LOCKDOWN means time on our hands for thought, and as a racing fan there’s plenty of opportunity to reflect on horses that have moved us along the way.
Jumps horses tend to be the first that come to mind, but the concept Flat horses don’t grab one is lazy. Here are five that have grabbed me by the short and curlies!
There is no doubt the success of Black Caviar in the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes will go down as one of the most dramatic in Royal Ascot history.
The brilliant mare from Down Under – trained by the full on Peter Moody – was a 1-6 shot for the Group 1. That is something in itself. But then of course jockey Luke Nolen stopped riding before the finish and was nearly caught by strong stayer Moonlight Cloud.
The drama as everyone waited for the photo to be announced was something else. Just a great moment in sport, and one Nolen will never forget.
I have met Luke a few times, incidentally, and he is an absolutely top bloke.
When it comes to blowing your mind Frankel’s annihilation of the field in the 2000 Guineas in 2011 will always be in most people’s top five Flat performances.
I remember Sir Henry Cecil’s colt just striding clear of the pack which included his pacemaker Rerouted and thinking Tom Queally might be going a bit fast. But the thing with Frankel was nothing could go fast enough for him.
Ten lengths clear at halfway, Frankel just kept going to stuff Dubawi Gold by six lengths. We will never see a 2000 Guineas won like that again.
Many of you will not remember Oh So Sharp. But she was another Cecil inmate you should know about. She was just fantastic in the mid 1980s when she was campaigned with no rest for the wicked.
The winner of the most exciting 1000 Guineas ever (in my opinion), Oh So Sharp – Sheikh Mohammed’s first British Classic success – went on to take the Oaks, was second in the King George and Benson and Hedges Gold Cup (Juddmonte International) before ending her career by landing the St Leger.
Cecil claimed big ears were part of the key to her success!
Not many of you will have ever of heard of Vorvados, but I loved him.
He was a little grey sprinter that used to get hopelessly outpaced and then fly home late. His big days came in the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster.
Horses like Vorvados gets fan clubs. I was a fan. You can see him here under Cauthen. Just imagine if you had backed him!
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