Old Versus New
It’s taken less than 3 months and it appears the established
stars racing fans have grown to adore and admire are slowly slipping away.
Inevitably, their abilities cannot outrun time, and for Big Bucks, Quevega, Sizing Europe, Tidal Bay
and possibly soon Hurricane Fly, it
seems their time on this hallowed stage we share has expired. As ever, the
sport continues day by day, grasping stories from every port of call, in each
different direction. Yet it is important we remember the hoof beats that have
beaten to our ever anticipating, unyielding and often seemingly unachievable
expectations.
The 14th of May at Punchestown brought us the
miraculous Quevega. Her battling
qualities were unable to reach as far as Jetson
pushed her, yet on so many occasions we relied on her to deliver and deliver
she did. She earned her followers with bloodless talent and sheer guts; her
star-studded career was embellished by performances of pure excellence. 2009
gave us the first glimpse of what was to be a prolonged love affair with
Prestbury Park when she claimed its hill and its spectators for the first time.
5 years later and Quevega has 6 consecutive Mares Hurdles on her record, along
with 4 Irish World Hurdles. Attention now turns to her progeny as she is
currently in foal to Beat Hollow,
sire of useful National Hunt types Battle
Group, Cinders and Ashes and Wicklow Brave. All eyes will surely be
on her first foal, he/she will definitely have a long way to go in order to
emulate their illustrious mother. We also have Quevega’s paternal half-siblings
to satisfy us on the racecourse in her absence. Robin Des Champs, her sire, has also sired the likes of Sir Des Champs, Vautor, Un Temps Per Tout
and Un Atout, collectively these
names represent the potential stars of seasons to come.
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| Quevega flying a flight on her way to one of her many victories. |
Fittingly, the imposing and ever formidable Big Bucks bowed out at his beloved
Cheltenham following his warrior-like efforts in this year’s World Hurdle. He
has no less than 10 Group 1 victories, a string of 18 imperious,
consecutive wins along with a record breaking 4 World Hurdles to his name. He
is often compared to the likes of previous multiple champions such as Baracouda and Inglis Drever, yet in reality, they were merely winners that led
the way for Big Bucks. Forever reliable, tough, consistent and simply
magnificent, Big Bucks was indeed big, in both heart and ability. Regarded as
the best staying hurdler there has ever been, it was wonderful to see him
parade around his winners enclosure as he had done at Cheltenham countless
times, once more commanding the public’s affections. Alike Quevega, Big Buck’s
honour could live on through his relations. His half sister More Buck’s won on her only start in a
bumper at Exeter in April and carries the same colours as her authoritative
half brother.
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| Arrogantly awesome. Big Bucks wins his 4th World Hurdle. |
As previously indicated this years’ Punchestown festival has
brought agonising defeat and blissful triumph, but perhaps most precious of all
sights, was to see the evergreen Sizing
Europe show his younger compatriots how it’s done for the final time. The
12 year old, who is only a treble of G1 wins shy of Big Bucks’s tally, has for the majority of his career been
relatively uncelebrated. Henry De
Bromheads star recorded his 7th win in the highest company in
the most typically, heart on sleeve display on Tuesday. Renowned for his shock
5 length win in 2011s Queen Mother Champion Chase following his gutsy Arkle win
a year prior, Sizing Europe was Irelands standing dish. He was among the
chasing greats of his generation and beyond. His owners, Alan and Ann Potts, use the prefix Sizing with many of their
horses. Buckers Bridge, Goonyella, Smashing and Sizing
Australia are among their best horses, they spearhead a varied group of
talented athletes, and many classy younger recruits are sure to continue their
owners’ success in Irish national hunt racing for the foreseeable future.
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| Poetry in motion- Sizing Europe and Andrew Lynch were a formidable partnership. |
As spectators, we never fail to possess horses with human
like qualities. Tidal Bay was such a
horse, and so much more. Often labelled enigmatic, unfathomable and above all
legendary, he was loved by all. Horse racings’ elders are often hailed above
others for their continuity; Tidal Bay was no exception, having been on the
scene since 2006. The transfer to the top stable of Paul Nicholls in 2012 was
arguably the making of Tidal Bay. He won the Bet365 Gold Cup, two West
Yorkshire hurdles along with an unforgettable Lexus Chase. His high head
carriage and questionable attitude was mastered by his trainer. Those who
witnessed his trademark sprint from the back of the last were constantly on the
edge of their seats: will he or won’t he? This cycle of unpredictable
excitement was endearing. Tidal Bays sire, Flemensfirth
is known as one of the best National Hunt sires in the business, and his
offspring have already earned over £63,000 for the 2014-2015 season. With Tidal
Bay now retired, and Mad Moose
sidelined, other quirky characters can take advantage of their holidays. A
possible contender could be Grand National 7th Monbeg Dude. Admittedly improved, this horse requires masterful
riding and can often throw in atrocious jumping errors; which have of late been
minimised by talented eventer royal Zara Phillips.
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| Tidal Bay jumping a hurdle in typically extravagant style. He was certainly one of a kind. |
Hurricane Fly,
the sole horse mentioned that is not yet officially retired, was another whose
fate was seemingly sealed at the Punchestown festival. A brave second to
champion hurdler Jezki was enough to
suggest his age had caught up with him. Many people believe retirement beckons
for the Hurricane, who has won three more Grade 1s than the magical Kauto Star. Hailed as Irelands best 2
mile hurdler since Istabraq, he has recorded
a highest rating of 175. His outstanding regularity at the highest level is
rewarded with unrelenting support. Having won 2 Champion Hurdles at a course
that is far from ideal, national hunt racing will not be the same should
Hurricane Fly fail grace us with his presence on a racecourse again. This is
not in fact the plan however, as new reports suggest he may step up in trip and
embark on a new chapter in his career, and Willie Mullins warns us to write him
off at our peril.
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| Aged 10, Hurricane Fly's newest challenge will be to succeed at the longer trips. |
Bidding goodbye to our heroes of yesteryear is often
difficult, and certain horses can never be replaced. However, the implacable
nature of this sport allows us to bathe in the potential of new stars and what
could be. This attractive sequence shows that racing is ever changing. This
does not mean the memories of the horses that have gifted us so much will simply
fade from our memories- far from it in fact.
