THE RACING POST WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12th 2011 THE REAL WAR HORSE

THE RACING POST WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12th 2011

RACING POST WEEK MONDAY OCTOBER 10, TO  SUNDAY OCTOBER 16.  2011

TODAY'S RACECARDS: Nottingham, Wetherby, Lingfield, Kempton and Punchestown.

ALDENITI TRAINER GIFFORD CRITICAL WITH  SEPTICEMIA

"JOSH GIFFORD, the former champion jockey and Grand National –winning trainer, is seriously ill  in hospital with septicaemia. His son Nick, who took over the famous Findon stables when his father retired in 2003, said yesterday: ‘Dad is very ill and it’s a day at a time at the moment-it’s fingers crossed. He played golf on Friday afternoon but wasn’t feeling well that night. He was taken to hospital on Saturday morning and found to have septicaemia.”

“Gifford, 70, is in hospital in Worthing and was described as critical but stable yesterday.

“Gifford fell ill at the same time as Terry Biddlecombe, his old adversary and friend in the saddle. The pair won seven jump jockeys’ titles between them in 1960’s.

“Gifford, the four-time champion, took over the famous Downs stables in Findon in 1970 and sent out a succession of big-race winners, including seven Cheltenham Festival winners. His most famous winner was ALDANITI, hero of the 1981 Grand National under BOB CHAMPION, , who had fought back from cancer. The story was commemorated in the film Champions, starring John Hurt. Gifford was played by Edward Woodward.”

“UPBEAT bulletin on BIDDLECOMBE

TERRY BIDDLECOMBE, husband of trainer Henrietta Knight, has had  ‘ a good 24 hours’ in his recovery from a stroke.  Biddlecombe, who was three-times champion in the 1960’s was admitted to Oxford’s John Radcliffe hospital on Saturday.

“Everything is more upbeat today, ” Knight wrote on her website yesterday. He has had a good 24 hours and is able to say a few sentences. He is not very fluent and gets lost for words, but it is a lot more encouraging and he has an excellent speech therapist. A good few swear words come out. He will stay in hospital for a while but is overwhelmed by all the messages he has had from well  wishers. Thank you all so much.”

“The pair were responsible for the success of BEST MATE, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running from 2002.”

ANDREW SCUTTS  MC COY:" It cannot go on like this ....  

“FRUSTRATED champ says new whip rules are unworkable in heat of battle ....

“A GRIM-FACED Tony McCoy yesterday voiced his dissatisfaction with the whip rules and called for change as jump jockeys had their first taste of riding under the new regime at Huntingdon. Unlike Monday, when the stringent changes were introduced, there were no bans at Britain’s three fixtures yesterday but riders from both codes again aired there concerns , with Frankie Dettori agreeing with multiple champion jockey McCoy that the rules needed “tweeking” and said it was easier said than done sticking to hit limits. Despite winning the 3m2f  handicap hurdle on LOST GLORY by a nose after hitting his mount six times - two short of the maximum-McCoy underlined resentment in the weighing room.

“At the heart of the unrest are the new penalties, whereby one hit above the limit incurs a minimum five - day ban and loss of riding fee – and percentage of prize money. Mc Coy visibly trying to restrain his frustration, said: ‘We’re aware the rules had to change but these new rules have to be tinkered with. I know some have said its easy to count in your head, but if anyone has a bit of a will to win, counting in your head is not particularly easy in a three-and -a-quarter-mile race.”

“Cautions have been given to Robert Winston, Fergus Sweeney and Sean Curren over the past two- days for slaps down the neck with hands on reins, and McCoy added: ”We have to be a bit lenient with a slap- down- the- neck -rulings . My daughter Eve is the most precious thing in the world to me, but she wouldn’t mind me lightly slapping her leg. It seems more to do with the noise that a whip makes than anything.”

ANDREW SCUTTS “WINNERS AND LOOSERS
TO SLAM WHIP RULES AFTER BANS.

