horses we'll never forget (whose career were cut short)

fr wishy washy

slightly odd thread boys i know but there are horses who never quite reached the heights that we know they would have reached whether through fatal falls or career ending injuries.

two spring to mind for me

1: golden cygnet,this horse left a lasting impression on a young father wishy washy when he pulled a tank up the hill in his cheltenham year,

2: gloria victus:surely would have gone on to championship honours had he not perished in his first gold cup attempt.

tiedcottage

Sometimes the injury wasn't fatal, of course, just enough to make them untrainable.

Examples there include Monsignor, Carobee and but for one comeback run three years later, Make a Stand (if only the Make a Stand of 97 had met Istabraq, one can only dream of how the course record would have tumbled).

But those lost for ever must include French Holly, after just one race over fences, Shadow Leader behind Istabraq in the champion but trained by C Egerton who that year had an annus horibilis that began with the loss of another, Mysilv, who may have gone on to dominate in staying hurdles.

If all the above, though, Monsignor is the one that fills me with most regret. Never forget the sight of him toying the (admittedly inferior) opposition in the 00 sun alliance on ground way too fast for him (who knows if that contributed to his injury.

fr wishy washy

the martin pipe trained grey valoramix looked a horse of huge potential when he was fatally injured in the champion hurdle a couple of years back.

tiedcottage

Yes, Valiramix was pulling a cart at the time of his tragic accident, but to be honest, that year's champion hurdle was one of the weakest in living memory, with Hors la Loi (who for me never regained his form as a novice) winning by default. I don't think he was any better than Rooster Booster to be honest.

There have been others, of course. Remember Cherrykino, who was killed in the 1993 (or was it 1994?) Gold Cup, Full Strength killed at Ascot in the early nineties or Book of Music, killed in the Sandown King George (though he was probably overhyped). Another non fatal loss was Teeton Mill, though I don't think Cheltenham suited to be honest) and he was hardly a young star.

Monsignor and Gloria Victis have been the biggest losses, if only one fatal.

What's sometimes overlooked is that the Gold Cup probably has a higher number of fatalities in recent times than any race after the National...Lanzarote, Forgive N Forget, Ten Plus, Cherrykino, Monsieur le Cure, Gloria Victis, and I'm probably missing the odd one. Not to mention the high number of injuries sustained at Cheltenham, which surely has something to do with the climate virtually guaranteeing good and sometimes fast ground in March. The festival is lo longer positioned at a time in the year where rain is expected. Only 1989 and 95 were genuine soft ground meetings in the last 20 years, yet compare that to the videos of the seventies when the ground nearly always had some cut in it.

Morgans

Book of Music was one that I was thinking of, but who knows what Nick Dundee would have achieved but for that injury. I know some people debate if he would have beaten LLT, but he was cantering all over him at the time.

Harcon had the scope to be a champion.

fr wishy washy

Morgans wrote:

Book of Music was one that I was thinking of, but who knows what Nick Dundee would have achieved but for that injury. I know some people debate if he would have beaten LLT, but he was cantering all over him at the time.

.

i have no doubt that he would have trounced him as he was never just a bridle horse and always found plenty off it.

he was indeed destined for greatness and fair play to e j o grady who retired him in the winners enclosure after winning a small race in ireland when he realised he would never reach the stars.

tiedcottage

Quite right, forgot about ND, he could have been something. Imagine him and Gliria Victis, they should have met. but the fates deemed otherwise.

GetOffMyPatch

ONE MAN

http://www.seemorebusiness.org.uk/oneman/onemanpress.htm

tiedcottage

Hmm, One Man was a superb horse, for sure (probably greater than Best Mate overall), but I really think he had achieved all he could. I think the original purpose of the thread was for those who didn't achieve their potential, rather than those that did (but for being ridden completely wrong in his two Gold Cup, especially the first time when they knew he didn't get the trip being held up).

Morgans

No matter what was One Man was ridden, he was never going to get home in the 3f extra of the Gold Cup. I think sometimes it is better to be ridden as if stamina isnt a problem - a la Kicking King in hte King George, as opposed to Kicking King at Down Royal at the start of the season. I agree that he achieved as much as he could have, and I agree that he was probably better than Best Mate over 3m.

Cardinal Hill could have been very good. I know you have mentioned Brownes Gazette on a couple of occasions. Mighty Mogul was never as good as the last mentioned over hurdles but looked a fine animal before his injury.

tiedcottage

Aye very true, but I remember D Nicholson saying he rated Carobee higher and Carobee slammed Mighty Mogul in the nov hurdle at Aintree. But novies do often fail to step up to seniors, so maybe MM improved enough to have beaten him.

