QUEEN ELIZABETH 11
2013
2013
THE HORSES COME FIRST NOT THE BHA GOVERNMENT
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
David Ashforth:
Twice voted journalist of the year
Twice voted journalist of the year
PICTURE: Dan Abraham
DAVID'S RACING POST SATURDAY MUSINGS (p19)
11. 05. 2013
11. 05. 2013
Farewell R Hollinshead, Upper Longdon , Staffs
Reg Hollinshead: gave a great many people a lot of pleasure.
Pic: R Hollinshead himself
“REG HOLLINSHEAD was such a permanent
and much loved fixture on the racing scene that he has been allowed to carry on
training posthumously, as horses have been running in his name since he died on
Monday.
For most of Hollinshead’s training
life he appeared on racecards and in the results simply as R Hollinshead, Upper Longdon , Staffs, because in the days of his prime,
trainers, including their first names, were far more of a mystery than they are
today. When Remainder Man won the 1978 Free Handicap at Newmarket Roland Gardens in the 2,000 Guineas , en route to finishing third in the Derby
“At that time it seemed strange to
see a Hollinshead horse in a Classic, because those weren’t the sort of horses
he had in his unfashionable Midland yard until
the white-blazed chestnut came along. Perhaps Remainder Man would have won the
Derby, at 40-1, if the ground had been softer, or perhaps Willie Shoemaker
would have won on Hawaiian Sound, at 25-1, if he’d cut off Shirley Heights’
route up the rail.
“As it was, J Dunlop, Arundel,
Sussex was the winning trainer, with C Brittain, Newmarket, Suffolk training
the sixth horse home, Julio Mariner, who went on to win the St Leger, memorably
for me because I’d backed him anti-post at 66-1. I think I backed Shirley Heights
for the Derby
“Those were the days, although not
for watching in betting shops, because you couldn’t, nor for studying replays,
because that was a rare privilege too. Most races weren’t televised and
racefans knew little about most trainers. On the other hand, there were some
cracking advertisements, although not for gambling. I liked the one aimed at
jump trainers – “High o’er the fence leaps Sunny Jim, Force is the food that
raises him. “I don’t know if any trainers took the hint but I used to make a
point of buying Force, for fear that the
cereal, and its poetry, would go out of business. Sadly it has, five months
ago. Force, born 1901, died 2012, much missed. If only they’d advertised it, or
trainers had used it. If they didn’t feed their horses with it, they could have
fed themselves. When Force was at its peak, there was Horlicks to consider too.
An advert used to claim “Horlicks guards against starvation”. It conjured up
images of a trainer’s wife waking up to find her husband dead. “I blame
myself,” she’d say. “He hadn’t eaten a thing since supper.”
“I DON’T know about you (you
probably hadn’t been born in 1978) but the year of Remainder Man was a strange
one for me. It was the year when a teenager called Richard from a deprived part
of London
“On my way to VJ Racing, the local
betting shop, I used to chase Richard down the Road, shouting: “Come here you
little bastard,” while he chased children trying to flee on bicycles.
“Richard’s not there anymore, but
VJ Racing has survived, although Vic, who ran it, died 11 years ago at the
second tee of a local golf course. I expect I’d paid for his clubs and his club
membership. I rather hope Richard never picked up a golf club.
“But I degress. Remainder Man was
Hollinshead’s best horse but during the ill-fated experiment with jumps racing
on all-weather tracks, Hollinshead made hay with Suluk, who boasted some
extraordinary statistics.
“From January to March 1990, Suluk
won six out of six hurdles races, all at Southwell. He didn’t run over jumps in
1991 but from January to March 1992 he won another six from six, again at
Southwell, and from January to March 1993, six out of six again, all at
Southwell. There must be a record in there somewhere.
“Suluk wasn’t a great horse and the
races were humble ones, as indicated by the fact that none were worth even
£2,000 to the winner. Yet it was still, in its way, a great feat and, in his
own quiet way, year after year, Reg Hollinshead carried on giving a great many
people a lot of pleasure and setting others on their way to success. We’ll all
miss R Hollinshead, Upper Longdon , Staffs.”
J Margaret Clarke Turfcall Comment
R Hollinshead,
An Equus Zone Epitaph May 2013
David threads his way through the life and times of R Hollinshead, Upper Longdon , Staffs.
His career and the horseracing adventure of his lifetime journey.
Reg Hollinshead, departed this world at the age of 89 last week in
hospital. The legacy, he has gifted, throughout his lifetime which has given so much pleasure to so many people, David sets out so beautifully above.
A
distinct path showing that horseracing comes in many different divisions as in
football. Although to date in British horserace pioneering not defined as such.
Just left at present by the powers that be, to be assumed, as everything else to do with the Equus Zone, to be grabbed free, by others and taken for granted.
David's closing paragraph:
Rosie Napravnik Didn't Win the
“Suluk wasn’t a great horse and the races were humble ones, as indicated by the fact that none were worth even £2,000 to the winner. Yet it was still, in its way, a great feat and, in his own quiet way, year after year, Reg Hollinshead carried on giving a great many people a lot of pleasure and setting others on their way to success. We’ll all miss R Hollinshead, Upper Longdon , Staffs.” This is an amazing and remarkable equus zone achievement.
Suggestions to start to plan your adventure into horseracing.
Step one:Watch Ch4 Morning Line at home a few times on TV and follow up by watching Ch4 Live action at the races in the afternoon. This gives you a day at the races without leaving home. You can purchase an A4 pad of paper to keep your horseracing notes in and a couple of good files. You may like to get autographs, and photos you may like to collect..
Step two: Find out where the nearest Flat Turf Racecourse is to where you live. The nearest Jumps Turf Racecourse as well. Do you have any All Weather tracks near where you live?
Step three: Find out if there are any licensed racehorse trainers near where you live.
Step four: Check out your local Library to see what horseracing books they have to borrow
Step five : If you have a computer go on line and explore the world of horseracing from there. Like a magical mystery tour of your very own.Take a look at Monty Roberts websites and start to learn about the horses side of horseracing, how athletically fit they need to be as well as the handler riders who care for them every day and ride them out, they need to be as athletically fit as the horses.
Step six : After these five info steps you will find you have aquired some helpful notes of your own and can then plan a day out at the races, at your local Racecourse, and invite some of your friends as well. Be sure to get a race card on arrival. You can check out the detail to be found in the Racing Post the day before you go, and on the day you actually take your first journey and have an afternoon out at the races. Get to know your own way round your own Racing Post it is a fine tool and will help you every step of the way. You will get to know Paddy Powers horse if you would like to try a bet, he often pays out 5 places in some races.
Date for your Diary
Looking forward to Shergar Cup Day Ascot Saturday 10th August 2013
Queen
Of The Derby
Rosie Napravnik Didn't Win the Kentucky Derby
But Stole Our Hearts
May 5, 2013 4:45 am - by Nina Strochlic
The victory went to a horse named Orb,
but it was the Kentucky Derby's charming female jockey everyone was watching.
Anna Rose "Rosie" Napravnik (born February 9, 1988 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. The
daughter of a horse shoer and a show horse trainer, she has been around horses
all of her life. In 2005 she took out her jockey license and since then has
been among or at the top of racing jockies' earnings and has been the top female rider in the
United States
