logo
John Hunt returns to airwaves at Cheltenham to shame gutless crossbow killer

John Hunt returns to airwaves at Cheltenham to shame gutless crossbow killer

Yahoo14-03-2025

As he returned to the BBC airwaves without a crackle of emotion in his voice, John Hunt did not hint at the unimaginable horrors he has faced of late.
Yet the esteemed broadcaster's appearance in Cheltenham's commentary box above the winning post on Wednesday was nevertheless an emphatic message to Kyle Clifford.
Hunt had been delivering on a pledge he sent just 72 hours earlier to Clifford, the crossbow killer. 'I want you to see what real courage is,' Hunt had told Clifford, who was gutlessly absent from Cambridge Crown Court as a judge handed down three whole-life sentences.
In contrast to Clifford's cowardice, Hunt vowed on Tuesday to carry on 'no matter what' to honour his murdered wife and two daughters. 'You failed,' he had told Clifford.
Returning to the Radio Five Live airwaves at 1pm on Wednesday, and simply exchanging a friendly discussion with presenter Mark Chapman, Hunt gave another example of his pure class.
Introducing him to listeners, Chapman said: 'John is in his usual commentary position yet again.'
Hunt responded by saying: 'Yeah, absolutely. I am just thinking about the individuals who illuminate this sport. Nothing else matters Mark. Galopin des Champs is the Antoine Dupont of horse racing. He has looked magnificent. His form is rock solid.'
Chapman then said: 'This is your 30th Festival, John. Your first Gold Cup was Best Mate.'
Hunt responded: 'It really does take me back. Everything about Best Mate was geared to Cheltenham. I think Galopin is even better than Best Mate. The weight of history can prove too heavy a toll. Strange things can happen – he's still got 22 fences ahead. If he's cherry ripe he will bring this home.'
And Chapman added: 'And John will call them home as only John can.'
Clifford's failure to face up to what he had done this week could not have felt more stark as Hunt returned to the day job in unthinkably difficult circumstances.
Colleagues knew the consummate professional would not want a fuss. There was barely a whisper in the Alastair Down press room as he pulled the headphones back on and with minimal fanfare returned to the airwaves ahead of the first race of the day, the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
'I am lucky,' Hunt had insisted on Tuesday, a barely conceivable sentence after three-quarters of his family – wife Carol along with daughters Louise and Hannah – were murdered by Clifford at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in July last year.
However, his moving 1,900-word courtroom statement – after sitting through horrifying details of the case last week – made plain that life must go on, beginning with Cheltenham's famous Gold Cup day.
'As you are consigned to a fate far greater than death, I can draw on the love and strength that I still feel from the girls in every moment of every day,' he had said. His statement on Tuesday had moved a courtroom to tears, but Hunt has now said his piece.
Friends, BBC colleagues and contemporaries in the press box at Cheltenham described Friday as a chance for him to start turning the page. There was little surprise too that Hunt, as he had done after initially returning to call races last autumn, made no reference on air to the horrors he had endured. Tributes flowed at the racecourse for Hunt's refusal to let Clifford break him.
Those to express admiration include Cornelius Lysaght, the former BBC racing correspondent who had recommended him to corporation bosses in the early 2000s.
Hunt, who worked for the police before beginning his broadcasting career with Ladbrokes in the 1980s, 'just loves' Cheltenham and will have felt a duty to listeners, Lysaght explained. 'Because so many people listen to the radio who don't necessarily switch on a racing TV programme, his voice has become absolutely synonymous with some of the great Cheltenham events of the last 20 years or so,' Lysaght said as he welcomed Hunt back.
'People love his voice at Cheltenham, and he so obviously loves Cheltenham. The timing of everything at the moment is just unimaginable, but he loves this place – he knows the importance of this place to so many people, and I think that he will want to be part of it yet again, and people who listen to the radio will want him to be part of it, but all the time, thinking of the absolutely unimaginable things that he's going through at the moment.'
Hunt had confirmed with BBC colleagues in midweek that he was ready to return. Darren Owen, who had been deputising for Hunt as lead commentator on the opening three days, described how the racing 'family' had rallied behind him. 'All of us are behind him 100 per cent of the way,' he said. 'You can't put into words what actually happened. He is the most lovely, lovely individual.'
Such sentiments are shared by Rupert Bell, the Talksport commentator who has also been in text message contact with Hunt in recent weeks. 'He is a remarkable human being,' said Bell. 'I know how desperate it's been but it's great that he's been able to get back, even in keeping a low profile on racecourses. It's just wonderful to hear him out doing his job. He's so good at it.
'There's no one who would remotely have a bad word to say about him. Everyone just always enjoys him being around. He always seems to have a charming smile on his face.'
Admiration and messages of support for Hunt are not just reserved for racing. Chapman had paid a tearful on-air tribute last summer on the day the horror unfolded.
Mark Pougatch, Dan Walker, Jacqui Oatley and former England striker Michael Owen, a keen horse-racing enthusiast, also sent messages of support.
Those at the course on Friday point out the wave of well-wishers was not just out of sympathy, but out of genuine admiration for a commentator at the top of the trade.
Months before the murders, clips of Hunt's thrilling calling of the Grand National had gone viral. A BBC Instagram post described it as 'racing commentary at its finest'.
Bell said the entire broadcast world is in admiration of his professionalism. 'Even to hear him now on commentary, you wouldn't think anything had gone on. He is an outstanding commentator, not just in racing. His swimming commentaries are as good as anyone in the past. I just hope Cheltenham is a great opportunity for him to go out and do his day job and be able to feel the love and appreciation of everyone around him, because it's obviously been a wretched year. I have nothing but admiration for him and always have.'
Nick Luck, the former Channel 4 Racing presenter who now hosts the Nick Luck Daily podcast, added: 'John's not only the most exemplary professional, brilliant at his job, but he has always been someone that everyone in the press room has looked up to. Old and young alike and from every walk of life – he would treat everybody in exactly the same way. He is somebody that you'd always feel that if you had something on your mind, you could go and speak to. The strength of feeling for him over the last few months has been immense.'
It came as little surprise to those who admire his work that his witness statement in court on Tuesday was so well crafted. To put Clifford in his place, the commentator had quoted Harper Lee. 'Louise's favourite novel from her schooldays was Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird,' he had told the court.
'She was captivated by the goodness of Atticus Finch both as a father and a lawyer. She would often quote lines from the novel to match life's challenges... All their lives Carol, Hannah and Louise similarly spent their time bringing joy and colour and happiness to other people's lives. You killed three beautiful Mockingbirds, Kyle.'
Hunt again cited the book while giving an insight into his own determination to carry on. 'Even though the days are difficult and feel on many occasions, impossible, I will channel my inner Atticus Finch at all times. He said, 'I want you to see what real courage is. Instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you are licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what'.'
That courage was evident in bucket loads at Cheltenham.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players
Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players

