Category Archives: Horse Racing

Calder Racecourse 2006: The Worlds Fastest Daily Double

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Today’s is a very interesting story I wanted to share, it may not be a long post but it’s one I wanted to share so let’s just jump straight into it.

In 2006, extreme ‘daredevil’ sports were all the rage in America. Thousands of people were watching sports where lives were at risk, so the management at Calder Racecoure in Miami Gardens decided they wanted to be a part of the action. So in July 2006, they announced their first ever ‘extreme day’ at the races, promising that this day at the races would be like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Long races, short races, backwards races, foot races – you name it, they included it. They were set at bending every rule they could. The Calder President Ken Dunn told the American press at the time:

We may get some people in the industry laughing at us, thinking it’s silly. But it has generated talk and that’s good.”

When the day arrived, the only extreme event taking place was the weather. The rain had made conditions on the track unsafe as well as keeping fans away, which was their whole point of the event. So they decided to try again later in the year, so they rescheduled their promotion to the 25th of November 2006.

The event included:

The Fast N Furious Stakes – Two furlongs on dirt
The Methusela Starter Stakes – For 5 year olds and older
King George’s Wrong Way Starter Stakes – 1 & 1/4 miles on turf going the opposite direction
The Gray Pride Stakes – Starter stakes restricted to horses that were gray or roan in colour (worth $45,000)
The World’s Fastest Daily Double – Two races run simultaneously on the dirt and turf courses
A 70 yard foot race between jockeys

The day didn’t quite go as planned with only 7,000 people showing up to the event and challenges along the way including jockeys protesting that the King George should be ran on the turf, not the dirt like initially planned.

But the highlight of the entire day was the World’s Fastest Daily Double. One was ran on the turf and another on the dirt, finishing just 36 seconds apart. The hardest job being left to the announcer Bobby Neuman who was given the task of calling both races at the same time. Later telling American press:

I just went back and forth as much as I could. I wanted to have fun with it and be as confusing as possible. I didn’t want to focus on one race more than the other.”

To this day, the record has never been beaten and I highly doubt it ever will. However everybody was talking about the event which meant Calder continued the event in 2007, however cancelling it in 2008 as it didn’t attract any many people as they thought it might, it only gained them more national media attention.

Overall, I thought this was a crazy story and had to share it. I hope you all enjoyed and I’ll see you Saturday for my next post at 11am.

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The History of the Eclipse Stakes

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Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of today’s renewal let’s take a look back at the history of the Eclipse Stakes.

The Eclipse Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which is ran at Sandown Park in Great Britain. It is ran over 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards and is open to horses aged 3 or older. It takes place in July each year. It was first ran in 1886. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £141,775.

The first winner of the race in 1886 was Bendigo who was 6 years old. Tom Cannon Sr was riding for trainer Charles Jousiffe and owner H. T. Barclay.

Both the 1892 and 1893 contests were won by Orme. In 1892 at 3 years old for jockey Georg Barrett and in 1893 at 4 years old for jockey Morny Cannon. Both times the trainer was John Porter and the owner was the 1st Duke of Westminster.

In 1897 and 1900 the Prince of Wales won the race. Firstly in 1897 with Persimmon who was 4 years old with John Watts riding and Richard Marsh training. Then in 1900 with Diamond Jubilee who was 3 years old with Herbert Jones riding and Richard Marsh training again.

In 1910 there was a dead heat called. Here Lemberg who was 3 years old for Bernard Dillon, Alec Taylor Jr and Alfred W. Cox and Neil Gow, also 3 years old, for Danny Maher, Percy Peck and the 5th Earl of Rosebery both claimed the win.

Now skipping forward a few years, in 1951 Lester Piggott won the race on board 3 year old Mystery for Percy Carter and Mme Edward Esmond. He won again in 1955 on board 4 year old Darius for Harry Wragg and Sir Percy Loraine. Again in 1957 on board 3 year old Arctic Explorer for Noel Murless and Giles Loder.

In 1965 Queen Elizabeth II had a winner in the race when her 4 year old horse Canisbay won with Stan Clayton on board for trainer Cecil Boyd-Rochfort.

In 1976 Trepan finished first, however after being disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance, the race was awarded to 3 year old Wollow who was ridden by Gianfranco Dettori for Henry Cecil and Carlo d’Alessio

Skipping forward quite a few years, in 1995 and 1996 Halling won the race. In 1995 at 4 years old for jockey Walter Swinburn and in 1996 at 5 years old for jockey John Reid. Both times for Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin.

Moving into the new millennium sees Aidan O’Brien win the race for the first time with 3 year old Giant’s Causeway under George Duffield for owners Magnier / Tabor.

In 2007, Notnowcato at 5 years old won for Ryan Moore, Sir Michael Stoute and A. & D. de Rothschild.

At 4 years old, Nathaniel won the race in 2012 for William Buick, John Gosden and Lady Rothschild. With Golden Horn winning at 3 years old in 2015 for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Anthony Oppenheimer.

In 2018 Oisin Murphy won the race on board 3 year old Roaring Lion for John Gosden and Qatar Racing. Followed in 2019 by Enable at 5 years old for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Khalid Abdullah. With the latest winner in 2020 being 5 year old Ghaiyyath for William Buick, Charlie Appleby and Godolphin. – To note in 2020 due to alterations due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, 3 year olds were excluded from the race.

Onto some records in the race, starting with the most successful horses. These all have 2 wins in the race: Orme in 1892 & 1893, Buchan in 1919 & 1920, Polyphontes in 1924 & 1925, Mtoto in 1987 & 1988 and Halling in 1995 & 1996.

