Racing-Greats (IV)

Blue Spinnaker

Blue Spinnaker, from www.mickeasterby-racing.co.uk, with many thanks

No racing great, no doubt about that, but then again, yet another star in our eyes. Blue Spinnaker (*1999, by Bluebird-Suedoise) is nine now, and I have forgotten along his 67 races to date when and why I started following him. For some reason he caught my eye, and I am a faithful follower since. Not much to look at really, just a "normal" bay horse, he is tough, honest and gusty, and always tries his best. A regular on northern tracks - no wonder if you are trained by Mick Easterby! - he has been south to Newmarket and even Newbury for some fancy Heritage Handicaps like the Cambridgeshire where he performed with much credit without winning -but do not forget he is a Zetland Gold Cup and Thirsk Hunt Cup winner!- but really you find him in these run-of-the-mill Handicaps nowadays, over a variety of distances, on all sorts of ground, trying his heart out. Well into seven years in training now, he still shows all his zest and has been on a real high lately, giving his connections some great races. As every horse has his little section on Mick Easterby´s homepage, this is what it says about him:
"About the 'oss: A very tough racehorse, prepared to give everything he has got in his races. He seems to perform on any sort of ground, and has won on anything from good-firm to heavy! He is an eight times winner, with the Zetland Gold cup and the Thirsk Hunt Cup amongst his wins. His latest win came at York in July 2008, his third win of the season having also been successful at Doncaster and Thirsk."
He might not be a flashy Group-winner, but how much fun it must be to have one like him. Lets hope he snatches another little win or two along the line, and can enjoy a great retirement, at some stage. Best of luck, old boy!

Yeats

Yeats at Longchamp, not his most favourite hunting-ground until the Prix Royal Oak 2008 came along
Photo: Jimmy Clark

A hard-trying stayer, especially if competing at a certain level and being allowed to hang around long enough, never fails to capture the peoples imagination. Think about Brown Jack, Ardross, Double Trigger or Persian Punch, huge public favourites all. Yeats (*23/04/01, by Sadlers Wells-Lyndonville (Top Ville)) certainly fits well into that group, and if succeeding in his bid to win a fourth Ascot Gold Cup in 2009, might reach even greater heights. Its horses like him we come racing for, and horses like him who make it so important to actually BE at the races, as no television picture can capture his presence, his character, his grace, his beauty, his will to win, simply his wonderful attitude towards the game. It´s horses like him who show how much we can gain if handling them tender in younger years, and how much joy an older, especially an older horse, does bring to fans and connections alike. True, Yeats is bred in the purple, and was from day One in the hands of a wizzard trainer, but he still had to go there, do it, and on the way overcome serious injury and more than the odd losing battle.
Yeats raced only once as a 2-year-old, and won, and was many peoples idea of Ballydoyles next Epsom Derby hero, but fate had other things in hand for him. An untimely injury curtailed his 3-year-old season after three runs (2 wins) in may and it was not until june in his 4-year-old season that Aidan o´Brien was able to run him again - and it certainly was no mean feat to win the Coronation Cup, beating the classy Alkaseed who would go on and take the Japan Cup later that year, after such a lay-off. This sparkled hopes Yeats could not fulfill in 2005 (in fact this would be his worst season ever), but it was all worth the wait when Yeats won his first Ascot Gold Cup on his first run in 2006. A fine season with two more wins earned him a trip to the Melbourne Cup, where he ran quite well in 7th - not beaten far - but without ever threating to win. A good break after ensured Yeats would be back for more, and since 2007 he has been invincible on the both sides of the irish sea, and two more Ascot Gold Cups and another Goodwood Cup was his for the taking. His two sole losses since the Melbourne Cup have come in the Prix Du Cadran at Longchamp, and it was pure emotions among his many fans to see him score in style at that venue when he took the Prix Royal Oak, the french St.Leger, in great style under a masterful ride in oct 08.
Tenderly handled, Yeats is seven now and only had 22 races so far, of which he won 14, and it was the news we all waited for when it was announced that he would stay in training as a 8-year-old. Yeats is all class and heart, and you simply cannot afford to miss him next year. Who needs young superstars that race only a couple of times when old friends run like him?

