I’ll never forget Sir Ivor. I visited him at Claiborne. He stole my pinky ring! When I told his handler. He calmly went up to him put his hand out and told him to spit it out. Which he did! I met him and Round Table, Nijinsky, Riva Ridge and a big red horse named Secretariat. A day I will never forget
A truly great horse and the total legend in the saddle. Brilliant combo, horses like Sir Ivor are only meant to appeal once in a lifetime, yet i was privileged enough to see not only Secretariat but the ultimate master Sea Bird. There will never be another Sea Bird. Sir Ivor has to rate as the second best i have ever seen, makes Frankel who others rave about look ordinary. Bizarrely Frankel wouldn’t make my top 10. Really great to see him again taking it to the Americans
Couldn't agree more about the brilliance of Sea Bird. In 63 years of following horse racing I, personally, have never seen another horse to compare with Sea Bird. His scintillating victories in the Epsom Derby and Arc were achieved with such consummate ease. Even Lester Piggott , in an interview with Nick Luck at Epsom racecourse, rated Sea Bird the best racehorse he had ever seen. That is high praise indeed from a man who had ridden some great horses in his illustrious career.
@ Yes I absolutely agree. I have been following racing almost the exact same time. Arkle is the greatest chaser i ever saw though I loved the magnificent Pas Seul, such a fantastic front runner and my first real memory of NH racing in late1960. Sea Bird was just phenomenal, I often wonder how many lengths he would have destroyed Frankel by? I think over 20 lengths if he was allowed to fully extend, though I don’t rate Frankel in my top ten
@@mallafets I can not remember but I think Royal Academy was there in the late 80s early 90s we would only be asked to ride out when stable lads or work riders were sick our yard was less than 10 mins away you would have been told ride this or that and what to do I loved riding work as you went at a nice clip I was only 2 weeks away from riding in a Bumper in Wexford it would have been 31 years ago last March myself and the yards Amature jockey were in a car crash and that did me in when I came back but did not have the power I had in my hands. Then in 99, I broke my neck my C4 C5 but luckily they did a great job but still suffer today now I work for a Hospital Radio Station STGH, Radio.
@@kevinmunday5782 Thank you, Brother, I am 56 now in Lots of pain still today but fantastic memories well worth the clatters and Falls breaks slip-ups Cold Weather Hot weather, and lots more but boy did we have our laughs.
A very good horse as long as he got good ground. He was electric in the 2000 guinees and the derby he won was run to suit him as he was not a true stayer. This record bears out in defeat in the Irish derby in a true run race (with Piggott on the winner Ribero) and again in the Prix de l'arc against Vaguelly Noble. He was definately best at a mile to a mile and a quarter on good ground.
Sir Ivor was American bred, wasn't he, racing in Europe for the most part, a few races in the US, before standing stud first in Ireland, and then at Claiborne Farms until his passing in 1995. Thirty years old is quite old for a horse.
I saw this on TV when I was in London. The papers next day were all criticism for Lester Piggot. They said this is no way to race, that you follow the field and overtake them at the winning post. It was Lester who taught the Americans that the reason to race was to win.
There have been some great broodmares. More recently, superstars Miesque and Urban Sea have been extremely productive. However, the Princequillo mare Somethingroyal must be pretty high on the all-time list with both Sir Ivor and Secretariat among her stakes-winning offspring.
Carmarthen (the chestnut horse with the noseband) lost ground at the start , loosing at least three and more lengths, otherwise he would have finished close to Sir Ivor and ahead of Fort Marcy and Ksar Alexander with a normal race. He previously finished third to Vaguely Noble and Sir Ivor in the Arc (same year)
He went back the next year and won it again. When asked by the American press Lester at what stage of the race did you think you were going to win. He replied last year.
I dont think I ever saw Lester win a race by a huge margin unlike today's jockies.He just did enough too win .You watch some jockies today 3,4 lengths in front inside the last furlongs whipping the living daylights out of the horse and winning by 8or9 lengths. They have no class.
