Given that this year we had the "CHAPS Restaurants Barbados Novices Handicap Chase" and the "Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate", it would appear the naming of races at the festival is all about who provides the clerk of the course with the biggest bung The NH Chase was named after Toby Balding this year, nothing wrong with that - was he ever champion jockey at the festival? The only list I could find stopped at 1980.
Classes are usually named as required by the class sponsors. I'm sure if Not606 wanted to sponsor a class it could call it what it liked (almost)
Some races should pay tribute to owners and trainers: The "Who remembers when Alan Potts tried Sizing Europe at 3m?" Chase. The Peter Casey I'm gonna have sex and everything chase. Some should pay tribute to punters: The "hands up if you backed The Package twenty times but not at Cheltenham 2015" handicap chase And some just go well together: The Hayley "helmet hunter" Turner Pro/Am flat race The Agatha Christie Pertemps Final The "Thank You Jane Mangan (Yours Sincerely 2013 Salisfy Backers) Fox Hunter Chase
Great post and like you for the connections(owners/trainer/jockey) to win this was something to savour. But I have to take you to task over the bit about Karinga Bay. I saw him at York on one of his finest days in the 1990 Dante when he shook up the future French Derby winner. So that would have made him 27 when he covered Coneygree's dam Plaid Maid last year: which would have been some feat especially as as far as I can see Karinga Bay died in 2007!!. Coneygree's previous run at Newbury was telling as he won a 3 miler pinging his jumps and doing faster sections than they did in the 2 mile Game Spirit Chase that day. His dam's pedigree is pretty good as she traces back to the excellent Rosetta, an ancestress of Bustino.
Ooooops - I must admit I'd had a few beers by the time the race finished so I may have misheard the good lady. I'm sure she said Plaid Maid had just been covered again, but maybe I imagined the bit about Karinga Bay
Can I just say that I fully endorse Dan’s idea to have a race named after Mr Henderson at the Festival. However, I think the actual name needs a bit of working on. I’d suggest renaming the feature event on Day 2. The new title would be, ‘Mr Henderson, The Champion...Chase’.
Good day to you all! Great stuff lads, I bet thread creator BajanSpur is laughing his head off at all this, whilst sipping a Barbados Rum Punch at his favourite beachside bar. Lucky devil! Please correct and admonish me if I'm wrong, but I thought Karinga Bay was one lousy NH sire until the advent of Coneygree? Hell, he got so few winners day-to-day, in NH racing certainly, that I always skipped any of his progeny when studying a bit of form. Guess I'll have some statistics thrown at me, but I would still be surprised to hear that he is a 'successful' NH sire. Well, heck, if we're going to give such an important race in N.Henderson's name, then we surely have to put forward "The W. P. Mullins' Champion Hurdle"? That's only fair, surely?
Yep. Used to be the first race run after the Whitbread Gold Cup. Now run on the day (Friday) before. You are quite right Swan Hills Karinga Bay was a fairly indifferent sire. I believe Copsale Lad was his second best.
