Greatest Horse Race in British History

[eldrick]

it was '75

bustino v grundy

you know where

( ask horsey )

[gm]

Ascot... but I might choose the '73 Grand National

[marknhj]

I've placed a bet only once in my life, Shergar in the 1981 Derby. Two years later abducted and assassinated by the IRA :shock:

[eldrick]

read this, it gives background :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Georg ... eth_Stakes

it was like a 10k wr race of geb v tergat

with tergat-bustino ( the indestructible ) getting komen (his boyz) to drag him thru in close to 13-flat & see if geb-grundy coud hold on

it's by far the greatest ever flat race on british soil ( read jonno/slim/andrea/steve ) - 2'26.98

( don't dare sully purity of racing with carthorses jumping fences ! )

[gm]

I worked at Coral Racing in my younger days, eldrick. I do know just a bit about exciting racing

[eldrick]

i'll quote wiki as it is bullshit copyright & anyone can alter the story :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundy_%28horse%29

Britain's "Race of the Century"

In The Guardian newspaper's list of the "10 greatest horse races of all time," the match between Grundy and Bustino in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot Racecourse on July 26, 1975 was ranked number two.

Three-year-old Grundy was up against a very solid field in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes that was open to older horses. The participants included Eclipse Stakes winner, Star Appeal, Nelson Bunker Hunt's mare, Dahlia, one of the greatest female horses in world Thoroughbred racing history, and Lady Beaverbrook's four-year-old horse Bustino, the winner of the previous year's St. Leger Stakes Classic.

Two of Bustino's "rabbit" stablemates set a blistering early pace in the 2,414 metre (1½ miles) race that was designed to wear down Grundy. With half a mile left to run, Bustino and jockey Joe Mercer moved into the lead. He was ahead by four lengths by the time they entered the top of the straight when Pat Eddery on Grundy mounted a charge. The two horses began pulling away from the rest of the field and with a furlong left to run, Grundy caught and passed Bustino who in turn refused to quit and retook the lead. Just fifty yards from the finish line, a relentless Grundy fought back and recaptured the lead, holding off Bustino's continued furious effort to win by half a length with Dahlia another five lengths behind in third.

Grundy's winning time of 2:26.98 demolished the race record by almost two and a half seconds. As of 2007, no horse has come close to equaling it. As sometimes happens, a race of this nature took a toll on both horses. Bustino never raced again, and Grundy ran only once more, finishing a tired fourth in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup after which he was retired to stud"

[eldrick]

as a scientist, who analysed secretariat's times, i have to simply admit, he'd have eaten these porkers for breakfast

following "top rabbits" at break-neck for 1M was "easy" for him at belmont

[gm]

Put Secretariat on a grass track that isn't pancake-flat and then get back to me

[eldrick]

he coudn't even figure out how to run on shit properly, but he learnt during the course of the race - see preakness when he clobbered them from last in a ~ 1 1/4

ergo

believe you me, that power was too much for ultimate-flat-hard-grass '75- george

[eldrick]

I worked at Coral Racing in my younger days, eldrick. I do know just a bit about exciting racing

not as much as broughie :

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/print/0, ... 53,00.html

[eldrick]

looked for the link to the weights between 3y/4y oles :

http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~louis/horse ... ce_100.htm

gives weight difference :

[quote]They say that the weights at Ascot – a stone difference between three-year-olds and their seniors – is inclined to favour the youngsters, but nobody is handing this prize to Grundy on a plate, least of all Bustino

[eldrick]

there is an analogy which can be made to athletics :

it's like saying to hayes :

"you're too big, mean & ugly against these boyz

we ain't letting you blast a 10.06 v 10.25 against them - we're going to slap 5lb on you"

( for the record, that woud slow his ~ 190lb frame down to

~ 10.20 )

[eldrick]

all the great brit horse races are on now

- greatest miler ever : brigadier gerard crushing mill reef in '71

- ?? greatest 1 1/2 mile horse ever : mill reef winning derby & arc ( see his dick broken above by the brigadier )

most idiot brit racing journalists will call the winner of the latter race ( above the brigadier's distance ) :

"britain's greatest horse"