Horses

Seabiscuit is one of the most talked about race horses in the history of the United States. Born and bred in Kentucky in 1933, he was a small horse, and his size made a career in racing almost unlikely until he started coming out of nowhere to win races. He would go on to solidify his reputation as a good runner and an inspiration for many Americans as they coped with the fallout and economic plunder from the Great Depression. He has been the subject of many books, documentaries and films and is considered a folk hero in the US to date.

Owned by Wheatley Stable and trained by “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons, Seabiscuit was known to be good at the tracks but lazy. As a result, very little attention was given to his training, and the owners made numerous attempts to sell him after he came up short in tens of races. He was eventually bought by Charles Howard for $8000.

The turnaround

Seabiscuit’s new owner wanted a winner out of him, and he paired him with winners and found a top jockey in Red Pollard from Canada. This was the beginning of success for a horse that was much rebuked and considered a little more than a joke. Between 1937 and 1940, Seabiscuit put together sensational displays and made his old owners wonder where they missed the train. He won the Massachusetts Handicap ,the Boston Handicap, the Santa Anita Handicap ,the Hollywood Gold Cup and plenty more. After an injury in 1939, Seabiscuit came back strongly in 1940 and took several races before he was retired. He is said to have, at the point of retirement, been the leading money winner in history, having accumulated $437,730 from his races. His stud career was a smashing success, with 108 foals on the record. In the 7 years Seabiscuit was a stud, people poured in from all of the United States to see him.

Born in 1983, Dancing Brave grew up in Kentucky and was trained in Britain. As a young horse, Dancing Brave did not particularly stand out. However, when the bay colt went for sale, James Delahooke knew he had a winner. James was one of the most prolific judges of winners at the time, and his opinion was enough to send the market into a spin. In an auction held at the Fasig Tipton Sales, the scout bought the horse when the hammer went down at $200,000. This was by no means considered expensive, and would soon be seen as one of the best bargains of the time. He belonged to Khalid Abdullah.

Career

His two year-old campaign did not exactly take the world by storm. He started out at the Dorking Stakes and then participated in the Soham House Stakes.

A year later, he kicked off his time as a champion by winning the 2000 guineas. Greville Starkey rode him in the 1986, and while Brave ran like the wind, he came in second to Shahrastani. At the King George, Dancing Brave managed to beat Shahrastani to the punch, exacting his revenge in the most spectacular of ways.

In the same year, Brave’s minders gave him some time on the sidelines so he could get ready for Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe . It was not an easy matchup, given that those who were challenging him for the trophy were proven winners and that it was his debut at Paris. His finish was the most spectacular and is considered one of the best sights in flat racing lore.

In the 10 races Brave ran, he managed an incredible 8 wins in quite a short career. At the time he retired, he had made his owners $1,776,723. As a stud, he was estimated at a value of $14 million.

Dancing Brave died in 1999.

Shergar was born in 1978 and is notably known for his win at the Epsom Derby in 1981, which was the 202nd edition. He did this in style too, racing home by a massive 10 lengths. This is the largest margin ever achieved by a runner in this race. He belonged to the Aga Khan, who has always been an avid fan and investor of racing. When the time was right, Shergar was sent to Newmarket where he would train a under the watchful eye of Michael Stoute, credited with making the horse a winner, and a quick one at that.

Career

Shergar’s very first run was in 1980, where he trounced others at Kris Plate. His real forays into racing happened the following year at 3 years old. At the Guardian Classic Trial, he managed to win by a massive ten lengths, which sent bookies into a frenzy and exhilarated fans. It was a feat he would go on to replicate and was always revered for his speed, agility and capacity to put crowds on their feet. After the Guardian Classic, he moved on pretty quickly, getting ready for the Irish Derby. His jockey at this point was Lester Piggott, who was known to be able to get the best out of horses. As predicted, Shergar won the race, cruising home at 4 lengths. The runner-up was far from close, and this cemented Shergar’s legacy as a fast horse of monumental proportions. After 6 wins, one an Epsom Derby, Shergar was officially retired, having collected£436,000 in prize money. He quickly became an established stud, valued at £10 million.

In 1983, Shergar was kidnapped from his stud home by men dressed as the Irish police and hauled away. The police got involved in the investigation but as the days went, the trail got colder. The case remains cold to date but the story attracts scandalous conspiracy theories.

In January 2017, the Sun reported that Brian Fletcher, the gallant jockey, had passed away at the age of 69. This news send shockwaves reverberating around the horse-racing world. Fletcher burst on the scene 4 decades ago, wining everything there was to win along the way. It is easy to forget, in the outpouring of grief, that while Fletcher was a champion, so was one of his most popular rides, Red Rum, with whom the jockey won the Grand National twice.

‘Rummie’

This thoroughbred gelding was one of the finest runners in steeplechasing. He was born in Ireland in 1965 and was alive for 30 years, during which he dazzled the racing world with his heroics. Ginger McCain , a car dealer, is famous for taking the horse from the trenches and pushing him through to the mainstream. Ginger bought the gelding from the markets and trained him for a client, Noel le Mare. One of Rum’s biggest accolades was winning the Grand National a whopping 3 times, which is saying something as this one is considered one of the most trying horse competitions. The horse was also known for his stamina on the ground, famously going for 100 races without falling.

The biggest highlights of Red Rum’s career happened in the 1973 Grand National. 30 lengths behind the leader on the homestretch, observers were already dismissing his chances of winning the race. However, he surprised everyone with a flash of quick legs to finish first. This moment has been immortalised, and is considered one of the great sports comebacks of all time.

Red Rum also won the Scottish National in 1974.

Due to an injury, Red Rum was retired in 1978. He passed on in 1995, 3 decades after his birth in Ireland, with his death making front page news around the UK.

Over the course of his career, Red Rum earned £146,409.80. Adjusted for inflation, that would be a pretty nice take-home.

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.