Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[RED-DOG]

Tikay 

My name is Maria and I'm all woman. Pleased to meet you.

I wish everyone was that clear about it.

[tikay]

There is a legends of racing series in the RP this week Tony and yesterday featured Michael Dickinson, focussing mainly on his famous five in the Gold Cup.

There were two stats in there that I found amazing. The first one was his total wins figure, which for a man held in such high regard was only 380 winners ( this was in fact only 2 more winners than the 378 he rode as a jockey)

The second was he still holds the world record for a trainer with most winners in one day which was the 12 he had from 20 runners on December the 27th 1982. What intrigued me the most about that was he ran 20 horses that day and 19 of them finished in the first three. The incredible number in that story for me was his total string that season was just 55 horses, so he managed to get just under 40% of his entire string to run in the first three in one day, this included the winner and the 3rd in the King George.

Been meaning to reply to that for weeks now, Phil.

If anyone follows jump racing, they'd do well to read your Post.

We have Posted about longevity, talent, & freak results today, & the Dickinson family tick all those boxes.

I followed the Dickinsons from start to finish, I think Tony - the Dad - held the Trainers licence originally, but wife Monica was the powerhouse. Michael - the son - was the stable jockey, then took over the training licence, & after he retired, I think Monica, who died recently, took the reins again.

Michael was a fine jockey, a bit tall, but rarely lost a race he should have won. I backed them almost blind, including all 19 of his runners on that famous Boxing Day, ugh, how daft was that?

There was no value, of course, the prices were always skinny, the value - which I had - was in the early years, with horses like Gay Spartan - the best the stable ever had imo - & Silver Buck.

Will any trainer, or stable, ever saddle the front 5 again in a Cheltenham Gold Cup? That, I doubt.

They finished like this.....

1) Bregawn

2) Captain John

3) Wayward Lad

4) Silver Buck (the best of the 5, imo)

5) Ashley House.

Big race wins for Michael, as a trainer? He just got the lot. Look at this for a roll of honour.....

Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase (1981)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (1981)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (1982, 1983)
Hennessy Gold Cup (1982)
King George VI Chase (1982, 1983)
Peter Marsh Chase (1982, 1983)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1982, 1983, 1984)
Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (1983)
Blue Square Gold Cup (1983)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1984)
Top Novices' Hurdle (1984)

Later, he became a flat trainer, for Sangster, & then in America, but he never cut it, (though he did win two Breeders Cups with the same perpetually injured horse, "Da Hoss"), & eventually moved into another field altogether, with a Synthetic Turf business. No idea if he is still doing that, or even still alive.

We will never see the likes if the Dickinson family again.

Michael was a lovely kid, modest & humble to a fault, impossible to dislike, really.

Oh what wonderful memories the Dickinson's have given me. Not all my gambling memories are good, far from it, but I was way ahead of the bookies with that family.





Here's Monica, with Wayward Lad, in '86.

I believe his synthetic surface courses have gone down incredibly well, some of the new courses in Dubai are using the surface now.

In the interview they did ask him  about his time as Sangster's private trainer and he told a story of Peter O'Sullivan visiting Manton a few weeks after Dickinson had moved there. O Sullivan took one look at the turf on the gallops and told Dickinson it was about the worst he had seen, summat to do with the soil consistency.As he was leaving he casually told Dickinson that one bookmaker was betting a 'most flat winners this season' market between him and Lester Piggott.

According to the story O Sullivan had a big bet on Piggott based purely on his feel for the state the gallops were in.

Talking of LP, its never a bad time to watch IMO one of the best rides ever, 54 years old and getting a 6 furlong horse to win a mile race, less than two weeks after you return to the saddle after retirement and jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmTcCW31JE

You have just lost all credibility.

Silver Buck was better Wayward Lad?

Complete balderdash.

Well now you know why I packed up punting! I adored Silver Buck, was a “favourite” of mine, & as you know, emotion is a bad thing in punting. It’d be like you backing QPR every week – it makes no sense.

I am quite sure you are correct, but it’s closer than you might think, & deffo not so far of the mark as to be “balderdash”. Maybe.

It’s not easy to compare subjectives,  Silver Buck won a Cheltenham Gold Cup, which, to my mind, is THE supreme test of a chaser, but Wayward Lad never did. Lad, however, won three King George’s, whereas Buck “only” won one King George.

Buck won 34 races from 48 starts, & Lad won 28 times from 55 starts. In fairness, that is meaningless, but I need all the help I can get here. Buck had winning prize money of £177,000, Lad around £220,000.