The leading jockey is Lester Piggott who won the race 7 times: Mystery IX in 1951, Darius in 1955, Arctic Explorer in 1957, St Paddy in 1961, Pieces of Eight in 1966, Wolver Hollow in 1969 and Artaius in 1977.

We have two leading trainers, both with 6 wins each. Alec Taylor Jr with: Bayardo in 1909, Lemberg in 1910 (deadheat), Buchan in 1919 & 1920, Craig an Eran in 1921 and Saltash in 1923. And Sir Michael Stoute with: Opera House in 1993, Ezzoud in 1994, Pilsudski in 1996, Medicean in 2001, Notnowcato in 2007 and Ulysses in 2017.

The leading owner with 6 wins is Godolphin: Halling in 1995 & 1996, Daylami in 1998, Refuse to Bend in 2004, Hawkbill in 2016 and Ghaiyyath in 2020.

So onto this years renewal, it is a very small field but a very talented field. (All odds are correct on Ladbrokes at time of writing this post 8:30pm on 02/07/2021).

The current favourite is the 6/4 shot Mishriff for John & Thady Gosden with David Egan riding. Last time out was on the 27th of March when winning by only a neck at Meydan over 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 11 yards. The time out before that was at Riyadh when winning the Saudi Cup by 1 length on February 20th. In both runs he was ridden by David Egan so it’s nice to see David be given the opportunity to take the reins on home soil.

The next horse in the line up is currently 13/8, St Mark’s Basilica for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. Another very talented horse, he’s won the French Guineas and French Derby double. This is only the second time Ryan Moore has been on board, the first time being on September 13th last year at the Curragh over 7 furlongs when they finished 3rd. Also interesting to note that he is the only horse who has never won over this distance, unlike the other 3.

The third in the list is Addeybb who is currently 11/4 for Tom Marquand and William Haggas. He is actually the only horse who has won over both course and distance which may be something to note – he has also won 4 Group 1 races. Another thing to note is that he is 7 years old and no 7 year old has ever won this race before. Since the 21st of March 2020 Tom Marquand is the only jockey to have rode this horse, so clearly they know each other very well, since then they have won 5 out of the 7 races they’ve had, finishing 2nd in the other 2.

The final horse in the line up is a 25/1 shot El Drama for Andrea Atzeni and Roger Varian. He has won over this distance previously, however last time out in the French Derby he was less than impressive when finishing 15th out of 19 horses. He is quite an unexperienced horse with only 5 runs under his belt, winning twice, placing 3rd twice and 15th in the French Derby. However in these colours, we’ve seen Andrea Atzeni enter the winners enclosure many many times so would it really be that much of a surprise?

All in all, I would love to see Mishriff win for David Egan – that is what my heart is saying. However I am going with St Mark’s Basilica for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. He has been pretty impressive the last twice we’ve seen him this year, both times winning by a length and 3 quarters. All in all, I think any of the 4 could win, it wouldn’t surprise me whoever wins. Who do you fancy? Let me know over on Twitter!

Thank you so much for reading this post and I will see you all Wednesday evening at 6pm for a brand new one!

The History of the British Jump Jockey Championship

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Today I am going to take a look at the history of the British jump jockey championship and a little look at this years competition, so without further ado let’s get right into it.

The British Jump Jockey Championship’s inception was in 1900. For the first 25 year, the award was given to the jockey who had ridden the most winners during a calendar year, however beginning in 1926, this changed to the way we see it today, the award would start going to the jockey who had ridden the most winners during a season.

Surprisingly, it was not until the 2015-2016 season that the Champion Jockey won prize money, with the 2015-2016 Champion Richard Johnson receiving £15,000 and smaller prizes going to the next 4 on the leader board. From 2016 any Champion Jockey receives a new trophy designed by Asprey and chosen by the award winning Champion Jockey Sir AP McCoy after the previous one was gifted to Sir AP McCoy upon his retirement.

This years title race will be decided between Saturday 1st May 2021 and Saturday 23rd April 2022.

Now let’s take a look at some winners! Please bare in mind any winner before 1925 was within a calendar year – beyond that is in a season.

The first ever winner in 1900 was H. S Sidney 52 wins, he was also an amateur at the time of winning the title. We then see Frank Mason win for the first time in 1901 with 58 wins, he then won it again in 1902 (67 wins), 1904 (59 wins), 1905 (73 wins), 1906 (58 wins) and 1907 (59 wins).

If we then skip forward a little in 1920 Fred Rees won with 64 wins before winning again multiple times. 1921 (65 wins), 1923 (64 wins), 1924 (108 wins – the first time a jockey hit a century of wins) and again in the 1926-1927 season with 59 wins.

The next 5 seasons were dominated by Billy Stott who firstly won in the 1927-1928 season with 88 wins, 1928-1929 with 76 wins, 1929-1930 with 77 wins, 1930-1931 with 81 wins and in 1931-1932 with 77 wins.

Gerry Wilson was the next jockey to dominate when winning 7 times in 9 seasons starting in 1932-1933 with 61 wins, 1933-1934 with 56 wins, 1934-1935 with 73 wins, 1935-1936 with 57 wins, 1936-1937 with 45 wins, 1937-1938 with 59 wins then again in the 1940-1941 season with 22 wins.

The two seasons in between Gerry Wilson’s victories were won by Fred Rimell, in 1938-1939 with 61 wins and then in 1939-1940 with 22 wins.

Racing was suspended in the 1942-1943 season as well as the 1943-1944 season before returning in the 1944-1945 season where it was actually a draw with Frenchie Nicholson and Fred Rimell both finishing the season on 15 wins. Fred Rimell then won it on his own in the 1945-1946 season with 54 wins.

