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01 Nov 24
10:30
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12 Mar 07
died , 68 .
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sad news, always enjoyed his musings especially from Cheltenham.
Sad news ,a great chronicler of racing and Cheltenham in particular
Another sad day brilliant writer, told it as it should be RIP Alastair..
Oh how sad.
His choice of words always brought a smile to my face.
How good that he was still alive for last weekend at Cheltenham when they renamed press room in his honour.
His choice of words always brought a smile to my face.
How good that he was still alive for last weekend at Cheltenham when they renamed press room in his honour.
When I heard they were naming the Cheltenham press room after him, I wondered if he was in ill health, but I saw clips of him on twitter being interviewed by Alice Plunkett, and he looked and sounded in good form.
R.I.P
R.I.P
I suspect he might not have been a student of Hemingway, why use two words when you can write fifty; his prose could be a vivid purple, but what a gift for combining them. If only I could have been blessed with half his talent for imagery.
Very sad and unexpected, he looked in good form at Cheltenham. A rare talent as acknowledged by his awards. I recall having a drink with him and Nicky Henderson at Longchamp, they were on their second bottle of red although big Al has seen most of it off, 1030 hrs btw.
Saw an interview with him on ITV a couple of weeks ago & he looked very poorly. RIP. I liked him & thought he talked sense.
my wife was seeing a specialist at the local hospital and al was in the waiting room, no idea what he was being treated for, this was maybe 3 years back
had a few words with him whist there, first time i'd met him, nice man, sharp mind, sad news
had a few words with him whist there, first time i'd met him, nice man, sharp mind, sad news
For anybody who is interested , there is an interview / him recapping his life on him on "betting people"
RIP, very sad news. One of the great sporting prose journalists. Almost on a par with the great Hugh McIlvanney.
On an equally sad note, I probably could have guessed that DG would be the first, and probably last, to have a dig about his drinking!
On an equally sad note, I probably could have guessed that DG would be the first, and probably last, to have a dig about his drinking!
Sad news. My memories are when he was positively ecstatic after he lumped on Kauto Star’s first King George win. He said to Ruby “you’ve paid for Christmas “.
Stole my comparison BB - but I might not have gone 'with 'almost on a par'.
If this has not been reproduced elsewhere - his Ch4 racing comments one day when he was heavily into one of his buddy Prescott's strokes at Newmarket with Royston Ffrench up.
Quoth Al "if this one gets beat there will be more than 2 F's in Ffrench"
If this has not been reproduced elsewhere - his Ch4 racing comments one day when he was heavily into one of his buddy Prescott's strokes at Newmarket with Royston Ffrench up.
Quoth Al "if this one gets beat there will be more than 2 F's in Ffrench"
Mr M, Great quote. One of the things I liked about him was he was a serious bettor!!!. Ba77s on the line stuff. Another Richard Baelein!!. Re "almost on a par"; yup, be a good debate. I am sure they must have met as HM was equally a real racing man.
Very sad news but are we all expected to accept that it was purely a coincidence he died just a few days after the press room tribute at Cheltenham?
Honestly, the media take us for fools. Chances must have been he was seriously ill but did not want anyone to know.
If he wasn't already ill, the next journo to receive a big tribute might refuse it!
RIP Mr Down.
Honestly, the media take us for fools. Chances must have been he was seriously ill but did not want anyone to know.
If he wasn't already ill, the next journo to receive a big tribute might refuse it!
RIP Mr Down.
Great loss. Not only a very good broadcaster but an outstanding writer. I still have plenty of old Racing Posts from Cheltenham festivals with his accounts of the big races.
What a loss to horseracing journalism! Mr Down could hold the weight of the entire present Racing Post lot alone. He was just sublime in his profession. This news is so sad, and sudden after watching him being "worshipped" at Cheltenham by Ms Plunkett very recently.
RIP Mr Down!
RIP Mr Down!