Sources are…..

http://www.famousracehorses.co.uk/silverbuck.htm

http://www.famousracehorses.co.uk/wayward_lad.htm

The Racing Post “Top 100 Racehorses” however, have the 2 horses “almost identically” rated, see….

http://www.rlwebsite.com/horseracing/racingpost100.htm

Tell you what, why don’t we let the Annual Timeform Ratings arbitrate? I have the full set of “Chasers & Hurdlers of 19….” at home, (Derbyshire abode) & I’ll pick them up later this week. If the two horses are within 5lbs of each other, (using their highest annual rating) then I retain my integrity, such as it is. If more than 5lbs separate them, you win, & I was talking balderdash, a sort of Mini Red-Dog. 

Deal?

[tikay]

Sky have got this baby in Reception, in readiness for their F1 Coverage.

Some peeps get all starry-eyed when they see a F1 car. Not me.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[JaffaCake]

did u dress your upper half palindromically this morning?

[GreekStein]

Couldn't you have stood to the side of that cutout too?

[tikay]

Couldn't you have stood to the side of that cutout too?

No, I was trying to pass myself off as the potential driver. Tom would probably believe it.

[GreekStein]

Couldn't you have stood to the side of that cutout too?

No, I was trying to pass myself off as the potential driver. Tom would probably believe it.

Well you passed yourself off as the driver's love interest.

[b4matt]

Couldn't you have stood to the side of that cutout too?

No, I was trying to pass myself off as the potential driver. Tom would probably believe it.

Possibly if you were stood in front of Chitty Chitty bang bang..

[Eck]

Couldn't you have stood to the side of that cutout too?

No, I was trying to pass myself off as the potential driver. Tom would probably believe it.

Possibly if you were standing next to Miss Daisy.

fyp

[tikay]

Warren Buffet seems to share your views on Tesco's recent announcements and share price falls...
http://www.fool.co.uk/news/investing/2012/01/19/buffett-buys-more-tesco.aspx?source=ufwflwlnk0000001

Hi David.

I think, possibly, it may be more correct to say I share HIS views! I do have a few shares in Tesco, but I think Warren has rather more than me. Quite a few rather more.

I did comment earlier, actually, here.....

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=25486.25365

I also note that Tesco shares closed today at £3.35, up from around £3.14 after the "bad" results were announced.

I have, privately, recommended these Share to several blondes, & they are already in profit, though my advice would be to hold them for the long-term, as they are a bet to nothing. Almost.

Perhaps we should seek Doobbs advice, as she he understand these things.

[doubleup]

There is a legends of racing series in the RP this week Tony and yesterday featured Michael Dickinson, focussing mainly on his famous five in the Gold Cup.

There were two stats in there that I found amazing. The first one was his total wins figure, which for a man held in such high regard was only 380 winners ( this was in fact only 2 more winners than the 378 he rode as a jockey)

The second was he still holds the world record for a trainer with most winners in one day which was the 12 he had from 20 runners on December the 27th 1982. What intrigued me the most about that was he ran 20 horses that day and 19 of them finished in the first three. The incredible number in that story for me was his total string that season was just 55 horses, so he managed to get just under 40% of his entire string to run in the first three in one day, this included the winner and the 3rd in the King George.

Been meaning to reply to that for weeks now, Phil.

If anyone follows jump racing, they'd do well to read your Post.

We have Posted about longevity, talent, & freak results today, & the Dickinson family tick all those boxes.

I followed the Dickinsons from start to finish, I think Tony - the Dad - held the Trainers licence originally, but wife Monica was the powerhouse. Michael - the son - was the stable jockey, then took over the training licence, & after he retired, I think Monica, who died recently, took the reins again.

Michael was a fine jockey, a bit tall, but rarely lost a race he should have won. I backed them almost blind, including all 19 of his runners on that famous Boxing Day, ugh, how daft was that?

There was no value, of course, the prices were always skinny, the value - which I had - was in the early years, with horses like Gay Spartan - the best the stable ever had imo - & Silver Buck.

Will any trainer, or stable, ever saddle the front 5 again in a Cheltenham Gold Cup? That, I doubt.

They finished like this.....

1) Bregawn

2) Captain John

3) Wayward Lad

4) Silver Buck (the best of the 5, imo)

5) Ashley House.

Big race wins for Michael, as a trainer? He just got the lot. Look at this for a roll of honour.....

Mildmay of Flete Handicap Chase (1981)
Mersey Novices' Hurdle (1981)
Cheltenham Gold Cup (1982, 1983)
Hennessy Gold Cup (1982)
King George VI Chase (1982, 1983)
Peter Marsh Chase (1982, 1983)
Queen Mother Champion Chase (1982, 1983, 1984)
Sun Alliance Novices' Hurdle (1983)
Blue Square Gold Cup (1983)
Supreme Novices' Hurdle (1984)
Top Novices' Hurdle (1984)

Later, he became a flat trainer, for Sangster, & then in America, but he never cut it, (though he did win two Breeders Cups with the same perpetually injured horse, "Da Hoss"), & eventually moved into another field altogether, with a Synthetic Turf business. No idea if he is still doing that, or even still alive.