Skipping forward a few years Tim Molony won 4 years in a row starting with the 1948-1949 season with 50 wins, 1949-1950 with 95 wins, 1950-1951 with 83 wins, 1951-1952 with 99 wins.

Fred Winter then won for the first time in 1952-1953 with 121 wins, before winning again in 1955-1956 with 74 wins, 1956-1957 with 80 wins and 1957-1958 with 82 wins.

If we skip forward a little bit in 1968-1969 Terry Biddlecombe and Bob Davies both finished with 77 wins and sharing the title.

Other winners include John Francome in the 1975-1976 season with 96 wins, 1978-1979 with 95 wins, 1980-1981 with 105 wins, before sharing the title in 1981-1982 with Peter Scudamore after both finishing with 120 wins. He then continued to win the title in 1982-1983 with 106 wins, 1983-1984 with 131 wins and again in 1984-1985 with 101 wins.

In between John Francome’s reign, Jonjo O’Neill won the title twice, firstly in 1977-1978 with 149 wins and again in 1979-1980 with 115 wins.

Starting in the 1985-1986 season we see Peter Scudamore’s reign begin with 91 wins, followed up in 1986-1987 with 123 wins, 1987-1988 with 132 wins, 1988-1989 with 221 wins (setting a new record for most wins and the first time a jockey had 200 or more winners in a season), again in 1989-1990 with 170 wins, 1990-1991 with 141 wins and again in 1991-1992 with 175 wins.

The next 3 seasons were won by Richard Dunwoody with 173 wins in the 1992-1993 season, 197 wins in the 1993-1994 season and finally with 160 wins in the 1994-1995 season.

In the 1995-1996 season the record breaking reign of Sir AP McCoy began:

1995-1996: 175 wins
1996-1997: 190 wins
1997-1998: 253 wins (breaking Peter Scudamore’s record of most wins in a season)
1998-1999: 186 wins
1999-2000: 245 wins
2000-2001: 191 wins
2001-2002: 289 wins (breaking his own record of most wins in a season)
2002-2003: 258 wins
2003-2004: 209 wins
2004-2005: 200 wins
2005-2006: 178 wins
2006-2007: 184 wins
2007-2008: 140 wins
2008-2009: 186 wins
2009-2010: 195 wins
2010-2011: 218 wins
2011-2012: 199 wins
2012-2013: 185 wins
2013-2014: 218 wins
2014-2015: 231 wins

When Sir AP McCoy retired, we then see Richard Johnson win 4 consecutive titles starting in 2015-2016 with 235 wins, in 2016-2017 with 180 wins, 2017-2018 with 176 wins and in 2018-2019 with 200 wins.

The final two winners were Brian Hughes in 2019-2020 with 141 wins and in the 2020-2021 season Harry Skelton with 152 wins.

So some records within the race. The jockey with the most titles and most consecutive titles is Sir AP McCoy who won 20 times consecutively between 1995 and 2015.

The jockey with the most wins in one season is also Sir AP McCoy who won 289 times in the 2001-2002 season.

The jockey who came second the most times is Richard Johnson who finished second behind Sir AP McCoy before finally winning the title after Sir AP McCoy’s retirement.

So onto this years title. (All odds are via PaddyPower and are correct at the time of writing this post and all winner figures so far are also correct at the time of writing this post – 25/05/2021 at 22:15)

The current favourite at Evens is Brian Hughes who has currently had 135 rides with 23 wins. A strike rate of 17%.

The second favourite is Harry Skelton at 11/8 who has had 52 rides with 14 wins. A strike rate of 27%.

The third is Harry Cobden at 4/1 who has had 15 rides with 4 wins. A strike rate of 27%.

The rest are 33/1 or bigger, including Sam Twiston-Davies, Aidan Coleman and Nico de Boinville all at 33/1 and Sean Bowen, David Bass and Tom Scudamore at 66/1 and Bryony Frost at 100/1.

The season has only just began so there is a long way ahead of us and the current standings will of course change once the winter comes around and more jumps horses are running. However I do think it’s going to be another exciting renewal. Last years came down to the wire between Brian Hughes and Harry Skelton and with Harry Cobden in the running and hopefully free this time around it could be a quite exciting one to watch. For me I think Harry Skelton could retain the title, but it’ll be too close to call.

I hope you all enjoyed this one and I will see you all Saturday at 11am for a new post!

The History of the Irish Derby

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Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! As always, when a big race is upon us, I take a look at the history and today is no different. So let’s get right into today’s post all about the Irish Derby!

The Irish Derby is ran at the Curragh Racecourse in County Kildare in Ireland. It is a Group 1 flat race open to three year old colts and fillies. It is ran over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs and takes place in late June or early July each year, 3 weeks after the English equivalent – the Epsom Derby. The Irish Derby first took place in 1866. In 2020 the race was worth €690,000 with the winner receiving €427,500.

There were earlier versions of this race, the first being the O’Darby Stakes which was established in 1817 however was discontinued after 1824. Another version was established in 1848 called the Curragh Derby, however this was also short-lived.

The modern version we see today was created by the 3rd Earl of Howth, the 3r Marquess of Drogheda and the 3rd Earl of Charlemont and was first run in 1866. It was initially run over 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 3 yards and in 1869 it was extended by 9 yards however in 1872 it was cut to its present distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs.

The first winner of the Irish Derby in 1866 was Selim. Some early winnrs include Billy Pitt in 1870, Ben Battle in 1874, King of the Bees in 1880, Pet Fox in 1887, Orby in 1907, Land of Song in 1914, Rock Star in 1930 and Piccadilly in 1945.

In 1953, Chamier won for jockey Bill Rickaby, trainer Vincent O’Brien and owner Mrs F L Vickerson, however it was actually Premonition who finished first but was later disqualified.

