THE inaugural running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1924 brought National Hunt racing its first level weights championship test for the season’s best chasers. It took a few years to become established—the Grand National at Liverpool continued to be steeplechasing’s most prestigious prize for some time after. A race needs charismatic horses or connections to become a highlight of the calendar and, surely enough, the Gold Cup soon attracted them.
Here are some of the personalities, equine and human, who helped make Cheltenham’s Blue Riband the high-quality, much-anticipated event it is today.
The forgotten Hero
His feat was soon to be surpassed by Golden Miller, but Easter Hero was the first dual winner of the Gold Cup, in 1929 and 1930, both times by an imperious 20 lengths when ridden by Dick Rees. In 1929, he’d lugged 12st 7lb in the Grand National in a field of 66 runners, bravely finishing second despite running