Distinction

Out onto the track for one last time: Distinction, Ryan Moore and Kerry Jones, Newmarket oct. 08

Highclere Racings Distinction (*1999, by Danehill-Ivy Leaf; and thus a half-brother to the ill-fated Ivy Creek) was one of the very few horses the Club decided to keep in training as an older horse, and what a wise decision it proved. Distinction, who became known as "Big D" among his owners and fans, was a big strong late-developing son of the wonderful Danehill, and he took his many owners, and his devoted lass Kerry Jones, around England for sure, he even travelled to Australia -guess what race that was for? - twice, but was no match for record-winner Makybe Diva. Distinction never raced as a 2-year-old, so again tender handling in younger years paid of so handsomely, and after winning on his 3rd career start he scored at least once in each of the remaining 6 years he was trained at Sir Michael Stoutes Freemason Lodge. His best win was certainly the 2005 Goodwood Cup, his only Group-race success, but he arguably showed his finest hours in defeat -at least twice- when running the mighty Westerner to a neck in the substitute Gold Cup ran at York in 2005, and when only 4 1/2 length 3rd to Yeats in the 2006 Ascot Gold Cup (at Ascot!). In total Distinction won 8 races and was placed 9 times, from 35 life-time starts; he never missed a season, only 2006 was restricted to just two races. But here again is a horse where numbers only tell half the story, as his is a story of class, guts, will and heart. Distinction retired to be his trainers hack at the end of the 2008 season, and we wish him a long and happy retirement.

Hardy Eustace

Hardy -no blinkers yet - and Kieran Kelly on their way to Royal & Sun Alliance Hurdle success, 2003 Cheltenham Festival
photo: courtesey of BBC, with many thanks


A proper Racing-Great, and really he should have been on here already for a long, long time. In fact I started his "essay" a couple of times, only to shy away from it - Hardy touched so many lives - hearts !- in his extraordinary career on the track that its hard to find the right words.
The Irish are certainly passionate about horseracing, and their betting-coups in particular, but one cannot accuse them of an over-sentimental approach towards their horses. While they celebrate their winners, it takes a very special horse to truely capture irish hearts; it certainly helps if the horses story has a bitter-sweet factor to it. Istabraq was such a horse, his name will forever be associated with John Durkan and is tragic early death, and Hardy Eustace (* 5th of april 1997, by Archway - Sterna Star) certainly is on the way to equally legendary status; and talk about Hardy will forever include Kieran Kellys name - his first regular jockey who was on board for Hardys first Cheltenham success and who tragically lost his life -on the racecourse - just month´ later.
In typical NH-Fashion Hardy was sold as a store for smallish money - his pedigree was notable more for good relatives than for true class - to trainer Dessie Hughes - famous rider of the wonderful Monksfield and father of flat-jockey Richard.
Hardys sire Archway, a usefull sprinter, was probably more famous for being Dr. Devious half-brother, and his second dam Star Girl is a half-sister to the only Germany Prix de L´Arc de Triomphe winner Star Appeal; but horseracing is all about hopes and dreams, and every now and again this special beast comes along - they come in all shapes, from all backgrounds, and it does not need to be on the posh Royal Ascot Turf, to grace the turf and take connections on the ride of a lifetime; and every now and a again a young jockey meets the right horse just at the right time - Hardy certainly came just in time for Kieran Kelly. Their partnership got off to the worst possible start though on Hardys hurdling debut in Punchestown in 2002 - a win alright, but Hardy was later disqualified for a banned substance! All that was forgotten though when horse and jockey powered up the Cheltenham hill to win an especially strong renewal of the Sun Alliance Novice Hurlde - from irsh banker Pizzaro one might add - but at 6/1 we can be sure that some irish gambles were landed. The Racing-Post concluded "He will stay further and has the makings of a very smart long-distance hurdler " - well, they were certainly right about the "very smart" part but very wrong about the distance. Kieran Kelly never enjoyed another Cheltenham, and when Connor o´Dwyer took over and guided Hardy to the first of two Champion Hurdle wins in 2004 the celebrations were tingled with the sadness for Kelly, the win another reminder for one great irish horseman.
Hardy is rising 12 now and has had 40 starts so far, of wich he won 14. He made his 6th consecutive appearance at the Cheltenham Festival in 2008 - as said he is a triple Festival winner - and contray to what the Racing Post concluded he never again won beyond 20f after his initial Cheltenham win; he surely must have been lifted up that hill by higher spirits that day.
Hardy needs a new jockey for the 2008/09 NH season - o´Dwyer has retired from the saddle to take up training duties - so Paddy Flood scored an emotional first-ride victory in Punchestown in Nov. 08, on Grade 1 level and against two up-and-coming young rivals. Flood was quick to mention Kieran Kelly after that win too; and certainly there is no better way for Kieran to be remembered then through this horse; he couldn´t have been associated with a finer one.