Brigadier Gerard (1968-1989) was a hot blooded, purebred horse who was known for his speed, agility, and spirit.

Birth
The English purebred was foaled in 1968 and owned by John Hislop. He was descended from the finest blood as the kin of the Queen’s Hussar, who is known for his impressive wins in Lockinge and Sussex Stakes, and La Paiva a non-winning race mare. Brigadier was well mounted, had an excellent spirit and stood at 16 hands and 2 inches high.

Career
In 1970, when he was just two years old, he won his breakthrough rac at e Middle Park. At three years, he went unbeaten by defeating his main competitor Mill Reef in an amazing race for 200 Guineas. Brigadier Gerard further won the Sussex Stakes, St James Palace Stakes, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Goodwood Mile. He later moved up in the category to grab the famed Champion Stakes in a good ten furlongs.
When Gerard was four, he attained his best wins when he decisively took the Lockinge Stakes, the Eclipse competition , Prince of Wales stakes and moved up in the distance to over 1 half miles to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and King George VI Stakes. Gerard retired after his fourth season. By retirement, he had managed to win 17 races after 18 starts with an approximated total earning of £253,024.70. In his career, he had managed to win more competitions than any other classic of the 20th century era apart from Pretty Polly and Bayard.

Legacy
In 1971, Brigadier Gerard received a Timeform rating of 141, making him the highest rated runner that year alongside his main competitor Mill Reef. He again topped the ratings in 1972 with a score of 144, the second highest figure of the time. He got the Brigadier Gerard race at Sandown named in appreciation of his exploits . In polls conducted by Racegoer’s club in 1972, Brigadier took he entire vote count, which made him the first racehorse to get unanimously voted in for the honour of the year.

Born in 1927, Golden Miller lived for 30 years, becoming one of the most successful horses in the UK, especially when it came to domestic races. Born and bred in Country Meath, Miller came to be known as an aggressive variety that could nudge opponents right out of the competition. One thing that stands out for this one horse is that he was not particularly descended from the finest pedigree-those of his blood who had come before had okay careers but did not necessarily put themselves on the map. Miller was the exception, rather than the rule, in this case.

Career

Miller was owned by Dorothy Paget and trained by Basil Briscoe. His 1931 steeple chasing debut sort of ended in a whimper when he won at the Newbury Racecourse but was disqualified on the technicality that he was not carrying the correct weight. In the same year, he came back strongly to win the Reading Chase before capping off a great 365 days with the Sefton Steeplechase early the following year. While these were notable achievements, Miller really stood out because of his performance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, of which he won 5 times. He holds the record as no other horse has been able to even come close to that feat. He is also the only horse to have won the Grand National and well as Cheltenham Gold in the same year, which for him happened in 1934.

When Golden miller retired in 1939, he had participated in 52 races and walked away with 29 victories.

Legacy

A story is told about a fan who bought a ticket that drew Miller as the winner. When the horse won, the fan started a coach company. The company ownership has changed hands since then but the coaches still have an image of the horse somewhere on the front or at the side.

Brown Jack, who lived between 1924 and 1948, was an Irish horse that was born and bred out of the Querquidella stock. When he was 3, his owners decided to move him along, which opened the door for Sir Harold Wernher to snap up the brown gelding. Sir Harold’s vision was that the horse would become good at hurdles, and he gave everything toward that end. The horse was passed to one of the best hurdle trainers of the time Aubrey Hastings. Hastings was good with the horse but passed on before the duo could accomplish much together, with the reins of training going over to Ivor Anthony.

Races

When he was four years old, Brown Jack’s career started to come together. In 10 starts, he won 7 times. He never had a rough time at the hurdles and was known to jump over heights with ease. He was a relatively big horse, but what worked best for him was that he had the ability to combine grace with an even temperament, which always came in handy especially in races that ended in dead heat or required quick decision making. His spoils at four years old included an appearance at Cheltenham and a victory at the Champion Hurdle. This was a relatively successful spell in hurdles, but Brown Jack’s chances were considered better only if he could switch over to the flat races. It was also a lucrative gig in terms of the earnings per race.

And so he did

The switch over went well, and Brown Jack continued his spell on the winners’ list. He was a strong horse with a great mentality and was able to shake off injuries like feathers. At retirement in 1932, Jack had participated in 65 races and cruised to victory 25 times. His winnings on the track at that time were estimated at £12,000. More came later at stud level.