SHARPE MIND: Denny’s Double Dalliances

In this week’s SHARPE MIND blog, where sports betting PR legend GRAHAM SHARPE aims to bring you a rundown of Sensational, Hard to believe, Amusing, Remarkable, Pertinent & Entertaining events which have happened over the years in the worlds of racing and betting during each specific week of the year, he digs out some of the golden moments from the week between 1 August and 7 August.

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🗓️ AUGUST 1, 1943………..DENNY’S DOUBLE DALLIANCES….…..Born on this date in Argentina, although some sources suggest Brazil, Dennis Cordell-Lavarack, aka Denny Cordell, became a racehorse trainer in Ireland, and a big deal in British pop music of the sixties as a producer for the Moody Blues and Procol Harum.

In an appreciation after his death, the Independent wrote; ‘On the Irish Racing scene Denny was a breath of fresh air compared to the Tipperary- dominated fake glamour set. Suddenly Ireland had a genuine star bestriding its proudest stage- from the Curragh to Gowran Park, his local track. With his mop of grey curls, a Marlboro dangling from his lip and a charismatic clan of his children and step-children he could not but add real style and eccentricity to Irish racing.’  He trained his first winner at Gowran Park where an annual race in his memory, the Denny Cordell Lavarack Fillies Stakes, over 1m 1f 100yds, was introduced following his death in February 1995. He bred and trained Baba Karam, who was just touched-off in the Group One National Stakes, and was the highest rated Irish two-year-old of his year.

Denny was reportedly buried ‘in a quiet corner of Lorum Church cemetery, dressed in a Rhinestone Cowboy outfit, wearing his boots. His copy of Ellington 55 in his arms with a bottle of Irish whiskey and a spliff placed beside him.’

🗓️ AUGUST 1, 1985……FAREWELL, FREDDIE……Dual Grand National runner-up, Freddie, died aged 28, at the home of his devoted owners, Reg and Betty Tweedie, who also trained him near Kelso, Scotland. He was 7/2 favourite when narrowly beaten by 100/6 Jay Trump in 1965, and again headed the market in 1966 at 11/4 only to be beaten by 50/1 Anglo. His third and final attempt in 1967 saw him finishing well down the field

🗓️ AUG 2, 1991…..FIVE YEARS TOO LATE….….After a mere 35 years it was revealed that the trophy presented by Chepstow racecourse to Sir Gordon Richards after his 1954 retirement from the saddle had been recovered, having been stolen during a 1956 robbery. It had turned up in a TSB vault in Ashton. Sadly, Sir Gordon died in 1986.

🗓️ AUG 2, 2008…STEWARDS CUP WINNERS…….William Haggas saddled the 40/1 winner, Conquest, and 12/1 runner-up King’s Apostle in the always competitive, 27 runner, Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood, a feat last achieved by Richard Hannon in 1990 with Knight of Mercy and Bocas Rose. Haggas almost seemed that he would have been happier to have seen the pair come home the other way round, declaring: “While I’m thrilled to win, I’m bloody disappointed for the second and the connections of the second.’’…in the 1997 running of this race, also on August 2, owner Michael Tabor was asked how much he’d won via his 5/1 winner, Danetime. He pondered briefly, then answered: ‘A bit more than £200,000.’

🗓️ AUGUST 3, 1849……MARCH OF CONFUSION…..….The March Stakes at Goodwood was won by Besborough, Sagacity and Nautch Girl in a three-way-go dead heat…….racegoers and bookies alike were involved in all kinds of arguments about how to settle bets on the triple-heat.

🗓️ AUGUST 3, 1991…….JERRY’S MAGNIFICENT SEVEN…….Jerry Yung set a record for the most races won by an owner on a single card, when his colours were carried by seven winners at Bukit Timah, Singapore.

🗓️ AUGUST 4, 1914…GRIM WAR-NING……On the day Britain declared War on Germany, there were flat meetings at Brighton, Birmingham and Ripon. The first at Brighton was won by Picton, ridden by Fred Rickaby, who would tragically later be killed in action while serving with the Tank Corps in France.

🗓️ AUGUST 4, 2008…CUFFED AT CARLISLE…Carlisle’s third race was delayed by eight minutes as a racegoer walked up the course to the start, refused to move back behind the rails, and began shouting at jockeys until he was handcuffed by police and removed.

🗓️ AUG 5, 1882….…SIX OF THE BEST – AGAIN!..For the second time in his career, Fred Archer rode 6 winners from 6 races, once again at Lewes.

🗓️ AUGUST 5, 1992….GOODBYE, DEVON……….Devon & Exeter was re-named plain Exeter. However, locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the Haldon Hills.

🗓️ AUGUST 6, 1928……CHURCHILL’S PIGEON….…Jockey Ray Reader was born on this date  – a few years later he won his 100th race on Pigeon Vole, owned by Winston Churchill, who was so delighted he sent the rider a congratulatory letter. Ray rode his final winner in 1974 but didn’t officially retire until four years later.

🗓️ AUGUST 6, 2005…TOLD YOU SO!….Making a bid for the jockey championship, Robert Winston’s season came to a premature end as he took a fall at Ayr, having already expressed concern at the condition of the ground. He smashed his jaw when his horse slipped up. The remaining races were abandoned and Winston ended up with a dental bill reportedly of £18,000. He agreed an out-of-court settlement with the course.

🗓️ AUGUST 7,1967…..PIGGOTT’S MANE CHANCE…..Lester Piggott rode Chestergate into second place over 1m5f at Newmarket – having had to steer the horse by its mane, after the bridle had broken shortly after the start of the race.

🗓️ AUG 7, 2021…STEVE TOPPED THE LOT…….Steve Asmussen, 56, became the winning-most trainer in the history of North American racing when Stellar Tap gave him his 9,446th victory at Saratoga on August 7, beating the record held by the late Dale Baird.

Asmussen started training in 1986 and his total includes 650 in 2009 alone – a world record for one year. At this point he was up to second among the world’s winning-most trainers of all time, behind Juan Suarez Villarroel, a Chilean based in Peru, with 9,881 victories at this point, according to the website, Pagina de Turf.

🗓️ AND FINALLY…….AUG 4, 1968…WOULD LEE LIE TO US?…..Born on this date, comedian/actor, Lee Mack, star of ‘Would I Lie To You’ is adamant that the revelation he made to the Radio Times, in September 2016, was absolutely true: He was “thrown out of college” at 16, and decided he wanted to be a jockey, despite never having ridden a horse. After working locally at the stable of racehorse trainer Ginger McCain in Southport for just three days, he asked if he could ride one of the horses, to which the trainer agreed. Without realising, Mack then chose Red Rum (3 May 1965 – 18 October 1995), the triple Grand National winner, as the first horse he would ride.

Mack claimed that one of his jobs was to take horses for walks, and he took Red Rum to his gran’s house and she told him: “Get him off my lawn!”

GRAHAM SHARPE

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