Category: Horses

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Hedgehunter

Owned by billionaire businessman Trevor Hemmings and trained, in Co. Carlow, by Irish champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins, Hedgehunter is best remembered for winning the Grand National, at the second attempt, in 2005, rewarding many of those who stuck with him. Ridden by Ruby Walsh, the nine-year-old survived a mistake at the fence after Valentine’s Brook on the first circuit and his jockey briefly losing an iron at the fence before Becher’s Brook on the second. He was left in the lead when Clan Royal was hampered by loose horses approaching Becher’s Brook and made the rest of the running, eventually coming home 14 lengths ahead of his nearest pursuer, Royal Auclair.

 

On his previous attempt in the National, in 2004, Hedgehunter had been ridden more positively by Ruby Walsh, but was a spent force when falling at the final fence. Hedgehunter returned to Aintree for the 2006 Grand National, in which he was allotted top weight, of 11st 12lb, but was nevertheless a favourite in grand national tips columns and was sent off 5/1 favourite to win for the second year running. He had previously run arguably the race of his life to finish second, beaten 2½ lengths, behind War Of Attrition in the Cheltenham Gold Cup just three weeks earlier but, although left in the lead by the fall of Ballycassidy at Valentine’s Brook on the second circuit, was outjumped by Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall “Slippers” Madden, at the final fence and eventually went down by 6 lengths.

 

Hedgehunter ran in the National twice more, finishing ninth of 12 finishers behind Silver Birch in 2007 and thirteenth of 15 finishers behind Comply Or Die in 2008, after which he was immediately retired.

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Many Clouds

Many Clouds won 12 of his 27 races under National Hunt Rules, including nine of his 18 steeplechases, and earned £928,000 in total prize money. However, the son of dual-purpose sire Cloudings will be forever immortalised as the winner of the Grand National in 2015.

A first winner of the world famous steeplechase for trainer Oliver Sherwood, but the second successive winner for jockey Leighton Aspell, after Pineau De Re in 2014, and a third winner for owner Trevor Hemmings, after Hedgehunter in 2005 and Ballabriggs in 2011, Many Clouds was attempting the National fences for the first time. Nevertheless, he had already proved himself a classy staying chaser, winning the Hennessy Gold Cup and the Betbright Cup prior to finishing sixth, behind Coneygree, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup en route to Aintree.

In the Grand National, he raced prominently throughout and, having been left in the lead by the fall of The Druids Nephew at the fifth last, galloped on relentlessly to win by 1¾ lengths from Saint Are, with Monberg Dude a further 6 lengths away in third. In so doing, Many Cloud, who carried 11st 9lb to victory, put up the best weight-carrying performance since Red Rum in 1974.

Less than two years after his Grand National triumph, in the Betbright Trial Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, Many Clouds lowered the colours of King George VI winner and Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite, Thistlecrack, for the first time over fences. Tragically, having won by a head, Many Clouds collapsed after the finishing line and, despite immediate attention from racecourse veterinary staff, died.

A subsequent post mortem, conducted by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) with the permission of owner Trevor Hemmings and trainer Oliver Sherwood, revealed the cause of death as severe pulmonary haemorrhage. Sherwood said afterwards, “He was beaten at the last and fought back in the last 50 yards to get up and win. It’s sad for Trevor and the team at Rhonehurst. I’ve been in the game 32 years now and horses like him don’t come along very often.”

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Winx

Winx, an Australian thoroughbred owned by Magic Bloodstock Racing, R G Treweeke & D N Kepitis, holds the distinction of winning a stunning 29 races in a  row, dating from 16th May 2015 – the Group 3 Sunshine Coast Oaks to the Group 1 Cox Plate on 27th October 2018. In fact 22 of those races were Group 1 races, a record in its own right. Sh’es picked up various accolades as she goes (such as being inducted into the Australia Racing Hall of Fame).

Winx was bred by Fairway Thoroughbred in Australia and sold for $230,000 as a yearling in 2013. This surely has to now be seen as bargain of the century being that her current prize money total is almost $23,000,000 AU.

Winx’ career had got off to a flying start with three wins, but the next two years proved to be a bit more of a grind. It was mid 2015 when the mare really got into her stride with this winning streak that continues today. Group one races won during this period include the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Australian Oaks and Cox Plate. The latter of which she won for a record fouth time in 2018 leading to CNN calling her a ‘Superstar Mare’ and ‘one of the greatest racehorses of all time’.

Such is the reputation of Winx that the Warwick Stakes was renamed to the Winx Stakes in her honour when she ran it in August 2018. Predictably Winx won the race, collecting $500,000 prize money in the process. It’s unsurprising that Winx is the leading earner in Australasian history. She’s also number one in the current Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (October 2018) ahead of Gun Runner (US), Poet’s Word (IRE) and Crystal Ocean (GB).

With jockey Hugh Bowman on board for all but two of the current amazing run, he appreciates the magnitude of the moment.  “I’m just proud to be part of this amazing story” he said, following the fourth record Cox Plate win. Even trainer of beaten Benbatl, Saeed bin Suroor called Winx ‘the best of the best’ following the win.