“CONNECTIONS OF THE HORSES INVOLVED in the close finish to the race at Salisbury on Monday that yielded the first whip bans under the new regime, criticized the amended rules yesterday.  KIEREN FOX  was handed a 15-day ban for hitting short-head winner ORTHODOX LAD 11 times, including seven times in the final furlong, as the new rules allow only seven hits in a Flat race, with no more than five in the final furlong. HARRY BENTLEY stayed within the rules on runner up OETZI, whom he struck four times , and trainer Alan Jarvis said yesterday he believed in such circumstances the winner should be disqualified, although he also criticised the timing of the introduction of the changes. Jarvis said: 'The owner thought he had been penalised for his jockey obeying the rules. I always tell my jockeys not to hit the horse too often. I believe a jockey gets more out of a horse through changing hands, for example.  OETZI is a relaxed, lazy horse, and HARRY felt with another slap he'd have won. One more hit might have made the difference, but although HARRY hit him four times, he wasn't sure how many he had left. HARRY said he found it very difficult and was frightened to hit the horse again . He felt he should have won and I feel it was unfair we lost. I would be infavour of disqualifying winners who's jockeys break the rules but I cannot see that happening; owners would be unhappy to loose prize-money through no fault of their own , but then again its up to them not to put up jockeys who transgress the rules."

FEATURE THE REAL WAR HORSE  

"HE WAS ONE OF THE BRAVEST ANYWHERE, OF ANY TIME – WARRIOR  - THE HORSE THE GERMANS COULD NOT KILL.

BROUGH SCOTT,  SEELY’S GRANDSON  charts the life and times of war horse WARRIOR, accompanied by an extract from the book. WARRIOR: THE AMAZING STORY OF A REAL WAR HORSE can be bought from racingpost.com /bookshop TEL: 01933 304858 and costs £11.99 (rrp £14.99)

"ON MARCH 18, 1918 I handed over my command at Vadencourt to the infantry and rode away on WARRIOR from Small Foot Wood. But again, as at Cambrai, hopes of a long rest were doomed to dissapointment. Munnings was with me, and we rode to the Chateau of the Marquis de Bargemont, where WARRIOR was housed in a magnificent stable. He had never seen anything like it since he had left Freddie Guest's stable at Burley-on-the Hill ......


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SHEIKH FAHAD, the man backing Britain’s richest ever race day, QIPCO CHAMPIONS DAY on Saturday talks to JULIAN MUSCAT

“I am young but racing is a passion to me and I’m eager to learn’

“IN 18 MONTHS of racehorse ownership he has accomplished what many achieve only in the dead of night. Already under his belt is a first Royal Ascot winner, a first Group 1 winner and an assured trading profit for the second year in succession …..

CLARE BALDING, BBC presenter "For the BBC it gives us a real finale to our Flat coverage. Sport works best when everyone is at a crescendo point and the whole day looks very strong.

"When you look at the headliners, we are incredibly fortunate to have a horse like FRANKEL, trained by someone like Sir Henry Cecil. He is an exceptional equine talant, possibly the horse of the decade, not just the year. The way he goes about his racing is so exciting for everyone, even for non racing people - they just get it.

"I think Frankie is the other headliner. He's got some good rides and I know he 's really up for it. He is such a big draw. The Queen is going to be there, which adds real glamour, and she might have a runner in the stayers' race with TACTICIAN.

"There are so many potential stories. Its great that people have really supported it. The races are over-subscribed and it really is an amazing racing line-up throughout.

"On the BBC we're going to have real time to build up each race. Longchamp was a great day, but I'm excited to finish the season at Ascot. We' ve got the chance to put a proper full stop at the end of the British Flat season, although when you look at the line-up this year, I hope its going to be more of an explanation mark.

"We've had some tough moments with the deaths in the National and recently there has been a lot of debate about the whip. It will be good to get some positive focus and hopefully the chance to show the real joy of racing."