My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Just as well for Tiger Roll that the finish line came when it did. The 8-year old Irish gelding ridden by Davy Russell won the 2018 Aintree Grand National in a photo finish, holding off a late run by Pleasant Colony. A few more strides and the outcome might have been different! One of the […]
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As we head into the Aintree Grand National Weekend, this jockey cam video gives you a great feeling for what those fences are like without the chaos of the race. Ride along with jockey AP McCoy on Hello Bud, an 18-year old chaser. Pretty impressive to be jumping that course at age 18, don’t you […]
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Right now I have a special interest in studying equestrians recovering from broken bones. How long before they rode again? How injured were they? Did it make them more cautious. For example, champion UK jockey Ruby Walsh fractured his tibia at Punchestown in November, but he set his sights on the Cheltenham Festival, which starts […]
Read MoreDick Francis fans will recognize the name Cheltenham as the setting of several of his racing novels — Damage, Under Orders, and Comeback to name a few — which makes it a destination event for racing fans worldwide. England’s Cheltenham Festival was first held in 1860 and was first held in Prestley Park, its current […]
Read MoreWhile the Aintree Grand National is one of the best known steeplechase races in the world, the title of the toughest race now goes to the Velká Pardubická (the Grand Pardubice), a cross country steeplechase that has been run in Pardubice, Czech Republic since 1874. It takes place every year on the second Sunday in […]
Read MoreWoody Allen once said that 80% of success is showing up. The 2017 Maryland Hunt Club demonstrated the truth to that statement when eight out of the 10 starters failed to finish. The result? Long shot Derwins Prospector crossed the finish line three-quarters of a length ahead of Drift Society to take home the $60,000 […]
Read MoreThe Maryland Hunt Cup may be the closest thing we have in the States to the Grand National. The four mile race includes 22 timber fences, with several of the jumps approaching 5′. The 121st running will take place this Saturday, April 29th. The race began in 1894 as a competition between the Elkridge Fox […]
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