Agree with Blackbarn , he was born not made , a sad day , RIP .
he was at his peak ,when chelt was at its peak on the track denman,Kabuto etc and he could enjoy that whilst remembering his early days, what would he be writing about chelt festival today that would get many people to put their cornflakes down, RIP,enjoyed his writing at the time I was a chelt regular
RIP another great character fat al...lovely words from shoemark on RTV if anyone caught that
I remember listening to AD once talking about chelt saying him and his family used to give each other an ANTE POST betting slip for something they fancied at chelt as Xmas presents,
willie Mullins selected in the supreme doesn't quite have the same ring these days
willie Mullins selected in the supreme doesn't quite have the same ring these days
I remember a column he did shortly after a week at Galway races and he remarked that he would gladly take Geordie Best's old liver. For the younger ones on here (if there are any) GB had a liver transplant a few weeks previously.
Very funny and intelligent Journo ... Rest Easy Al
Very funny and intelligent Journo ... Rest Easy Al
Interesting reading through an old thread about him on here and a lot calling his pieces 'pompous', 'patronising' etc. I was never a fan of his, particularly after he became anti punter, or anti any punter who dared criticise a ride. However RIP to him and I hope he's in a better place now.
landed a nice touch , at kempton, think it was the racing post chase , trained by hobbs, he got on at 33/1.
RIP. I thought he was a wonderful writer with a stirring way with words.
I also used to enjoy his light-hearted Cheltenham pieces back in the day.
But, like a few have already said, it had crossed my mind that he might be unwell when i heard about the press room tribute, so I can't pretend that this has come as a surprise.
I also used to enjoy his light-hearted Cheltenham pieces back in the day.
But, like a few have already said, it had crossed my mind that he might be unwell when i heard about the press room tribute, so I can't pretend that this has come as a surprise.
I'm pretty sure it was Gunther McBride. Never in doubt on the day and Al told everyone it was the only time he needed a wheelbarrow to collect his winnings.
MJK,
I would have to check, but maybe I was one of those contributors to the other thread. Nobody wrote in the same way as he did so very difficult to compare to anyone else. I don't remember him rocking too many boats which no doubt contributed to his popularity within an industry that can be hugely defensive. I will probably remember his pieces most for military analogies - presumably that was his family background - which in the end became a little repetitive.
When I saw him being interviewed at Cheltenham I thought he looked in very poor health and this didn't come as any shock. A reference was made to DG mentioning the drink, but that was only saying what many may be thinking. That and the **** would hardly have contributed to him having a healthy lifestyle. These days 68 is not much of an age.
RIP
I would have to check, but maybe I was one of those contributors to the other thread. Nobody wrote in the same way as he did so very difficult to compare to anyone else. I don't remember him rocking too many boats which no doubt contributed to his popularity within an industry that can be hugely defensive. I will probably remember his pieces most for military analogies - presumably that was his family background - which in the end became a little repetitive.
When I saw him being interviewed at Cheltenham I thought he looked in very poor health and this didn't come as any shock. A reference was made to DG mentioning the drink, but that was only saying what many may be thinking. That and the **** would hardly have contributed to him having a healthy lifestyle. These days 68 is not much of an age.
RIP
not quite as bad but when I saw him on TV last week brought back Alex Higgins vibes,when we hadn't seen him for yrs
Nov 1, 2024 -- 9:41AM, differentdrum wrote:
MJK,I would have to check, but maybe I was one of those contributors to the other thread. Nobody wrote in the same way as he did so very difficult to compare to anyone else. I don't remember him rocking too many boats which no doubt contributed to his popularity within an industry that can be hugely defensive. I will probably remember his pieces most for military analogies - presumably that was his family background - which in the end became a little repetitive.When I saw him being interviewed at Cheltenham I thought he looked in very poor health and this didn't come as any shock. A reference was made to DG mentioning the drink, but that was only saying what many may be thinking. That and the **** would hardly have contributed to him having a healthy lifestyle. These days 68 is not much of an age. RIP
Someone on another racing mb dating back 10 years mentioned he had the Big C. All speculation of course and nobody's business but his, but recently people were saying he drank very little these days.
