1960's reminisce... horse racing only, please..

*Dondeen even.

Highland Wedding, first ever bet winning the GN and still years from being a legal bet.

Sable Skinflint   Fog   Pinturisschio

I remember Seven The Quadrant, Old Man Dimplex from the flat and over the jumps the likes of
Royal Relief, Exhibit B ,Sandwillan & Shock Result from the jumps, i don't think any of them were world beaters but memories of sitting in the kitchen with my Nan,
and my Grandad putting there bets on in Bobby Coopers betting shop in North London

Yes Royal Relief seventies , used to run against the likes of the Aureol Sinclair chaser Simian.

My only sporting memory from the 60s was the 29th may 1968 oops wrong forum muppet

Sir Ivor won the derby earlier in the day

I remember Althrey Don, I think he was a dark grey horse.. Dondeen was also a grey..


Most disappointing horse Dandini, finished last in 2000G.. for I think P Prendergast..?.. he was much touted and might have started favourite..

Scrabbler

Donny would have been a great racecourse back then unlike todays monstrosity

It’s a great track scrabbler both flat and jumps ,however I struggle to think of a track outside jcr that is worse run the silver ring you mention is totally neglected I don’t think they want racegoers in it anymore,shame really because there was once a time when all round the st leger meeting was on at least a par with the ebor meeting,now they are worlds apart ,it can’t be a coincidence that was is run exceptionally well the other is run exceptionally badly.

^ Yes Smoky. I can't remember Patel ( I was only 13 at the time ) but my Timeform annual for 1965 confirms what you say. However, I do remember my Dad backing Old Tom in the Lincoln that year - the first year the race was run on Town Moor.

1967, that was the year that was! I was 23 years old and ended the season with £1500 in the bank and a nice wedge in my pocket. The highlight of the year was taking a week off work (I was earning £22 a week) to go to the Epsom Derby meeting with my lovely gf. I was all in on Royal Palace and Charlottown and was so far in front going into the last day that we decided to get there early and hit the champagne bar. We ordered a bottle of Bolly and it was Absolutely Fabulous, so good that we had to have another bottle. This could have ended in disaster, I didn't know wtf I was doing, but the bartender, who I tipped well, gave me a couple of John Sutcliffe's handicappers and I wasn't that p1ssed not to know that Epsom was Sutcliffe's hunting ground. Anyway, they both won and I finished up £300 in front on the week + I was holding a betting slip for doubles and treble. Royal Palace, Charlottown and Spectre for the Greyhound Derby, so I booked a table in the restaurant at the White City (my favourite dog track) Spectre looked all over the winner from his ideal trap 6, But his litter brother Tric Trac wasn't stopping and many said that Spectre didn't want to pass his brother, cost me around £700
So what did I do with the money? Well, I bought a brand new convertible Triumph Vitesse 2 litre for £900 and booked a 2 week holiday to Torremolinos for me and the gf. I got nicked for driving at 90 in a 30mph limit in Stratford a week after I bought the car and was banned for 18 months(for the 3rd time), me and the gf split up, but still went on holiday together, she met a load of Welsh blokes and I fell A over T for this incredibly beautiful Swedish girl and even went to Stockholm to see her a couple of months later, that was just about the end of 1967, gone but not forgotten.
Thanks for the idea Smoky, great thread. Hope you weren't too bored.

Bloody hell - driver2 - That was some summer 

You forgot to add that you were only 16 - but had a forged Driving Licence - and so got away with the under-age driving bit.

driver2.. not at all, great to read.. I remember Charlottetown.  I think he was trained at Lewes, near the old racecourse. I took a walk around there some years ago.

£22 a week in 1967 seems a fortune to me. My weekly wage then was £4.12s.6d, but I'm a bit younger than you.

Charlottown - Derby Winner 1966 - was indeed trained at Lewes -- (no doubt forum poster - blackbarn - will join us later to expand more - as the Lewes area is his stomping ground)

The CHARLOTTOWN story as several twists to it.

Charlottown was trained, at Lewes, as a 2-yr-old by 'Towser' GOSDEN -- John Gosden's father.

However - 'Towser' Gosden retired at the end of 1965, due to failing health - and Gordon Smyth (who was Private Trainer to the Duke of Norfolk, at Arundel) then came to Lewes to train from there - and thus train Charlottown to Win the 1966 Derby - ridden by Australian Scobie Breasley - after regular rider (fellow Australian) Ron Hutchinson had been 'jocked off'

GORDON SMYTH's move from ARUNDEL - left the door open to - John DUNLOP (who had been assistant at Arundel) to become the incumbent Private Trainer to the Duke of Norfolk (the Queen's Representative at Ascot)  - an  we all know how ARUNDEL developed from there, in the decades to com.

Scottish Memories was one of the not so many horses in those days who swapped between hurdles and chases. He was up to running well in big handicaps but specialised in winning small condition races. Was trained in theory by Arhur Thomas when in England,but in reality that was a base for an Irish trainer whose name will probably come to me in the next month or so.

Smoky Hill.Yes I remember most of your list
Onlooker. Why did you have to remind me of Charlottown.I still shudder when I remember his St Leger defeat 1966.
Salmon Spray. I think the Irish trainer you mean was Paddy Sleator.
Later on Arthur Thomas set up a satelite stable at Lanark (I think).

Remember backing a horse called Icanopit. at Hurst Park.
When I put the bet on I pronounced it  - I san opit
The bookmaker smiled at me and said I Can Hoppit.

Funny how things like that stick in your mind.

I saw Pink Gem in the flesh at Newmarket with L Piggott riding. I didn't attend flat meetings much but some friends had a horse running so we made the long haul from Gloucestershire. Their horse was Polyandrist who won a few races, initially trained by Dick Perryman and then Ryan Price. She became quite a broodmare. Trigamy, Philogyny, Cornuto were three of hers. Cornuto was one of very few horses that carried on racing while standing at Stud. Anyone with old stud books will find plenty more from the family. Cuckolder who won at the Festival for John Rogerson and Bob Turnell was a brother of Polyandrist. I remember most of the names from the OP. Right Royal was a high class French horse from memory.

Didn't Right Royal and St Paddy cross swords a few times?