Horses on parade as Sandown honours John Hales
Hales died in January at the age of 85 but his influence in racing has been felt consistently over the past decades with his famous yellow silks sported by some of the most popular National Hunt horses.
In recent years Hales joined forces with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason, and both were on hand to present the special award to Hales' widow Pat and daughter Lisa at the annual presentations which preceded the action on the final day of the season.
Former Manchester United manager Ferguson paid tribute to his friend and his love of grey horses and said: 'He was a fantastic man with a great eye for a horse. He loved his grey horses and I don't know why he did, but he had an obsession with grey horses and some of them were fantastic.
'He was a great mind and a kind man and we'll miss him. His passions were his horses and Aston Villa and he was a winner. He loved the sport no matter how they performed but he liked to win.'
Mason added: 'It was a great tribute by Sandown to give us the opportunity to remember what a great man John Hales was and not just to his friends and family, but also to racing and the wider racing community.
'His achievements are second to none and it's easier to say what races he hasn't won rather than the ones he has one. Hopefully we can continue his legacy into the future with Sir Alex and with Pat and Lisa's enthusiasm alongside us, I'm sure we will.'
The great One Man is perhaps one of Hales' most famous horses, while he also won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges.
The Aintree hero – who famously struck in the narrowest of fashions in the hands of Daryl Jacob in 2012 – was amongst six of Hales' horses to be paraded before racing, with others taking a lap of the parade ring including Champion Chase hero Politologue and last year's Ryanair Chase winner Protektorat.
Lisa Hales added: 'Dad loved jump racing and he loved Sandown Park, so it is very touching that he will be remembered with the Sandown Park Special Award.
'From the days of the great One Man right up to L'Eau Du Sud's success in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at the end of last year, there were many great occasions for us at Sandown Park over years and it is a huge for the Hales family that dad is honoured in this way.'
In recent years, Hales – along with his co-owners – has been central to the continued success of Paul Nicholls' Ditcheat operation, with the 14-time champion trainer hoping this year's stars Caldwell Potter and Kalif Du Berlais continue to fly the flag for Hales' memory.
'What an enthusiast John was. To involve his family and his pals in those horses, they've had so much fun,' said Nicholls.
'It's an exciting time with Caldwell Potter and Kalif Du Berlais, with plenty of younger ones at home. Olly Murphy has a few nice ones for them as well as Dan (Skelton), so we're all looking forward to next season.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Man Utd ‘make first Viktor Gyokeres approach as Ruben Amorim looks to beat Arsenal to huge £60m transfer'
MANCHESTER UNITED have made an initial approach for Viktor Gyokeres, according to reports. The striker scored 66 goals for Ruben Amorim when the pair worked together at Sporting. 2 2 In total, he boasts a staggering record of 97 goals in 102 appearances for the Portuguese giants. Gyokeres, 27, has an £84million release clause in his contract at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. However, Sky Sports News report United contacted Sporting to enquire about the Swedish international. But as revealed by SunSport, it is understood Gyokeres had a gentlemen's agreement with Sporting that he can leave for around £58-60m. And Amorim is desperate to be reunited with the striker - with his current No9s Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggling for goals. United cannot offer any European football next season - let alone Champions League football. But Amorim will hope his personal connection can entice Gyokeres, who is also wanted by Arsenal. Amorim has already completed his £62.5m transfer from Wolves. And the Red Devils also remain keen on landing Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. However, that deal has hit complications with Tottenham set to appoint Thomas Frank as their new manager. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Roy Keane admits surprise at being punched by person he 'loved' – 'He blamed me'
Roy Keane has opened up on the time he was punched by a former manager in the dressing room, after making a huge mistake in his early years as a player The late Brian Clough once punched Roy Keane in the dressing room, but that did not stop the fiery Manchester United legend from loving him. Before he became the explosive Red Devils captain that won everything there was to win, Keane played under Clough at Nottingham Forest, where he received the iconic manager's own brand of tough love. The two-time European Cup winner was the man who brought Keane to England, signing the Irishman from Cobh Ramblers in 1990. Keane quickly rose to prominence as one of the most promising young talents in European football. His journey under Clough was marked by many hard and, at times, physical lessons. One of those was brutally inflicted after an FA Cup third-round replay against Crystal Palace in 1991, where Keane made an error that led to them drawing at the City Ground. Reflecting on Clough's unique approach to management during a recent appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane said: "He (Clough) played mind games sometimes. If you got beaten, you'd think he's going to go after you and then he'd go the other way and go, 'Have a few days off.' "If you'd won a few, you'd