Because champion horses are to become stallions, they need (according to their owners) to impress prospective breeders…so as to justify astronomical service fees
Crummy ride ? Does that mean bad ? No way I'm English we train our middle distance horses to come late and fast and get up on the line . Makes it a spectacle , love it .
Dr Fager beat Fort Macey (a very good horse) carrying 16 lbs more in weight. It was hard work on a surface he didn't like. But puts this race in perspective. Sir Ivor is no Dr Fager.
I’ll never forget Sir Ivor. I visited him at Claiborne. He stole my pinky ring! When I told his handler. He calmly went up to him put his hand out and told him to spit it out. Which he did! I met him and Round Table, Nijinsky, Riva Ridge and a big red horse named Secretariat. A day I will never forget
What a great memory
Awesome story!
A truly great horse and the total legend in the saddle. Brilliant combo, horses like Sir Ivor are only meant to appeal once in a lifetime, yet i was privileged enough to see not only Secretariat but the ultimate master Sea Bird. There will never be another Sea Bird. Sir Ivor has to rate as the second best i have ever seen, makes Frankel who others rave about look ordinary. Bizarrely Frankel wouldn’t make my top 10. Really great to see him again taking it to the Americans
Couldn't agree more about the brilliance of Sea Bird. In 63 years of following horse racing I, personally, have never seen another horse to compare with Sea Bird. His scintillating victories in the Epsom Derby and Arc were achieved with such consummate ease. Even Lester Piggott , in an interview with Nick Luck at Epsom racecourse, rated Sea Bird the best racehorse he had ever seen. That is high praise indeed from a man who had ridden some great horses in his illustrious career.
@ Yes I absolutely agree. I have been following racing almost the exact same time. Arkle is the greatest chaser i ever saw though I loved the magnificent Pas Seul, such a fantastic front runner and my first real memory of NH racing in late1960. Sea Bird was just phenomenal, I often wonder how many lengths he would have destroyed Frankel by? I think over 20 lengths if he was allowed to fully extend, though I don’t rate Frankel in my top ten
I’ve never seen this race, remember it being announced on TV and reading it in the newspaper, so thank you for sharing this. Superstar of a horse.
Timed to perfection. Lester really was a genius.
I rode work for Vincent O'Brien in the late 80s a few times at Ballydoyle that was only about a 15 min drive from my hometown of Clonmel.
What were his best horses at the time? Were you after EGS?
@@mallafets I can not remember but I think Royal Academy was there in the late 80s early 90s we would only be asked to ride out when stable lads or work riders were sick
our yard was less than 10 mins away you would have been told ride this or that and what to do I loved riding work as you went at a nice clip I was only
2 weeks away from riding in a Bumper in Wexford it would have been 31 years ago last March myself and the yards Amature jockey were in a car crash
and that did me in when I came back but did not have the power I had in my hands. Then in 99, I broke my neck my C4 C5 but luckily they did a great job but still suffer today
now I work for a Hospital Radio Station STGH, Radio.
@@djbillybopdjbillybop2817 Glad You Enjoyed the rides, and came through the accidents , Horse People are a tough breed 🙂🙂
@@kevinmunday5782 Thank you, Brother, I am 56 now in Lots of pain still today but fantastic memories well worth the clatters and Falls breaks slip-ups Cold Weather Hot weather, and lots more but boy did we have our laughs.
What a fantastic trainer he was.
A great jockey and great horse
Success can live with criticism. And a genius in the saddle can afford to smile from his lofty perch of
perfection!
thanks for this , first time I have seen this amazing horse
Sir Ivor and Lester poetry in motion , they were made for each other , the stars collided .
Great horse , great ride from Lester and brilliant commentary ( Is Lester worried if he`s not he's the only Sir Ivor supporter who's not) classic
lester , the greatest ever jockey and sportsman this country has produced
Couldn't agree more.
What a horse 🐴 what a jockey . Awesome partnership I remember that year so well .
I remember Sir Ivor well….good sire. I also remember Fort Marcy, who was in this race. I miss those days.
