To today’s sponsors William Hill….
But it is hard to think of this afternoon’s “William Hill Hurdle (Premier Handicap)” as anything other than the Schweppes. The same with the Whitbread, the Mackeson Gold Cup, the Hennessey etc…
Gilded races lose a little of their gloss when long standing partnerships wither and wane…
I don’t know when Schweppes ended their sponsorship ? Maybe even decades ago ? The first Saturday of February at Newbury. A hugely competitive handicap hurdle with plots aplenty for punters to unravel. Days, if not weeks, of ante post pontificating and punting…
Not anymore. I may have been looking the other way, but the build up to the race nowadays is a million miles from what it was when I would pile down the M4 from London with a car full of guys and girls…
Jeez, I have just googled it. Schweppes ended their sponsorship of the race in 1986 !! Before some of my best friends were born. Abandoned that year. I think I went to watch QPR instead…
Deep Sensation, Donegal Prince (he hurt – more in a minute), Large Action, Mysilv, Geos, Make A Stand, My Tent Or Yours – and many more…
Ryan Price and Josh Gifford up. Rosyth winning the first two runnings for the greatest plotter of all time. After his second win, after four less than encouraging “also ran” efforts, Josh was banned for 6 weeks, and the master trainer warned off. Those were the days – and every bookmaker in the land ran hard for cover…
Mr Price and Mr Gifford came through this small “blip” pretty well…
The old Newbury before they turned the stand into a replica of an Asda supermarket. Charming. That tunnel under the stands with the bar and the flaming braziers. Whisky Macs. Hot breath and condensation and turned up collars and pink cheeks and fun. And parties that would rage on long into the night, and missed lifts and trains, and hungover Sundays…
I’m sure for some the William Hill Hurdle will provide as many nostalgic memories as the Schweppes does for me…
Back to Donegal Prince. 1982. Muddy playing fields and muddier knees and shins. School. The Field Game, unique to us, a fabulous sport. A few of us had clubbed together for a decent punt on Ekbalco. Showboating around the pitch in front of prospective girlfriends, we had plans that would be paid for by Ekbalco and jockey David Goulding…..
Peter O’Sullevan. “Ekbalco magnificently produced by David Goulding…..”
Agony. Lessons learned ?? No way. Plans scuppered ?? Not entirely. Thankfully…
