Horses I Led Up – NH 1986/87
Horses I Led Up at the Races
1986/1987 National Hunt Season
1/11/1986
Corinth Novices Hurdle (Division II)
Chepstow Racecourse
Annie Ra
Finished 5th / 22 ran
5/11/1986
E.B.F. Novices Hurdle Qualifier (4, 5 and 6-y-o)
Newbury Racecourse
Condicote Boy
Finished 9th / 21 ran
13/11/1986
Silver Buck Chase (Limited Handicap)
Wincanton Racecourse
Charter Party
Finished 4th / 7 ran
22/11/1986
Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup (Handicap Chase)
Newbury Racecourse
Charter Party
PU / 15 ran
27/11/1986
Askett Novices Hurdle (Division I)
Warwick Racecourse
Annie Ra
Finished 3rd / 16 ran
27/11/1986
Askett Novices Hurdle (Division II)
Warwick Racecourse
Members Revenge
Finished 8th / 17 ran
2/12/1986
Damsells Novices Hurdle (F&M) (Division II)
Hereford Racecourse
Annie Ra
FELL / 16 ran
22/12/1986
Christmas Pudding Novices Hurdle (Division I)
Towcester Racecourse
Condicote Boy
Finished 4th / 17 ran
26/12/1986
Netherton Four-Year-Old Handicap Hurdle
Wolverhampton Racecourse
Annie Ra
FELL / 19 ran
3/1/1987
Bradstone Mandarin Handicap Chase
Newbury Racecourse
Charter Party
Finished 3rd / 6 ran
4/2/1987
E.B.F. Oats & Celtic Cone Novices Hurdle (Mares)
Hereford Racecourse
Annie Ra
Finished 6th / 17 ran
11/2/1987
Datchet Novices Hurdle
Ascot Racecourse
Condicote Boy
Finished 6th / 18 ran
11/2/1987
Reynoldstown Novices Chase
Ascot Racecourse
Against The Grain
Finished 2nd / 5 ran
21/2/1987
Mapperley Handicap Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Charter Party
Finished 3rd / 4 ran
12/3/1987
Alveston Handicap Hurdle
Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse
Annie Ra
Finished 4th / 7 ran
19/3/1987
Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase
Cheltenham Racecourse
Charter Party
FELL / 12 ran
Charter Party was just making up the numbers in the 1987 Gold Cup
He’d been kept stabled the previous Summer (’86)during which he was blistered and hobdayed (got a bit of a leg after winning the Golden Miller at Cheltenham, also had a breathing problem) and was then put straight into training when the other horses came back from their holidays… he had no break
Throughout the 1986/87 season Charter Party had no appetite and often left his food… something I told of and actually showed to the “old man” and also to the head lad… I would fill a black bucket up with the food he’d left and take it into the office first thing in the morning for them to see… he ran all season 20-25 kilos lighter than he had the previous one
Then to make matters worse, in the early part of 1987 Charter Party developed a fairly large lump on his rump (which he ran in the 87 Gold Cup with)… in the end, to put it right the lump was drained which was done when he was taken out of training… what caused the lump will never be known but I do remember him having a couple of “vitamin” injections into his backside (I told the Guv’nor this)
I think if you look at the photo I’ve attached to this post of him going down to the start you can see how light Charter Party looks in his condition (his neck, the breast girth hanging loose… wasn’t even wearing a breast girth or breastplate 12 months earlier in the Ritz) and if you look even more carefully you will see the lump near the top of his quarter, it was quite large
Charter Party was always a Gold Cup horse but at no point was 1987 going to be his year
… at least I can say I led Charter Party up in the Snowstorm Gold Cup!