First time I've ever seen this. Excellent
P.S. That burst of acceleration reminded me of Dancing Brave's later famous demonstration of speed in
Europe under another top jockey, Pat Eddery.
Exactly
Absolutely killer burst of speed from Sir Ivor. I'm not convinced that the great Lester didn't make this harder than it needed to be.
A very good horse as long as he got good ground. He was electric in the 2000 guinees and the derby he won was run to suit him as he was not a true stayer. This record bears out in defeat in the Irish derby in a true run race (with Piggott on the winner Ribero) and again in the Prix de l'arc against Vaguelly Noble. He was definately best at a mile to a mile and a quarter on good ground.
Sir Ivor's Speed Devastating 🎉
Lester coolness personified. Sir Ivor could have won by ten lengths.
Lester,Cool Hand Luke! 😅😅
The greatest jockey by a country mile of all time
The US horses and jockeys were completely outclassed by Lester Piggott and Sir Ivor's brilliance.
Sir Ivor was American bred, wasn't he, racing in Europe for the most part, a few races in the US, before standing stud first in Ireland, and then at Claiborne Farms until his passing in 1995. Thirty years old is quite old for a horse.
Good old days not like the present
I saw this on TV when I was in London. The papers next day were all criticism for Lester Piggot. They said this is no way to race, that you follow the field and overtake them at the winning post. It was Lester who taught the Americans that the reason to race was to win.
There have been some great broodmares. More recently, superstars Miesque and Urban Sea have been extremely productive. However, the Princequillo mare Somethingroyal must be pretty high on the all-time list with both Sir Ivor and Secretariat among her stakes-winning offspring.
Carmarthen (the chestnut horse with the noseband) lost ground at the start , loosing at least three and more lengths, otherwise he would have finished close to Sir Ivor and ahead of Fort Marcy and Ksar Alexander with a normal race. He previously finished third to Vaguely Noble and Sir Ivor in the Arc (same year)
Nicely ridden, never too far away from the leaders.
Was this the race where Lester was asked at what stage he knew he was going to win, and he replied with “when I got the phone call to ride him”?
Yes, something similar...I remember it as him saying " Three weeks ago" Lol
I'm not sure but I think it was when he rode a horse called Karabas, when asked when he thought he would win, he replied two weeks ago.
@@daverave6676 Ditto - Royal Admiral in the 1990 Breeders Cup Mile. Priceless Piggott!.
@@daverave6676 In fact, "a fortnight ago", which threw the yanks.
Piggott said Sir Ivor was the best he rode.
He went back the next year and won it again. When asked by the American press Lester at what stage of the race did you think you were going to win. He replied last year.
Brilliant reply by the great man.
😂
Peter o Sunland was the comantietor for the BBC
''So Lester, when did you think you had the race won?''. "About three weeks ago when the field was announced/ Mow piss off''.
I dont think I ever saw Lester win a race by a huge margin unlike today's jockies.He just did enough too win .You watch some jockies today 3,4 lengths in front inside the last furlongs whipping the living daylights out of the horse and winning by 8or9 lengths.
They have no class.
Its called staying off the pace w/ a closer and a late run ,going a route etc. Today they have very few w/ that talent or less speed know how.
Because champion horses are to become stallions, they need (according to their owners) to impress prospective breeders…so as to justify astronomical service fees
Interviewer: when did you know you were going to win with Sir Ivor ? Lester : when he was born ! Unbelievable racehorse .
In believably we backed Sir Ivor at 100/1 in the Derby!
Crummy ride. Much the best winner. Soft turf.
Crummy ride ? Does that mean bad ? No way I'm English we train our middle distance horses to come late and fast and get up on the line . Makes it a spectacle , love it .
@@RossDear-zm4nj Yes. Training had nothing to do with the ride.
@@JoeKoOhNo No Oh
@@RossDear-zm4nj OK
Americans! Idiots!
Dr Fager beat Fort Macey (a very good horse) carrying 16 lbs more in weight. It was hard work on a surface he didn't like. But puts this race in perspective. Sir Ivor is no Dr Fager.