Latest news with #racehorse
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Legendary trainer Peter Easterby dies aged 95
Legendary racehorse trainer Peter Easterby has died at the age of based in Malton, North Yorkshire, saddled equine greats Sea Pigeon, Night Nurse and Little Owl to big-race was champion jumps trainer three times and won the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on five figurehead of a renowned racing family, he was the first British trainer to have more than 1,000 winners on both the flat and over the whose brother Mick is also a successful trainer, retired in 1996 when he handed his training licence to son Tim."It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of my father Peter Easterby," said Tim."He passed away peacefully in his own home with his family by his side. A true gentleman, legendary racehorse trainer, passionate farmer, lover of country sports and an incredibly proud father and grandfather."While Sea Pigeon won both the Champion Hurdle and Chester Cup twice, Easterby said the biggest cheer he heard was was when the horse won the Ebor Handicap on the flat at York in 1979."The announcer got 'Sea' out and you couldn't hear the other word 'Pigeon" because there was such a roar, so that was very exciting," he Nurse was another two-time champion hurdler, who was narrowly denied a Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph in 1981, by stablemate Little had also won the Gold Cup two years earlier with Alverton, who was then sent off favourite for the Grand National but died after a fall at Becher's Brook.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Lambourn dominates Epsom Derby to give Aidan O'Brien record-extending 11th Classic success
The clue was right in front of us. Lambourn, in Berkshire, is known as 'The valley of the Racehorse', so for Sue Magnier to decide 18 months ago that a handsome bay colt should carry the same name hinted it might have special qualities. How perceptive Mrs Magnier, wife of the Coolmore supremo John, proved to be. Lambourn, the horse, is special and there can be no denying it. Rare are the occasions when a runner leads from pillar to post in the Epsom Derby but here was one of those moments that invited wide-eyed amazement. Yes, it was another victory for Aidan O'Brien, a record-extending 11th success, all achieved in a 24-year period, but it was difficult to watch this and not find joy in seeing his jockey Wayne Lordan power relentlessly clear, leaving 17 forlorn rivals legless behind him. It was poetic and brutal in equal measure. Epsom asks question of a racehorse, mentally and physically, like nowhere else and some buckle. In the parade ring, you wondered whether Lambourn — who strutted around looking ready for the breeding sheds, not the racetrack — might boil over. Not a bit of it. Lordan's horsemanship in this most high-pressure environment was mesmerising, getting Lambourn back on an even keel the way a father will jolt an unruly child back into line. Once he was sent on his way, there was never a moment's concern. 'Wayne said to me coming out of the parade ring, 'This horse is on fire' and that was before the race,' said O'Brien, whose joy felt as fresh as when he welcomed back his first winner Galileo — Lambourn's grandfather — back in 2001. 'He's given him an unbelievable ride and he's a special fella.' Lordan is a crucial member of O'Brien's squad, who gets second pick on the horses in big races that stable jockey Ryan Moore overlooks. It would be wrong to call him a 'Super Sub'; if he was a Premier League footballer, he would be the back-up striker who comes in but does not diminish a team's quality. He always hoped he would be on board Lambourn, a well-backed 13-2 chance, and he grabbed his chance with both hands, turning the screw after he floated around Tattenham Corner and waving goodbye to those in behind. This handsomely compensated for Friday's near miss on Whirl, who was beaten by Minnie Hauk in Friday's Oaks. Lazy Griff, trained by Charlie Johnston, looked briefly as if he might give his syndicate of owners, Middleham Park Racing, the ultimate thrill but his pilot Christophe Soumillon was forced to concede the task of bridging the gap was impossible in the last two furlongs. 'I was surprised by my horse's odds (50-1) because I thought he would run well,' said the Belgian. 'I had a dream run and two furlongs out I thought I would go for it. But when I got to the winner, he just went away.' Lambourn had beaten Lazy Griff by one-and-a-half lengths last month, when the pair warmed up for Epsom in the Chester Vase, but here the gap extended to almost four lengths. Tennessee Stud was third but O'Brien's other fancied runners, Delacroix and The Lion In Winter, were never sighted. Many feel O'Brien's stranglehold on Epsom is a bad thing, that no stable should ever have a near monopoly on the Derby. He had scooped the Oaks and Coronation Cup on Friday with Minnie Hauk and Jan Brueghel, too, meaning he has won these Group One events a combined 32 times. This is not superiority, it is total domination but it is not going to stop. Ballydoyle, an oasis of perfection in Tipperary, was established by Vincent O'Brien (no relation) to create the ultimate racehorse in 1951 and the current resident, who moved in back in 1995, will not stop in his quest for perfection. 'Everything in Ballydoyle is about Epsom,' O'Brien explained. 'This is how the thoroughbred breed is assessed every year, the fillies and colts. Everything in Ballydoyle is left-handed. Every piece of work the horses do is left-handed. When they canter home — even the sprinters — they go left-handed. 'The whole breed is assessed by the Derby and the Oaks. They are difficult races — you go left, you go right. It's up and it's down and it's the ultimate test. The track has to be like that, to test them. Dr O'Brien set up Ballydoyle and we are just privileged to be there.'
