Question lads and lasses What's been the biggest priced winner on these boards like? What's the biggest priced winner you've seen posted on other forums?
Bustino tipped a 100/1 two year old winner called Zingana at Newbury about a year ago. One of Eve Johnson Houghton's, I think.
Kind of you Tamerlo. I wrote about the horse and backed it but you could hardly say I tipped it. Strangely enough written on the 8th July 2011 it was called 'a new owner: an old name' and was more to do with the bloke who owned the horse : the horse was Zingana, as Tamerlo said, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton.
i put up vincent kompany to score the first goal v man utd a couple of months back at 50/1 which obliged.cant say i've had as much sucess on the horsies which is why i leave that to roto & co!
I put up a fiddy to one winner the other day, traded at 1000 in running even tho it made every yard and was never in trouble. Thats why they call me Boris Fenster.
But that's the gentleman's way to tip horses, Bustino. No brash tipping- just suggestive knowledge! I don't know why but I've just remembered a sprinter Fulke Johnson Houghton used to train- called Holborn. He ran in a six furlong sprint about 50 years ago at Ascot, drawn high on the far side. In those days they almost always came down the stand side- and usually won, apart from on the odd occasion when the going was firm. It was the only occasion that I saw Peter O'Sullevan mess up a commentary. Scobie Breasley challenged late on Atty Corbett's Siliconn and Peter was calling him the winner and at that very instant, he hesitated as the camera picked up Ron Hutchinson , riding Holborn and racing alone on the far side. Holborn was eased down to win by ten lengths- the only time it was 'in camera' in the last half of the race.
nah, wish I did, I woke up about 10 mins before the race so I didnt have Betfair on for the it, if I did I might have because it never looked like stopping to me.
Tamerlo, you're stretching me a bit here as although I remember Holborn, it was on the cusp of my real interest developing in horseracing. He must have been a pretty good colt as he won the Temple Stakes, The Prix Gros-Chene and was 2nd in the Prix de l'Abbaye. The first horse I truly remember of Johnson-Houghton's was a fast 2yo called Falcon. I remember him seeing off Wolver Hollow at Royal Ascot as a 2yo. He did train on but by then the stable had a bigger star that same year in Ribocco. I always thought Johnson-Houghton in the first division of trainers, for example I'd rate him better than Balding and on a par with say Walwyn. But he seemed unlucky with his owners. He made the Engelhard colours famous with the exploits of Ribocco, Ribero and Ribofilio and others yet then lost out to Vincent O'Brien when Nijinsky went to him. But at the same time he had the excellent miler Habitat, who he handled so perfectly. He then had a flourish with Rose Bowl who was a super filly then followed that up with Ile de Bourbon and his contemporary, that fine sprinter, Double Form. Then it went a bit quiet and just as you thought his star was on the wain he started training for the Aga Khan, although probably as the 2nd choice trainer behind Stoute. He was doing well with these lesser types when the Aga Khan whisked away all his horses from the UK: dead unlucky. Fortunately I was at Newmarket the day he won the Dewhurst with Tout Seul in 2002. The warmth of feeling for the man was tangible. Many people interested in racing won't realise what a fine trainer Eve's dad was.
Bustino, yes, Johnson Houghton was obviously a good trainer. I remember going on business to Colgate Palmolive at Salford (Part of Lever Bros- founded by Viscount Leverhulme) and this chap told me to always back Leverhulme's horses trained by Johnson Houghton when they ran at Haydock Park. He particularly liked to win there and showed a tremendous strike rate whenever he ran one at that venue; likewise his jumpers trained by George Owen. Happy days.
George Owen!! What a trainer. Before I got into the flat I was very much into the jumps and especially those horses coming from the Tarporley stable of George Owen. He seemed to have some wonderful jumpers,and you'd often get long odds, first time out novice chase winners who jumped as if they'd been doing it for years. He was also a good trainer of jockeys with Dick Francis, Roy Edwards and Steve Davenport all starting with George. His horses were always a great bet at Bangor. Leverhulme almost had his day with Hot Grove of course. JH never trained the Derby winner but he was near that day.
"He was also a good trainer of jockeys with Dick Francis, Roy Edwards and Steve Davenport all starting with George." Yes, Stan Mellor (my favourite jumps jockey as a kid) also started with Owen. He rode one or two fancied horses for him in the National but they didn't win. I think George Owen trained very close to Eric Cousins ( Hill Royal, Water Skier , John's Court-big flat winners) .
Right again Tamerlo. Stan was great. I think Owen thought Two Springs was to give him his 2nd National but he wasn't counting on the brilliance of Crisp and Red Rum on that day in '73. I think, but may be wrong, that Two Springs started as co-favourite for that National. Mellor rode Badanloch for Owen. But the Owen horse I always remember is Peacetown who ran several times and did manage a 3rd place. Funny to think that Eric Cousins was Robert Sangster's trainer before the days of O'Brien. I remember reading a story that Sangster rang Cousins up one day and was met with' we've got radishes, chives and tomatoes on a special this week', unsurprisingly not long after Sangster moved on!
