There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
hopefully some of the guys on here can add here - was there a champion hurdle (City Trial?) and an arkle trial at Nottingham? what were the best jumps/hurdle races at Wolverhampton - I read that Saucy Kit (67 Champion Hurdle winner) won a race there but it may have been a one off to celebrate an anniversary? there used to be a decent hurdles race at Windsor, I think on New Years Day, which horses like Ra Nova and some of Elsworths used to win. Where are these races run now or have the disappeared into the mists of time? thanks for contributions
sort by:
Show
per page
Replies: 181
|
By:
Used to be a regular at Nottingham. The two races were the City Trial Hurdle and the Nottinghamshire Novices chase. Recall Royal Gait winning the former off a ridiculously low weight ( it was a handicap ). I think Deep Sensation won the novice chase. No doubt some with better memories, or form books, can supply more detail.
It was a great pity that the course reverted to flat only. |
|
By:
Large Action won the City Trial Hurdle, it might have been a limited handicap in it's latter days
|
|
By:
Nottingham was a great national hunt track ,I remember uncle Ernie winning the arkle trial before finishing 2 nd at Cheltenham and as already pointed out royal gait in his champion hurdle year (should have been disqualified,but was wrongly disqualified at royal ascot)
Wolverhampton use to race Boxing Day I always felt the races there were framed for the punter to be favourite,I remember going there on the way home from Cheltenham the day after charter party won the gold cup,one of the early races might even had been the first race was a 3 runner long distance chase ,the horses never changed order throughout that was enough for me after just watching 18 races at the festival that was torture so home I went. Windsor had a short reprieve when ascot closed for two winters for the redevelopment Windsor took the ascot national hunt fixtures ,I don’t think it was a very good national hunt track. |
|
By:
The pies
I remember large action winning up at Kelso one year on route to the festival. |
|
By:
My biggest bet at that time was Go West in a novice chase at Wolverhampton it was same day Dessie came 3rd in gold cup at 10/11 whoch id laid a even 50 notes to a colleague, had 80 at 9/4 on and thought it was a certainty. It won but i was watching gold cup so never saw the race.There used to be a 3 1/2 mile handicap or conditions hurdle at Nottingham which was my home town track..Jefferby i think was J.Glover trained just got beat in it one year,i was on at 8/1 not each way,the final circuit of at least a mile and a quarter was a 2 horse race,the rest were all out with the washing, Jefferby with Tim Reed up just got touched off and one old dear of the Caribbean persuasion had been screaming on the 5/2 Winner the whole final circuit, she had 25p each way on it!
|
|
By:
I thought Wolverhampton used to have a quite competitive and fairly valuable 3 mile handicap chase on Boxing Day.
|
|
By:
I think I remember watching Gaye Brief win champion hurdle trial at Nottingham.
|
|
By:
was there that day went there to back it
|
|
By:
I used to have Chelts week off and watch it on TV and one year I went to Wolves on the Friday and there was hardly anyone there. I also went to a couple of flat meets there pre AW and again no one there and that was just before TV coverage in bookies and the start of a general decline in attendances for run of the mill midweek meets.
|
|
By:
Can you remember the sp mad.dog. Can visualise GB's economical jumping of the hurdles.
|
|
By:
think i had 11/8 returned odds on i think
|
|
By:
The race Saucy Kit won at Wolverhampton in 1966 did have a special name that year (the National Hunt Centenary Hurdle), but the race had a regular place on the card (as the Nuneaton Hurdle, run end of Oct/start of Nov). He was beaten in it the following year, trying to give 2 stone to Major Rose. Coral Diver won it in 1970. The race, and whole meeting, had been transferred from Birmingham which closed (to NH) in May 1965. Kirriemuir, the reigning champion hurdler, was beaten in it the first year ('65) it was run at Wolverhampton.
|
|
By:
I remember Paul kellaway having a juvenile winner there looked a proper triumph hurdle horse and I am pretty sure the horse went of favourite for the race he didn’t win and as far as I can remember never really achieved much ,the horse had the word snow in it.