If we skip forward a little bit, in 1970 Nikinsky won for Liam Ward, Vincent O’Brien and Charles Engelhard. With another notable name in Shergar winning in 1981 for Lester Piggott, Michael Stoute and HH Aga Khan IV.

Other winners include Old Vic in 1989 for Steve Cauthen, Henry Cecil and Sheikh Mohammed. Commander in Chief for Pat Eddery, Henry Cecil and Khalid Abdullah. And Desert King in 1997 for Christy Roche, Aidan O’Brien and Michael Tabor.

Moving into the new millennium, we see Galileo win the race in 2001 for Michael Kinane, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor, the same trio also won in 2002 this time with High Chaparral.

In 2004 the late Pat Smullen won the race on Grey Swallow for Dermot Weld and Rochelle Quinn. In 2009 Fame and Glory won for Johnny Murtagh, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor. With Camelot winnin in 2012 for Joseph O’Brien, Aidan O’Brien and Derrick Smith.

In 2014 Joseph O’Brien won the race on board Australia for Aidan O’Brien and owners Smith / Magnier / Tabor. In 2016 we seen the late Pat Smullen win the race again, this time on Harzand for Dermot Weld and Aga Khan IV.

The last two winners have been Sovereign in 2019 for Padraig Beggy, Aidan O’Brien and Magnier / Tabor / Smith and in 2020 we seen Santiago win for Seamie Heffernan, Aidan O’Brien and Tabor / Smith / Magnier.

Moving on to some records in the race. Starting with the leading jockey who is Morny Wing who won the race 6 times with Ballyheron (1921), Waygood (1923), Rock Star (1930), Rosewell (1938), Windsor Slipper (1942) and Bright News (1946).

Now on to the leading trainer, Aidan O’Brien who’s won the race 14 times with Desert King (1997), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Dylan Thomas (2006), Soldier of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Fame and Glory (2009), Cape Blanco (2010), Treasure Beach (2011), Camelot (2012), Australia (2014), Capri (2017), Sovereign (2019) and Santiago (2020).

The leading owner in the Irish Derby is Michael Tabor (including part ownership) who has won with: Desert King (1997), Montjeu (1999), Galileo (2001), High Chaparral (2002), Hurricane Run (2005), Dylan Thomas (2006), Soldier of Fortune (2007), Frozen Fire (2008), Fame and Glory (2009), Cape Blanco (2010), Treasure Beach (2011), Australia (2014), Capri (2017), Sovereign (2019) and Santiago (2020).

A unique record in this race is that only one owner has ever completed the Irish Derby and Irish Grand National double. This was William Brophy in 1990 who won the Irish Derby with King of the Bees and the Irish Grand National with Controller. Also interesting to note that both winners were out of the same dam, Winged Bee.

Personally for me, I’m going to be boring and go for the current favourite (13/8 on Ladbrokes at the time of writing this 9pm on 25/06/2021), High Definition. I really like this horse and the Ryan Moore – Aidan O’Brien partnership is always a force to be reckoned with. However it looks to be a good renewal this year so I’m excited to see who does win!

Hopefully you all enjoyed this post and I will see you all Wednesday evening at 6pm for a new post.

Les Boots: The Worst Jockey in the History of Horse Racing?

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Today’s post is one I really wanted to share because I had never heard of this story until recently and thought if I hadn’t then how many others hadn’t? So without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Les Boots was an Australian jockey who’s professional jockey spanned 18 years. In those 18 years he broke just about every bone in his body which included a broken neck which saw him out of action for two years.

Less started as an apprentice jockey, working at Harry Butler’s stables. He began riding out and mucking out stalls until one day Harry called him into the office and told him he wanted him to go to Cheltenham in England and ride a horse called Umbalir in a jumps race, however he parted ways at the first hurdle with Les ending up in hospital. He rode Umbalir twice more, both rimes resulting in a hospital trip. Three for three – It didn’t look great.

Les Boots then went on to be known as the worst jockey in the history of horse racing due to the fact that he never had a winner, never placed in fact, he never even stayed on a horse for more than half a mile in any of his races. In fact, out of 39 starts, he fell 40 times – 41 if you include a non-horse related incident. He explained this to interviewers:

I rode a horse at Cheltenham one day, fell going out the straight, I caught him, remounted him, fell at the half-mile and I fell out the ambulance coming to hospital.”

https://www.punters.com.au/news/the-worlds-worst-jockey_136520/

Les himself told people that out of his 18 year career, he believes he spent 12 of them in the hospital, also saying that Adelaide Hospital used to get a bed reading in advance whenever they saw he had a ride. Les used to ride out many horses each weak and was totally fine, however when it came to a race he just couldn’t stay on.

It got to a point where his wife, alongside a packed lunch, would pack him some pyjamas and anything he would need for a couple of days in hospital whenever he went to a race. In fact it got so bad that whenever he was the jockey, his horse would be 100/1, regardless of how good the horse was due to him being on board.

However Les Boots became a national hero with his jokes and sense of humour with lines such as:

I went to a picnic one day and they even barred me from the merry-go-round – said it wasn’t safe”

https://www.punters.com.au/news/the-worlds-worst-jockey_136520/

A dream of Les’ was always to take part in the English Grand National, he later explained why this never happened:

I never did realise my life’s ambition to ride in the English Grand National at Aintree. My wife cancelled my passport, she reckoned I’d be the first jockey to drown at the water jump.”

https://eu.thespectrum.com/story/sports/mesquite/2019/09/02/worst-jockey-history-had-great-sense-humor/2187365001/

Les Boots lived to be 80 years old and it’s good to see he never lost his sense of humour. Les will go down as one of the worst jockey’s in the history of horse racing, but also someone who will never be forgotten due to the fact he laughed the whole way through his career and although he ended up spending the majority of his time in hospital it was clear to see how much he loved horses and racing.

