While trawling through YouTube for some racing highlights, I came across a treasure. The quality and content of the film is amazing. It's the 1965 Derby won by the great Sea Bird. If you take a close look at the start, the horse is facing sideways when the starter lets them go. He's one of the last away. But when in transit, Pat Glennon must have must have been laughing, so well was his mount going. He's number 22 and in the all green with black cap. Enjoy, I did.
1967 saw the wonderful George "Cotton Fingers" Moore salute on Royal Palace. Have a gander at the power of Moore in the last furlong, and how low he was in the plate. Number 11. Fourth on the corner, Black, Red cap.
Many thanks for this great clip, I honestly cannot recall seeing it before, Remember the year so well, Cyc, just returned home after nigh on 8-years away t'other side of big pond. Wasn't expected to run, apparently, so Sea Bird II was on offer at 20-1 ante-post, but the late Mort Green (the Queenslander of gambling fame and living in London at the time) got the word that he would indeed run at Epsom. He sunk his life savings into a huge ante-post gamble a few days before the Derby, stealthily going around London putting smallish amounts on at 20-1 wherever he could, until he had bet enough to win well over 20,000 quid (around 300,000 nowadays?) on the horse. This small fortune soon went, mainly on a big sea cruise. I thought it was Glennon himself who phoned Mort, but seems it could have been Bill Pyers. Sea Bird II, a superb racehorse, one of the greatest ever. Timeform seems to think so too. http://www.racehorsetalk.com.au/racing-talk/memories-of-the-butterfly/ After the 1965 Arc, which Sea Bird II won impressively from a star-studded field, Pat Glennon called it a day. He said now he'd done everything and more than he ever dreamed of doing. Pat returned to Australia, bought a small boat, and, I quote, "sailed away over the horizon"! My favourite bits on Mort Green: In more recent decades he resided in Britain where he died. Vigo Village, Gravesend, was a more recent address from which he sent words of wisdom. ''I have read the Holy Bible, cover to cover, 11 times, and pray every night, please God save me from tomorrow’s good thing.'' ''A good trainer must attend and graduate from charm school. He must learn the phrases of past generations: 'a nice horse' ... 'lost his action' ... 'improve with the run' ... 'the jockey rode a bad race'.'' (Comment: Things haven't changed a bit?).
Nice Cyc This was the second Derby I ever watched, having seen Santa Clause win the previous year under another Aussie rider, Scobie Breasley. I wasn't aware of this from 1962 though ..... Twelve months from now we shall be marking the centenary of the most sensational Derby ever run – the race in which suffragette Emily Davison received fatal injuries, the winner was disqualified and the third-place prize was given to the wrong horse. But there is also a significant Derby anniversary to recall this month, as it was 50 years ago that seven of the 26 runners failed to complete the course. We can explode some of the myths that have grown up about the 1913 race – refuting the notion that Miss Davison threw herself in front of the King’s horse, providing the real reason why Craganour’s number was taken down, which had nothing to do with the alleged bumping and boring, maybe even explaining why the judge got in such a tizz – but exactly what occurred in the debacle of 1962 remains something of a mystery. After 1962 had provided the coldest May that many could remember, June ushered in brighter weather and all four days of the Epsom meeting were blessed with warm sunshine. Although the ground was firm, the jockeys reported that there was no jar in it. The prospect of a pleasant afternoon in the sun and a big field for the Classic with open betting ensured that the course played host to the largest crowd for several years. Just a tiny minority witnessed the disaster and, because it happened so quickly, no-one was able to provide a reliable account. “It was hard to focus on the race when it was clear that an unseen disaster had occurred on the hill” The Derby being what it is, and always was, the field included plenty who had no pretensions to winning the prize. But just to have a runner in the race would satisfy the ambition of many owners and the nine whose colours were carried by colts dismissed at 100-1 could always cite the old proverb about “nothing ventured…” and point out that 100-1 chances had won the race before. The colts in the crop foaled in 1959 had not distinguished themselves as two-year-olds. The two best juveniles were fillies La Tendresse and Display, the former rated fully 6lb clear of the leading colt, Timeform Gold Cup hero Miralgo. A son of Aureole, he at least could be more or less guaranteed to stay middle distances at three, something that could not be said of the four colts ranked immediately below him, who were all the products of speedy sires – Escort (by Palestine), Gustav and Sovereign Lord (both by Grey Sovereign), and Prince Poppa (by Princely Gift). Winter betting on the Derby chiefly featured Miralgo and Escort, the latter representing some wishful thinking that he might have acquired some stamina from broodmare sire Chanteur. The 2,000 Guineas provided no worthwhile clues for Epsom, Miralgo fell from grace with defeats in both the Chester Vase and Lingfield Derby Trial, and among the few to advance their claims were the Ballydoyle pair Sebring and Larkspur, each successful in his prep race in Ireland, and Hethersett, who had only River Chanter and Heron to beat in the Brighton Derby Trial but accomplished the task easily. As there had been no more than 1lb between the trio at two, it appeared that Hethersett had improved significantly, so he was promptly installed