Great Yarmouth Racecourse

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The Great Yarmouth racecourse is a flat thoroughbred racetrack located towards the north of Great Yarmouth. It is not very far from the beach, taking only a few minutes’ walk to get there. It is a very important racing venue since it features a straight line mile. This makes it more unique as not many racecourses in the country feature this kind of
race. The racecourse is owned by Arena Racing Company. It is known to host a total of 23 race meetings annually.

The first race to be held at Great Yarmouth first took place in the year 1715. Prior to the race meetings, an array of events used to take place in the racecourse. This included donkey races and chasing pigs with a soaped tail. It was until 1810 when the racecourse started holding thoroughbred races, and by the end of 1866, the number of races held in the track had increased significantly in number. During the World War 1, races were suspended indefinitely but resumed after a couple of years. In the year 1920, the racecourse changed its location to North Denes. This was due to the constant pressure they received from the fishing industry, who sought to expand their territories deep into South Denes.

John Musker Fillies’ Stakes is the most popular race run in the racecourse. It usually takes place in September, and is run over a mile and a quarter. This year, the Great Yarmouth is set to hold a total of 23 fixtures, starting from April all through to October. The car boot sale is scheduled for every Sunday from the 1st of April to the end of October. Gates will be opening at 7 am while races start at 12 noon. On Saturday the 5th of May will be the Murder Mystery
Evening, hosted by lord and lady Beauregarde. This will be a ladies dinner out.

Dancing Brave

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Introduction

 

If a name was ever a fair reflection of the ability of a horse, then Dancing Brave might just be the poster horse of its generation. Foaled on 11th May 1983, this US-bred horse was owned by Khalid Abdullah and trained by Guy Harwood. Known for its jockeys wearing a combination of lime green and pink, Dancing Brave became one of the most outstanding horses on the British circuit despite being US-bred.

 

Indeed, it conquered major trophies such as the 2000 Guineas, the QE Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. With just two defeats in its life, it eventually retired to stud before living its last years out in Japan, where it died in 1999.

 

Career Summary

 

Across an awesome career, the horse won everything in a single year. From the Craven Stakes to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, it won all six of its major races in 1986. For a horse, it’s one of the most successful race years of all-time, cleaning up across the circuit and winning many of the most important races of the era.

 

At one stage it was given a race rating of 141, the highest rating that was ever given to a horse at that time. Despite being ‘demoted’ to a mere 138, second to the world-famous Frankel, it was still one of the highest race ratings ever achieved. Pat Eddery, one of its jockeys, claimed that it was a “once in a lifetime” experience, and Khalid Abdulla reckons that Dancing Brave was the finest of his horses.

 

Even those who fell at the side to watch Dancing Brave claim yet more success have only good words to say about one of the most stellar animals of its era.

 

Achievements & Highlights

 

Wins – Craven Stakes (1986), 2000 Guineas (1986), Eclipse Stakes (1986), K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (1986), Select Stakes (1986), Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (1986)

 

Associations – Khalud Abdullah, Guy Harwood.

 

Earnings – ?

 

 

 

Oisin Murphy

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Introduction

 

A name with a huge amount of growth and development still to come, the wonderful Oisin Murphy is one of the jockeys to look out for on the circuit. With a fantastic blog as well as a range of exciting race successes of his own, Murphy has become a name well worth paying attention to and looking out for as a commentator on the sport as well as one of the most promising young jockeys on the circuit.

 

A true rising star of the racing world, he’s joined up with various publications to help offer modern commentary on the sport as well as offer a more enjoyable insight into the sport that we all love.

 

Career Summary

 

Already a retained rider for the elite Qatar Racing, Murphy has made a rapid start to his career as a jockey. With plenty more Series races to come, too, he’ll be likely to become a name well worth remembering for any fans of the sport. Despite only starting out in 2013 at the tender age of 18, he’s made an instant impact on the sport. By riding four winners at the prestigious Ayr Gold Cup in 2013, including the feature race he made the world sit up and take notice of a young star on the rise.

 

2013 seen him take 13 winners in total across the Australian racing scene, too. The nephew of the famous Jim Culloty, Murphy was crowned the champion apprentice in 2014, with a whopping 91 winners.

 

His first Series win came in the QIPCO British Champions Series aboard Hot Streak. Still young and learning, it’s sure that more is to come for this young superstar.

 

Achievements & Highlights

 

Major Wins – Champion Apprentice (2014)

 

Associations – Jim Culloty, Qatar Racing.

 

Earnings – £500k+