Category Archives: Horses

Introduction

 

With a composure on the track as cool as its name, Eclipse is one of the most famous horses of the era that it comes from. A powerful stallion of British origin, the stunning chestnut was bred by the Duke of Cumberland himself, and was owned by William Wildman and Dennis O’Kelly.

 

An undefeated horse across its career, it took on 18 races and won every last one of them, before retiring into the sunset. Afterward, it led a second ‘career’ as a wonderful sire, and today is seen as the pedigree in the vast majority of successful, modern thoroughbred horses.

 

Career Summary

 

Given the time that it ran in, the races that Eclipse won are rarely heard of today, if ever. From the first win at the Winchester King’s Plate to the Newmarket October King’s Plate, this fantastic beast took an incredible sum of success. Starting at the age of five, it won its first race with absolute ease. Early success seen it bought by Dennis O’Kelly, and ridden by John Oakley. Apparently, Oakley was the only one who could handle Eclipse, given its wild nature and hard to handle temper.

 

Also, it allegedly won all of its races without having to be fully extended – it was simply better than all who came before it. With over 63 miles ran during its career, it’s one of the most memorable horses in racing history.

 

While it may have run so long ago that nobody alive seen it run, this is a horse that has entered the book of legend for all the right reasons.

 

Achievements & Highlights

 

Wins – Winchester King’s Plate (1769), Salisbury King’s Plate (1769), Canterbury King’s Plate (1769), Lewes King’s Plate (1769), Lichfield King’s Plate (1769), VS Bucephalus (1770), Newmarket First Spring King’s Plate (1770), Gullford King’s Plate (1770). Nottingham King’s Plate (1770), York King’s Plate (1770), 6yo+ Great Subscription Purse (1770), Lincoln Heath King’s Plate (1770), Newmarket October King’s Plate (1770)

 

Associations – William Wildman, Dennis O’Kelly, John Oakley, the Duke of Cumberland.

 

Earnings – 2,149 Guineas.

 

 

 

Introduction

 

Noting on the official Twiston-Davies – a common name in racing fans lexicon – website that he has ‘been riding really sine I could stand’ it’s no surprise that Sam Twiston-Davies is growing up to be one of the most respected young jockeys on the circuit. With aristocratic blood in him from the success of his father, Nigel, Sam is a chip off the old block!

 

A rider for the fun of it as well as to avoid having to a get a ‘real job’ by his own admission, Twiston-Davies has been riding from a young age. Like many sports stars, he realizes that this allows him to live a life that few could dream of, while doing something that he truly loves.

 

Career Summary

 

With a budding career in the sport that awaits, Twiston-Davies started to see major success when he made his Grand National debut in 2010. He rode Hello Bud on the 10^th April, creating what was the very beginnings of a truly exemplary and memorable career path for both. His first major win came at Christie’s Foxhunter Chase, when he rode Baby Ru to success at the Cheltenham Festival.

 

It’s not just who he is related to that sets Sam Twiston-Davies apart from the rest: it’s that desire to win and to always success regardless of the depth or the scale of the challenge that awaits. At 21, he was already the top jockey for Paul Nicholls, replacing Daryl Jacob. Over time, we’re going to see the emergence of one of the true stars of the next generation.

 

Achievements & Highlights

 

Major Wins – (very hard to research this guy – the information is so vague, not sure what would be considered ‘major’ for him, sorry!)

 

Associations – Twiston-Davies family, Paul Nicholls.

 

Introduction

 

With a two-year trophy laden spell that many horses would struggle to match, Brigadier Gerard is a true legend of the horse racing industry. In a devastating career, the legendary British thoroughbred captured seventeen trophies across eighteen races. For many, it’s rated as one of the finest – if not the finest – of British horseracing in the whole of the 1900s.

 

With a win as a two-year-old in the Middle Park Stakes, things went from there as BG started to win more and more. From ages two to four, it claimed trophies galore suffering just a single defeat across its whole career.

 

Career Summary

 

That defeat came at the end, when it was beaten by Roberto in the first-ever running of the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup. With just one loss across a stellar spell, though, it’s safe to say that the career of BG could be summed up as one of perennial achievement.

 

Praised for a calm and cool temperament even when the heat was on, BG was a crowd favourite as it pulled itself into positions of power with ease. Joe Mercer was the lucky jockey to sit on the back of this legendary horse, trained by the likes of Dick Hern.

 

Together, they created a race machine that finished with a Timeform rating of 144. It was also elected by all 40 of the members of the Racegoers’ Club for the 1972 British Horse of the Year poll. It is, so far, the only horse to win the vote unanimously.

 

Achievements & Highlights

 

An incredible career that witnessed wins in everything it took part in bar one, it would be hard to give a single highlight or achievement for the horse. It even went on to become a stud in later life, although it’s success on the track was far more than its success as a sire. It’s two winning returns – Light Cavalry and Vayrann – are well-reputed horses, however. While it may have been a better racer than a sire, it’s still an important achievement to add to the plentiful list of successes it has already shared.

 

Wins – Washington Singer Stakes (1970), Middle Park Stakes (1970), 2000 Guineas (1971), St. James’s Palace Stakes (1971), Sussex Stakes (1971), Goodwood Mile (1971), Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1971 & 1972), Champion Stakes (1971 & 1972), Westbury Stakes (1972), Lockinge Stakes (1972), Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1972), Eclipse Stakes (1972), K. George VI & Q. Elizabeth Stakes (1972).

 

Associations – John Hislop, Dick Hern.

 

Earnings – Over £250k.