Piggotts genius round this track and notorious use of the whip made the difference. ( The Minstrel was the same) He was also a jockey of supreme artistry.
As a student living on a grant, and a racing fan, I had noticed that in his previous races Rhinegold had been finishing very fast over shorter distances. When I saw it was entered in the Derby I told my wife who was working nights as a nurse for NHS, that if it was in the first 6 coming around that corner it would win. I put £25 ew @33/1....£50 out of my £450 per annum grant was a lot of money in 1972. I woke up my wife to watch the race with me. I obviously won some money for ew....so close though!.....of course the ironic thing about the whole thing was that a few weeks later Rheingold won the arc de triomph @ 8/1 with guess who in the saddle....Lester!!!....happy, mixed memories....
Even at 1/5 of the odds, you must have picked up around £170 for the place, winning you £120 clear profit from your £50 staked. A big and brave bet back in 1972. Well done.
Thank you for sharing this. I came to this video to see Rheingold because even though I was 5 or 6 at the time of this race, I vividly recall the horse, along with Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and others I would see on television. A bit of music trivia: the name of the first horse was taken by a Birmingham based reggae band which then went on to win a Grammy: Steel Pulse.
Nobody but Lester Piggott would have got Roberto home that day and don't forget later that season Roberto became the only horse ever to beat brigadier Gerard in the benson and hedges (now juddmonte) at York...
Tony Cooke's best commentary was Nijinsky winning the St. Leger and Triple Crown in 1970. He left ITV a couple of weeks after the '72 Epsom Derby to be replaced by Raleigh Gilbert as head commentator.
@@andrewswift9039 There was no Lead Commentator between 1972 and 1981. Both John Penney and Raleigh Gilbert were employed as Commentators as ITV generally covered 2 meetings on a Saturday for the ITV7. Whilst Raleigh Gilbert covered a lot of high profile meetings for course commentaries, when it came to high profile ITV meetings like the Derby/Oaks these always were the provenance of John Penney. After C4 racing took over, Penney was seldom if ever heard again on TV. Gilbert of course would go on to become C4s tertiary commentator, and into the mid 90s was only used as a results reader.
The only horse to defeat the great Brigadier Gerard, he proved an even more valuable stallion than racehors.Roberto was the leading freshman sire in both the USA and the UK in 1977.
I visited him, Roberto, when recovering from a broken leg! His, not mine. He was in in a kind of hoist, in a most wonderful barn, to help him move but not put weight. I saw his Dad's 'grave', and then went to visit a very alive Secretariat and Nijinsky and Sir Ivor. Aren't they magnificent fellow creatures?
Piggott was a cruel bastard at times , gave Roberto some hard cracks with the whip at the end of the race but then again I suspect Barry Hills was wishing he was on Rheingold
john cooper I think he was one of the greatest jockeys ever but not up there on his own ,in my opinion Steve Cauthen is the greatest ever. Some great Lester Piggott rides include his two front running rides on the great Alleged in the Arc and on a horse called Elland Road in which he had to be covered up in a 3 horse race , he got up on the line and the horse knew nothing about it , his worst was Alleged again in the St Leger trying to make all against stayer Dunfermline
Steve Cauthen was a very good jockey, but lacked Lester's experience and ability to really get to know a horse. Lester said that Roberto was not really trying, and Rheingold leaned all over him right up to the winning post. It looked ferocious, but please try controlling a horse going flat out, whilst trying to race-ride. I have ridden in competition - it's not easy.
I think VO'B said that lester said he (roberto) wasn't doin that much for him that day. And yes Barry Hills admitted as much by saying that he wished the jockey on Rheingold had not just gone with hands and heels and used the whip. Might have been a different story.
@@tonymcgrath700 Sorry Tony don't agree Steve was good but light years behind Lester and Joe Mercer .Lester was a past master at judging the pace of a race also In recent years no one to touch him .Geoff Lewis you could almost compare but you have to remember and take into account 'Good horses also make good jockeys ..Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands
I recall how Piggott jocked off Bill Williamson on the eve of the race after phoning Robertos owner , convincing him that only he ( Lester ) could win the race aboard his horse . Bill Wiliamson was furious but gained a percentage of the winning prize money for stepping down . Piggott was ruthless as he was sneaky and unsentimental , and it wouldn't be the last time he repeated the his phone call to owner tactic when he thought a big race winnings was his for the taking .
