Download or read book The Cheltenham Festival written by Robin Oakley and published by Aurum. This book was released on 2014-03-03 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Cheltenham Festival is nowadays the biggest event in the racing year – in visitor numbers eclipsing Royal Ascot, the Grand National or the Derby. In 2011 it is a hundred years since the 1911 running of the National Hunt Chase marked the birth of the Festival, providing the perfect occasion for Robin Oakley's new history. This is a work of both history and celebration – telling the story of how three days of jump racing beneath Cleeve Hill in Cheltenham became a vast sporting event attracting an average of 50,000 spectators per day. Before the War it saw legendary horses like Golden Miller; after the War the Irish invasion began – both horses and spectators; in the Sixties, Arkle, the greatest jumps horse of all time duelling with Mill House in the Gold Cup. In recent years there have been Cheltenham favourites like Desert Orchid, winning a gruelling Gold Cup in the mud, Dawn Run, Best Mate (2 Gold Cups), hurdlers like Istabraq and Persian War, and the grey hero One Man. But also it is a story of the craic and the characters, like the Irishman who won enough on Istabraq to pay off his mortgage, then lost it again on the Champion Chase, and reflected, "Ach, it was only a small house anyway…" This is a book for both the committed Festival-goer, Guinness in hand, and every armchair racing fan.
Download or read book The Ultimate Dream written by Bob Harman and published by Mainstream Publishing Company. This book was released on 2000 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its humble inception way back in 1924, the Cheltenham Gold Cup has grown in status and popularity and is now widely regarded as the world's greatest steeplechase. Climbing the famous Cheltenham hill to victory has been compared to reaching the peak of Everest or - in the words of Jonjo O'Neill, who rode 1986 winner Dawn Run - 'trying to get to Heaven'.
Download or read book Arkle written by Anne Holland and published by The O'Brien Press. This book was released on 2013-10-14 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1964, Arkle's first-place finish in the Cheltenham Gold Cup was the first big win by Ireland's most celebrated racehorse: the horse by which all others are measured. Fifty years on from the start of his incredible career - which included wins in the Cheltenham Gold Cup (three times), Irish Grand National, Hennessy Gold Cup, King George VI Chase and Punchestown Gold Cup - Anne Holland looks at Arkle's life and legend through the eyes of those who knew him best . She describes Arkle's career, his incredible wins, and the people involved with him , interviewing many of his connections, including Jim Dreaper, Paddy Woods, Tom Taaffe, sculptor Emma McDermott, the Baker family and others . Arkle was a star - the story goes that he received items of fan mail addressed to 'Himself, Ireland' - and th is is a well-researched and intimate portrait of a legendary horse. Shortlisted for Horse Racing Book of the Year 2014, British Sports Book Awards
Download or read book 75 Years of the Gold Cup written by Bob Harman and published by Mainstream Publishing Company Limited. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its inception in 1924, the Gold Cup has grown in status to the point where it is widely regarded as the world's greatest steeplechase. The aim of this book is to encapsulate both memories from the race's history and views of the 1999 challengers.
Download or read book Festival Gold written by Stewart Peters and published by History Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the definitive history of the Cheltenham Festival, covering the last forty years. Featuring the Gold Cup, the Queen Mother Championship Chase, the Championship Hurdle and other important races from each year, this is a great read for anyone with an interest in the sport of kings. Superbly illustrated with 100 photographs (80 colour) from the amazing collection of Bernard Parkin, one of the most respected photographers in the racing world, this is a beautiful and evocative book. All the results from each festival are included, as well as comprehensive backgrounds to the chief participants, the conditions and the characters associated with the event - from the legendary Arkle and Best Mate to Tom Dreaper and the Queen Mother. A lavish and comprehensive history of this major sporting event, it is an essential purchase for any racing fan.
Download or read book The Cheltenham Gold Cup written by John Welcome and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Grey Horse written by Richard Burridge and published by . This book was released on 2004-03-01 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grey horses have a special charisma - indeed, there are now even whole racesedicated to them. But Desert Orchid was also an astounding record breaker -inner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the Whitbread Gold Cup, the Irish Grandational, and an extraordinary four-times victor in the prestigious Queenother Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. His triumphs, and his rareailures, became front-page news: he is unquestionably the only horse inritain to have attained a kind of rock-star celebrity. Though he ran hisast race in 1990, his fame is such that at the age of 24 he still puts inegular personal appearances at Cheltenham on Gold Cup Day and Kempton onoxing Day, unquestionably as one of the biggest stars of the show. Richardurridge has been Desert Orchid's owner from the beginning; this is hisnside story of one of the bravest horses British racing has ever seen.
