lester makes him a legend of the British turf.

I would say the important characteristic is where the horse is trained, screaming.  Others may hold a different view but any other angle gets messy surely?

Where it's born is the only irrefutable characteristic really.

A horse could easily be broken in in Ireland, trained in England as a 2yo, switched to Dubai as a 3yo and sold to race on the States as a 4yo. And it could have owners of multiple nationalities.

What would happen if the mare dropped early in transit?  What if she was at sea in International Waters?!

The same as would apply to human beings born in those circumstances.

Speaking as someone born in Britain with a foreign father, I frankly get p1ssed off with any attempts at defining what is British and what is foreign. They're all arbitrary. What am I, and the hundreds of millions around the world like me who are fortunate enough to have an international background?

You just end up with the daft situation where the last winner of the Triple Crown becomes ineligible for the horse racing section of a celebration of Best of British.

Jan 2, 2017 -- 10:54AM, A_T wrote:

Likely they will want to span erasDessieArkleRed RumKauto StarFrankelShergarDancing BraveMill Reef

these are the 8 that I thought were most likely

All very good points, screaming, and I respect your personal experiences. But to take one example (of many) I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to tell our Hungarian friends that Overdose, the Budapest Bullet himself, had nothing to do with Hungary and actually us Brits are having him back thanks. 

Would you honestly say he was a fine British sprinter?  Harsh in my humble.

I wouldn't call him any nationality. That's the whole point I'm making. Place of birth is the only indisputable way of defining nationality, and it simply doesn't work, as the example of Overdose shows.

You wouldn't call Overdose's defeats in this country an example of the best of British racing, while an English Triple Crown winner is imo, wherever he happened to be born, broken, trained or owned. It's what le cheval pur sang anglais, das englische Vollblutpferd, or whatever other overseas term for the thoroughbred you choose, is all about.

If you don't recognise nationality the battle grounds of a Best Of British thread are certainly going to prove interesting, screaming!

So, if it's just about what happened on British soil we could have a "Best Of British" featuring Usain Bolt, Eric Cantona, Michel Roux, and Renee & bloody Renato.  On paper your argument has merit but the above doesn't feel right at all to me.

I have just found out Renee and Renato were actually, properly British (sort of).  This puts a very different slant on things.

quixall crossett deserves to be on a stamp

Renato was a waiter in Sutton Coldfield years ago before finding fame, he's dead now unfortunately, Rennee is now a landlady in Blackpool!

http://www.royalmail.com/racehorsestamps

Frankel
Red Rum
Kauto Star
Arkle
Desert Orchid
Shergar
Brigadier Gerard
Estimate

Presumably Estimate thrown in because it was owned by the Queens unless they mean Jimmy Harris' old horse!, can't argue at the others!

can't make out if it's Simon Sherwood or Dunwoody on Dessie

Estimate a joke. No Le Moss Ardross or ****

****

Y eats

Sherwood on Dersert Orchid. Dunwoody on Charter Party just behind him.

http://www.westminstercollection.com/p-501G/Racehorse-Legends-Collector-Card...

Estimate is a household name according to website.

Estimate is an error of judgement. Should be Highclere or Dunfermline. Highclere won the 1000 Guineas beating Polygamy who won the Oaks and the Prix Diane and was 2nd in the King George behind Dahlia. Top, top class filly who I backed ante post at 33/1 for the Guineas in singles and a double with Red Rum at 10s. For that reason alone she should have been on the stamps. And, as well, my sister in law looked after her, what more do they want.

I'm far more disappointed by the inclusion of a foreign horse in our Best Of British than one that won this country's best staying race for the Queen.  That's the error of judgement in this list.