Friday's Meetings Southwell............. All-Weather......... 7 Races.....12:20-3:35p.m. Ayr............................ National Hunt..... 7 Races.... 12:30-3:45p.m. Ffos Las................. National Hunt.... 7 Races.... 12:40-3:55p.m. Wolverhampton.. All-Weather........ 6 Races.......4:15-6:45p.m. Dundalk................. All-Weather........ 7 Races....... 6:05-9:05p.m. At The Races Cards Racing Post Cards Sporting Life Cards Good Luck
Nice little Lucky 15 at Ayr - Maguire's 2 rides for McCain, Mikey Ennis (seen to such good effect on Rucana) has one for Ferguson and the Crawford horse in the bumper. Or to be more precise: Ayr Lucky 15 12.30 Three Faces West 2.05 Mansonien L'As 3.10 Mijhaar 3.45 Baby Bach
Looking through tomorrow's cards and had the same thought Rudey. Is ol boy Victory Gunner the oldest to compete in national hunt? If not name an older one. That should test some of the senior boys on here.
Is there any limit on age? Aside from degradation, what prevents horses competing as veterans -in V G 's case he is a heavy ground slugger -so less wear on the joints?
The oldest horse to take part in a race was Creggmore Boy, who bowed out with fourth place in a Cartmel selling chase in 1962 at the age of 22.
Sonny Somers (18) won a chase at Lingfield in 1980, trained by Fred Winter and ridden (I think) by a Ben de Haan who was younger than the horse. I very dimly remember another 18yo at Cartmel in the 1950s or '60s, but I don't recall its name. I was at a Gold Cup when Mac Vidi finished in the frame at 15, and all the pundits got weepy about how much the old boy loved the game. All is can say is that, when he crossed the line, he didn't look very happy to me.
Wild Aster won 3 Hurdle races in 1919 at the age of 18. There was also a steam railway engine named after him which is still running at the Llanberris Lake railway although it has now been renamed Thomas Bach.
What a shame for Victory Gunner. Just when it looked like he was going to challenge for the win at the age of 17 he gets taken out by Magical Man at the last fence.
Fookin hell, poor ol Victory Gunner gets taken out at the last when still in with a shout. The ol boy lugs his 17 yo old ass round 3 miles of welsh mud only for one of the kids, who can't face the prospect of jumping the last to pole axe him. Thank goodness the wings are now made of plastic as that could have been nasty. Well done Uncle on Dixie Bull.
