Captain Ryan Price

Won 4 of the first 5 schweppes hurdles at Newbury that took some doing

Yes indeed. A remarkable achievement. Read about the Hill House scandal. Did he train that other good hurdler Major Rose which I think was owned by Des O`Connor?

Sure it ran in the Champion Hurdle.

What a Myth a good chaser he trained. Gold Cup winner. And 5 times Champion NH Trainer.

.... Not many people know that

Giacometti was placed in all three Triple Crown races if my memory is correct. Ridden by the graceful Tony Murray.

Major Rose also won the Cesarewitch in 1968 if my memory serves me well.

Three that I can recall would be Sandford Lad (champion sprinter), Sir Montagu (one of the easiest Ebor winners) and Moonlight Bay (Triumph).

Bruni looked an absolute world beater when he won the St Leger, but never did anything similar again. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bVQTduMCNo

Commentator (John Penney?) got a bit carried away, but it was a big margin.

Was the Major owned by Des O'Connor moonlight bay?

I remember Moonlight Bay. Very good jumper which I think was ridden by Jeff King? Who trained him again? Was it John Sutcliffe or maybe even the Captain?

Sorry drum, should have read your post before replying to MB.

Sandford Lad was a great sprinter. Who owned him?

Great video, thanks for posting.

Peter Bromley's biography "The Price of Success" is well worth a read.

My old man backed Rosyth , Hill House and Le Vermentois in the Schweppes , my best was What a Myth in the Gold Cup under an inspired Paul Kellaway ride .Won as a 12yo after going hunting .Man was a genius .

I well remember Hill House being booed all the way back to the unsaddling enclosure.

Went to 1975 Arc and thought Bruni was a certainty ,thought a true stayer was a requirement and then the race was won most impressively by the Elcipse winner Star Appeal under Greville .

Sandford Lad was owned by Essex businessman Charles Olley and his son Robin - colours, purple, pink sleeves, yellow cap. Coincidentally, Mr Olley also owned the 1993 winner of todays September Stakes at Kempton, Sparten Shareef, trained by Clive Brittain.

Anorak, When you said C Olley I remembered. Very prominent colours in 70s.

Good memories.

Paulo, if I remember correctly, Star Appeal was over 100/1 when winning that Arc.

Sparrow, were you at Newbury when Hill House got booed?

Thanks scrabbler. Just ordered that book.

If you are of my era I'm sure it will bring back many memories Mac. Hope you enjoy reading it.

Major Rose was owned by Bob Heaton. The horse started off with George Todd, but was never off as Todd used to spend years setting his horses up for gambles. Heaton got fed up and took him away. He went first to Keith Piggott and then on to Price.

No mac I was stood in a betting shop but heard about the uproar later that day. As I recall the Newbury stewards warned Price after his previous 4th place at the track as to what might happen if the horse was to win the Schweppes.

But the trainer's runaway victory with Hill House in 1967 caused him more grief.

Hill House had finished only fourth in a Sandown handicap a week before the Schweppes, but in the big race Gifford sent him to the front two out and, carrying 10st 10lb, he came right away to score by 12 lengths from Celtic Gold. Price's second-string, Burlington, was unplaced.

THE ease of Hill House's victory was so insulting that boos from spectators started before he jumped the final flight, and continued around the winner's enclosure. As with Rosyth, the local stewards considered the winner's improvement to be abnormal, and reported Price and Gifford to the NH Committee.

Another ban for Price seemed inevitable, especially when Hill House's post-race sample tested positive for the steroid cortisol.

But the gelding was sent to the Equine Research Station in Newmarket, where analysis showed that he had a naturally high level of cortisol in his body and therefore had not needed to have dope administered to him in order to test positive. In effect, he was a horse who doped himself.

For six months the Hill House saga was a constant source of news and speculation in the press, and anxiety for Price, but eventually, at an inquiry in August, the case against him was dismissed.

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Controversial+winners+came+at+a+price%3B+In+t...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yUKVIadjPhM

Major Rose won the Cesarewitch in 1968 with 9-4. He'd finished 2nd the year before with 8-0, with Price predicting before the race that he'd win - "the only one I'm frightened of is Boismoss". Boismoss was a Mick Easterby 3yo running off 7-3, with Ernie Johnson claiming a further 3 off. Boismoss (13/1) beat Major Rose (13/2) by 4 lengths.

Major Rose runner up in the 1969 Champion Hurdle behind the brilliant Persian War

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=persian+war+champion+hurdle&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dpersian%2bwar%2bchampion%2bhurdle%26cvid%3da18a33723d334559be778878a76cc615%26aqs%3dedge.0.0.7849j0j1%26pglt%3d43%26FORM%3dANNTA1%26PC%3dDCTS&mmscn=vwrc&view=detail&mid=9C7760B8AB72A0B698FE9C7760B8AB72A0B698FE&rvsmid=33B6B1CEE1BD2AEC7FDD33B6B1CEE1BD2AEC7FDD&FORM=VDQVAP

Sorry meant 1970 Champion Hurdle

My father had a share in a sprinting filly called Philogeny with Capt. Price. She won a few races, on one occasion ridden by W Swinburn (7)! Some friends of ours bred her along with a jumping winner, Cuckolder, a good miler, Cornuto, who covered mares while still in training, Mango Manila and a listed winner Trigamy. All of their flat horses were with Ryan in those days but Cuckolder was with Bob Turnell and owned by John Rogerson. A later generation produced Emma Peel, also a listed winner with Brian Meehan, and Parsnip Pete a useful chaser with Tom George. All from one foundation mare.

correction Philogyny. The foundation mare was Wayward Damsel hence the other names.

