NORTON’S GLORY DAY RECALLED
THE story of Carmarthenshire’s most unlikely sporting hero is told in a new documentary next week.
Norton’s Coin was the no-hoper who stunned the racing world by landing the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1990 at odds of 100-1 – and in doing so dealt a savage blow to the bookmaking fraternity in West Wales.
And the tale of how a horse trained by a dairy farmer in Nantgaredig landed the blue riband of National Hunt racing will be showcased in Legends of Welsh Sport, a new BBC1 series which looks back on some of the greatest and most inspiring stories in Welsh sporting history.
This episode, which is screened next Wednesday night, tells the remarkable story of a horse who cemented his place in Cheltenham folklore.
He was owned and trained by Sirrell Griffiths, who kept horses for a hobby.
Norton’s Coin was a decent handicapper, but on all known form he had no right to be lining up alongside 11 other runners in the Gold Cup. As such, he was among the rank outsiders for a race worth more than £67,000 to the winner.
He also had the small matter of the odds-on favourite Desert Orchid to contend with. The grey – the most popular horse in training – had won the previous year’s Gold Cup amid emotional scenes when overhauling Yahoo on the run-in.
But on this occasion the quicker ground did not suit Desert Orchid.
Norton’s Coin, by contrast, absolutely loved it. And in the final furlong he finally saw off the persistent challenge of Toby Tobias to defy all the odds under the urgings of jockey Graham McCourt.
Desert Orchid was back in third. It was a huge shock to all, and even more incredibly it happened by mistake. Griffiths had missed the entry deadline for another race he initially had his eye on, leaving only the Gold Cup to target.
In the programme, Griffiths and son Martyn recall how they took ownership of Norton’s Coin, who was the foal of a mare they had previously sold to a neighbouring farmer. It also looks at the unorthodox approach to training Griffiths had, opting to take the horse for rides up and down local roads, on the beach or up a mountain.
Griffiths shares his theory regarding Norton’s Coin’s inconsistent form ahead of his famous triumph.
“I didn’t realise at the time, he wasn’t the same horse going right-handed,” he said.
“He never won anywhere going righthanded. It’s a silly thing to say, I know, but it’s a fact.”
It features interviews with winning rider McCourt and champion jockey Richard Dunwoody, who had ridden Norton’s Coin previously but was aboard Desert Orchid at Cheltenham.
Norton’s Coin remains the longestpriced winner in the race’s history. And Griffiths is still the only permit holder to have won the Gold Cup.
Legends of Welsh Sport: Norton’s Coin airs on BBC1 Wales at 9.30pm on February 16.