I thought this was so interesting to read, I had never heard of Les Boots so I really wanted to share. I hope you all enjoyed this one and I will see you all Saturday morning when I have a look at the history of the Irish Derby ahead of this years renewal.

Eddie Castro: The Unbeatable Record?

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Good Morning!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com. Today’s post is a really interesting one and even though it may be a little shorter than some of my posts I really wanted to share!

Eddie Castro was born on April 10th 1985 and is a Panamanian born jockey in America. Eddie attended the Panamanian Jockey School and began riding in races in December 2002 at 17 years old. In just 3 months he had rode 36 winners and decided to move to America where he made his debut on April 16th 2003 at Gulfstream Park in Florida. Even though his American career started 3 months into a season, he still managed to win the U.S. Champion Apprentice Jockey in 2003 so he made quite the impact in his first season.

Eddie Castro currently has over 2,500 career wins, including many major races under his belt, including the Galaxy Stakes in 2004, Spinster Stakes in 2005, Sorority Stakes in 2006, Molly Pitcher Stakes in 2007, Indiana Breeders’ Cup Oaks in 2008, Jersey Shore Breeders’ Cup Stakes in 2009, Pennsylvania Derby in 2009, Affirmed Stakes in 2015 and one of the biggest races, the Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2006. However, none of that is what I want to share with you…

On June 4th 2005 at Calder Racecourse, Eddie Castro had 11 rides on a 13 race card. Just the day before on June 3rd he won five races at the same track, so he was in pretty good form. But it was this day that he broke the record for the most wins by a jockey in a single day at one racetrack in North America. The record for the most wins in a single day at one racetrack was held by 6 jockeys with the most recent being Ken Shino at Fonner Park on April 2nd 2000 when he won eight races and the record for the most wins in a single day was held by Chris Antley who rode four winners at Aqueduct during the day and five winners at Meadowlands on the evening on October 31st in 1987.

However, Eddie Castro managed to win 9 of his 11 mounts breaking the first record of a single day at one racetrack and matching the second record of most wins in a single day.

His day went as follows:

Race 1: 2nd – Southphilly Barry

Race 2: 1st – Bill’s No Trouble

Race 3: 1st – Snug Harbour

Race 4: 1st – Dakota Max

Race 5: No Mount

Race 6: 1st – Five Star Susan

Race 7: No Mount

Race 8: 4th – Broadway Buck

Race 9: 1st – Kin’s Hurrah

Race 10: 1st – Sebastian Light

Race 11: 1st – Carey’s Gold

Race 12: 1st – Agent Won

Race 13: 1st – Ben’s Advantage

After winning his 9th race, Eddie Castro told local news reporters:

When I’m riding these kind of horses, I just try to take advantage and make the most of it; but it takes some luck to win this many.”

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/170179/eddie-castros-9-wins-at-calder-sets-record

To put what he did into perspective, the current record in the UK is held by both Frankie Dettori and Richard Hughes who both won seven races in one day at one course. First was Frankie Dettori in September 1996 who won all 7 races on a card at Ascot. Followed by Richard Hughes who won 7 out of 8 races in October 2012 at Windsor. The first woman rider to win five races in a day under rules was set by Hollie Doyle in August 2020 at Windsor.

When Frankie, Richard and Hollie achieved what they did every racing fan thought it was incredible – because it is – but imagine only being 20 years old and winning 9 rides in a day, that is some going.

Will anyone ever beat this record? There has been much discussion and from every article, tweet, blog I have read not many think his record will ever get beaten and it would not surprise me if it didn’t.

Now, I am not up to date with American racing and I won’t claim to be, but more recently I have been finding a lot of interesting stories from American racing and I want to start sharing more of them.

I really enjoyed reading about this one so I hope you all have to. This is my final post for the week so I hope you’ve all had a brilliant Ascot and I hope today goes well also but I will next see you on Wednesday evening at 6pm with a brand new post, which is all about possibly the worst jockey in the history of horse racing… Who could it be? You do not want to miss that one!

The History of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal, let’s take a look back at the history of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

The Diamond Jubilee Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1868 and is open to horses four years or older – three year olds foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are also eligible. The race is run over 6 furlongs at Ascot Racecourse in June each year. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

The race was established in 1868 and was originally called the All-Aged Stakes. It was renamed the Cork and Orrery Stakes in 1926 to honour the 9th Earl of Cork.

In 1971, the race was classed as a Group 3 race, before being promoted to Group 2 status in 1998. In 2002, the race was renamed to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and was promoted to Group 1 status. In 2012 the race was given it’s current name to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2015 the race changed from being open to three year olds to only being open to four year olds and older after a new six furlong Group One Race (the Commonwealth Cup) was created for three year olds only.

Now onto some previous winners. The first winner in 1868 was a horse called Laneret. In 1872. 1973 and 1874 a horse called Prince Charlie won the race followed by Lowlander in 1875 and 1876. Whitefriar won the race in 1886 and 1887 with Hornet’s Beauty winning in 1913 and 1914 followed by Hamlet in 1923 and 1924.

Now some winners when it changed names to the Cork and Orrery Stakes. The first being Diomedes in 1926, with Right Boy winning in 1958 and 1959. Committed won in 1984, with Danehill winning in 1989, So Factual in 1995 and the final winner before the next name change was Harmonic Way in 2001.