We will never see the likes if the Dickinson family again.

Michael was a lovely kid, modest & humble to a fault, impossible to dislike, really.

Oh what wonderful memories the Dickinson's have given me. Not all my gambling memories are good, far from it, but I was way ahead of the bookies with that family.





Here's Monica, with Wayward Lad, in '86.

I believe his synthetic surface courses have gone down incredibly well, some of the new courses in Dubai are using the surface now.

In the interview they did ask him  about his time as Sangster's private trainer and he told a story of Peter O'Sullivan visiting Manton a few weeks after Dickinson had moved there. O Sullivan took one look at the turf on the gallops and told Dickinson it was about the worst he had seen, summat to do with the soil consistency.As he was leaving he casually told Dickinson that one bookmaker was betting a 'most flat winners this season' market between him and Lester Piggott.

According to the story O Sullivan had a big bet on Piggott based purely on his feel for the state the gallops were in.

Talking of LP, its never a bad time to watch IMO one of the best rides ever, 54 years old and getting a 6 furlong horse to win a mile race, less than two weeks after you return to the saddle after retirement and jail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymmTcCW31JE

You have just lost all credibility.

Silver Buck was better Wayward Lad?

Complete balderdash.

Well now you know why I packed up punting! I adored Silver Buck, was a “favourite” of mine, & as you know, emotion is a bad thing in punting. It’d be like you backing QPR every week – it makes no sense.

I am quite sure you are correct, but it’s closer than you might think, & deffo not so far of the mark as to be “balderdash”. Maybe.

It’s not easy to compare subjectives,  Silver Buck won a Cheltenham Gold Cup, which, to my mind, is THE supreme test of a chaser, but Wayward Lad never did. Lad, however, won three King George’s, whereas Buck “only” won one King George.

Buck won 34 races from 48 starts, & Lad won 28 times from 55 starts. In fairness, that is meaningless, but I need all the help I can get here. Buck had winning prize money of £177,000, Lad around £220,000.

Sources are…..

http://www.famousracehorses.co.uk/silverbuck.htm

http://www.famousracehorses.co.uk/wayward_lad.htm

The Racing Post “Top 100 Racehorses” however, have the 2 horses “almost identically” rated, see….

http://www.rlwebsite.com/horseracing/racingpost100.htm

Tell you what, why don’t we let the Annual Timeform Ratings arbitrate? I have the full set of “Chasers & Hurdlers of 19….” at home, (Derbyshire abode) & I’ll pick them up later this week. If the two horses are within 5lbs of each other, (using their highest annual rating) then I retain my integrity, such as it is. If more than 5lbs separate them, you win, & I was talking balderdash, a sort of Mini Red-Dog. 

Deal?

I still remember clearly watching Silver Buck and Night Nurse in a race (Haydock?) - they were head to head, fence after fence, both 100% committed.  The pub was beside a bookies with shouts of c'mon the Buck!, c'mom the Nurse! being traded by the opposing camps with increasing loudness.  Wish I could find a clip of the race.

[tikay]

Night Nurse was really something special, & was usually ridden by Paddy Broderick, who had a very "long" riding style, very oldf-fashioned.

Night Nurse won successive Champion Hurdles, & wiki states that his Timeform rating - 182 - was the highest ever for a hurdler. He later, of course, turned to chasing.

There's a memory or two here, in the highest ever Timeform rated Hurdlers, if Wiki has it correct - which I doubt on this occasion.

182 - Night Nurse
180 - Istabraq, Monksfield
179 - Persian War
178 - Comedy of Errors, Le Sauvignon
177 - Lanzarote, Limestone Lad
176 - Bird's Nest, Bula, Golden Cygnet
175 - Baracouda, Gaye Brief, Salmon Spray, Sea Pigeon

[SuuPRlim]

feel free to ignore my question

[tikay]

feel free to ignore my question

I'm working my way round to it! Always leave the best until last, see?

It would help me if you had said what specifically you liked about the Post, but I'll reply as best I can shortly.

Kids eh, so impatient!

[Karabiner]

feel free to ignore my question

I'm working my way round to it! Always leave the best until last, see?

It would help me if you had said what specifically you liked about the Post, but I'll reply as best I can shortly.

Kids eh, so impatient!

While you're at it perhaps it's now time to tell me/us about your record collection when you were a young man.