Hallo Dandy (1974 - 8 January 2007) was a British-bred

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 ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

who competed in

National Hunt racing 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, horse racing in Great Britain, Great Britain and horse racing in Ireland, Ireland. Jump Racin ...

. He raced in 4

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

s (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986) winning the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

race. He is also known for being discovered in 1994, many years after his retirement, in very poor health highlighting and raising awareness of neglect in ex-racehorses.

Racing career

Hallo Dandy won the

1984 Grand National The 1984 Grand National (officially known as the Seagram Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 138th official renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 3 ...

, ridden by Welsh jockey Neale Doughty. The pairing had finished fourth in the previous year's National. Before the race he had been a freely available 33/1 chance for the race at the start of 1984, having been pulled up in the Hennessey Cognac Gold Cup but was the subject of huge gambles when the handicapper seemed to have completely underestimated him by raising him just 1 lb in the weights to run carrying ten stones 2 lbs. A good prep race at

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

and conditions at Aintree suggesting the horse would get the good ground he favoured, as opposed to the soft ground upon which he had tired to finish fourth last year only served to enhance his chances with his backers who sent him off at 13/1. By the 26th fence Hallo Dandy and last year's runner-up Greasepaint were contesting the lead, which Hallo Dandy took at the second-last and held on to, securing victory by a distance of four lengths. The 1983 winner Corbiere finished third. He ran in the next two Nationals, falling at the first in

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and finishing twelfth in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

at the age of 12. He was then retired from racing.

Post-racing career

Following his retirement from racing Hallo Dandy was loaned to the Earl of Onslow, who rode him to hounds with the Fernie Hunt in Leicestershire. However at the age of 20 Hallo Dandy was turned out in a field on Onslow's Surrey estate. In 1994 he was discovered in a very poor condition and suffering from neglect. The owner, Richard Shaw, took Hallo Dandy back and gifted him to the British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre (BTRC) who nursed him back to health and he became a champion for the welfare of ex-racehorses. He died in January 2007 at the age of 33.

Grand National record

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1974 racehorse births Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Grand National winners 2007 racehorse deaths