Captain Christy
Captain Christy | |
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![]() Racing silks of Mrs Jane Samuel | |
Sire | Mon Capitaine |
Grandsire | Wild Risk |
Dam | Christys Bow |
Damsire | Bowsprit |
Sex | Gelding |
Foaled | 1967 |
Country | Ireland |
Colour | Bay |
Owner | Major Joe Pidcock Mrs Jane Samuel |
Trainer | Garrett Dooley[1] Major Joe Piddock Pat Taaffe |
Major wins | |
Irish Sweeps Hurdle (1972) Scottish Champion Hurdle (1973) Cheltenham Gold Cup (1974) King George VI Chase (1974, 1975) John Durkan Memorial Chase (1975) Irish Champion Hurdle (1973) Powers Gold Cup (1974) | |
Honours | |
Timeform rating 182 | |
Last updated on 16 September 2021 |
Captain Christy (foaled 1967) was a champion Irish-bred and Irish-trained hurdler and steeplechaser who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup as a novice.
In spite of a tendency to make mistakes, Captain Christy was an outstanding hurdler and one of the best steeplechasers of all time. He was the top-rated steeplechaser in Britain and Ireland for three successive seasons, 1972–73 to 1975–76.[2] His most outstanding performance was his 30-length win over Bula and other top horses in the 1975 King George VI Chase at Kempton Park; this is regarded as one of the greatest ever steeplechasing performances.[3] Gerry Newman rode him in that race, but for most of his other successes his jockeys were Bobby Beasley[4] and Bobby Coonan.[5] Throughout his career, Captain Christy was trained by Pat Taaffe, and that victory over Bula was the second time he had beaten the dual Champion Hurdle winner; he had also outgalloped him when winning the 1972 Irish Sweeps Hurdle when the race was a championship (non-handicap) event. He finished third in that year's Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham before winning the Scottish equivalent. Captain Christy's most important success came in the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup when, as a novice ridden by Bobby Beasley, he beat the previous year's winner, The Dikler, by five lengths despite making a mistake at the last fence. Later that year he won his first King George VI Chase when, ridden by Bobby Coonan, he easily beat the outstanding three-mile chaser Pendil, who had won the race in 1972 and 1973. In 1975 Captain Christy finished a close second under top-weight in the Whitbread Gold Cup giving over two stone in weight to the winner, April the Seventh. He also raced beyond Britain and Ireland, including finishing runner-up in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris and coming fourth in the Colonial Cup in the USA. Captain Christy developed a leg problem after his 1975 King George VI Chase win, which effectively ended his career while still a relatively young horse.
References
- ^ Colley, Declan (2010). When Bobby Met Christy: The Story of Bobby Beasley. The Collins Press ISBN 9781848890398
- ^ "Captain Christy | Top Horses | Career Highlights". Timeform. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "King George memories: Captain Christy 1975".
- ^ "Captain Christy | Top Horses | Career Highlights". Timeform. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ "Sad death of champion Bobby Coonan". Irish Independent. 3 March 2007. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing – written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor
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- 1924 Red Splash
- 1925 Ballinode
- 1926 Koko
- 1927 Thrown In
- 1928 Patron Saint
- 1929 Easter Hero
- 1930 Easter Hero
- 1931 no race
- 1932 Golden Miller
- 1933 Golden Miller
- 1934 Golden Miller
- 1935 Golden Miller
- 1936 Golden Miller
- 1937 no race
- 1938 Morse Code
- 1939 Brendan's Cottage
- 1940 Roman Hackle
- 1941 Poet Prince
- 1942 Medoc II
- 1943 no race
- 1944 no race
- 1945 Red Rower
- 1946 Prince Regent
- 1947 Fortina
- 1948 Cottage Rake
- 1949 Cottage Rake
- 1950 Cottage Rake
- 1951 Silver Fame
- 1952 Mont Tremblant
- 1953 Knock Hard
- 1954 Four Ten
- 1955 Gay Donald
- 1956 Limber Hill
- 1957 Linwell
- 1958 Kerstin
- 1959 Roddy Owen
- 1960 Pas Seul
- 1961 Saffron Tartan
- 1962 Mandarin
- 1963 Mill House
- 1964 Arkle
- 1965 Arkle
- 1966 Arkle
- 1967 Woodland Venture
- 1968 Fort Leney
- 1969 What a Myth
- 1970 L'Escargot
- 1971 L'Escargot
- 1972 Glencaraig Lady
- 1973 The Dikler
- 1974 Captain Christy
- 1975 Ten Up
- 1976 Royal Frolic
- 1977 Davy Lad
- 1978 Midnight Court
- 1979 Alverton
- 1980 Master Smudge
- 1981 Little Owl
- 1982 Silver Buck
- 1983 Bregawn
- 1984 Burrough Hill Lad
- 1985 Forgive 'n Forget
- 1986 Dawn Run
- 1987 The Thinker
- 1988 Charter Party
- 1989 Desert Orchid
- 1990 Norton's Coin
- 1991 Garrison Savannah
- 1992 Cool Ground
- 1993 Jodami
- 1994 The Fellow
- 1995 Master Oats
- 1996 Imperial Call
- 1997 Mr Mulligan
- 1998 Cool Dawn
- 1999 See More Business
- 2000 Looks Like Trouble
- 2001 no race
- 2002 Best Mate
- 2003 Best Mate
- 2004 Best Mate
- 2005 Kicking King
- 2006 War Of Attrition
- 2007 Kauto Star
- 2008 Denman
- 2009 Kauto Star
- 2010 Imperial Commander
- 2011 Long Run
- 2012 Synchronised
- 2013 Bobs Worth
- 2014 Lord Windermere
- 2015 Coneygree
- 2016 Don Cossack
- 2017 Sizing John
- 2018 Native River
- 2019 Al Boum Photo
- 2020 Al Boum Photo
- 2021 Minella Indo
- 2022 A Plus Tard
- 2023 Galopin Des Champs
- 2024 Galopin Des Champs
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