Firstly, let me wish all our members a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Here’s a little quiz to keep you amused for an hour or two. Hopefully one or two will test you. All the best everyone! Which Grand National winner was in the same stable as Arkle? Which famous horse racing handicap is run in two counties? What was Lester Piggott ‘handicapped’ never to win for all his life when riding at the start and end of the season? Name two jockeys who both won three Grand Nationals in one season? Name the odd trainer out…..Gordon Richards, Noel Murless, Aidan O’Brien, Dick Hern. Why did John White’s face turn even whiter in 1993? Why did Norah Wilmot give Pat a joyous pat on her back in 1966? Which big steeplechase winner played a dearer drum? Name the only two horses that finished in front of Arkle in a steeplechase handicap getting less than two stone in weight. Which horse won a Champion Hurdle one year and the same Flat race at Ascot six years running from the following year onwards?
Not Mill House, he didn’t receive weight- he GAVE 5 lbs in ‘63 Hennessy Gold Cup. There are two others
Hi Stick. Not intended to be a trick question. There are only two horses that did finish in front of Arkle, RECEIVING that weight. Buona Notte is certainly one of them, when receiving 26 lbs and finishing just in front of Arkle when second to Flying Wild in the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup. So who is the other? But for a mistake at the last (failing to rise properly), Buona Notte would have won. He then failed to rise again and it was undoubtedly a spinal problem which caused his utterly tragic death. It was testament to Arkle’s greatness that, not being quite at his best after a hard ,recent race in the Hennessy, he ran Buona Notte so close giving him that weight. People forget that apart from beating future Gold Cup winner, Fort Leney, in the first running of the RSA Chase (then Totalisator Chase), Buona Notte had slaughtered future runaway Champion Chase winner, Dunkirk, over 2 miles as a novice. In my opinion, he would have been Arkle’s eventual successor, as he stayed all distances - and had a great turn of foot.
