1986

SEE You Then proved to be one of the greatest Champion Hurdle winners of all time, with a second devastating success in the blue riband of hurdling at Cheltenham on Tuesday. Again, the winning margin was seven lengths as he beat the 1983 victor Gaye Brief.

This was undoubtedly the highlight of a day that contained many shocks and saw not a single Irish-trained winner, although amateur rider John Queally from Waterford rode a typically strong finish to land the Kim Muir on Glyde Court from Fred Winter’s yard.

Still only six, See You Then can now be compared with the like of Sir Ken, Persian War, Sea Pigeon and Monksfield. Of the current crop of top hurdlers, there is nothing around to prevent him building up a string of successes in the Champion Hurdle, and become the first horse to win the race more than three times.

This was a fast run race, and some idea of the superiority of the winner can be gauged from the fact that Kesslin and Herbert United, the pair who fought out the finish of the controversial climax to the Wessel Cable Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, ended up back in eighth and ninth places, having had every chance.

Double up

After a blank day on Tuesday, the Irish had two nice winners with Buck House and Omerta. The former, having finished second last year, went one better with a brilliant win in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

The ground was just what he wanted and Tommy Carmody never rode a better race. The stamina of Buck House was in doubt, even over this minimum two-mile trip, so he held him up until the top of the hill where he accelerated for home. Meanwhile, Frank Berry on the favourite, Bobsline, was trying to make some sort of a run, but was clearly beaten when he blundered at the second last.

Wyer’s Omerta

The Homer Scott-trained was a really impressive winner of the National Hunt Chase. Lorcan Wyer was happy to track the leaders throughout most of the trip, but when he asked Omerta to accelerate from the third last, he made the rest look like a lot of plodders.

Lorcan Wyer is contemplating turning professional, and few would disagree with this aspiration. He rode a brilliant race on Canute Express at Chepstow last Saturday, and there is little doubt that he would hold his own against the likes of Peter Scudamore and Steve Smith-Eccles.

Ted’s Attitude

Ted Walsh rode one of his most brilliant races to win the Christies Foxhunter Chase on Attitude Adjuster. He came with a good late run to win by two lengths. This was the second winner of the meeting for Mouse Morris, trainer of Buck House. Apparently this was Walsh’s last ride over fences, and he is now going to concentrate on bumpers.

[See You Then won a third Champion Hurdle in 1987]

Galloping into the history books

1986

SHE DID IT! Seldom have we seen a performance like it.

As Dawn Run approached the second last, her owner Charmian Hill thought she might be lucky to be placed. Jonjo O’Neill asked for a big one and got it, but she still looked beaten going to the final fence, where the veteran Wayward Lad had taken it up and last year’s winner, Forgive ‘N’ Forget, appeared full of running.

As they jumped the last, the amazing Dawn Run was switched to her right by O’Neill, and suddenly she began to pick up Wayward Lad as Forgive ‘N’ Forget faded.

She ran up the hill with the greatest of courage to win by a length, with O’Neill raiding his arm in salute.

Even more amazing was the fact that the course record was lowered by almost two seconds.

Dawn Run is now the biggest money earner of all time in National Hunt racing, and who’s to say she won’t go on to even more Gold Cup victories?

The scenes after the race were quite amazing as she became the first horse ever to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup.

It was very exciting as her owner Mrs Charmian Hill and her son Oliver, who owns a quarter share in the mare, led her in.

And possibly the nicest feature of the result was Jonjo O’Neill’s praise of her former partner Tony Mullins. Typically, Tony got up on Jonjo’s shoulders to celebrate the victory, and I think that there can seldom be a gamer sportsman than Tony Mullins.

It is still hard to believe that the mare came back to win. In my book she deserves a good rest, but her owner would not agree with me.