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Almost certain it was Able Albert's year when i was asked by the regional manager of a large high street company to form a quiz team for the western meeting weekend , i was working for that same company at the time and was given 6 weeks to put together a team to compete against the supposed top journalists and media and had 480 betting shops to choose my team of myself and 4 others , decided to look for an expert for each of the last 5 decades to hope we had all bases covered , hell of a task which involved plenty of travelling and conversation.
On to the Friday night eve of the Ayr Gold Cup , there were 8 teams consisting of 4 players with one reserve , other teams included Guardian , Racing journalists , sporting life , channel 4 but honestly can't remember the others.
We played a newspaper in the QF ( think it was Guardian ) and won , next were the Sporting Life whom we beat in the SF and so to the final against Channel 4 consisting of John Francome , Big Mac and two backroom boys.
We won the final which wasn't played in the best of spirit particularly when Francome gave Cottage Rake as an answer which was 10 years out , so had to cool a team mate who got over excited especially as we had it sewn up at that point , Big Mac didn't see the funny side and refused to shake hands at the final whistle.
Trophy was presented by none other than Nick Rust was was heirarchy for the company in Scotland back then , the following day we were treated like royalty around the racecourse and introduced to bundles of named faces.
Great memory and remember it vividly
Almost certain it was Able Albert's year when i was asked by the regional manager of a large high street company to form a quiz team for the western meeting weekend , i was working for that same company at the time and was given 6 weeks to put together a team to compete against the supposed top journalists and media and had 480 betting shops to choose my team of myself and 4 others , decided to look for an expert for each of the last 5 decades to hope we had all bases covered , hell of a task which involved plenty of travelling and conversation.
On to the Friday night eve of the Ayr Gold Cup , there were 8 teams consisting of 4 players with one reserve , other teams included Guardian , Racing journalists , sporting life , channel 4 but honestly can't remember the others.
We played a newspaper in the QF ( think it was Guardian ) and won , next were the Sporting Life whom we beat in the SF and so to the final against Channel 4 consisting of John Francome , Big Mac and two backroom boys.
We won the final which wasn't played in the best of spirit particularly when Francome gave Cottage Rake as an answer which was 10 years out , so had to cool a team mate who got over excited especially as we had it sewn up at that point , Big Mac didn't see the funny side and refused to shake hands at the final whistle.
Trophy was presented by none other than Nick Rust was was heirarchy for the company in Scotland back then , the following day we were treated like royalty around the racecourse and introduced to bundles of named faces.
Great memory and remember it vividly
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Remeber backing the fav for the race in the 80s seeing the jockey collapsed in the flight deck of the Caladonian Hotel did not do much for my confidence the next day.
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Nit picking hayden but memory not quite spot on by the Friday evening able Albert had already won the Ayr gold cup.
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Good few years back I was on a horse called Lago Di Varano E/W 66/1,was 2nd.
Same day backed a horse E/W 25/1 also came 2nd just btn,didn't get a clear run on the rails if I'm right.Think R.Mullen was on as an apprentice? Never did the E/W double for some reason. Sure that Newbury horse was done by a Harris rnr? |
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Jimmy Fortune riding for Mike O'Neils nearby Lathom yard, rode a few for Eric Alston as well. Word in the village was it had a great chance. Got 66/1 in the morning and result never in doubt. Fortune only a young kid then and lodging in a house in the next village. He was a top apprentice, well worth every pound of his claim.
Happy times. |
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Can't remember the racing as well as the occasion jimnast , was Cup not run on Saturday then ?
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not sure when they changed it from Friday to Saturdays probably mid to late 80s?
Might even have been early 90s went a couple of times early 80s on a Friday afternoon. First one I can remember though was the 1977 running had a quid ew on Jon George looked at race night before in local paper picked JJ in a minute or so gave cash to my Dad to put on for me all and it seemed so easy back then, not sure I've had that many winners of race since in race mind you and normally a race I swerve as it falls into the too difficult dept. |
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Thanks NEC , so at the quiz i'd already seen Able Albert winning the Cup instead of watching it win the day after the quiz ( by the looks of it )
Just shows what a 39 year gap can do to your memory bank  |
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The good thing would often win the first on the Wednesday Amateur riders non hcap.
