The Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle

Author: Michael Tanner

Publisher: Mainstream Publishing

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 9781840185805

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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.

Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing
Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing

Author: Dr Joyce Kay

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-10-02

Total Pages: 392

ISBN-13: 113576266X

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The Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing offers an innovative approach to one of Britain's oldest sports. While it considers the traditional themes of gambling and breeding, and contains biographies of human personalities and equine stars, it also devotes significant space to neglected areas. Entries include: social, economic and political forces that have influenced racing controversial historical and current issues legal and illegal gambling, and racing finance the British impact on world horseracing history and heritage of horseracing links between horse racing and the arts, media and technology human and equine biographies venues associated with racing horseracing websites The Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing provides a unique source of information and will be of great interest to sports historians as well as all those whose work or leisure brings them into the world of racing.

My Autobiography
My Autobiography

Author: A.P. McCoy

Publisher: Orion

Published: 2011-10-20

Total Pages: 521

ISBN-13: 1409131688

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The fully updated autobiography of Tony 'A.P.' McCoy, Grand National and BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR winner and unquestionably the greatest jump jockey ever. Tony 'A.P.' McCoy is without doubt the greatest and most successful jump jockey of all time. He has collected a record 16 consecutive jump-jockey titles to date, since 1992 he has ridden more than 3,000 winners, saying 'I never stop dreaming of the day I'll reach 4,000', and in 2002 he beat Sir Gordon Richards's record of 269 winners in a season by riding 289. In April 2010, A.P. achieved his lifelong ambition when he won the Grand National at Aintree on Don't Push It. It was his 15th attempt to win the race, a victory that captured the public's imagination and further enhanced a glittering career in which he had seemingly won all there was to win. It was the missing piece in the racing jigsaw for a champion jockey who had already had famous victories in the King George VI Chase, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup. This powerfully honest autobiography looks at life at the very top in National Hunt racing, and includes the highs and lows of A.P. winning his second Gold Cup, in 2012 on Synchronised, fifteen years after his first, only to see the horse put down after a fall in that year's Grand National. These are the memoirs of a true champion, an icon of sport, whose astonishing achievements are unlikely to be surpassed. It is a great story of courage and modesty, pain and professional setbacks, strong family values and sporting triumphs, the good guy coming first - and staying there.

Winning Without Thinking
Winning Without Thinking

Author: Nick Mordin

Publisher: Aesculus Press Ltd

Published: 2006-10

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9781904328148

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Nick Mordin estimates he has spent over 30,000 hours researching racing results over the years. His aim has been to uncover the principles that govern the betting market and racing results themselves. In conducting his research Nick has tested thousands of systems, both his own and those developed by academics, professional gamblers and others around the globe. In Winning Without Thinking he shares the fruits of this work. the results of horse-races; basic principles that govern racing results and the betting market; mistakes commonly made by the general betting public and how to exploit them; full details of betting systems used by professional gamblers to make millions; how to predict and profit from new trends; and how to use computers to increase your returns.

Sixty Years of Jump Racing
Sixty Years of Jump Racing

Author: Robin Oakley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-03-09

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 147293511X

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Robin Oakley brings alive the colourful world of those who ride and train jumping horses. With elegant production and gripping images, Sixty Years of Jump Racing chronicles the social and economic changes which have brought the sport's ups and downs-like the development of sponsorships and syndicate ownership, the near loss of the Grand National, the growing domination of the Cheltenham Festival and the growth of all-weather racing to meet the bookies' demands for betting shop fodder. Pace and colour is provided by stories of the horses who have been taken to the heart of racing crowds, like the Irish-trained hurdler Istabraq and Best Mate, the three-times winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for England. Famous rivalries and memorable races are re-lived and key victories revisited in portraits of and interviews with the owners, jockeys and trainers who have dominated the sport. The emphasis will be largely on the past fifty years-from Arkle to Tony McCoy-but a significant introduction by Edward Gillespie encapsulates the past history of what was previously known as 'National Hunt Racing' and sets the stories in context.

Festival Fever
Festival Fever

Author: Anne Holland

Publisher: The O'Brien Press Ltd

Published: 2017-10-09

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 1847179843

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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.

