Lester and The Malster

Here is the Duffs page on Lester winning on The Malster

Attached files Lester Piggott and The Malster.pdf (440.3 KB)Â

Ernie Duffield's review of the race

Attached files Duffields Review.pdf (127.6 KB)Â

I see it was a new class record.

check the comment next to pullers ride.........

Also remember Swan Prince?

I will show my age and tell you I was there...........I went to all meetings in Natal (except the July) in those days.

I have always believed that that race was a "oner" for Piggot............... and still do!!

(remember the old adage............"you can give weight but you can't give start"...............12 lengths..........yeah right.)

The Malster was a pretty good horse that went on to win the Gold Cup in 1979 so maybe the race was won on merit...

Attached files Gold Cup 1979 - The Malster.pdf (303.3 KB)Â

Yeah,a good horse but not a champion .........-

Pity they didn't have sectional timing ............lol...........a horse losing 12 lengths(+ -- 2.1 seconds) setting a new class record.....yeah right!

I realise that the "miracle ride" is a much nicer warm and fuzzy legendary memory..

Thanks colins....(tu)

I remember Fernando Toro was a favourite of mine...if I remember correctly, he may also have ridden In Full Flight?

Pirho = 100% correct - the stable were worried about him riding IFF but as it turned out he rode the perfect race. Good jock.

rob faux Wrote:

---

> I will show my age and tell you I was
> there...........I went to all meetings in Natal
> (except the July) in those days.
>
> I have always believed that that race was a "oner"
> for Piggot............... and still do!!
>
> (remember the old adage............"you can give
> weight but you can't give start"...............12
> lengths..........yeah right.)

If it was a "oner" the most famous jockey of all time would not have made it his greatest ever ride in a book that interviewed a number of jockeys on the subject.

See Point 19 over here: Lester at 70

I never for one minute believed that a visiting jockey of his stature would have been in on it-the winning rider seldom is!
It can be assumed that he will be giving it his all!!
I was very friendly with some interestingly well connected people at that time-before the meeting even started the horse was the talk and heavily backed from a well known betting stable.
Comes the race and what can only be described as miraculous,happens.
Could be a coincidence of course!
(Think whatever you like but I struggle to believe that if The Malster hadn't lost 12 lengths it may have held the world record time for the distance)

It may of course have been special feed or whatever but it certainly was out of the ordinary.

(BTW I see according to your reference the horse lost 30 lengths...........gets better every time it is told!!!!)