Download or read book The Champion Hurdle written by Michael Tanner and published by Mainstream Publishing. This book was released on 2002 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the years, many of National Hunt racings most renowned equine and human celebraties have been associated with the hurdling's Blu Riband event. The roll of honour reads like an encyclopedia of the sport. From Blaris to Istabraq, all the great horses are her, notably the elite quintet of triple champions: 'the ugly duckling' Hattons Grace; surely 'the ul timate champion' Persian War; the irascible pair Sir Ken and See You Then--and Istabraq himself, denied his first crack at the elusive fourth title because of the disasterouis foot and mouth outbreak of 2001. Their stories evoke memories of mighty deeds, while those of horses like Merry Deal, Winning Fair, Dawn Run and Flakey Dove, for in stance, require belief in fairy tales. The gallery of human participants adds to the action and romance. No history can be dull when it involves owners like the inveterate gamb-ler and eccentric Dorothy Paget; trainers like the charismatic Ryan Pr ice, Irish Wizard Vincemt O'Brian or the mould breaking Martin Pipe--and jockeys such as the irrepressible Fred Winter and the unstoppable Tony McCoy.
Download or read book The Horse written by Julie Whitaker and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2007-05-15 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Looks at every aspect of the horse, discussing its evolution, biology, history, characteristics, behavior, and relationship with humankind in the areas of work, sport, and leisure, providing essential facts, trivia, and lore.
Download or read book The golden 80s written by John Drinkwater and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Festival Fever written by Anne Holland and published by The O'Brien Press Ltd. This book was released on 2017-10-09 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is said the land level of Ireland rises a few feet every March because so many people have left for the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham. English-Irish rivalry at this pinnacle of jump racing has always been keen but it has risen to new levels in the 21st Century, with many Irish winners across all the races, including the Gold Cup, Queen Mother Chase, Champion Hurdle and Stayers Hurdle. But Festival Fever, The Irish At Cheltenham is about more than the winners, it is the whole atmosphere, the mix of ex-pat and visiting Irish among the thronging crowds, the craic; what goes on behind the scenes; many surprising stories are told. It is also about the fascinating history – racing was banned at Cheltenham for a period during the 19th century; and the 1980s saw a dearth of Irish runners which led to enterprising attempts by the racecourse to woo them back.
Download or read book Betting for a Living written by Nick Mordin and published by Aesculus Press Ltd. This book was released on 2002-09 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book When Bobby Met Christy written by Declan Colley and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The heatwarming and unlikely story of Irish jockey Bobby Beasley.
Download or read book Under Orders written by Dick Francis and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2006-09-07 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than an eyebrow.’ It’s the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley. Former champion jockey Halley knows the perils of racing all too well – but in his day, jockeys didn’t usually reach the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. But this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker – who, only a few hours earlier, had won the coveted Triumph Hurdle. Just moments before the gruesome discovery, Halley had been called upon by Lord Enstone to make discrete enquiries into why his horses appeared to be on a permanent losing streak. Are races being fixed? Are bookies taking a cut? And if so, are trainers and jockeys playing a dangerous game with stakes far higher than they realise? Halley’s quest for answers draws him ever deeper into the darker side of the race game, in a life-or-death power play that will push him to his very limits – both professionally and personally. In his first new novel for six years, Dick Francis returns to prove once again that he is the Grand Master of thriller writing.
Download or read book Better Than Sex written by Mick Fitzgerald and published by Highdown. This book was released on 2009-05-29 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The autobiography of the well-loved Irish jockey and racing pundit who has won every major prize in jump racing. Mick Fitzgerald reveals the struggles, the temptations, the victories and the celebrations. He also gives his opinion on how the sport has changed during the 19 years since he crossed the Irish Sea.
Download or read book Best Mate written by Henrietta Knight and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two images immortalize the 2003 Cheltenham Festival: the brilliant Best Mate sprinting clear in the Gold Cup, and trainer Henrietta Knight embracing husband Terry Biddlecombe in a celebration, not just of victory but of life itself. This is Henrietta's own story on the horse and the hug. successes, culminating in back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cup wins, have made him a TV superstar. In telling the horse's story - from a rain-soaked foal stranded on an Irish hillside to the big, bold and ballet-supple athlete who now pitches for a third Gold Cup - Henrietta has also recounted her own romantic tale. How she, an aristocratic former school teacher, met Terry Biddlecombe, the Prince Hall of his own champion jockey era, thus forging a rock solid if rather implausible double act that has been so instumental in helping each through their difficult times. produced an interesting insight into the making of a champion and the shared dreams that sustain those around him.
Download or read book The Dikler and His Circle written by Mary Comyns Carr and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