Piggott did not jock Williamson off, Glabraith instructed O Brien to put him up after Williamson failed to show up at Ballydoyle to ride work to prove his fitness having been off for two weeks after a fall.
@@joshmcguinness3540 Think your right sir .Neatherless it was a Fab performance by Lester n I don't think anyone else would have got Roberto up .I personally think Sir Ivor was his best Derby winner..Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands
@@davemarsh65 Cheers for your reply Dave, Nyjinsky was a Momentous horse and achieved the 3 classics plus although Lester himself said Sir Ivor was the best horse he ever rode. For me the 72 Derby was equally Momentous for Lester and how he got Roberto up to pip Rheingold was amazing. My late Dad ust to say it is impossible to compare one year to another and sometimes impossible to judge too. Shergar won his Derby very easily but the opposition was sub standard comparing to Mill Reef and Roberto, Nyjinsky plus Sir Ivor...... On form Nyjinsky comes out on top but would luved to have seen him and Brigadier Gerard race together. Kind regards Glynn n greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands UK 🤝
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Thanks Eddie I was 14, and dreaming of being a jockey ,two years later I left school and made it as a stable lad,loved every minute of it !
This was great crop of 3yos. Roberto went on to beat the Brigadier and Rheingold went on to win the Arc.
......fantastic race....first timt i've seen this race since.....1972.....well done....
Much appreciated, as always.
Piggotts genius round this track and notorious use of the whip made the difference. ( The Minstrel was the same) He was also a jockey of supreme artistry.
As a student living on a grant, and a racing fan, I had noticed that in his previous races Rhinegold had been finishing very fast over shorter distances. When I saw it was entered in the Derby I told my wife who was working nights as a nurse for NHS, that if it was in the first 6 coming around that corner it would win. I put £25 ew @33/1....£50 out of my £450 per annum grant was a lot of money in 1972. I woke up my wife to watch the race with me. I obviously won some money for ew....so close though!.....of course the ironic thing about the whole thing was that a few weeks later Rheingold won the arc de triomph @ 8/1 with guess who in the saddle....Lester!!!....happy, mixed memories....
Even at 1/5 of the odds, you must have picked up around £170 for the place, winning you £120 clear profit from your £50 staked. A big and brave bet back in 1972. Well done.
Did you let her sleep or re ride the finish again
Blimey!
I was on about £2000 quid a year back then.
I had 50p on him and was cr4pping myself.
Your bet was a MASSIVE risk. Nice one.
Thank you for sharing this. I came to this video to see Rheingold because even though I was 5 or 6 at the time of this race, I vividly recall the horse, along with Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and others I would see on television. A bit of music trivia: the name of the first horse was taken by a Birmingham based reggae band which then went on to win a Grammy: Steel Pulse.
This channel is amazing!
Tony Cook was a great commentator; how many days suspension would Lester get nowadays ?
I love this race. It’s like the test of champions.
did not realise Lyphard was in this race, he was Dancing Brave's sire
He was still a ridgling in this race, the left turn caused him pain and that's why he swung out so far.
Nobody but Lester Piggott would have got Roberto home that day and don't forget later that season Roberto became the only horse ever to beat brigadier Gerard in the benson and hedges (now juddmonte) at York...
on drugs?
Ridden by Braulio Baeza
Lester would probably have been pulled in front of the stewards now for excessive use of the whip
Vincent, and Lester, winning combination, great classic, going back to Diomed.
The wonderful Tony Cook commentating, ITV's equivalent to Peter O'Sullivan. Really eloquent and calling them home with such clarity.
Tony Cooke's best commentary was Nijinsky winning the St. Leger and Triple Crown in 1970. He left ITV a couple of weeks after the '72 Epsom Derby to be replaced by Raleigh Gilbert as head commentator.
@@andrewswift9039 There was no Lead Commentator between 1972 and 1981. Both John Penney and Raleigh Gilbert were employed as Commentators as ITV generally covered 2 meetings on a Saturday for the ITV7. Whilst Raleigh Gilbert covered a lot of high profile meetings for course commentaries, when it came to high profile ITV meetings like the Derby/Oaks these always were the provenance of John Penney. After C4 racing took over, Penney was seldom if ever heard again on TV. Gilbert of course would go on to become C4s tertiary commentator, and into the mid 90s was only used as a results reader.
@@andrewswift9039 absolutely
I wa nursing at Guy's hospital when I watched this, I can still recall the excited feeling.
It was 1973 when Rhinegold won the Arc and not 1972.
