Mighty who were fallen
QUESTION Has a jockey fallen from a horse and remounted to win a major classic jump race?
Remounted horses have won races, but not at a British classic. on two occasions, remounted horses have come second in the Grand national. the practice was banned in 2009 over safety concerns.
the 1928 Grand national was run during misty weather with very heavy going. As the field approached the Canal turn for the first time, easter Hero fell, causing a pile-up.
the 100/1 long shot tipperary tim, ridden by amateur jockey William dutton, avoided the carnage.
Seven jockeys remounted, including tommy Cullinan on 33/1 Billy Barton. only two horses completed the race, tipperary tim and Billy Barton, trailing 30 lengths behind.
dutton recalled how before the race a friend had told him: ‘Billy boy, you’ll only win if all the others fall!’
At the 1967 Grand national, an unseated Popham down veered dramatically to his right at the 23rd fence, causing a pile-up. the 100/1 Foinavon with John Buckingham on board was the beneficiary.
Just 17 horses managed to continue the race, with six being remounted, including the favourite Honey end, who Josh Gifford ran to a creditable second place, 15 lengths behind Foinavon.
In 2002, tony mcCoy enjoyed a bizarre win at Southwell. Remounting Family Business after falling early on, he was rewarded with a victory when his seven rivals fell by the wayside.
In 2005 at exeter, Ruby Walsh riding Kauto Star was 13 lengths clear in a three-runner novice when he came down at the penultimate fence. He remounted and lost only by a short head after a photo-finish.
unfortunately, Kauto Star sustained a fracture and missed the remainder of the season. this ultimately led to the 2009 ban on remounting.
Simon Sheffield, Hexham, Northumberland. tHe Velka Pardubicka at Pardubice in the Czech Republic is a steeplechase seen as equivalent to the Grand national.
In 1991, Zeleznik ridden by Josef Vana was brought down in a crashing fall at obstacle number 14, the Popleruv Fence, remounted and went on to victory.
It was Zeleznik’s record-breaking fourth victory in the race.
James Gibson-Wynes, Edenbridge, Kent.
QUESTION As the contents of all foods and drinks have to be listed, how can Coca-Cola have a secret ingredient?
THOUGH the law obliges food and drink manufacturers to disclose a list of ingredients, the exact amount of each and the way they are processed does not have to be specified.
Ingredients that must be listed include sugar, sweeteners, caffeine and allergens designated by the Food Standards Agency: peanuts, milk, soybeans, fish, eggs and shellfish.
Some of Coca-Cola’s ingredients are listed under the vague terminology ‘natural flavourings’.
Its right not to divulge its recipe is protected as a trade secret. this may be used when an invention does not meet the patentability criteria or if an applicant does not wish to go through the patent process, which involves full disclosure. In 1891, Coca-Cola company founder Asa Candler introduced the famous veil of secrecy that surrounds the drink as a publicity, marketing and intellectual property protection strategy.
the logic was that Coke would have been protected for only 17 years under the Patent Act of 1836, while trade secrets can be held for ever.
For patent protection, a detailed description of the invention is mandatory, so the company would have been forced to reveal its secret recipe.
despite the recipe being a trade secret, in Britain it must comply with the Food Standards Agency’s regulations.
Louise Westwood, Birmingham.
QUESTION Were there PoW camps for captured Japanese in World War II?
AS SIGNATORIES of the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, the Allies were duty bound to take care of Japanese combatants who had been taken prisoner.
though it is commonly believed all the Japanese followed the martial code that only cowards surrendered, in practice this was not always the case.
most prisoner of war camps for captured Japanese military personnel were in India, Australia and new Zealand.
the Allies were aware of the harsh conditions to which the 140,000 prisoners of the Japanese were subjected. In an attempt to win better treatment for their men, the Allies provided good conditions for Japanese prisoners.
However, the plan didn’t work because Japan refused to acknowledge any of its military had been taken prisoner.
estimates of the number of Japanese taken prisoner during the war vary between 19,000 and 50,000, though up to half a million may have been taken captive by the Russians when China was invaded at the end of the war.
more than a million military personnel were taken prisoner when Japan surrendered. most weren’t taken to PoW camps, but remained where they were until they could be transported home.
Because of the shame of being taken prisoner, many Japanese didn’t want to return home and asked to remain in the countries where they were being held. Robert Sutherland, Northampton.
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