South China Morning Post
29-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong superstar Romantic Warrior has screw inserted into injured leg
The world's highest-earning racehorse, Romantic Warrior, had a screw inserted into his injured left front leg on Wednesday, with the Jockey Club confirming the surgery was a success. Found to have a left fore fetlock injury in the lead-up to an intended welcome home ceremony last Sunday, the 10-time Group One winner is now back in his box at trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing's stables. 'Management options were discussed by the club's expert veterinarians and Romantic Warrior's owner [Peter Lau Pak-fai] and trainer, and a decision was made for the horse to undergo a veterinary procedure at the club's equine hospital in which a single screw was inserted under standing sedation and local anaesthesia. The procedure was performed without complication,' the Jockey Club said in a statement. Officials were forced to cancel last Sunday's ceremony for the globetrotting superstar after a screening found 'a very early detection of some potential changes in one of the horse's joints' following his demanding three-race campaign in the Middle East. '[Wednesday's] procedure followed a computerised tomography examination and a magnetic resonance imaging examination of his forelimbs performed on May 16 as part of a proactive health-screening process in accordance with the club's systematic procedures for ensuring the welfare of our racehorses. No lameness or other clinical signs were present prior to the screening examinations,' said the club statement. 'Romantic Warrior returned to his stable where he will be closely monitored by club veterinarians and stable personnel, supported by the world-class rehabilitation services that the club has developed.' No timeline has been provided on Romantic Warrior's return to the racetrack.
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘What else am I going to do?' My Last Hooray no last hurrah for veteran trainer Frank Cleary
Frank Cleary, the racehorse trainer who can't retire, often finds himself reminiscing about what might have been during State of Origin time. A talented rugby league fullback in his day, Cleary earned selection in 1970 for Country Seconds against City Seconds at the SCG. This was 10 years before State of Origin was introduced and Country teams were made up of part-timers from bush regions against City sides full of the sport's best players. The City team Cleary was opposed to boasted 13 players who either had already worn the green and gold of Australia or were to soon earn Test selection including greats like John Sattler, Bob Grant, Fred Jones, Phil Hawthorne, John Brass, Bob O'Reilly, Denis Pittard and Paul Sait. But Cleary's country team made a game of it against the City side, losing the representative clash 24-13. 'We tried not to pay too much attention to who we were playing against or you would be overawed,'' Cleary recalled. 'So, we just relied on each other, bush boys having a go, and we held our own. It wasn't a whitewash, put it that way.'' Some years later, Cleary was having a quiet beer with some mates in a Queanbeyan pub when he was 'belted in the ribs'. 'I turned around and it was John Sattler,'' Cleary said. 'I asked him what that was all about and he said 'SCG, 1970 – now we are square'. 'He had a good memory because during that game, I did give Sattler one in a tackle and he waited to get even with me. We had a good laugh about it.'' Cleary enjoyed his footy but knew the time would come when he needed to make a choice – keep playing rugby league or concentrate on training racehorses. He took out a trainer's licence in 1971 but continued playing footy for another three years before hanging up the boots. 'I had that many injuries and (wife) Sue and I were starting our family,'' Cleary said. 'Plus I had a horse in the stable called Wayne's Bid – and I knew how good he was so I thought I had better give up footy and concentrate on training.'' Wayne's Bid was a brilliant sprinter and gave Cleary his first Group 1 winner when he won the 1976 The Galaxy when ridden by 'Miracle' Mal Johnston. Cleary remembers that race like it was yesterday. 'Wayne's Bid was a great horse to me and he was in great form that autumn,'' he said. 'But he was up against Sticks And Stones who was very fast. 'The race turned into a sprint replica of the Bonecrusher-Our Waverley Star Cox Plate (1986). 