be going, 'Listen, (I think we'll be getting) a couple of days off' and he'd be like, 'No, you're all in tomorrow.' He'd definitely be playing mind games." Keane reminisced about a stunning incident involving him and former team-mate Mark Crossley, who is widely known as 'Big Norm' around football. Keane turned to Crossley and added: "We (had) the incident with me, you and the Crystal Palace goal where he punched me after the game. He'd give me days off and he'd be brilliant." One of Keane's worst moments as a player came in the final minutes of that FA Cup clash, when his short back-pass resulted in Crossley fluffing a clearance to Palace star John Salako, who proceeded to lob in an equaliser to force another FA Cup replay. At the time, penalty shootouts were not part of the FA Cup, so Keane's error meant Forest had to face Palace in the competition for the third time that season. Re-living that painful moment, Keane added: "I'm looking and it was honestly like slow motion. You know about not upsetting the manager because we all loved Brian Clough. He gave us a chance like Norm did for me. "I remember John Salako got it and I'm looking at Norm running back. John Salako, what would he have been? Forty-five yards out? (I thought) 'Norm get back. He's f***ing not getting there'. I swear, as soon as I heard it hit the net... "He (Clough) blamed me for the back pass and it was the cup game. So then we went to a replay and he wanted the game done and dusted there. I think it ended up going to, three replays or something. "So he (Clough) had the thought of having a free weekend and was going, 'Now I've got to go to London, all the way to London to play Palace in the cup game that we hadn't won.' So he blamed me after the match." Turning to Crossley, Keane said: "I don't think you said much after the game. You just let me take the wrap for it. He (Clough) just punched me in the chest." Keane made 148 appearances at Forest between 1990 and 1993. He eventually left for United in a then British record £3.75million deal.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho accused in brutal attack on unwanted duo
Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho both fell out with Ruben Amorim this season, with the former being loaned out to Aston Villa in January, and both are likely to leave this summer Marcus Rashford has been accused of believing his own hype and coasting after signing his mega-money contract with Manchester United by Chris Waddle. Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa after falling out with United boss Ruben Amorim, who was unimpressed with his lack of effort and discipline. The move to Villa, where he scored four goals, earned Rashford an England recall, but injury ended his season prematurely and he is now looking for a new club, after accepting there is no way back for him under Amorim. Barcelona have been linked with a move for Rashford, but former England midfielder Waddle reckons the 27-year-old's lack of application will put clubs off from signing him on a permanent basis. Asked if Villa should try to sign Rashford on a permanent deal, Waddle said: 'Not really. I thought he did okay. But I think the problem with Rashford is he went to Villa. Listen, he's going to run around, he's going to try a lot harder than he did at United because it's a new club. 'But is he one of those players where once the fans start singing his name and he looks the part, does he then come off the pace and think, I've made it, I've got the shirt? 'I think that's what happened when he was at United, in my eyes. He thought he'd made it as the top player and just started to stroll around, doing what he wanted. That's what it looked like. 'Whoever takes him on is going to have to work out how to keep him on the top of his game every week. And I think that may scare a few teams off. 'As well as that, both United and Rashford will want a decent amount of money, so Villa may well think he's not done enough to warrant big wages and a transfer fee. I think it could be another year on loan before he finds somewhere permanent.' Waddle also accused Rashford's United team-mate Alejandro Garnacho of having an inflated sense of self-importance and thinking he is more valuable than he actually is. United are willing to listen to offers in the region of £40m for Garnacho, after the 20-year-old spoke out against Ruben Amorim's decision to drop him for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham. "I was surprised they left him out of the Europa League final because I think attacking Tottenham is the best way of getting results,' said Waddle, speaking to "And it looked like they were a little bit cagey. The formation United played. It was lacking in the creativity and directness you want. "When Garnacho came on, he looked very lively. But I don't know, modern players, I don't know if they get ahead of themselves. Instead of playing their football and keeping their emotions in check, they set themselves up for problems. They ask in public why they aren't playing. "Garnacho might look good in training, and maybe Amorim would want to pick him, but he doesn't. Garnacho talks like he's got a million games under his belt. We know he's a talented football player, but I think players at his age need to get their heads down, and if they're on the bench, well, that's a sign they need to improve to convince the manager. Just shut your mouth, get on with it. 'He's a young player with a lot of years ahead of him, and if a manager thinks you need pulling off, you accept it. He talks like he's a senior player in his late twenties, but right now he's still learning. There's talk of him going to Italy - let's see how that goes for him.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