very very sad news ansd as can be seen by the tributes on this thread he was a muchrespected journo.
i always enjoyed reading his articles and a sad loss to horse racing.
thoughts go to family and friends
RIP m8
i always enjoyed reading his articles and a sad loss to horse racing.
thoughts go to family and friends
RIP m8
A wonderful wordsmith and a wonderful man. I read virtually all his articles over the past 30 pus years in the racing press, and likely still have them all in my loft. Sad sad day, I will miss him.
When i seen his picture at Cheltenham last week i feared the worst, he looked God damn awful.
When i seen his picture at Cheltenham last week i feared the worst, he looked God damn awful.
Will never forget his year on year waxing lyrical about the Chelters Festival setting the scene in his own and brilliantly inimitable way.
Sad news, another great from the glory days of racing.
RIP
RIP
Another great character gone from our game. I hope they do a great tribute to him on the Opening Show on Saturday. Never afraid to voice his opinion and I liked that.
He's only a smidgeon my senior. My contemporaries are slowly but surely kicking-the-bucket.
Didn't know he had lost a daughter in London terrorist attack. Did you ? I take it the Post kept it quiet ( child not with first wife )
Nov 1, 2024 -- 12:56PM, howard wrote:
Didn't know he had lost a daughter in London terrorist attack. Did you ? I take it the Post kept it quiet ( child not with first wife )
just read that, never knew.
Very sad news indeed, 68 is no age. I did think he looked frail when interviewed at Cheltenham last week.
I was with some friends and we were lucky enough to bump into him and his lovely wife in a restaurant near Sacre Coeur in 2003 (the one with a plane hanging from the ceiling) after Dalakhani's Arc win. Spent an hour or so chatting to him (although I was mostly chatting to his wife), despite his reputation for not being keen to engage with the public (maybe its because we didn't aske for an autograph). It was pretty obvious that his heart was with National Hunt racing. We were all in good spirits as had backed a Keiron Fallon winner at a ridiculously big price. The Cheltenham et Al book published 2014 is a pretty good read.
I'm not sure about this daughter report; possibly misinformation?
I was with some friends and we were lucky enough to bump into him and his lovely wife in a restaurant near Sacre Coeur in 2003 (the one with a plane hanging from the ceiling) after Dalakhani's Arc win. Spent an hour or so chatting to him (although I was mostly chatting to his wife), despite his reputation for not being keen to engage with the public (maybe its because we didn't aske for an autograph). It was pretty obvious that his heart was with National Hunt racing. We were all in good spirits as had backed a Keiron Fallon winner at a ridiculously big price. The Cheltenham et Al book published 2014 is a pretty good read.
I'm not sure about this daughter report; possibly misinformation?
Storm Alert 01 Nov 24 18:51
I'm not sure about this daughter report; possibly misinformation?
Latterly, there were fewer trips to Ireland and, beset by personal troubles and tragedy, there was less easy joy in his life and less power in his writing. Married to Frances in 1988, with whom he had three children, Camilla, Clare and James, another relationship resulted in a fourth child, Saskia. In 2019 Saskia was murdered, together with Jack Merritt, in a terrorist attack at Fishmongers’ Hall in London. It was a shattering blow, the agony prolonged by the subsequent inquest and a feeling of guilt. Alastair never fully recovered and drinking became a safe haven.
He was not short of friends, nor of entertaining gatherings, and his children were, he said, “the abiding joy of my life”. His was a life that, through his unique personality and talent, gave the lives of many others a lasting lift.
I'm not sure about this daughter report; possibly misinformation?
