WELSH WIZARDS
Andrew Lowrie recalls glory days of Welsh Champion Hurdle
The latest edition of the Welsh Champion Hurdle will be staged at Ffos Las in October. Although run as a limited handicap these days, it formerly attracted the very best hurdlers from both sides of the Irish Sea.
The old Welsh Champion Hurdle had previously been held at Ely racecourse in Cardiff and at Caerleon. First run at Chepstow in 1969, the locally-trained Persian War won what was a high class renewal, getting the better of Drumikill whom he had also defeated a few weeks earlier at Cheltenham, when landing the second of his three Champion Hurdles.
Controversy surrounded the following year’s race when Coral Diver beat Frozen Alive only to lose the race in the steward’s room following an objection. Persian War who had recently completed his hat trick of Champion Hurdles could manage only third.
The 1970s really were a golden age for hurdlers. Sandwiched between two victories for Canasta Lad in the Welsh Champion Hurdle, the first of which saw him defeat the Fred Winter trained Bula, was a win in 1973 for the dual champion hurdler Comedy of Errors. Trained by Fred Rimell and ridden to victory at Chepstow by Bill Smith, he also defeated Bula, who, for the second year in succession, finished as runner up. In addition to his two placings, Bula won the race in 1971, conceding 16lbs. He beat the juvenile True Luck by a short head, with Persian War back in third.
Lanzarote, like Bula was also trained by Fred Winter. He had disappointed at Cheltenham, but having shown plenty of sparkle on the gallops it was decided he should take his chance at Chepstow and re-oppose Comedy of Errors who had won on the testing ground at Cheltenham. However, the late withdrawal of Comedy of Errors meant Lanzarote faced just two rivals in 1975, the Queen Mother-owned Tammuz who finished second, and Tree Tangle.
A year on, and arguably the greatest hurdler of them all, Night Nurse, gained the first of two consecutive victories in the Welsh Champion Hurdle. Described by trainer Peter Easterby as being “as brave as a lion”, his never-say-die attitude brought him plenty of success, including winning both the Welsh and Champion Hurdles in 1976 and 77. Birds Nest, who had finished runner up to Night Nurse in the Champion Hurdle, was a late withdrawal at Chepstow, depriving the large crowd of what would have been a fascinating rematch, and it was left to Night Nurse to dispose of just two rivals. In 1977 he gave Dramatist 5lbs and a beating to confirm himself as the leading hurdler in this vintage era, having come to Chepstow on the back of winning what is largely regarded as perhaps the best Champion Hurdle ever.
The brilliant Monksfield graced the Welsh turf in 1979 to take on, and ultimately beat Birds Nest. He came to Chepstow in great form having defeated Sea Pigeon in the Champion Hurdle as well as winning at Aintree two weeks later. Monksfield was trained in Ireland by Des McDonogh whose yard had been under a cloud with several horses going down with the dreaded virus. Monksfield travelled over to Wales early and was stabled at the racecourse four days before the race.
By this stage the rest of the yard had closed down, but Monksfield was allowed to take his chance. The betting public had little doubt over his wellbeing, and he was sent off 7/2 on favourite to beat his two rivals in front of a large Bank Holiday crowd.
Autoway, the 50/1 outsider, set a brisk pace but approaching the second last he gave way to both Monksfield and Birds Nest, who fought out a tremendous duel to the line. Birds Nest came upside Monksfield and Dessie Hughes at the final flight, however, a terrible blunder cost him dearly, and Monksfield went on to win by one and a half lengths.
The start of the new decade saw another true great win the Chepstow showpiece. Sea Pigeon, probably the best dual purpose horse of all time. He
won two Chester Cups and an Ebor on the Flat, before winning the first of his two Champion Hurdles at the age of ten when defeating Monksfield and Birds Nest, and the following season beating Pollardstown. He was sent off as the 4/6 favourite when beating Pollardstown and Connaught Ranger at Chepstow. The runner up, Pollardstown, enjoyed his day in the sun winning the following year, prior to Ekbalco completing back to back victories under Jonjo O’Neil. Dave Goulding, his usual pilot was jocked off by Jonjo, who the day before his 30th birthday took the ride on Ekbalco at Chepstow where he proved too strong for Pollardstown and Broadsword who finished third.
A year on and Ekbalco won his second Welsh Champion Hurdle with seven lengths to spare over Royal Vulcan who gained revenge eleven days later in the Scottish equivalent. Ekbalco was later disqualified for failing the post-race dope test after the Welsh Champion Hurdle. Penicillin cream, containing procain, a prohibited substance had been applied to a saddle sore a week earlier, and unbeknown to his vet and trainer Roger Fisher the ointment found its way into the horse’s blood stream. Tragically Ekbalco never got a chance to realise his full potential, falling fatally at the start of the following season in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, when cantering upsides Gaye Brief. Jonjo O'Neill described him as one of the best horses never to win the Champion Hurdle.
In 1985 Browne’s Gazette, who had been beaten when odds on a month earlier in the Champion Hurdle, gained compensation at Chepstow beating the previous season’s winner Ra Nova and Stans Pride.
A waterlogged track put paid to any race in 1986, but two years later fresh from winning the Champion Hurdle, Celtic Shot, trained by the legendary Fred Winter, was 3/1 on to win at Chepstow. However, he fell as did the 1987 winner High Knowle and it was left to Past Glories to beat Floyd.
A year on Celtic Shot gained compensation winning a match with Dis Train. By now it was becoming increasingly more difficult for the course to attract runners, and the following year Beech Road, who had won the 60th running of the Champion Hurdle the previous season, became the last horse to complete the Cheltenham Chepstow double, when beating three rivals at 1/3.
There were ten further Welsh Champion Hurdles run at Chepstow, but the quality had dropped significantly. It was even run as a handicap on a few occasions.
Between 1997 and 1999 the Martin Pipe trained Potentate completed a hat trick in the race and remains the only horse to achieve this feat. In 2003 the race was sadly scrapped from the calendar, Vol Solitaire the final winner.
Albeit as a limited handicap the race was revived in 2010 but was abandoned due to a frozen track. It was run a year later, at its new venue at Ffos Las near Llanelli in West Wales. It was fittingly won by Oscar Whisky owned by Dai Walters, the man behind bringing racing back to West Wales.
The race continues to attract decent quality runners, Oscar Whisky one of three to win at Ffos Las and be placed in the Champion Hurdle. The other two being The New One who won in 2017, and Silver Streak, trained by Llancarfan’s Evan Williams the winner the following season.
It would be fantastic, but unrealistic to expect the race to attract the same quality of horses which the race attracted in its heyday. However, it is hoped with its place now firmly established in the racing calendar during October, it can continue to prosper.
in 2012 it was fittingly won by Oscar Whisky owned by Dai Walters, the man behind bringing racing back to West Wales