Very appropriate that TC should post a link to the 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup as Sir Peter’s commentary on “the mare” is as much a part of her victory now as it was to TV viewers that day. What a shame that Channel 4 covered the Arc in those days, so it was not Sir Peter calling home Dancing Brave that October. I was working in the bookies the afternoon that Dessie won and, having backed him, I was not exactly concentrating on the job (and nobody else was either) as Sir Peter called him home. On the radio this morning, I heard Barry Davies and Rory Bremner paying tribute. One suspects they had invited Bremner on for a particular reason and he duly obliged. The comment that Barry Davies made that interested me the most was an anecdote about how he had been in discussion with Sir Peter on one occasion and he had stated that his favourite word was “gravitas”. If one wished to sum up the career of Sir Peter O’Sullevan in one word that would meet with his approval, gravitas would fit the bill.
a great innings. most of it before my time but it was probably his Grand National commentaries that got me interested in the sport. RIP Sir Peter
....and here is his own Attivo winning the 1974 Triumph Hurdle. Note how quickly he says "owned by....." (like, to get it over with!): He said it was his most difficult commentary of all; you'd never guess it.
Can you imagine commentating on that race? How he got to run down the entire finishing positions as they went past the post is beyond me.