Latterly, there were fewer trips to Ireland and, beset by personal troubles and tragedy, there was less easy joy in his life and less power in his writing. Married to Frances in 1988, with whom he had three children, Camilla, Clare and James, another relationship resulted in a fourth child, Saskia. In 2019 Saskia was murdered, together with Jack Merritt, in a terrorist attack at Fishmongers’ Hall in London. It was a shattering blow, the agony prolonged by the subsequent inquest and a feeling of guilt. Alastair never fully recovered and drinking became a safe haven.
He was not short of friends, nor of entertaining gatherings, and his children were, he said, “the abiding joy of my life”. His was a life that, through his unique personality and talent, gave the lives of many others a lasting lift.
Now you no longer need to be not sure"
https://www.mirrorpensioners.co.uk/obituary/alastair-down/
https://www.mirrorpensioners.co.uk/obituary/alastair-down/
I remember about 20 years ago now when he was on the 'Morning Line' when he managed to pick the winners of both the Ayr Silver and Gold Cups for that particular year.
Thank you.
Alastair made some good videos in the lead up to Cheltenham circa 2016-2018, they are on You Tube. This one is quite poignant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ozn61oqnY&t=15s
Alastair made some good videos in the lead up to Cheltenham circa 2016-2018, they are on You Tube. This one is quite poignant:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ozn61oqnY&t=15s
RIP,I enjoyed his broadcasts and writings immensely.
His column in the Weekender was worth buying the paper for that alone, brilliant and funny journalist.
His piece on the Red Marauder Grand National was very hard hitting and split opinion.
Graham Cunningham reacts to the death of Alastair Down, a good friend and former colleague at The Sporting Life newspaper.
The death of someone of genuine significance does strange things to you.
It shocks you even when you shouldn’t really be shocked.
Rocks you into selfishly wondering about your own mortality.
And mocks you as you revisit sporadic messages stretching back 30 years.
The first message I ever received from Al consisted of a priceless reassuring wink after he and editor Tom Clarke had interviewed me for a reporting role at the Sporting Life’s offices in Canary Wharf back in the mid ‘90s.
And the second came a few weeks later after my first ever story for the Life – a sparkling treble for Tony Dobbin as I recall – was prefaced by the immortal words “Doncaster report by Gerald Cunningham."
The pre-mobile answerphone messages rained in swiftly that morning but the one that simply boomed “OH GERALD” in that rich, fruity baritone voice stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
And A. Down stood apart from the rest throughout an epic journalistic career that saw him scale unprecedented heights while juggling a chaotic personal life that ultimately wore him down.
Alastair Down: 'A genius with a pen and a peerless broadcaster'
Alastair Down: 'A genius with a pen and a peerless broadcaster'
Yes, some of us had the temerity to chuckle at certain familiar elements of his pored-over prose, wondering when the next ‘red in tooth and claw’ or ‘X wasn’t born he was hewn from granite’ might make an appearance.
But this was the bloke who penned the booming Life opinion piece that prompted the famous Top Cees libel trial, a case which ultimately cost the historic and ailing paper fortunes in damages.
This was the bloke who broke free from jump racing’s cosy club – knowing exactly what it might cost him - to brand the decision to run Red Marauder’s 2001 Grand National in atrocious conditions as “gutless, witless and utterly reckless."
More importantly, this was the bloke whose love of jump racing and ability to commit that adoration to print and spoken word enabled him to cut through to every level of racing’s disparate parish in a way that hasn’t been achieved before or since.
You won’t be surprised to hear Al was strictly a text rather than a WhatsApp guy, nor was he given to wasting words in our occasional exchanges.
But there is something special about receiving a short note from one of the best to ever do it, especially when you know they are fighting their own hard battles at the time.
I don’t profess to know exactly what Alastair has gone through in recent years but the demons that haunted him never dimmed his appreciation for the fun side of racing or his ability to deliver a generous nod to fellow scribblers and gasbags who could only dream of emulating him.
“Lovely to hear you on the box again”, appears several times.
“Good to hear the slightly unfashionable word ‘vim’ from Musselburgh today”, another that makes me smile.