Fox News

time43 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players

Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. "We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build." [RELATED: Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, and the drama over USMNT stars not playing] Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. "Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions," Dempsey said last week on the "Men in Blazers" podcast. "For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games." Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup." Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. "This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together." Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. "A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it." Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. "Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet," Adams said. "It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities." [RELATED: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup squad: Luna over Reyna? Turner starts at GK?] Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. "It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy," he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. "From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg," Adams said. "Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play." Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. "After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'" he said. "No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!

Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players
Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players

Fox Sports

time2 hours ago

  • Fox Sports

Tyler Adams says USMNT not concerned with 'outside noise' from former players

Tyler Adams says the U.S. soccer team has tuned out criticism from former players. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, who share the American goals record with 57 each, are among those who have been critical of current regulars not in the struggling roster preparing for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. "We don't talk about that internally as a group," Adams said Wednesday during a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. "The noise on the outside is the noise on the outside. I think we need to focus on what we need to do as a group and continue to build." [RELATED: Landon Donovan, Christian Pulisic, and the drama over USMNT stars not playing] Star Christian Pulisic is skipping the June camp and Gold Cup to rest after playing about 120 games for club and country over two seasons. "Whether it was Gold Cup, whether it was Copa (America), whether it was Confederations Cup, whether it was the World Cup, I wasn't going to miss competitions," Dempsey said last week on the "Men in Blazers" podcast. "For me, I don't understand it because that wasn't my mentality. I always wanted to play in those games." Watching Portugal celebrate its win over Spain in Sunday's European Nations League final, Donovan said on the Fox postgame show: "I can't help but think about our guys on vacation not wanting to play in Gold Cup." Pulisic has not spoken publicly of his decision. The U.S. has lost four straight games, its longest skid since 2007, following a 4-0 rout Tuesday night by Switzerland. "This is part of the process," Adams said. "You're going to win games. You're going to lose games. It's about continuing to build that. I think we're on the right path. We have to continue to build and try the things that we've been training. It'll take a little bit of time, but it will come together." Adams didn't dress for the Switzerland friendly but is confident he will be ready for the Gold Cup, where the Americans open Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. "A little turf toe-type injury. More of an overuse thing probably than anything — overload. It was something that I picked up when I came into camp," Adams said. "Progressing well right now, but just trying to be smart and manage it." Adams, who captained the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, funded a pair of mini-pitches at Pulaski Park in Poughkeepsie, New York, near his home in Wappinger. He spoke on the Zoom about his work with Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Black Star Soccer to construct fields about the size of basketball courts at the Fisher Magnet Upper Academy in Detroit and The Bell Avenue School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. "Before the World Cup hopefully we plan to do one more with a city unnamed yet," Adams said. "It's something that I think has real impact, continues to grow the sport, serves underserved communities." [RELATED: Projecting the USMNT's World Cup squad: Luna over Reyna? Turner starts at GK?] Now 26, Adams is feeling back to his old self. He had back surgery last July with Dr. Robert Watkins and returned to the field with England's Bournemouth on Oct. 26. Adams played in 28 Premier League matches this season after being limited to three in 2023-24 because of leg injuries. "It's definitely enjoyable when you're healthy," he said. "The 16-to-18 months that it was just on and off inconsistency is something I never had in my career and never had to battle. And then when it hits you and you go through that, you just learn different ways to navigate things, enjoy life, just not take things for granted, all the little things." Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as U.S. coach last fall, players have had more autonomy to break away from rigid positioning employed by his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. "From a positional standpoint, obviously we had probably a little bit of a different structure under Gregg," Adams said. "Maurizio gives the players freedom to find spots they're comfortable in and see how they can affect the game in different ways. I think our attacking players definitely have freedom to try and find the ball and create things in the right areas of the field. So, yeah, I think he gives everyone freedom, but there's still structure to the way that we want to play." Adams will be with the U.S. team in Austin, Texas, next Wednesday, and following intently when the Premier League releases its 2025-26 schedule at 3 a.m. CDT. He feels improved because of his time with Leeds in 2022-23 and Bournemouth the past two seasons. "After you play in the Premier League, every game feels slow,'" he said. "No matter what game I play in now the game feels slow. You look at your schedule when the season comes out and you have to play in a row Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Liverpool, Manchester United, all these big games back to back to back you just learn how to make decisions quicker and if you don't, you get punished." Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