as the market leader, a position he held until Derby day itself, when he went off at 9-2, while Miralgo and Le Cantilien – both at 8-1 – were the only others at single-digit odds. The field was already under orders when Prince d’Amour received a hefty kick on the stifle from a neighbour. He then had to be trotted around a few times to prove that he was still fit to start, a hiatus that might have caused problems for some of the more highly-strung individuals, but all seemed to cope well enough, and once Prince d’Amour was given the all-clear to take part the runners were despatched on pretty much even terms. Calm before the storm There was no hint of the drama to come as the tubed Romancero, just a maiden winner at Lingfield, stretched out clear on the uphill section, and he continued to show several lengths in front of Valentine at halfway, with River Chanter and Silver Cloud next. Miralgo, Sebring, Escort and Ribobo (one of those 100-1 shots) were also prominent as they began their descent towards Tattenham Corner. For the vast majority of watchers in the stands, all that was visible in that area of the course was the densely-packed crowd on the downs, enjoying a day in the sunshine. A few, hard by the rails halfway down the hill, may well have seen it all – the first bad step, and the chain reaction that followed, taking over a quarter of the field out of the race – but the sudden, instant confusion left it just a blur. Some of those with high-powered binoculars at the very top of the grandstand glimpsed a part of it, a couple of eagle-eyed pressmen calling out: “The favourite’s down!” Most observers had no idea what had happened until the runners were in the straight, when one was clearly riderless and there seemed to be rather fewer than had set off on their journey a couple of minutes earlier. Then other loose horses began to appear and the scale of the mayhem became apparent. It was hard to focus on what was happening in the race when it was clear that an unseen disaster, perhaps even a tragedy, had occurred on the hill. In fact there were three, if not four, different leaders in the straight. Valentine led around the turn, soon gave way to River Chanter, and then Sebring may just have got his head in front before his stable companion Larkspur passed him and opened a clear lead. Le Cantilien threw down a challenge that never really looked like succeeding and fellow French raider Arcor eventually came through to snatch second close home. Larkspur was not welcomed to the winner’s enclosure with the customary raucous reception for a Derby hero. All thoughts were on what had happened out of sight; the ignorance of that preyed on minds. Of course, in the 21st century there would be ways of ascertaining exactly what had happened. Not in 1962. The patrol camera was a recent innovation but it did not cover all areas of the course. Similarly, TV and newsreel folk had decided that cameras were better positioned elsewhere. There had to be a stewards’ enquiry, but what could be determined at that? One jockey, Bobby Elliott (rider of Pindaric), was able to walk back to the weighing room; the riders of the other six who had parted company – somehow – with their mounts, were promptly removed to hospital. Who knew what had happened? The short answer was: nobody. The stewards decided, understandably, that they could not apportion any blame. They could only assume that the problem was caused by bunching resulting from the worst contenders suddenly reaching the end of their tether, stopping or slowing abruptly. Check out the form book now and you will find that seven horses fell. That’s as many as fell in that year’s Grand National. But at Aintree there were observers who could separate the fallers from those brought down. That was not the case at Epsom. Strictly speaking, the Epsom seven were not all fallers, but nobody could be definite about who had fallen and who had been made to fall. The best guess seemed to be that Romulus had clipped heels with Crossen, then cannoned into Hethersett, all three jockeys parting company with their mounts on account of the impact. Four following contenders could not avoid the melee and their riders also hit the deck. But none of that could be taken as gospel. Racehorses of 1962 said that there had never been a more unsatisfactory Derby; the Bloodstock Breeders’ Review of that year reported that it had been the most dramatic Derby in its long history.
Goodonya, Cyc. I remember both of those Derbys as though they were yesterday. Sea Bird's victory was marked by the best racing headline ever printed by the Scout (Clive Graham) of the Daily Express... " Home on a wing and a word." Followed by an explanation that Sea Bird had a tender palate- so Pat Glennon was ultra easy on the reins. The post race comments also included the most ridiculous statement ever issued by a jockey- and Lester Piggott of all people. He claimed that Meadow Court would have won in another half furlong! As for Royal Palace, he was certainly one of our best Derby winners. His 2000 Guineas win over Taj Dewan really was a desperate short nose! I don't think he was at his best when finishing behind Taj Dewan in the autumn's Champion Stakes, but both were soundly beaten by Gordon Richards' best ever horse, Reform, who sadly was never entered for the Classics. Great memories! Thanks, Cyc.
It's up to Bustino to answer that part, Cyc, but the source of the trouble started in the 1000 Guineas Trial which took place at Thirsk that year (1967). The heavy odds on favourite whipped round at the start- but it wasn't accidental. This started a chain of events which resulted in GM returning to Aussie later that year- after winning the first three Classics and the King George. As they say in the X Files, "The truth is out there," so I'd better keep it like that.
