the complete record. sort of.

​I recently purchased from Ways of Newmarket, second-hand and antiquarian bookshop, 3 editions of The Complete Record, a publication that until then had passed me by. My prime motivation for buying the 3 books that would provide me with very reading material was Issue 65, The Valentine Steeplechase 1885 – 1952, a supplement, I supposed, to add to my other Grand National related books. Given the distance of the race was 2-miles 6-furlongs, I can only assume the race evolved into what is now the Topham Trophy.
Issue 38 is titled ‘The Ladbrokes World Hurdle’, an erroneous title for both the book and the race.
A quick Google search found no evidence that The Complete Record still exists, though ‘Complete Records’ of numerous football teams were advertised for sale.
Of course, the World Hurdle has reverted to its pre-Ladbrokes sponsorship and is now once again the Stayers Hurdle, as prosaic a name for a championship race as World Hurdle was pretentious.
The Complete Record gives the history of the ‘World Hurdle’ from 1946 through to 2004, the year before this book was published. Of course, there was no such race in 1946 and labelling each race the World Hurdle is a factual error, which for what amounts to an historical sporting book does the author little credit. To be fair to Paul Davies, the author/compiler, in the summary of winners he does inform the reader that from 1946 – 1971 the race was known as the Spa Hurdle, which, I believe, remains its registered title. 1972 – 1977 the race became the Lloyds Bank Hurdle. 1978 – 1990 the Waterford Crystal Stayers Hurdle. 1991 – 2003 the Bonusprint Stayers Hurdle and in 2004 the Bonusprint.com Stayers Hurdle. So, as you can see, Ladbrokes only took over the race in 2005 and up to that date there was no such race at the Festival as the Ladbrokes Stayers Hurdle, hence my dismay.
The history of the Stayers Hurdle is longer than the period of this book and between its inauguration in 1912 and 1938, it was known as The Stayers Selling Hurdle. The winner in 1912 was Aftermath who won by 15-lengths and was subsequently bought-in for 105-guineas. They liked sellers back in the day and the Stayers Hurdle was one of 4 sellers run at the Festival that year. Silver Bay won the next two editions of the race, though the following year there was a walkover for Rathduff.
The race was dropped from the festival in 1928 and replaced by a similar race, the Swindon Hurdle. Keith Piggott, father of Lester, won the final edition of the race on Chestnut before the 2nd World War became the only subject on everyone’s mind.
In 1946 the race was run in two divisions, with Haze winning the first and Tregor the second. In 1947 the race was abandoned due to snow and frost. In 1948, perhaps to demonstrate their indifference to the race, it was again run in two divisions, though for some inexplicable reason they ran the second division the day before they ran the first.
They must have suffered winters back then as the race was abandoned again in 1949. In 1951 the race was exiled to the April meeting and in 1955 they turned their back on the race altogether. In 1956 a young dude by the name of Vincent O’Brien won the race with Stroller, ridden by Harry Sprague. Fred Winter finished fourth on Don’s Fancy. In 1959 Winter won the race on perhaps the best horse to win the race up then, Clair Soleil. From then on in the prestige of the race began to grow with success for  horses of the calibre of Sparkling Flame, Merry Deal and Beau Normand, the middle horse bred by Miss D. Paget and the latter horse owned by Jim Joel. Beau Normand went on to win the race a second time as an eleven-year-old in 1967. The year before its most famous horse, I would contend, won, Trelawney, one of the great stayers of the flat. He was 10 when he won at the Festival, ridden by Terry Biddlecombe.
From the middle-sixties onwards, the race was invariably won by top-class horses – Young Ash Leaf, Clever Scot, Moyne Royal, Brown Lad, Bit of a Jig and many more.
Crimson Embers ran in the race six-times, winning in 1982 and being controversially second to his stable-mate Rose Ravine in 1985. Galmoy won in successive years 1987 & 1988 and Nomadic Way won for trainer Barry Hills in 1992. Avro Anson was disqualified in 1994, the race awarded to the Martin Pipe trained Balasani. Doran’s Pride won the following year. Anzum came from the top of Cleeve Hill to win in 1999 and the final 3 runnings before Ladbrokes acquired the sponsorship were won by Baracouda in 02 and 03 and by Iris’s Gift the following year.
I can’t say the Stayers Hurdle is one of my favourite Festival races, in part, I suspect, because of its prosaic name. I would actually prefer the 3-mile Champion Hurdle. Or the Spa Champion Hurdle, preceded, of course, by the name of whichever company is its sponsor. Also, I can’t get away from the notion that the majority of the runners should be chasing. Paisley Park, for instance, would easily stay the Gold Cup distance – he would stay the National Hunt Chase distance – and he would certainly have an easier time of things if stepped-up to novice chases. It is what it is, though, and I’m sure I’ll come to love the race as long as I live long enough.
I wonder if I tipped Flooring Porter again this season. Can’t think why I would not have.