And I suspect that the cryptic “any marauding Magyars about?” must have been a reference to the Hungarian sprinter Overdose during an RTV chat about the ‘Budapest Bullet’ and his ill-fated tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye.
The decision to name Cheltenham’s Press Room in honour of Alastair this time last week seems even more apt after today’s sad news.
I wasn’t at Cheltenham that day but I did spend an hour or so in his company at the Hunt family funeral in August.
That was a day I will never forget on numerous levels, not least because a man who knew more about the pain poor John was enduring than practically anyone present was in attendance and putting on a good show.
With his tweed jacket hanging loose, the 68-year-old Al was a shadow of the charismatic, sharp-suited star I met in a swanky corner office on the 23rd floor of One Canada Square all those years ago.
But, with ciggie in one hand and glass of white in the other, the old fire burned again as he waxed poetic about a First World War book whose name he couldn’t quite recall.
Alastair Down got home at a little after half seven on Thursday August 15th and texted me to say: “Good to see you Graham. First Day On The Somme. Martin Middlebrook."
It pains me to say that, wrapped up in my own little world, I never replied.
Maybe there’s a message in that for all of us.
Like Cheltenham, we need to tell the great ones what we think of them while they’re here.
And, for all his flaws, Alastair Down was cut from rare cloth indeed.
The death of someone of genuine significance does strange things to you.
It shocks you even when you shouldn’t really be shocked.
Rocks you into selfishly wondering about your own mortality.
And mocks you as you revisit sporadic messages stretching back 30 years.
The first message I ever received from Al consisted of a priceless reassuring wink after he and editor Tom Clarke had interviewed me for a reporting role at the Sporting Life’s offices in Canary Wharf back in the mid ‘90s.
And the second came a few weeks later after my first ever story for the Life – a sparkling treble for Tony Dobbin as I recall – was prefaced by the immortal words “Doncaster report by Gerald Cunningham."
The pre-mobile answerphone messages rained in swiftly that morning but the one that simply boomed “OH GERALD” in that rich, fruity baritone voice stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
And A. Down stood apart from the rest throughout an epic journalistic career that saw him scale unprecedented heights while juggling a chaotic personal life that ultimately wore him down.
Alastair Down: 'A genius with a pen and a peerless broadcaster'
Alastair Down: 'A genius with a pen and a peerless broadcaster'
Yes, some of us had the temerity to chuckle at certain familiar elements of his pored-over prose, wondering when the next ‘red in tooth and claw’ or ‘X wasn’t born he was hewn from granite’ might make an appearance.
But this was the bloke who penned the booming Life opinion piece that prompted the famous Top Cees libel trial, a case which ultimately cost the historic and ailing paper fortunes in damages.
This was the bloke who broke free from jump racing’s cosy club – knowing exactly what it might cost him - to brand the decision to run Red Marauder’s 2001 Grand National in atrocious conditions as “gutless, witless and utterly reckless."
More importantly, this was the bloke whose love of jump racing and ability to commit that adoration to print and spoken word enabled him to cut through to every level of racing’s disparate parish in a way that hasn’t been achieved before or since.
You won’t be surprised to hear Al was strictly a text rather than a WhatsApp guy, nor was he given to wasting words in our occasional exchanges.
But there is something special about receiving a short note from one of the best to ever do it, especially when you know they are fighting their own hard battles at the time.
I don’t profess to know exactly what Alastair has gone through in recent years but the demons that haunted him never dimmed his appreciation for the fun side of racing or his ability to deliver a generous nod to fellow scribblers and gasbags who could only dream of emulating him.
“Lovely to hear you on the box again”, appears several times.
“Good to hear the slightly unfashionable word ‘vim’ from Musselburgh today”, another that makes me smile.
And I suspect that the cryptic “any marauding Magyars about?” must have been a reference to the Hungarian sprinter Overdose during an RTV chat about the ‘Budapest Bullet’ and his ill-fated tilt at the Prix de l’Abbaye.