Tony Cooke great commentator
A genius whoever said cauthern who was a great jockey was better than piggott watch this
Never heard this commentator before but he's very good
Tony Cooke was the commentator and this was his last Derby
The only horse to defeat the great Brigadier Gerard, he proved an even more valuable stallion than racehors.Roberto was the leading freshman sire in both the USA and the UK in 1977.
I visited him, Roberto, when recovering from a broken leg! His, not mine. He was in in a kind of hoist, in a most wonderful barn, to help him move but not put weight. I saw his Dad's 'grave', and then went to visit a very alive Secretariat and Nijinsky and Sir Ivor. Aren't they magnificent fellow creatures?
@@brianhaworth8439 roberto never broke his leg an he was at the same stud as the rest of them horses
You don't seem to get fields that size in the Eclipse these days.
Piggott was a cruel bastard at times , gave Roberto some hard cracks with the whip at the end of the race but then again I suspect Barry Hills was wishing he was on Rheingold
Obviously you have some hang up about Lester ( The Greatest Jockey ) ever.You must have lost a pound or two betting against him at some stage.
john cooper I think he was one of the greatest jockeys ever but not up there on his own ,in my opinion Steve Cauthen is the greatest ever. Some great Lester Piggott rides include his two front running rides on the great Alleged in the Arc and on a horse called Elland Road in which he had to be covered up in a 3 horse race , he got up on the line and the horse knew nothing about it , his worst was Alleged again in the St Leger trying to make all against stayer Dunfermline
Steve Cauthen was a very good jockey, but lacked Lester's experience and ability to really get to know a horse. Lester said that Roberto was not really trying, and Rheingold leaned all over him right up to the winning post. It looked ferocious, but please try controlling a horse going flat out, whilst trying to race-ride. I have ridden in competition - it's not easy.
I think VO'B said that lester said he (roberto) wasn't doin that much for him that day. And yes Barry Hills admitted as much by saying that he wished the jockey on Rheingold had not just gone with hands and heels and used the whip. Might have been a different story.
@@tonymcgrath700 Sorry Tony don't agree Steve was good but light years behind Lester and Joe Mercer .Lester was a past master at judging the pace of a race also In recent years no one to touch him .Geoff Lewis you could almost compare but you have to remember and take into account 'Good horses also make good jockeys ..Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands
3 wonder horses all in the same field.
One of the closest finishes ever
Interesting Lyphard didnt handle Tattenham corner like his son the great Dancing Brave.
Lyphard probably never even stayed a mile. He looked very similar to his sire Northern Dancer.
Lester won that race in the first 200 yards, securing a perfect position at the top of the hill despite being drawn in the disadvantageous #1 berth...
I recall how Piggott jocked off Bill Williamson on the eve of the race after phoning Robertos owner , convincing him that only he ( Lester ) could win the race aboard his horse . Bill Wiliamson was furious but gained a percentage of the winning prize money for stepping down . Piggott was ruthless as he was sneaky and unsentimental , and it wouldn't be the last time he repeated the his phone call to owner tactic when he thought a big race winnings was his for the taking .
Piggott did not jock Williamson off, Glabraith instructed O Brien to put him up after Williamson failed to show up at Ballydoyle to ride work to prove his fitness having been off for two weeks after a fall.
@@joshmcguinness3540 Think your right sir .Neatherless it was a Fab performance by Lester n I don't think anyone else would have got Roberto up .I personally think Sir Ivor was his best Derby winner..Glynn n Greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands
@@glynnevans1851 No one comes close to Nyjinsky
@@davemarsh65 Cheers for your reply Dave, Nyjinsky was a Momentous horse and achieved the 3 classics plus although Lester himself said Sir Ivor was the best horse he ever rode. For me the 72 Derby was equally Momentous for Lester and how he got Roberto up to pip Rheingold was amazing. My late Dad ust to say it is impossible to compare one year to another and sometimes impossible to judge too. Shergar won his Derby very easily but the opposition was sub standard comparing to Mill Reef and Roberto, Nyjinsky plus Sir Ivor...... On form Nyjinsky comes out on top but would luved to have seen him and Brigadier Gerard race together. Kind regards Glynn n greetings from Stourbridge West Midlands UK 🤝
The great Lester Piggott at his very best. I backed Ormindo.
Piggott would have won on either First or Second
lester at his very best
Only piggott could do that
Racing at its most rigged
How