The first winner of the Golden Jubilee Stakes was Malhub for Kevin Darley, John Gosden and Hamdan Al Maktoum. Seven year old Cape of Good Hope won in 2005 for Michael Kinane, David Oughton and Exors of Ron Carstairs. Black Caviar won in 2012 for Luke Nolen, Peter Moody and G. J. Wilkie and K. J. Wilkie. With Slade Power winning the final running in 2014 for Wayne Lordan, Edward Lynam and Sabena Power.

The first winner of the current named race the Diamond Jubilee Stakes was Undrafted in 2015 for Frankie Dettori, Wesley Ward and Wes Welker and Sol Kumin. In 2017 The Tin Man won for Tom Queally, James Fanshawe and Fred Archer Racing – Ormonde. In 2018 Merchant Navy at three years old won for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and the Merchant Navy Syndicate / Tabor / Smith / Magnier. In 2019 Blue Point won for James Doyle, Charlie Appleby and Godolphin and in 2020 Hello Youmzain won for Kevin Stott, Kevin Ryan and Haraas d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud.

Now onto some records. The most successful horse is Prince Charlie who won in 1872, 1873 and 1874.

The leading jockey with 10 victories is Lester Piggott who won with: Right Boy (1958, 1959), Tin Whistle (1960), El Gallo (1963), Mountain Call (1968), Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979) and College Chapel (1993).

The leading trainer with 5 victories is Vincent O’Brien who won with: Welsh Saint (1970), Saritamer (1974), Swingtime (1975), Thatching (1979) and College Chapel (1993).

The leading owners both with 3 victories each are:

Joseph Dawson: Prince Charlie (1872, 1873, 1874)

Jack Joel: Sunflower II (1912) and Hamlet (1923, 1924)

At the time of writing this 11:15pm on June 13th 2021, the official declarations have not been named, however with the list of horses currently still in the race it looks to be a wide open renewal this year so hopefully it’ll be a pretty exciting one to watch. Who do you fancy?

Thank you so much for reading today’s post and I will see you tomorrow at 11am for a brand new post, a very interesting one about a current record within racing that quite possibly will never be broken. You do not want to miss it!

The History of the Coronation Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to another post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal of the Coronation Stakes, let’s take a look back at the history of the race!

The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1840. It is open to three year old fillies and is ran at Ascot Racecourse in June each year over 7 furlongs and 213 yards. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

The race was established in 1840 and is named after the coronation of a new British monarch, Queen Victoria just two years earlier. In 1971, the race held Group 2 status before being promoted to Group 1 level in 1988.

Now onto some previous winners. The first winner in 1840 as a horse called Spangle. In 1867 a very well known horse called Achievement won the race after winning the 1,000 Guineas a few weeks earlier and then went on to win the St Leger and Doncaster Cup in the same year. In 1874, a horse called Apology won the race, she was the third horse to win the Fillies’ Triple Crown when winning the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and St Leger all in the same year as her Coronation Stakes win before going on to win the Ascot Gold Cup two years later in 1876.

In 1894 a miracle horse won the race when Throstle won. As a foal she was considered a likely candidate for euthanasia when she was born partially bling, however she went on to be one of the best fillies of her generation in Britain.

In 1900 there was a dead heat called when Sainte Nitouche and Winifreda crossed the line at the same time in an impossible finish to call. In 1904 Pretty Polly won the race, she was the 15th horse to win the Fillies’ Triple Crown when winning the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks before her Coronation Stakes victory then winning the St Leger a few months later all in 1904.

Skipping forward a little while now and into 1961 when Aiming High won for jockey Lester Piggott, trainer Noel Murless and owner Queen Elizabeth II. Skipping forward a little more to 1998, Exclusive won the race for Walter Swinburn, Sir Michael Stoute and Cheveley Park Stud. In 2013 Sky Lantern won for Richard Highes, Richard Hannon Sr and B Keswick. In 2017 Winter won for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Tabor / Smith / Magnier. In 2020 Alpine Star won for Frankie Dettori, Jessica Harrington and Niarchos Family.

On to some records in the race! Firstly the leading jockey, here we have two who both have 5 wins each:

Nat Flatman: The Princess (1844), Stitch (1845), Distaffina (1848), Lady Evelyn (1849) and Barcelona (1851)

Morny Cannon: Lady Hermit (1892), Silene (1893), Throstle (1894), Helm (1896) and Lowood (1898)

Now the leading trainer who has 6 victories in the race John Porter who won with: Lovely (1883), Sandiway (1884), Cereza (1891), Throstle (1894), Helm (1896) and Lowood (1898).

With the leading owner with 7 victories being Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor who won with: Winkipop (1910), Pogrom (1922), Saucy Sue (1925), Book Law (1927), Sunny Devon (1931), Betty (1933) and Traffic Light (1936).

At the time of writing this post (11pm on June 13th 2021) the final declarations have not been made for the race, however the horses still in the current line-up look to make a very interesting renewal this year. Who do you like the look of?

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you tomorrow evening at 6pm for ‘The History of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes’.

The History of the Ascot Gold Cup

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! Ahead of tomorrow’s renewal of the Ascot Gold Cup let’s take a look at the history of the race.

The Ascot Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat race which was first ran in 1807 and is open to horses aged four or older. It is ran at Ascot Racecourse over 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 210 yards and is ran in June of each year. The race was worth £250,000 in 2020 with the winner receiving £148,000.

When the race was established in 1807 it was originally open to horses aged three or older and the first race was ran in front of King George III and Queen Charlotte. In 1844 the running was attended by Nicholas I of Russia who was making a state visit to England. At the time of his victory the winning horse was unnamed so was given the name ‘The Emperor’ in honour of the visiting monarch and in return Nicholas offered a new trophy for the race – the ‘Emperor’s Plate’ and this became the title of the race for a while however it’s original name was restored after 9 years.

