Horses I Led Up – NH 1986/87 – Richard Bevan Horse Racing

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!