I agree re One Man, my point was it was stupid to hold him up a second time in 1997 especially. I mean, he was best ridden from the front, get the others going at his pace and using his jumping, which was his greatest asset. That's the way he won the King George at Sandown, where he tired again up the hill, but the others were so far behind they needed oxygen. I honestly think if they rode him agressivley taking it up at halfway and get the others trying to keep up with him, he'd have had them all, ICall included, on the stretch. He still may well have tired up the hill, but would the others have been travelling well enough or close enough, as at Sandown, to do anything about it.

Plus, I think half of OM's problem was being asked a question under pressure. I mean, he got home in the Hennessy in soft ground and won in a canter. But hell, we'll never know.

rubberduckey

I would have loved to have seen Montelado fufill his huge potential. Absolutely bolted in the bumper in '92 then the following years novice hurdle. I guess a lot of parallells with monsignors brilliant but blighted career.

tiedcottage

Very true about Montelado, though we did at least see him again a few years later, though his appearance in the 95 Champion Hurdle was as much as a shadow as Make a Stand in 2000.

How about Coolnagorna, disqualified when close to Hardy Eustace at Cheltenham and then killed at Aintree. Or Thetford Forest, who walked away with the Sun Alliance Nov Hurdle but was killed at Aintree.

Ventana Canyon, the ill-fated Arkle winner.

Or most unlucky of all, French Ballerina, winner of the supreme novices killed, prince of ironies, in the Ascot Gold Cup on the flat.

rubberduckey

Yep tiedcottage, French Ballerina must have been a sickener for Pat Flynn.
Was that Kayf Tara's Ascot Gold Cup??

Morgans

Ventana Canyon reminded me of Draborgie, who was pulled up on the run to the second fence. Looked incredible when winning her prep races.

tiedcottage

Ah yes, Dragorgie. That was Darren Mercer's horrible day when he lost Mack the Knife in the Champion Hurdle (again on the flat) half an hour later.

Gpoing further back, what about the likes of Abbey Glen, Antarctic Bay and Rolling Ball, who all looked superb until fate struck.

fr wishy washy

tiedcottage wrote:

and Rolling Ball, who all looked superb until fate struck.

did'nt he make a comeback of sorts in hunter chases ?.


ten plus was another trained by fulke walwyn who i think broke a leg in the gold cup with kevin mooney up.

tiedcottage

Quite right about Rolling Ball, he injured himself in a fall in the Hennessy, years later he won the aintree fohhunters, but it was an afterthought. His best years were lost.

Then there was Ekbalco, who was about to go novice chasing when killed in a hurdle race.

I can't believe I haven;t mentioned Noddy's Ryde in this thread. I must be losing it. I think he was 30L clear in a race at Doncaster in Autumn 84 when breaking his neck at the last.

fr wishy washy

Wonder did anybody see the footage of Golden Cygnet for the first time on Rte on Sundays Leopardstown programme?.The Cheltenham Race was awesome...

scojones

Total Enjoyment, won me a fortune at cheltenham (which i have mentioned before). Ten times better than Solerina, brings to tear to my eye everytime I see Solerina racing.

Morgans

Total enjoyment had her day in the sun but her novice hurdle career was poor - just like another filly/mare that won the bumper - Muckelmeg, who showed that mares lose their form quickly.

Total Enjoyment would have been lucky to get within 10-15l of Solerina, even over 2m. She wouldnt have seen which way she went over 2m4f.

decies

Seabiscuit . Lost a fortune on him in the curragh one day.

The jock

Teeton Mill:Winner of the hennesy then getting injured in gold cup

SiteMaster:Who many of you dont know,was put down after his fall in tipperary many years ago,my uncle was involved with the horse had a share in him and he was going to be a cheltenham winner without a doubt!Aiden o brien used train it.

scojones

Morgans wrote:

Total Enjoyment would have been lucky to get within 10-15l of Solerina, even over 2m. She wouldnt have seen which way she went over 2m4f.

Before Cheltenham Jim Culloty was riding her, I've no idea where - I'll ask my mate later today and get back to you, as it was Jim Culloty who told him. Anyway, he was riding Total Enjoyment against Solerina, way before Total's Cheltenham trip, and they finished head to head, whoever was on Solerina was going hard, Jim never came off the bridle on Total Enjoyment.