The decision to name Cheltenham’s Press Room in honour of Alastair this time last week seems even more apt after today’s sad news.
I wasn’t at Cheltenham that day but I did spend an hour or so in his company at the Hunt family funeral in August.
That was a day I will never forget on numerous levels, not least because a man who knew more about the pain poor John was enduring than practically anyone present was in attendance and putting on a good show.
With his tweed jacket hanging loose, the 68-year-old Al was a shadow of the charismatic, sharp-suited star I met in a swanky corner office on the 23rd floor of One Canada Square all those years ago.
But, with ciggie in one hand and glass of white in the other, the old fire burned again as he waxed poetic about a First World War book whose name he couldn’t quite recall.
Alastair Down got home at a little after half seven on Thursday August 15th and texted me to say: “Good to see you Graham. First Day On The Somme. Martin Middlebrook."
It pains me to say that, wrapped up in my own little world, I never replied.
Maybe there’s a message in that for all of us.
Like Cheltenham, we need to tell the great ones what we think of them while they’re here.
And, for all his flaws, Alastair Down was cut from rare cloth indeed.
This is a fine and honest piece by Graham Cunningham.
Always remember a story he wrote,about snow on the ground,and trekking to a trainers stable over Xmas,Forster I think,but can’t remember.
Read some great articles over the years,always romantised his story.
But also was clearly drunk on screen aswell.
But that’s the rich trapestry of life.it would be boring if everyone was bland.
He makes his mark,which is more than most can say.
Read some great articles over the years,always romantised his story.
But also was clearly drunk on screen aswell.
But that’s the rich trapestry of life.it would be boring if everyone was bland.
He makes his mark,which is more than most can say.
RIP
He wasn't my cup of tea, buy live and let live is my motto.
He wasn't my cup of tea, buy live and let live is my motto.
Not a fan of Alice Plunkett , but she just spoke beautifully, when remembering the great Mr Down.
After reading some of his articles I'd get a lovely warm glow , there's not many I can say that about,a real racing man a man with flaws, which in my eyes made him more like the rest of us..Rest In Peace Al....
very sad about his kid but to be fair he,d turned up absolutely bladdered plenty of times on ch 4 a decade before 2019
i think he was seriously locked a few times in fairness, he never impressed me as a pundit but very few do
I had the pleasure of chatting with him one day at the Albert Dock in Liverpool. It was a Sunday, and the racing was on down the road at Aintree. He was taking his kids to watch Liverpool play, and he laughed when I suggested they would be better off bypassing Anfield! He was really easy to talk to, and was obviously quite comfortable in the company of strangers! A lovely fellow, and may he rest in peace.
Just wanted tp pay tribute to an awesome commentator who brought national hunt racing to life during a golden era of jumpers. His enthusiasm was huge and his knowledge great. Rip Alistair you will be missed.
Funny how when i didnt know he had a drink problem how i thought he came across as strange on c4 at 9am wobbling his head. Poor man. The demon drink cost him prob 20 years. A great scribe though who will be remembered for years to come. Rip alastair.
Many years ago, when Channel 4 racing was still broadcasting, I had the good fortune to bump into Alastair in a pub in West Sussex.
I'd just sat down with my pint in an empty bar, when in he walked. It was a 'horsey' establishment and he'd been doing a video at a nearby
facility in Coolham. We chatted away and had a couple of drinks. I couldn't help opining that, with a couple of exceptions, Channel 4 was
racing for 'Sun readers'... He nodded in agreement. And what about that Tommo! Is he really as bad as he appears? Oh no! He's much worse says Alastair. RIP
I'd just sat down with my pint in an empty bar, when in he walked. It was a 'horsey' establishment and he'd been doing a video at a nearby
facility in Coolham. We chatted away and had a couple of drinks. I couldn't help opining that, with a couple of exceptions, Channel 4 was
racing for 'Sun readers'... He nodded in agreement. And what about that Tommo! Is he really as bad as he appears? Oh no! He's much worse says Alastair. RIP
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