Thanks for the video links folks. Great stuff.

Ged what was the name of the decent stayer that Des O`Connor owned? Can you remember? Early 70s. Sure it won a few decent races. Sorry no more info. Just going on memory.

Not sure which one you're thinking of. He owned Bermondsey, who was a big outsider in the Derby in the 60s. All my family backed it as they were from there. I think it was prominent until the straight.

Just remembered that I have a book which might have the answer. Sure it was Major Rose though which he may have sold on or a name similar. Thanks for reply.

Ged, I just had a memory flash. Is it possible that Des bought Major Rose late in his career to ride in the Amateur Derby at Epsom?

You're right mac. He did own him late in his career. He ran in the Doncaster Cup as a 9yo, trained by Denis Rayson, owned by Mr D O'Connor.

As a 10yo, the horse had moved to Steve Nesbitt, and was owned a Mr B Johnson, and was firmly on the downgrade, running at the likes of Catterick and Beverley.

O'Connor bought Major Rose (then a 9yo) at Doncaster Sales on Aug 16, 1971 for 3,000gns, 4 months after running 3rd to Bula and Persian War in the Champion Hurdle. The horse had changed hands for 16,000gns (then a record for a NH horse in training) 2 years earlier, when bought by Ken Wheldon.

Thanks Ged. Top stuff. It`s funny how some things stick in one`s mind.

In Aug 67, 5 months after the Hill House Schweppes, I remember seeing Felix Bowness in revue at Sandown Pier, IOW. Every 10 minutes or so he would come on stage dressed as a jockey in worsening stages of dishevelment proclaiming that he had just ridden 'the horse that makes its own dope'. It just goes to show what a big story it was at the time.

Born in Hindhead, Surrey, he was best known by his middle name, Ryan. He began his career in horse racing as a jockey based at East Lavant in West Sussex. In 1937, he relocated to Sutton Bank in Yorkshire where he began working as a trainer.His career was interrupted by service with the British Army, during World War II. Serving with the 7th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment, he was moved to the No.6 Commando for D-Day. During the 6 June 1944 landing, his Craft LCI(S) No.502 was hit by German shelling as it approached the Normandy beach but he managed to swim to shore and continued with the mission.

Discharged with the rank of captain, he resumed his Thoroughbred racing career and eventually settled in Findon, West Sussex where he operated at Downs House, Stable Lane.

Between 1954 and 1967, Ryan Price was the Champion National Hunt trainer five times. Among his other wins, Price trained the winner of the 1955, 1959, and 1961 Champion Hurdle,the 1959 and 1966 Whitbread Gold Cup, the 1967 Mackeson Gold Cup and Champion Novices' Chase, the 1971 Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the 1962 & 1973 Triumph Hurdle.

In 1962, he earned the most important win of his career when Kilmore won the Grand National at Aintree Racecourse.The following year the Schweppes Gold Trophy Handicap Hurdle was inaugurated at Newbury Racecourse. Ryan Price won four of the first five runnings with horses ridden for him by Josh Gifford. The duo won the race back-to-back with Rosyth in 1963 and 1964, with Le Vermontois in 1966 and with Hill House in 1967 and in 1969 he added to his major race wins when What a Myth captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

An owner as well as a trainer, Ryan Price was among the first British trainers to purchase young jumpers from France.

In 1966, Ryan Price's horse Persian Lancer, won the 1966 Cesarewitch Handicap and after moving to Findon's facilities at Soldiers Field in early 1970, Price concentrated primarily on the Flat although still having hurdlers in training. For owner Charles St. George, he won the 1972 Epsom Oaks with Ginevra and the 1975 St. Leger Stakes with Bruni. The following year, Bruni won the Yorkshire Cup and the Cumberland Lodge Stakes and finished second to the French champion filly Pawneese in the Group One King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Plagued by health problems, Ryan Price gave up training in 1982 but remained involved in racing as an owner. Following emergency surgery, he died on his seventy-fourth birthday at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. He was interred in the St. John the Baptist Church cemetery in Findon.

Brilliant Mac . yes Star Appeal was huge price and needless to say all you could hear at the time were the ' Allez France ' chants , but we went half a dozen times in the mid 70s and that race stands out for the burst of speed the horse showed to lead , and it is as amazing on replay as it was at the time . It was a £1 to get in and our seat was opposite the winning line .

The first running of the Schweppes Hurdle won by Rosyth, was at Aintree in 1963, not Newbury. The directors of Schweppes were so appalled by the facilities provided for sponsors by the then management of Aintree, that they refused to ever go there agin and the race was switched to Newbury.

KILMORE GRAND NATIONAL WINNER


CAPT RYAN PRICE BEFORE D-DAY


CAPT RYAN PRICE AND STABLE JOCKEY JOSH GIFFORD


CAPT RYAN PRICE AND FRED WINTER

ROSYTH


WHAT A MYTH JUMPS LAST IN GOLD CUP.