Halloween (horse)
| Halloween | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Court Nez |
| Grandsire | Bosworth |
| Dam | My Blue Heaven |
| Damsire | Tai Yang |
| Sex | Gelding |
| Foaled | 1945 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Brown |
| Owner | Captain R.B. Smalley Contessa di Sant Elia |
| Trainer | Bill Wightman |
| Major wins | |
|
Foxhunters Challenge Cup (1951) Hurst Park Grand National Trial Chase (1952) Grand Sefton Trial Chase (1952) Cottage Rake Handicap Chase King George VI Chase (1952, 1954) Charlton Park Handicap Chase (1954) Ewell Chase (1954) Coventry Handicap Chase (1955) |
|
Halloween (foaled 1945) was a British National Hunt horse best known for being the first horse to win two King George VI Chases and for being placed four times in the Cheltenham Gold Cup without winning the race. Racing during the 1950s, he and another British chaser, Galloway Braes, had a competitive rivalry and were extremely popular with racing fans.
Halloween was born in 1945 and had fairly undistinguished breeding. His sire, Court Nez, was a descendent of leading sire Dark Ronald and his dam, My Blue Heaven, was a granddaughter of 1925 St Leger winner Solario. Halloween was a small brown gelding with a white star on his forehead.
Halloween was bought by Captain R. B. Smalley for £90 and ridden by him in point to points. In 1951, he was transferred to hunter chases and put into training with Bill Wightman. Ridden by Smalley, Halloween recorded five victories from as many starts in the spring of that year. He made his debut at Windsor, where he won the three-mile Foxhunters Trial Chase by three lengths. He then won three races at Sandown and Worcester by five, six, and eight lengths before winning the Foxhunters Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.
After his victory, Halloween was sold to Contessa di Sant Elia for £8000. He was considered champion hunter-chaser for the year 1950/51.
Halloween was switched to chasing in the autumn of 1951, where he was expected to continue his progression. However, he was a quirky individual and did not respond well to his new jockeys. In his first two races at Hurst and Newbury, he unseated both Dick Francis and D. Dartnall before he was reunited with Captain Smalley, who knew how to ride the horse effectively. Halloween and Smalley won two chases for amateur riders before Wightman offered the ride to Fred Winter. Winter consulted with Smalley and realised that Halloween hated being pushed about by his jockey. With that in mind, Winter left Halloween to make his own running, and the pair won the Hurst Park Grand National Trial by eight lengths. As Winter clearly understood the horse, Wightman offered him a retainer of £250 to ride Halloween.
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Wikipedia