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Sparkling Boy in the rain John Lowe doing the necessary….
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Barstool
Joveworth ? |
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Bonugal
Penzance |
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Of course, jimnast.
How silly of me not to name the horse. |
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You've a great memory for horses jimnast
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Barstool it was my biggest win in the Ayr gold cup quite amazing how many I’ve met in the years after backed that horse how on earth it was returned 50/1 I do not know.
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Hayden
I do but have to be honest I checked up on the penzance one. |
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Yeh,that's sounds like the name.
Cheers. Pretty sure he was on the rails in that race. |
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My memory of able Albert hayden was nobody including commentary saw him coming up the stands rail it was only after the race finished people said what was that on the near side.
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Penzance
In was in the courage handicap a great Cambridgeshire trial hopefully that will return like the autumn cup is returning on Saturday |
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Don't remember it being 9/1 jf either
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys0Lb4SL_OI |
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Lago di varano was one I backed a fair few times
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Joveworth for me, caught a once in a life time double with Towny Boy, both ridden by Jimmy Fortune.
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jimnast, the going was very soft that year and it was thought at the time it would need a horse that stayed 7f to win it. Joveworth fitted the bill and Fortune,s 5lb claim must have been worth a few pounds more on top.
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The choker was for me that got beat by a Nicholls horse @33s.
That went on to win a GP1 in time. |
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The last Friday gold cup was 91 sarcita the first Saturday gold cup was won by its most famous winner
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Lochsong
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Bahiamean pirate was the Nichols horse
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Yes lochsong penzance
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Barstool
That was the angle 7 furlong horse doesn’t seem to work anymore but on Saturday northern express a 7 furlong horse is an interesting runner he seems incapable of running a bad race. |
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Hayden
In 1982 Able Alberts year, Francome was still riding & years before he started working for Channel 4. |
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Thought Able Albert was 1984 Saxon , Francome was in the team so must have had links with Channel 4 in some way.
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The year Fonthill Road won on the far side…I didn’t see him.
Basically I absolutely lumped on good ol’ Borderlesscott who was drawn in the middle. Was watching the race with my dad and I was going crazy. Sensational ride on BLS…broke smartly then switched all the way over to the stand side rail and just kept pouring it on the front. Very easy to get carried away and I was celebrating big time when he crossed the line. When I calmed down my dad looked at my said - you lost Then he pointed at at freeze frame of Fonthill Road over on the far side and then looked at me and said - You must feel like an idiot. - Valuable life lessons were learnt that day imo. |
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Hayden, I stand corrected 1984 was indeed Able Alberts year.
First Saturday winner was Lochsong in 1992 |
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It's possible Saxon that if Francome was otherwise engaged on Able Albert's weekend then i could have the wrong winner and it wasn't AA , Big mac and Johnny definitely there.
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I’ve lots of good memories from the Ayr gold cup it’s been a lucky race but if I had to pick one it would be pollys brother
Around a month or so before the Ayr gold cup we a good word for the horse and backed it anti post ,back then anti post betting although of course with its usual hazards was good,well a week before pollys brother went and won the Portland at Doncaster so that was it we had backed him for the wrong race, So when still declared for Ayr we still had a chance ,now I had been to Huntingdon the day before at least I think it was Huntingdon and had stayed over,the journey back to Manchester was horrendous and I ended up coming through Buxton I realised there was no chance of getting home to watch the race so called in a pub in Buxton and asked if he could put the racing on ,probably bbc then but not sure,well the landlord said we dont have a tv but I do have a small portable upstairs I will bring it down,it was very small black and white with one of those Ariel’s you had to f..k about with to get a picture,he finally got a picture just as they were off it looked like they were running in a snow storm and completely pointless watching it,to be fair the landlord did his best ,the sound wasn’t much better either but I did here the words pollys brother had won. |
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Hayden
Could it have be3n final shot ? |
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Doesn't ring a bell jimnast , i'm doubting myself now re: Able Albert but it would have been when JF was involved with C4 otherwise he wouldn't have been in their team , just thought it began with A.
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Advanced
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Quick question no looking it up when would anyone think the silver cup started
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No 2007 was the year i went solo punting , worked for two other companies between the quiz and 2007.
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