Captain Christy
Encyclopedia
Captain Christy was an Irish-bred and Irish-trained racehorse, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup
as a novice
.
In spite of an alarming tendency to make mistakes, Captain Christy was one of the very best Irish chasers of his era and his 30 lengths demolition of Bula in the 1975 King George VI Chase
at Kempton Park
was a performance of the highest standard. Gerry Newman rode him in that race, but for most of his other successes his jockey was Bobby Beasley. Throughout his career, Captain Christy was trained by Pat Taaffe
, and that victory over Bula was the second time he had beaten the dual Champion Hurdle
winner. He had outgalloped him in the 1972 Irish Sweeps Hurdle. But Captain Christy's most important success came in the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he beat the previous year's winner The Dikler. He also went beyond the British Isles
and other valiant efforts saw him finish runner-up in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris
and fourth in the Colonial Cup in the USA.
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
as a novice
Novice (racehorse)
A novice in National Hunt horse racing is a horse which has not won in a particular type of race prior to the start of the current season. A novice hurdler has not won a hurdle race before the start of the current season, while a novice chaser has not won a steeplechase before the start of the...
.
In spite of an alarming tendency to make mistakes, Captain Christy was one of the very best Irish chasers of his era and his 30 lengths demolition of Bula in the 1975 King George VI Chase
King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles , and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped...
at Kempton Park
Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....
was a performance of the highest standard. Gerry Newman rode him in that race, but for most of his other successes his jockey was Bobby Beasley. Throughout his career, Captain Christy was trained by Pat Taaffe
Pat Taaffe
Pat Taaffe died in 1992 in Dublin Hospital, aged just 62. His health had been poor for some time.Taaffe is a National Hunt jockey who famously rode Arkle to win three Cheltenham Gold Cups between 1964 and 1966...
, and that victory over Bula was the second time he had beaten the dual Champion Hurdle
Champion Hurdle
The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online sportsbook StanJames.com, the race is now known as the Stan James Champion Hurdle...
winner. He had outgalloped him in the 1972 Irish Sweeps Hurdle. But Captain Christy's most important success came in the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup, when he beat the previous year's winner The Dikler. He also went beyond the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and other valiant efforts saw him finish runner-up in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris
Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris
The Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris is a Group 1 steeplechase in France which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Auteuil over a distance of 5,800 metres , and during its running there are twenty-three fences to be jumped...
and fourth in the Colonial Cup in the USA.