On June 18th 1907, the Ascot Gold Cup was actually stolen by thieves, the theft was never solved. In August a replacement was finished.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the first leg of Britain’s Stayers’ Triple Crown, followed by the Goodwood Cup and the Doncaster Cup. Stradivarius was the last horse to win the Stayers’ Triple Crown in 2019.

Now onto previous winners of the race, the first winner in 1807 was three year old Master Jackey. The first multiple winner was Anticipation who won it in 1816 at four years old and winning again in 1819 at seven years old. The first horse to win two consecutive races was Bizarre who won it in 1824 at four years old and 1825 at five years old, both times for jockey Bill Arnull, trainer R D Boyce and owner Lord G H Cavendish. In 1836 (at five years old) and in 1837 (at six years old) Touchstone won for trainer John Scott and owner the 1st Marquess of Westminster. In 1836 with jockey John Barham Day and in 1837 with jockey William Scott.

In 1844 The Emperor won at three years old followed up by another win in 1845 at four years both times for jockey G Whitehouse, trainer W Edwards and owner the 4th Earl of Albemarle. Before The Hero followed up with two wins in 1847 (at four years old) and in 1848 (at five years old) for jockey Alfred Day and trainer and owner John Barham Day.

In 1854, the first ever Triple Crown Champion from the previous year 1853, West Australian at four years old won the Ascot Gold Cup for Alfred Day, John Scott and the 1st Baron Londesborough.

Let’s now skip forward to the 1900’s. In 1931 (at five years old) and 1932 (at six years old) Trimdon won the race for Joe Childs, Joseph Lawson and Charles Lambton. We then move forward to 1942, 1943 and 1944 which were all ran at Newmarket during the World War and were all won by jockey Gordon Richards. In 1942 he won on four year old Owen Tudor for trainer Fred Darling and owner Catherine Macdonald-Buchanan. In 1943 he won on four year old Ujiji for trainer Joseph Lawson and owner Alfred Allnatt. In 1944 he won on four year old Umiddad for trainer Frank Butters and owner Aga Khan III.

In 1957 the leading jockey Lester Piggott won for the first time on board six year old Zarathustra for trainter Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and owner Terence Gray. In 1888 five year old Sadeem won the race for Greville Starkey, Guy Harwood and Sheikh Mohammed, however first past the post was actually Royal Gait who got demoted to last place after a stewards’ enquiry. Sadeem then won again in 1989 at six years old, this time partnering up with Willie Carson.

In 1992 (at six years old) and 1993 (at seven years old) Drum Taps won the race under Frankie Dettori for trainer Lord Huntingdon and owner Yoshio Asakawa. In 1998 Kayf Tara won the race at four years old for Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor and Godolphin before winning it again two years later at six years old this time partnering up with Michael Kinane for the same owner and trainer. In 2001 (at five years old) and 2002 (at six years old), Royal Rebel won for Johnny Murtagh, Mark Johnston and Peter Savill.

Let’s now skip forward to 2006 which was the start of a streak for Yeats. At five years old in 2006 all the way through to 2009 at eight years old he won the race for trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Magnier / Nagle. In 2006 partnered with Kieren Fallon, in 2007 partnered with Michael Kinane and in 2008 and 2009 partnered with Johnny Murtagh.

Skipping forward to 2016, Order of St George won at four years old for Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Smith / Magnier / Tabor. Followed by fix year old Big Orange in 2017 for James Doyle, Michael Bell and Bill Gredley.

We then see a triple winner start his streak in 2018 at four years old Stradivarius won, followed in 2019 (at five years old) and 2020 (at six years old) for Frankie Dettori, John Gosden and Bjorn Nelsen.

Now onto some records. The most successful horse is Yeats who won in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The leading jockey with 11 victories is Lester Piggott who won on: Zarathustra (1957), Gladness (1958), Pandofell (1961), Twilight Alley (1963), Fighting Charlie (1965), Sagaro (1975, 1976, 1977), Le Moss (1979) and Andross (1981, 1982).

The leading trainer with 7 victories is Aidan O’Brien who has won with: Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Fame and Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014) and Order of St George (2016).

The leading owner with 7 victories – including part ownership – is Sue Magnier who won with: Yeats (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Fame and Glory (2011), Leading Light (2014) and Order of St George (2016).

It is important to note that Stradivarius is currently the 4/5 favourite (odds via Ladbrokes are accurate at the time of writing this post 12:45pm on June 15th 2021) and if he wins he will join Yeats as the joint most successful horse in the race.

Personally, I am going for the now seven year old Stradivarius to win. For me it’s down to the fact that he’s been an absolute fan favourite over the years and I would love to see him win it again. I am going with my heart above all else but I have to stick with him to have his 4th victory in the race. Who do you think will win? Let me know over on Twitter!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you tomorrow evening at 6pm for ‘The History of the Coronation Stakes’.

The History of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

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Good Evening!

Welcome to a new post here at zoelouisesmithx.com! This evening’s post is all about the Prince of Wales’s Stakes ahead of tomorrow’s renewal. So let’s just get right into it!

The Prince of Wales’s Stakes is a Group 1 flat race which started in 1862 and is ran at Ascot Racecourse over 1 mile, 1 furlong and 212 yards. It takes place in June of each year and is open to horses who are four years and older. In 2020 the race was worth £250,000 with the winner receiving £148,000.

When the race was established in 1862, it was named after the Prince of Wales at the time, who was the future King Edward VII. The original version of this race was actually restricted to only three year olds and it was originally over 1 mile and 5 furlongs.

After World War II the race was discontinued as there was no Prince of Wales, it only returned in 1968, a year before the investiture of Prince Charles. The new version of the race was 1 mile and 2 furlongs and was opened up to horses aged three or older.