As regards that race my understanding was that Murless thought Moore had ridden an injudicious race. You have to remember Murless was a Piggott man and liked the way he rode: he had already ridden 2 Derby winners for Murless. Murless was hurt that Piggott had deserted him to become a freelancer and to pick up choice rides for Vincent O'Brien and others. He went for what he thought was the best alternative in the shape of Moore, especially as he knew he had the cracking horse Royal Palace in his stable. My understanding is that being on the fasted horse in the race (he had won the 2000G) Murless could not believe he committed Royal Palace in the straight as if he were a stayer and then put him at risk when Ribocco came with a rattle. Murless would have preferred RP hitting the front just before the furlong marker, just as Piggott often delivered his victories. As it was Royal Palace was also the best stayer in the field and saw off Ribocco (incidentally Ribocco's grand-dam is a great great grand-dam of Ron's mare) easily enough. In the Irish Derby Ribocco beat Sucaryl (Murless trained) and again Murless felt Moore could have done better. Moore had a terrific start to the season winning the first 3 Classics and then finished 4th on Fleet in the Oaks (Murless also trained the 2nd in that race). Moore chose the wrong Murless horse in the Eclipse (Fleet) when the stable won it with Busted. He made no such mistake on Busted in the King George VI & QE Stakes. If things had gone correctly he would have ridden Royal Palace in the St Leger and undoubtedly had the the first triple crown winner for 30+ years but RP had an injury before his intended York trial and was not fit enough to contest the final classic. Ribocco won that race from Murless's 2nd string Hopeful Venture whom I recall (but could be wrong) was ridden by Moore. I've heard the stories about Moore being hounded by gangsters but don't know how much they can be trusted. Murless already had Sandy Barclay at Warren Place in '67 riding out and getting mounts on Murless's lesser lights. The switch to Barclay in '68 was seamless when it happened and I've always assumed the Moore year was always going to be just that. Royal Palace went on to an even more brilliant, unbeaten 4yo career. (One surprising fact about Royal Palace is that he made his debut in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot: different times). Murless did sack Barclay 3 years later, which did surprise the racing world. Sorry to be late in replying but been on holiday and didn't have much time.
Though I recall snippets of the 1960 Derby, the first I watched was Psidium's win in 1961. He was Harry Wragg's 2nd string and last into the straight. Roger Poincelet got him up with a ride that was more usually seen at Cheltenham. I remember the 1962 Derby though. Hern, who trained Hethersett, felt that his fall contributed to his early death as a 7yo from a brain tumour. He justified his favouritism for the Derby later in the season by winning the Great Voltigeur and then the Leger. I find the Escort comments slightly amusing as Escort was a half-brother to Persian War and Escort had plenty of good form over 12-14f by the time he retired. He would have stayed he just wasn't good enough. Larkspur was then an oddity because he was by a Derby winner. He was the first Epsom Derby winner to be sired by a Derby winner since Mahmoud. There had been a couple of wartime Derby winners who had but none at Epsom since 1936. Of course today we are used to Derby winners being by Galileo and Sea the Stars but for some reason it became a rarity for about 40 years. Mill Reef restarted more normal transmission when he sired Shirley Heights in 1978, but between 1937 and 1977 (leaving out the Newmarket Derbys) Larkspur was on his own.
"Though I recall snippets of the 1960 Derby, the first I watched was Psidium's win in 1961. He was Harry Wragg's 2nd string and last into the straight. Roger Poincelet got him up with a ride that was more usually seen at Cheltenham." Hi, Bustino. I remember that Lester rode Psidium in France (over a distance shorter than at Epsom) prior to the Derby, and he told Harry Wragg that the horse didn't stay and had no chance at Epsom. I think the owner insisted that he take his chance, however. The great irony was that, as far as I recall, Wragg's better fancied contender, Sovrango, was never beaten on soft ground and, although connections prayed for rain at Epsom, it never came and I think he finished fourth. Psidium certainly came with a rattle, though, as he swept through to win. As for Hethersett, it was his race in the '63 Coronation Cup that I recall the most. I don't remember seeing a greater burst of speed in my life as that shown by the French horse, Exbury, as he swooped past Hethersett as though the latter was standing still. He displayed a similar burst to win that year's Arc De Triomphe. A truly outstanding four year old.
Yes he was. Both Busted and Mtoto were likewise tremendous late developing 4 yr olds. How ironic that Busted was only bought as a pacemaker for Royal Palace, and Mtoto just had too much to do in the Arc.
I didn't know where to post this clip, so here is as good as any. One of the sad things about father time, is that he all too often consigns great efforts of the past to little more than lines in the pages of history. This is nobody's fault. Our senses are designed for the here and now, so we have no option other than to fall in love with what we personally experience. We were rightly wrapped in the Derby wins of Sea The Stars, Shergar, Nijinsky and Sea Bird, it's just too bad that the likes of the might Hyperion can't be remembered with a fondness he so richly deserves. He's in what looks to be black colours with a white cap. No 9. He begins well and is just off the pace early, then gets to third on the fence maybe four or five furlongs out. He challenges for the lead as the straighten for home. There is no commentary, but the film gives a wonderful peek into days long gone. Fabulous stuff.
