Flakey Dove
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Flakey Dove (10 April 1986 – 13 February 2016) was a British racehorse best known for her win in the 1994
Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
. In a career which lasted from January 1990 until January 1995 she ran forty-four times and won fourteen races. Although she won two races on the flat, Flakey Dove was a specialist
hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...
who competed mainly in
National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...
races. She ran in some races restricted to mares in the early part of her racing career, but was mainly campaigned against
geldings A gelding ( /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated camels. By comparison, the equivalent term for castrat ...
and entire horses in open competition. In 1994, her best year, she became the third mare to win the
Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt racing, National Hunt Hurdling (horse race), hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years ...
at
Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, hosts National Hunt horse racing. Racing at Cheltenham took place in 1815, but comprised only minor flat races on Nottingham Hill. The first racing on Cleeve ...
. Her other important wins included the
Cleeve Hurdle The Cleeve Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain 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 the Champion Hurdle Trial. The Racing Post rated her one of the ten best jumping mares of the 20th century. Unlike the majority of modern racehorses, Flakey Dove was not a
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
.


Background

Flakey Dove was a bay mare with a small white
star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
, bred and owned by the Price family of
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
. Shortly after the Second World War, Tom Price paid £25 for a broken down point-to-point mare of uncertain parentage named Cottage Lass. She became a successful broodmare, becoming the ancestor of three generations of racehorses, all of whom included the word "Dove" in their names. As Cottage Lass's pedigree could not be traced to any of the Foundation mares recorded in the
General Stud Book The ''General Stud Book'' is a breed registry for horses in Great Britain and Ireland. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of Thoroughbreds and related foundation bloodstock such as the Arabian horse. Today it is published ev ...
, her descendant could not be registered as
Thoroughbreds The Thoroughbred is a horse breed developed for horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are considered ...
. Tom Price's grandson, Richard, who ran a 400
acre The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
livestock farm near
Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...
, trained Cottage Lass's great-granddaughter Flakey Dove throughout her racing career. Flakey Dove was sired by the Oats, a successful National Hunt stallion whose other progeny included the
Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlon ...
winner
Master Oats Master Oats (14 May 1986 – 21 May 2012) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist Steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechaser, he ran twenty-one time and won ten races. He campaigned mainly at distances in excess of three miles and ...
.


Racing career


1990–1992: early career

Flakey Dove began her racing career in early 1990 by contesting three
National Hunt flat race National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...
s (also known as "bumpers"). She won on her debut at
Ludlow Racecourse Ludlow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Bromfield near Ludlow, Shropshire, England. One of the oldest courses in the country Ludlow stages National Hunt racing however originally flat racing was held there. The Hurdl ...
in February, running on gamely to win by a head and then finished second at
Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. The racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield to the north, Golborne to the east and Newton-le-Willows ...
and
Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
. In the 1990/1991 season, Flakey Dove was campaigned in
Novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...
hurdle A hurdle (UK English, limited US English) is a moveable section of light fence. In the United States, terms such as "panel", "pipe panel" or simply "fence section" are used to describe moveable sections of fencing intended for agricultural u ...
races. She fell in her first hurdle race in February and was well beaten in her next two races before winning a Novice handicap race at
Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's List of ...
in March under a light weight (for jump racing) of 142 pounds. She was beaten when favourite in her next race at
Exeter Racecourse Exeter Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located near the city of Exeter, Devon, England. Locally it is known as Haldon racecourse because of its location on top of the Haldon, Haldon Hills. At 850 feet (260 metres above sea level, ...
and ended the season with a rating of 102, suggesting that she was well below top class. As in her first two seasons, Flakey Dove did not run until February of the 1991/1992 season, but she then ran eight times in less than three months. Racing in handicaps, she won four times and finished second twice as her official rating rose to 140. On her last appearance of the National Hunt season, she started favourite for the Grade III
Swinton Handicap Hurdle The Swinton Handicap Hurdle is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of about 1 mile 7½ ...
at
Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. The racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield to the north, Golborne to the east and Newton-le-Willows ...
in May and finished third to Bitofabanter. Later in the month she made her first appearance in a
flat race National Hunt flat races, informally known as bumper races, are a type of flat racing but run under National Hunt racing rules in Britain and Ireland. National Hunt flat races were created on 15 July 1891 when a conference between the stewards of ...
and finished unplaced in a
Listed race Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triom ...
at Newbury.


1992/1993 season: hurdle racing

Flakey Dove's next season began in February when she finished second in a race at Stratford and then ran fifth in the Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury. In the same month she recorded her first success at Graded level when beating Lift and Load by five lengths in the Grade II Regency Hurdle at
Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
, but the form was reversed ten days later when Lift and Load beat the mare in the Grade II Berkshire Hurdle at Newbury. In March, Flakey Dove appeared for the first time at the
Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...
. She started a 50/1 outsider for the Champion Hurdle and finished seventh of the eighteen runners behind
Granville Again Granville Again (20 June 1986 – August 2003) was an Irish-bred racehorse who competed in National Hunt races and recorded his most important win in the 1993 Champion Hurdle. In his early career he won two of his three National Hunt Flat ra ...
. She then finished second in a handicap hurdle at
Ascot Ascot, Ascott or Askot may refer to: Places Australia * Ascot, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane * Ascot, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a locality * Ascot Park, South Australia, suburb of Adelaide * Ascot (Ballarat), town near Ballarat in Victoria ...
and fourth in a flat race at
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
. On 1 May, Flakey Dove recorded her best win up to that time when she defeated the former Champion Hurdler
Beech Road Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted species in ...
in the Staffordshire Hurdle at
Uttoxeter Racecourse Uttoxeter Racecourse is a National Hunt racecourse in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. Course Uttoxeter is a left-handed oval shaped course of 1 mile 2½ furlongs in circumference. The back ‘straight’ has a dog-leg to the right and ...
. Two days later she finished unplaced in the Swinton Hurdle before ending the season by finishing eighth in a flat race at
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
.