In 1971 the race was classed as a Group 2 race and it was only in 2000 when the race was promoted to Group 1 status with the minimum age of participating horses being raised to four years old.

Now let’s have a look at some previous winners. (This section will be focused on winners before the new version of this race began in 1968 – There is not much information readily available on these winners).

The first winner of this race in 1862 was Carisbrook. In 1888, Ossory gave leading trainer John Porter his first victory before Matchmaker in 1895 giving leading jockey Morny Cannon his first victory and they were followed up by Stedfast in 1911 who gave one of the leading owners, the 17th Earl of Derby, his first victory in the race.

(The following section will be focused on winners since the new version of this race began in 1968).

The first winner of the new version of this race in 1968 was four year old Royal Palace who was rode by Sandy Barclay, trained by Noel Murless and owned by Jim Joel. This trio then went on to win the race the following two years also, both years with Connaught who was four years old in 1969 and five years old in 1970.

In 1973 Lester Piggott won on board four year old Gift Card for trainer Angel Penna Sr and owner Margit Batthyány. In 1976 four year old Annes Pretender won the race for Lester Piggott, Ryan Price and Charles Clore, however it was actually Trepan who was first past the post but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance.

In 1977 and 1978 jockey Joe Mercer won for Henry Cecil. In 1977 with four year old Lucky Wednesday for owner Charles St George and in 1978 on five year old Gunner B for owner Pauline Barratt.

In 1987 (four years old) and 1988 (five years old) Mtoto won the race for trainer Alec Stewart and owner Ahmed Al Maktoum. In 1987 for jockey Richard Hills and in 1988 for jockey Michael Roberts. In 1992 four year old Perpendicular won the race for Willie Ryan, Henry Cecil and Lord Howard de Walden, however it was actually Kooyonga who was first past the post, but following a stewards’ inquiry she was relegated to third place.

A horse winning twice was next achieved in 1994 (five years old) and 1996 (six years old) by Muhtarram, both times for jockey Willie Carson, trainer John Gosden and owner Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Into the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s, trainer Saeed bin Suroor dominated the race for the joint leading owners Godolphin. He first won in 1998 with four year old Faithful Son with jockey John Reid riding, again in 2000 with four year old Dubai Millennium with jockey Jerry Bailey riding, followed by five year old Fantastic Light in 2001 partnered with Frankie Dettori and finally in 2002 with four year old Grandera again partnered with Frankie Dettori.

Jumping forward a few years we see Aidan O’Brien have his first winner in the race in 2008 with four year old Duke of Marmalade who was partnered up with Johnny Murtagh for owners Magnier / Tabor. In 2012 six year old So You Think won for Joseph and Aidan O’Brien for owner Derrick Smith. In 2014 William Buick won on board five year old The Fugue for John Gosden and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In 2015, we seen the late Pat Smullen win on board four year old Free Eagle for trainer Dermot Weld and owners the Moyglare Stud. Followed by the 2021 Derby winning jockey Adam Kirby winning in 2016 on board four year old My Dream Boat for Clive Cox and Paul and Clare Rooney. In 2017 it was the Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien partnership that proved too strong for the rest of the field when five year old Highland Reel won for owners Magnier / Tabor / Smith.

The following two years were won by trainer Sir Michael Stoute. In 2018 with five year old Poet’s Word rode by James Doyle for owner Saeed Suhail followed by Frankie Dettori riding five year old Crystal Ocean in 2019 for owner Evelyn de Rothschild. The most recent winner was four year old Lord North in 2020 for James Doyle, John Gosden and Zayed bin Mohammed.

Onto some records currently held in this race, starting with the most successful horses, all with 2 wins. Connaught who won in 1969 and 1970, Mtoto in 1987 and 1988 and Muhtarram in 1994 and 1995.

The leading jockey with 6 victories in the race is Morny Cannon who won with the following horses: Matchmaker (1895), Shaddock (1896), Manners (1899), Simon Dale (1900), Rydal Head (1904) and Plum Centre (1905).

The leading trainer with 8 victories in the race is John Porter who won with the following horses: Ossory (1888), Watercress (1892), Matchmaker (1895), Shaddock (1896), Manners (1899), Simon Dale (1900), Rydal Head (1904) and Plum Centre (1905).

Now onto the leading owners, both with 5 wins.

17th Earl of Derby: Stedfast (1911), Sansovino (1924), Caissot (1926), Hyperion (1933) and Heliopolis (1939)

Godolphin: Faithful Son (1998), Dubai Millennium (2000), Fantastic Light (2001), Grandera (2002) and Rewilding (2011).

Something to note in this renewal is that 2020’s winner Lord North is the current (at the time of writing this – 11am on June 14th 2021 on Ladbrokes) 6/4 favourite, if Lord North wins this race he will join the list of most successful horses in this race.

Personally I am siding with Love for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, purely because I love her and after her winning the 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks last year I don’t see a reason as to why she can’t win this. She has never ran this distance, her wins have came over 7 furlongs, 1 mile and 1 mile 4 furlongs, but I don’t see that being an issue. She’s had a little bit of time off the track but again, I don’t see this being an issue as she had a 240 day break before winning the 1,000 Guineas last year. Currently (at the time of writing this – 11am on June 14th 2021 on Ladbrokes) she is 2/1 via Ladbrokes, 6/4 in some places. However you can’t rule out last years winner Lord North, but for me I am going with Love.

Who do you like the look of? Let me know over on Twitter. As always the odds may change, the lineup for the race may change, jockey’s may change etc due to the official declarations not yet being made however all information I have included was correct at the time of writing (11am on June 14th 2021).

I hope you enjoyed this one and I will see you tomorrow at 6pm for the ‘The History of the Ascot Gold Cup’.