|
|
By:
 Martin Pipe's Chatam winning the City Trial Hdle at Nottingham - a flat, left-handed galloping track, like Newbury. Just what that horse needed. |
|
By:
As far as I can tell, the Nuneaton Hurdle was last run in 1978. There were just 2 runners declared, and one didn't go, leaving Given to W/O and claim all of the £2,504 on offer. It was the most valuable race of the day, exceeding anything that Newbury or Carlisle put on.
|
|
By:
There is a picture of Night Nurse running in the Stavely Chase at Wolverhampton November 1981 one of his last ever runs before retirement.
Remember there used to be a 4m chase ran there which i recall Solihull Sport running right away from the field in for John Spearing. Seem to recall Barry Brogan mentioning that Billy Bow a prolific winner for him also won a few races at Wolverhampton. |
|
By:
What was the Wolverhampton track lay out compared to what is there now ?
|
|
By:
No tony it wasn’t even on the same site although close by ,the housing estate you go through now is where the old track was,the did continue with a very tight jumps track when the aw opened.
|
|
By:
Foxy, thanks
|
|
By:
I get the feeling chatam was your favourite horse screaming
|
|
By:
No problem tony
|
|
By:
I seem to remember Stan Mellor's 1000th winner was at Nottingham on Ouzo
|
|
By:
still remember one of wa stephensons old stalwart supermaster winning in the fog at wolves or notts think it was notts good memories.
|
|
By:
Does anybody know if anyone took over at W.A's yard?mmust have been quite sizable
|
|
By:
I think Supermaster won the Midlands national when i was a teenager, i seem to remember Reg Crank rode it..
|
|
By:
Foxy, that would be why when i watch Wolverhampton now , i cant see a school at the far end of the track cos i thought there was one. Didnt know the course now was in a different place.
|
|
By:
Good afternoon alices
The old course was basically where you enter the new estate,you turn right onto it coming from the town /railway station,they may have used some of the land I can’t be sure ,the old course they use to pull up by the railway arch. |
|
By:
Video of the jumps track at Wolves after the AW opened....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGS6fkiEsI Bartlett on the commentary gig...does he ever take a break  |
|
By:
Windsor used to have a good race in mid February, called the Fairlawne Chase, a conditions race run over 3M. Bula won it twice in the mid 70's and other good winners included Border Incident, Venture To Cognac and Rhyme N Reason.
|
|
By:
Anorak can you remember the name of the Paul kellaway horse probably early 90s won a juvenile hurdle at Wolverhampton very impressive,was put in favourite for the triumph,I think the horse had snow in the name.
|
|
By:
Windsor always had a good meeting on New Year’s Day and raced on the Saturday of the Mackeson meeting at Cheltenham.
The bend seemed ridiculously sharp after the winning line which they don’t use for flat racing. |
|
By:
foxy - it was Stone Flake (heavy snow) - he won there in Feb 1990.
Granville Again cantered up in a novice hurdle there in Jan 1991, and Halkopous likewise a year later. |
|
By:
Thanks ged that’s the one heavy snow
 two other good ones there as well. |
|
By:
Remember a horse id been following ZUKO,chile bred,Stan Mellor trained Guy Landau ridden doing the decent thing for me one January at Windsor, probably 89...7/1 .
|
|
By:
Another useful Pipe hurdler that won there was Vagog - he spreadeagled a field of novices at 20/1, ridden by Rory Macneice, who's now better known for defending jockeys in court.
|
|
By:
Foxy think I may have sent you a message!
|
|
By:
I think I might of replied,it seems a doddle this new technology
|
|
By:
Think it may have beat us there nothing arrived but don't worry i'm sure you agreed.
|
|
By:
Rory Macneice(7)
Only got rides on bank holidays if i remember rightly .PIPE PECKING ORDER P.Scudamore J.Lower M.Perrett D.Richmond (7) M.Foster (5) Cant remember which amateur he used Foster might have been b4 Macneice and Richmond. |