King Charles' birthday isn't until November. So why is it being celebrated in June?
King Charles' birthday isn't until November. So why is it being celebrated in June?

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

King Charles' birthday isn't until November. So why is it being celebrated in June?

Trooping the Colour 2025 will take place in London on Saturday. The annual military parade serves as King Charles III's official birthday celebration. The royal family gathers on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as part of the event. King Charles III was born on November 14, 1948, which means two things: He is among the most famous Scorpios in the world, and you probably wouldn't expect him to be thinking about his birthday in June. But thousands will celebrate the king's birthday in the UK on Saturday at Trooping the Colour, one of the biggest royal events of the year. According to the royal family's website, Trooping the Colour, a massive parade that takes place in June, has been the British sovereign's official birthday celebration for over 260 years. The annual celebration occurs in June, regardless of when the reigning monarch's actual birthday is. The royal family's website says that June is the ideal time to host the parade because the chance of the weather being suitable for outdoor activities in London is high compared to other times of the year. According to History, King George II, who was born in October, was the first monarch to move his birthday pageantry to the summer, but he combined his official celebration with a summer military parade in 1748. The reigning monarch's actual birthday is still publicly acknowledged with a royal gun salute, but the sovereign typically celebrates privately otherwise. During Trooping the Colour, a parade of royals and military personnel travels from Buckingham Palace to the Horse Guards Parade at Whitehall in London. The royal family's website states that the parade includes over 1,400 soldiers, 400 musicians, and 200 horses, and the royals typically ride on horseback or in carriages. The monarch can participate in the event from either carriage or horseback. According to the BBC, Queen Elizabeth II rode a horse during the parade until 1987. Once the parade reaches Whitehall, the monarch formally inspects the troops during the ceremony. Likewise, the chosen Regimental Colour, or flag, is carried through the ranks of participating soldiers before they march back to Buckingham Palace. Thousands of onlookers cheer on the participants as they process. According to an FOIA request to the Ministry of Defence, the 2021 Trooping the Colour cost 59,662 pounds, which would be about $81,000 today. That total includes stable costs, transportation, and fuel, among other fees, though it does not factor in the cost of the police presence required to keep the event safe for the royals and attendees. Trooping the Colour culminates in a flypast by RAF pilots over Buckingham Palace as the royal family watches from the balcony. Trooping the Colour marks one of the few times a year the royal family gathers in one place, so they are always heavily photographed when they appear on the balcony. The occasion offers a chance to see how royals interact with each other, with people analyzing shots of Princess Diana and Prince Harry in years past. Royal children often steal the show when they appear at Buckingham Palace for the event as well. Royals also use the occasion to send a message to the public since it draws so much public interest. For instance, the 2024 Trooping the Colour served as the backdrop for Kate Middleton to make her return to public duty after she announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer in March 2024. She rode to the event in a carriage with her children and waved from the Buckingham Palace balcony with the royal family. The Princess of Wales announced she was in remission in January. Likewise, King Charles appeared at the 2024 Trooping the Colour amid his ongoing weekly cancer treatments, though he rode in a carriage in the parade with Queen Camilla instead of on horseback as a result of his health. The Times reported the monarch will ride in a carriage again for the 2025 event, though Prince William, his heir, and his sister Princess Anne will ride on horseback through the parade. Anne is the king's Gold-Stick-In-Waiting, his ceremonial personal protection officer, at ceremonial events. She first served as her brother's gold stick at his 2023 coronation. Read the original article on Business Insider

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store