'They broke clear at the 600m and they went stride for stride to the line. Wayne's Bid was able to edge in front in the last 30-40m.'' Wayne's Bid was all the vindication Cleary needed he had made the right career choice. Cleary has since carved out a very successful training career, mainly from Queanbeyan, preparing topliners like Select Prince, Friend's Venture, and particularly Clan O'Sullivan and Catbird. Clan O'Sullivan was an outstanding two-year-old and won the Magic Millions and Black Opal Stakes before his narrow loss to Burst in the 1992 Golden Slipper. The trainer was stung by that defeat but seven years later he finally won the Golden Slipper with Catbird. A brilliant colt by Danehill, Catbird won five of his 14 starts including the coveted Black Opal-Golden Slipper double. Cleary's classy colt also had a successful career at stud, siring 22 stakeswinners including Green Birdie, winner of the Singapore International Sprint, Cats Fun who won the Western Australian Derby and Perth Cup, and Monton, winner of the Villiers Stakes. It was the Catbird connection that was the clincher for Cleary to delay his retirement from training. The story goes that Cleary was cajoled by his close friend, former Canberra Raiders chairman, John McIntyre, to check out a yearling by Harry Angel at the Inglis Classic Sale two years ago. 'I told John I've had enough of training but he insisted I have a look at this yearling,'' Cleary said. Cleary noticed the yearling's great-grandam just happened to be Fitting, herself the dam of Catbird. 'I'd never heard of Harry Angel at the time but I studied the horse's pedigree and he was closely related to Catbird on his dam's side,'' he said. 'He was a lovely colt to look at and John kept saying I need to get another horse to train. 'I thought bugger it we will try and get him. He only cost us $40,000. 'So, I agreed to train the horse. I said this would be the last one, and that is how we came up with the name, ' My Last Hooray '.'' The name is a misnomer now but more about that later. My Last Hooray, who is owned by some of Cleary's longstanding clients including McIntyre, is now a three-year-old with potential, winning three races (and three placings) from nine starts. He's already recouped his purchase price with interest having earned nearly $80,000 prizemoney. At Royal Randwick on Saturday My Last Hooray is topweight with 61kg for the $120,000 TAB Highway (1200m). Cleary has booked 3kg-claiming apprentice Will Stanley to off-set My Last Hooray's handicap and the likelihood of heavy track surface doesn't concern the trainer. 'The kid (Stanley) is a good young rider and the 3kg he claims will be very handy,'' Cleary said. 'I'm not worried by the heavy track, either. My Last Hooray gets through it so we will take all the help we can get.'' My Last Hooray is at $19 in early TAB Fixed Odds betting behind the promising mare So You Pence at $2.40 favouritism, emerging Scone sprinter Shropshire Lad is at $4.80 with Chemtrail ($7) the only other runner under double figure odds. There is a truism in racing that trainers never retire and Cleary's success with My Last Hooray means he has shelved retirement plans – probably for good. 'I've also got a two-year-old in training now so I guess I'll keep going for a few more years,'' he said. 'But what else am I going to do? I don't play golf or anything and I would go mad if I couldn't go to the stables every morning. It makes me get out of bed and get on with my day. 'I'm 76, my health is good, so why not keep going. My Last Hooray – well, it's the wrong name now.'' Cleary still follows the footy closely and regularly attends Canberra Raiders games. There are some who believe the Raiders could challenge for the NRL premiership this season but Cleary is more circumspect. 'The Raiders are going really 'good' this season, they have all these young blokes coming through and they are a very fast team,'' Cleary said. 'They are great to watch, they might be 12 months away, but Ricky (Stuart, coach) has them playing good footy so you never know.'' Cleary saved the best for last with his thoughts on the Origin clash between NSW and Queensland next Wednesday and My Last Hooray's chances at Royal Randwick on Saturday. 'I would have picked James Tedesco at fullback and maybe found a spot for Ryan Papenhuyzen in the Blues team,'' he said. 'But it does look a very strong side and I think NSW can win the first Origin game. 'At Randwick, we are going to get a wet track and that won't bother My Last Hooray because the day he won at Goulburn the track was bottomless. 'I realise track surfaces are different everywhere but if they handle the wet, they handle the wet. 'My Last Hooray is going terrific, he's in good form and should be hard to beat. He's not a bad horse.''