Winners: The horses, the memories, the defining moments
Winners: The horses, the memories, the defining moments

Author: Hugh Cahill

Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland

Published: 2018-10-11

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 1473690234

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Winners: The Horses, The Memories; The Defining Moments documents a host of favourite memories from the world's foremost racing minds. In this collection of interviews, Hugh Cahill uncovers the cherished memories of some of the most prominent figures in Irish horse-racing as they remember eighty of the horses that have featured most significantly in their lives. All the greats are here - Moscow Flyer, Arkle, Synchronised, Flyingbolt, Frankel, Hurricane Fly, Dawn Run, Bobbyjo, Istabraq, Brave Inca, Papillon, Beef or Salmon and Sea the Stars. These are the horses that have shaped horse-racing over the past fifty years and captured hearts around the globe. Beautifully illustrated, Winners: The Horses, the Memories, the Defining Moments includes contributions from Ruby Walsh, A.P. McCoy, J.P. McManus, Willie Mullins, Jessica Harrington, Davy Russell, Paul Carberry and many more. A compelling and heartfelt exploration of what makes these incredible animals so special to the people who knew them best, Winners is a volume to be treasured and an essential book for horse-racing fans everywhere. *Please note that this is an illustrated book and therefore is best viewed on optimal devices*

Beat The Bookies
Beat The Bookies

Author: John Duggan

Publisher: Poolbeg Press Ltd

Published: 2016-05-10

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13:

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We Irish love our sport and we also love a flutter. We all want to ‘Beat the Bookies’, to experience the joy of winning money and having our judgement vindicated. John Duggan, who has been putting his neck on the line every week for eight years by tipping on national radio, guides you through the big events of the sporting calendar. From Cheltenham to the Champions League, from Augusta to the All Ireland Finals, John has experienced all the highs and lows of sports betting. There have been wins and losses, and now there are reasons. Beat the Bookies opens the door to the rewards and pitfalls of this very Irish pastime. This book tells you what you need to know to maximise profits and beat the bookies at their own game!

When Bobby Met Christy: The Story of Bobby Beasley and a Wayward Horse
When Bobby Met Christy: The Story of Bobby Beasley and a Wayward Horse

Author: Declan Colley

Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd

Published: 2010-10-03

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1848891121

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Bobby Beasley was a champion jockey. By 26, he had won a Cheltenham Gold Cup, a Champion Hurdle and a Grand National. But when he was 24, Bobby took his first drink and soon succumbed to alcoholism. He turned a corner after his friend, Nicky Rackard, urged him to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. Five years later, aged 38, Beasley rode Captain Christy to an amazing victory at the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In the history of unlikely comebacks, that of Irish jockey Bobby Beasley is the most heartwarming of them all.

The Horses of My Life - Richard Dunwoody
The Horses of My Life - Richard Dunwoody

Author: Richard Dunwoody

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2010-03-01

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1784184608

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Richard Dunwoody was the most successful steeplechase jockey of his time. During his fantastic career, he rode over 10,000 times, often partnering the top National Hunt horses such as Desert Orchid and Miinnehoma. His staggering collection of 1,699 wins in Britain has earned him professional respect and a string of accolades including an MBE.In this fascinating book, Dunwoody remembers the great horses he has ridden and the high points of his remarkable career. In 1986 he rode to victory in the Grand National on West Tip and repeated this triumph in 1994 on Miinnehoma. It was with One Man that he won two consecutive King George VI chases. Although his career was full of memorable partnerships and victories, it is for riding Desert Orchid that Dunwoody is best remembered. 'Dessie' was a hugely popular horse - apart from Red Rum, he was the only racehorse with a fan club - and the pair rode their way to a remarkable seven victories. Yet despite his big race victories, his determination and ambition remained constant, driving him on to even greater achievements.In a book full of stories, anecdotes and opinions, Richard tells not only of the glory surrounding his career but also of the hard work involved in achieving that glory: the struggle to ensure that both horse and rider were at their peak on race day; the pitfalls and the setbacks endured; and the quirks and characteristics of some of the finest horses in this tough sport.