In terms of quality I'd agree Oddy but last March was unbelievably emotional. To be there on that day was just something else. For 3/4 of the race it just looked like it would be an UDS demolition job but then something stirred deep in the ol boy and he pulled out one last effort. And what an effort it was. Absolutely right to retire him tbh. He's given us so much pleasure and lovely for him to get out of the game fit and healthy.
I'm still absolutely reeling over the loss of Vautour (my fave jumps horse), so I am so glad to see Sprinter retire in (mostly one piece). He looked fantastic parading at Cheltenham, and what a lovely reception the crowd gave him. I think I only saw him once in the flesh, but that was his Tingle Creek win and he was absolutely stunning that day. Even my friend, who had never been racing in her life, was blown away by him. Beautiful, beautiful horse. I hope he will still make appearances in retirement and become an ambassador for racing as Red Rum and Desert Orchid were. Just to add what a dreadful shame about Simonsig today- his connections must be in bits. RIP.
Yes he had a nasty fall at the third. I thought it looked horrible but then the Richard Hoiles said he got up, only to collapse again a few seconds later. Dreadful business.
Lost for words yesterday for all the wrong reasons. However, speechless was the biggest trait of Sprinter Sacre at his best. He marked himself out as potentially top class when cruising into the lead in the Supreme Novice Hurdle 2011 before being done up the hill. He then got tongues wagging after his Doncaster debut over fences, where we saw a glimpse of his jumping for the first time. There was then Peddlers Cross, the Champion Hurdle runner up to Hurricane Fly who went chasing and was antepost fav for the Arkle. They clashed at Kempton one Christmas. It soon became clear who the real chaser was, Sprinter brushing him aside with ease. Before we knew where we were, he then beat Cue Card on the bridle in an Arkle- a performance no one understood at the time because it took Cue Card a while to gain respect amongst fans. However, a Ryanair, 2x Betfair chases and a King George later, and the form looks strong! He then beat Sizing Europe, an absolute stalwart of a chaser, 19 lengths in the Champion Chase, getting to an official rating of 188, 2lb within Arkles benchmark. Then the problems started. Pulled up at Kempton with irregular heartbeat issues, it looked all over. But where Henderson and Caroline Mould deserve all the plaudits and more is with their patience. He came back gradually, initially looking like he might not have the old fire raging. But then he passed that first test at the open meeting last year, receiving weight from his rivals he simply had to be winning for the dream to be realistic. He did so. He then, for the first time in his career, won a really tough finish, battling past Sire De Grugy at Kempton when it seems unlikely for a few strides. The key was that he wasn't quite yet at 100% at Kempton, and that he would be better at Cheltenham. Henderson felt he wanted a stiffer track now that he was older. The scene was set- had he been built back up to full tilt ready to have a crack at brilliant Arkle winner Un De Sceaux? The rest is history. The impossible dream for an impossible chaser.
