Who was the first female jockey to ride in the Grand National?

The first female jockey to ride in the Grand National was 21-year-old Charlotte Brew who, in 1977, partnered her own horse, the 12-year-old Barony Court. A safe, if rather slow, jumper Barony Court had qualified for the National by finishing fourth in the fourth in the Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase, over the Grand National fences, the previous season. Although her mount was an apparent no-hoper, the significance of her participation in the celebrated steeplechase, following the enactment of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, made Brew front-page news beforehand.

Set off at 200/1, Barony Court was still standing at the fourth-last fence, where he refused, not once, but four times, before Brew finally gave up. Unfortunately, after the race, Charlotte Brew and Barony Court were rather overshadowed by Tommy Carberry and Red Rum, who beat Churchtown Boy by 25 lengths to record his historic third win in the National, after his previous victories in 1973 and 1974. In fact, as Red Rum was being led towards the winners’ enclosure, Brew was spotted by Sir Peter O’Sullevan, in the vicinity of the Melling Road, hacking Barony Court back towards the grandstands.

What do letters mean in form figures?

On a racecard, the form figures or, in other words, the string of numbers and letters to the left of each horse’s name, provide a ‘snapshot’ of its performance in recent races. Read from left to right, or least to most recent, the numbers 0-9 denote the horse’s finishing positions, if any, with ‘0’ representing a finishing position of tenth or higher.

Of course, not all horses finish all the races in which they participate, so form figures may contain letters, which, for the most part, indicate why a horse failed to finish. Alphabetically, ‘B’ stands for ‘Brought down’, ‘C’ stands for ‘Carried out’, meaning that the horse strayed from the designated course, or missed an obstacle, as the result of being hampered by a rival, and ‘F’ stands for ‘Fell’. ‘L’ stands for ‘Left at start’, meaning that the horse came under starter’s orders, but took no part, while ‘O’ stands for ‘ran Out’. The remaining letters, ‘P’ for ‘Pulled up’, ‘R’ for ‘Refused’, ‘S’ for ‘Slipped up’ and ‘U’ for ‘Unseated rider’, require no further explanation.

Two other letters, with a slightly different connotation, which may appear in form figures are ‘D’ and ‘V’; ‘D’ stands for ‘Disqualified’, while ‘V’ stands for ‘Void’, which indicates that, for whatever reason, the result of the race was stricken from the record.

On which horse did Lester Piggott win his final Classic?

On which horse did Lester Piggott win his final Classic? At the time of his retirement, for the first time, in 1985, Lester Piggott had won 29 British Classics, including a record nine wins in the Derby, and won the jockeys’ title 11 times. Two years later, he admitted defrauding Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs of £3.25 million and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Piggott served 366 days and was released in 1988.

Two years later, Piggott resumed his riding career, famously winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Belmont Park, New York on Royal Academy, trained by Vincent O’Brien, in 1990. Two years later still, in 1992, improved upon his unprecendented record in British Classics by winning the 2,000 Guineas on Rodrigo De Triano, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam.

The son of El Gran Senor had lost his unbeaten record when only fourth in the Greenham Stakes on his reappearance at Newbury the previous month, when ridden by Willie Carson. However, ridden for the first time by Piggott, Rodrigo De Triano won the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarker and followed up in the Irish equivalent at the Curragh two weeks later, again under Piggott. Later the same season, the partnership also won the Juddmonte International Stakes ar York and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket. Piggott finally retired for a final time in October, 1994, with 4,493 winners to his name, including 30 British Classic winners.

 

What Are Horse Racing Silks?

What Are Horse Racing Silks? They help identify each horse in a race, the owner choosing their design such as shapes and colours. This consists of a top and cap. The cap may be a different colour and design from the top.

If an owner has more than one horse in a race they are often identified by a different colours cap such as white, red or blue.

The practice of using racing silks originated in England.

Horse racing silks are not a new idea and date back to the 12th century. However, many historians assign them around the date of 1515 when Henry VIII was king. In the 17th – 18th century is was more customary for jockeys to wear colourful silks.

You can design your own unique racing silks via a number of companies (such as Gibson Saddlers) however the guidelines for these are outlined by the British Racing Authority. This detail a set of 18 colours to choose from with a variety of shapes and designs. They can be made of crepe satin or pure silk.

Racing silks may be registered annually, or every 5, 10 or 20 years.

Some of the most famous horse racing silks have been sold.

It is reputed that the royal blue silks of Godolphin were originally in the ownership of Alan Bailey. Simon Crisford, now a horse trainer but originally racing manager for Godolphin, was said to have contacted Bailey to buy the silks for £500. However, following negotiations between the two Sheikh Mohammed wrote a cheque for £26,000. A lot of money in the 1980s, now seemingly a giveaway in these modern times.

What would your racing silks look like?

 

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