1993/1994 season: hurdle racing

Flakey Dove ran thirteen times in her championship season: according to Price the mare thrived on a busy racing schedule. She began by recording her first win in a flat race when she won a maiden event at Nottingham. She was beaten in her next four races over hurdles but never finished worse than fourth. In January 1994, Flakey Dove entered contention for the Champion Hurdle with a win in the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park. Ridden for the first time by
Richard Dunwoody Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE (born 18 January 1964) is a retired British National Hunt jockey. He was a three-time British Champion Jockey. He was the only jockey of his generation to win the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hu ...
, she took the lead two hurdles from the finish and drew clear to win by twenty lengths from the Irish-trained favourite Tiananmen Square. Dunwoody was in the saddle again a week later when Flakey Dove ran in the Grade I
Cleeve Hurdle The Cleeve Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain 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 ...
at
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
. She confirmed her improvement by overtaking Sweet Duke at the last hurdle and winning by six lengths. She then started favourite for the Tote Gold Trophy but finished third behind
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and Oh So Risky. In this race she carried 154 pounds and was ridden by
Norman Williamson Norman Williamson (born 16 January 1969) is an Irish retired professional jockey who competed in National Hunt racing. He was top jockey at the Cheltenham Festival in 1995 with 4 wins, including the Champion Hurdle on Alderbrook and the Cheltenha ...
. Dunwoody reclaimed the ride in the Berkshire Hurdle on 5 March and the mare won the Grade II event very easily by twenty lengths. On 15 March, Flakey Dove, ridden by Mark Dwyer, contested the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. The mare started the 9/1 third favourite behind Oh So Risky (9/4) and Large Action (8/1). The field of fifteen runners also included the previous champions Granville Again and
Morley Street Morley Street (1984-–2009) was an Irish racehorse. He was a specialist hurdler but also won steeplechases and races on the flat. In a racing career which lasted from November 1988 until December 1995, he ran forty-five times and won twent ...
. Dwyer restrained the mare in the early stages before moving up to join the leaders four hurdles from the finish. Approaching the final hurdle, Flakey Dove overtook the leader, Large Action, and ran on in the closing stages to win by one and a half lengths from Oh So Risky. She became the first mare to win the race since
Dawn Run Dawn Run (1978–1986) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful mare in the history of National Hunt racing. She won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1984 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup over fences at the festi ...
in 1984 and the first British-trained mare to win since African Sister in 1939. The mare's win was enthusiastically received by the Cheltenham crowd and Richard Price admitted that "I had a tear in my eye" as he led Flakey Dove into the winner's enclosure. On her next appearance, Flakey Dove won a flat race at Haydock on 2 April before running in the Grade I
Aintree Hurdle The Aintree Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Aintree over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs ( ...
a week later. She was made favourite for the race but ran poorly and finished tailed off behind
Danoli Danoli (14 May 1988 – April 2006) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. He was best known for his successes in hurdle races, although he also had success in steeplechases later in his career. Danoli was described as the most popular raceho ...
. On her final run of the season, Flakey Dove returned to the flat and finished unplaced in the Group Three
Sagaro Stakes The Sagaro Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile 7 furlongs and 209 yards () at Ascot in late Apri ...
at Ascot.


1994/1995 season: hurdle racing

Flakey Dove failed to win in her final season although she ran some good races in defeat. She finished third to Oh So Risky in the
Ascot Hurdle The Ascot Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 2 miles and 3½ furlongs (2 m ...
in November and in the following month she ran second to Large Action in the Bula Hurdle, pleasing her connections with a "determined" effort. At Kempton Park in late December she started favourite for the
Christmas Hurdle The Christmas Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles (3,219 m ...
and finished a close fifth to Absalom's Lady. The mare's last two runs came in January 1995. She was runner-up to Relkeel in the Champion Hurdle Trial and fifth to Mudahim in the Cleeve Hurdle.


Retirement

Flakey Dove retired to become a broodmare. She produced at least three minor winners: Minella Lodge, Just Smudge and Dovecote Lodge. Another of her foals, the unraced mare Bay Dove, was sired by Alderbrook and was therefore the offspring of two Champion Hurdle winners. She was retired from breeding in 2010 and was euthanised in February 2016 at the age of 30. Richard Price said "She took us all to the big places and always ran with credit wherever we took her... She couldn't go on any longer and was put to sleep. It's sad but we're left with great memories."


Pedigree


References

{{Champion Hurdle winners 1986 racehorse births 2016 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Champion Hurdle winners Cheltenham Festival winners National Hunt racehorses Non-Thoroughbred racehorses