1985

The Maktoum brothers dominate again in classics

SHADEED duly won the General Accident 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, but that was just about the only part of the script that went according to plan. This was a race that had almost as much drama as the 1000 Guineas two days earlier, and once again a narrow finish was fought out in the colours of the Maktoum family from Dubai.

Shadeed, surprisingly easy in the market, drifted out to 5/4 on, but there was maximum confidence from the stable of Michael Stoute. Shadeed cruised into the lead well over three furlongs out and for a moment threatened to run right away from his field. But the acceleration was not there this time, and as Bairn closed relentlessly on his outside there was a real possibility that the favourite would be beaten. But Shadeed fought back under maximum pressure from Lester Piggott.

The post came just in time for Shadeed who had won by a head, with Supreme Leader one and a half lengths away third. So Lester Piggott had won his 29th classic, but you could not help feeling sorry for Walter Swinburn who had lost the ride through a harsh suspension. Walter had taken the decision with impressive good nature, and had gained many new friends by his generous behaviour as a temporary member of the ITV commentary team. He came down to the winners’ enclosure and joined in the applause as his substitute Lester Piggott received his trophy.

Michael Stoute was appearing before the stewards to explain why Shadeed had gone straight to the start, and so missed most of the pre-parade in front of the stands. It was noticeable that the horse had three attendants in the paddock and, as he jogged nervously around, his lad patted him constantly on the neck to try to calm him. Stoute accepted full responsibility for telling his jockey to miss the parade and was fined £500 by the Newmarket stewards.

The Maktoums hold most of the aces in the Derby and Oaks. The four brothers have 540 horses in training here and must be at short odds to win all five classics year.

1980

Drama as Nureyev is disqualified

THE fateful events during the hour surrounding Nureyev’s disqualification after winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday had all the necessary ingredients of a successful television drama.

The eventful race provided a pulsating finish, but a stewards’ inquiry began which led to a tense 50-minute wait before the disqualification decision was announced. The first sign of the impending drama came from Pat Eddery, who swiftly told John Dunlop on dismounting from Posse: “The Frenchman murdered me, and Known Fact is sure to get the race.”

The inquiry seemed to drag on interminably. The runners were led out for the next race and still there was no news. Philippe Paquet walked out of the stewards’ room white-faced, and a moment later Pat Eddery too came out to confide: “It looks bad for Philippe on the film. He’s gone for a gap and barged me over sideways as he came through.”

The stewards’ investigations continued again after the Palace House Stakes. Finally, a few minutes before four o’clock, came the fateful announcement that Nureyev had been disqualified and placed last.

The news was greeted with dismay, disbelief and delight in the betting ring, and with a giggle from Known Fact’s jockey Willie Carson, sipping a cup of tea and eating a biscuit at the entrance to the weighing room. Someone suggested it was a shame for him to win an important race in such an unsatisfactory way. “You might think so, but I certainly don’t,” he replied, before bursting into another round of giggles.

Then it was time for us to troop into the stewards’ room to view the patrol films, first head on and then side on. There is no doubt that Nureyev deserved to be disqualified and his jockey suspended for seven days.

1960

Australian jockeys prominent at the Phoenix Park

SATURDAY’S meeting at the Phoenix Park provided the huge crowd with some excellent racing and many talking points.

We had our first glimpse of the most recent arrival among the ranks of jockeys, yet another Australian, Bill Williamson, and he made a winning debut for his new stable on the Seamus McGrath-trained Icy Look in the first race.

The fellow Australian Garnet Bougoure had to ride his hardest to land Killock a very short-head winner of the two-mile Harley Handicap, while Brendan Mooney, a native of Mullingar who has done nearly all his race-riding in England, was seen to advantage in landing Guerco first past the post in the Enniskerry Handicap.

However, the main feature in my opinion was the very easy win of Captain Darby Rogers’ four-year-old Black Card in the bumper. This is no ordinary bumper-horse as I am sure future events will prove. With Mr Kevin Prendergast in the saddle, he was backed from 14/1 down to 5/1 and had his rivals ‘stone-cold’ halfway down the straight.

Icy Look quickly developed into an odds-on chance for the Enfield 2-y-o Plate, and she won by six lengths from Please Forward. Williamson rode her out over the last furlong and he received a big ovation from the crowd. Icy Look was only the second runner and first winner for her sire, Arctic Time.

In a hotly-disputed battle in the Harley Handicap, Killock held Zonda at bay by a short head. Killock took the lead over two furlongs out and battled it out gamely, with Zonda too putting up a fine performance. Killock, owned by Mr John Wood and trained by Phonsie O’Brien, was winning for the third time in succession, and he pulled out fresh and lively – a fine tribute to his trained.

1935

Racing recaptures its popularity amongst all classes at Down Royal and elsewhere

IF you were asked got your opinion upon the race meetings of the past few weeks, would you not say that the sport is booming; that is, judged by the success of the different meetings and by the attendances at them?

This being so, would you not agree that racing is looking up? That indeed is our impression, and it is not based so much on the crowds which were seen at Fairyhouse or Punchestown which are certain always to attract big attendances, as upon the support given to the other meetings which followed. Take last week when five meetings followed hot-foot upon one another, with only Sunday intervening between the Phoenix Park fixture on Saturday and Down Royal on Monday. Was not each one a splendid success?

The turnover of the tote at the Phoenix Park amounted to a trifle over £1,299. Now this might be small for an English meeting, but it represents a satisfactory gathering in this country, and such there was at the Park.

Unfortunately the tote did not operate at either the Down Royal fixture, or at Longford races. Because it did not, one loses a valuable and very practical estimate of the dimensions of respective attendances, the tote turnover being almost an infallible index to the size of a crowd.

But we know that the attendance at the Maze on Monday beat all records, and that the crowd at Longford completely satisfied the promoters of the meeting.

At the Phoenix Park evening meeting on Wednesday and at Powerstown Park [Clonmel] on Thursday the continuance of the boom was noticeable, and the moral from it all is that racing has recaptured all its old popularity amongst all classes.

A friend who knows the Maze races over a long term of years tells us that never in his experience had he seen so large an attendance at Down Royal meetings as that which gathered there on Monday. Everybody that was anybody in the north, and everybody that wasn’t, appeared to be there, and if any notability was missing you were told that he had gone to London for the Royal Jubilee celebrations.