horses – Page 4 – Richard Bevan Horse Racing

Horse Racing

Horses I Led up – Flat Racing 1986

5 May 198627 May 2024

Horses I Led Up at the Races
1986 Flat Racing Season

5/5/1986

Radio W.M. Handicap

Warwick Racecourse
Annie Ra
Unplaced

Horse Racing

Horses I Led Up – NH 1985/86

16 April 198620 July 2024

Horses I Led Up at the Races
1985/1986 National Hunt Season

14/11/1985

Silver Buck Handicap Chase

Wincanton Racecourse
Charter Party
Silver Buck Handicap Chase
Finished 2nd / 4 ran

23/11/1985

Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Handicap Chase

Newbury Racecourse
Charter Party
Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Handicap Chase
Fell / 15 ran

4/12/1985

Long Haul Handicap Chase

Worcester Racecourse
Charter Party
Long Haul Handicap Chase
Finished 2nd / 9 ran

26/12/1985

Falklands Handicap Chase

Kempton Park Racecourse
Charter Party
Falklands Handicap Chase
Finished 1st / 7 ran

15/1/1986

Royal Windsor Handicap Chase

Windsor Racecourse
Charter Party
Royal Windsor Handicap Chase
Finished 5th / 7 ran

13/3/1986

Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase

Cheltenham Racecourse
Charter Party
Ritz Club National Hunt Handicap Chase
Finished 1st / 16 ran

16/4/1986

Piper Champagne Golden Miller Handicap Chase

Cheltenham Racecourse
Charter Party
Piper Champagne Golden Miller Handicap Chase
Finished 1st / 9 ran

Horse Racing

Horses I Led Up – NH 1984/85

28 March 198530 June 2024

Explore the fascinating account of Richard Bevan’s experiences during the 1984/85 National Hunt Racing Season, leading up horses for racehorse trainer David Nicholson from Cotswold House Racing Stables, Condicote near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire.

20/10/1984

Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II)

Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
The Shiner
Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II)
Finished 4th / 11 ran

9/11/1984

Philip Cornes Novice Hurdle Qualifier

Cheltenham Racecourse
The Shiner
Philip Cornes Novice Hurdle Qualifier
Finished 8th / 23 ran

23/11/1984

Round Oak Handicap Hurdle

Newbury Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Round Oak Handicap Hurdle
Finished 13th / 15 ran

7/12/1984

Coral Golden Hurdle Handicap (Qualifier)

Cheltenham Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Coral Golden Hurdle Handicap (Qualifier)
Finished 9th / 16 ran

12/12/1984

Malden Timber Novices Hurdle Qualifier

Huntingdon Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle Qualifier
Finished 9th / 22 ran

19/12/1984

Turkey Novices Hurdle (Div 1)

Worcester Racecourse
Golden Raider
Turkey Novices Hurdle (Div 1)
Finished 9th / 20 ran

5/2/1985

Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)

Warwick Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Finished 10th / 16 ran

25/2/1985

Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)

Doncaster Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Finished 8th / 15 ran

1/3/1985

Radcot Handicap Hurdle

Newbury Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Radcot Handicap Hurdle
Pulled Up / 19 ran

1/3/1985 I led up Lawnswood Miss in the Radcot Handicap Hurdle at Newbury Racecourse. Pulled Up / 19 ran.
1984/85 National Hunt Season was my first year in racing. I had been going to David Nicholson’s yard in my school holidays since I was 14 and The Duke’s yard was the only place I was going to when I left education.

I started work at Nicholson’s Cotswold House stables on September 10th 1984 and Lawnswood Miss was one of the first horses I looked after, the other two being The Shiner and Golden Raider.

It was a bad year for Nicholson trained horses as there was a nasty virus going round the yard and all season he only trained 17 winners from 50+ horses.

Lawnswood Miss didn’t run a good race all year and going back to the race mentioned above it was no exception as she pulled up… later found to have mucus in her airways… she still ran twice more in March before being retired to stud for breeding… she went to Lord Northampton’s horse Broadsword (who The Duke had trained)… I went in the horsebox with her the day she went to stud

As for my other two horses

The Shiner, I led him up a couple of times, 4th at Bangor and down the field at Cheltenham before he got moved on to David Murray Smith’s yard… where he won.

In The Shiner’s place I got to look after Jungle Jim but he had bad legs and only ran once that season before he was sold.

Golden Raider I led up several times in novice hurdles, showed some promise but another horse with the virus… in March 1985 the owners moved Golden Raider away from Nicholson’s to Martin Pipe’s… later the same season Golden Raider won for Pipe at Ludlow…the horse was Pipe’s 40th winner of the season… the first time he’d trained 40 winners

In Golden Raider’s place I got Pippahmint Lass, (a chestnut filly by Sunyboy, at the time 3 years old) to look after… I never led her up at the races but I did take her to Doncaster Sales (stopped overnight in Doncaster) where she won her class at the pre sales show before being unsold at 8000 guineas in the auction ring.

I remember as I was going in the sale ring with Pippahmint Lass The Duke said to me “Don’t worry she’s not being sold”

… I thought to myself “she’s just bitten me and I hoped the bugger was going elsewhere!”

Anyhow, we took one horse to Doncaster Sales and brought two back, one was Pippahmint Lass and the other was an unnamed 4 year old also by Sunyboy (who The Duke and his associates paid a lot of money for in the auction), who was a half brother of two time Scottish National winner Androma… and the 4 year old was later named Bigsun, who became a Cheltenham Festival winner.

… and after all of that and much more besides it was getting towards the end of the 1984/85 National Hunt season and by this time The Duke was glad to get his virus ridden horses out into the fields for some “Doctor Green!”

13/3/1985