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Home , 1983 Epsom Derby, Caerleon (horse), Chester Vase, Dunbeath (horse), Epsom Derby, Grundy (horse)

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20 Saturday, August 6, 2011 racingpost.com/mobile

TONY MORRIS’S TODAY GIANTS OF THE TURF

T IS probably the oldest adage in the business and it’s one whose truth I learned very early in my I 50-plus years of fascination with the world of racing and breeding: “Nothing can make a fool of Nothing soft about this a man like a horse.” We form opinions that can easily grow into prejudices, pro or anti, and very often we become confounded by subsequent events. To avoid disillusionment it’s essential to outstanding performer acknowledge that it’s natural to be wrong and there’s no shame in race on soft ground in 1984 but he changing our minds. TEENOSO proved himself better than ever and One horse who caused me to bay colt, born April 7, 1980 showed me just how wrong I had change my mind on more than one been. He started his third campaign occasion Teenoso, whose early Pedigree on good ground at Newbury, failing as results persuaded me that he was a a hot favourite to give 6lb to Gay nonentity but whom I eventually Battle Joined Lemur and Dazari in the came to recognise as an outstanding Ack Ack Stakes. To that point I could hold to performer. Fast Turn my conviction, but what came after In fact I was prejudiced against (b 1973) compelled me to admit my error. Teenoso from the start because I The Stakes at Chester was recalled having seen his sire, Youth, in Gazala run on ground described as good to the 1976 King George and taking a Belle Angevine firm, and Teenoso quickened up nicely very negative view about him. He had on the turn for home to win readily. just won the Prix du -Club in Mossborough That was only a Group 3 though; impressive style so came to Ascot as a could he be equally convincing at the short-priced favourite. Paddock Furioso Indian Call top level in such conditions? inspection revealed him as a great big (ch 1971) boat of a horse with no semblance of ENDING him to for the refinement and he ran deplorably, Violetta Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud finishing next to last. Urshalim seemed a wise move; he could It was no doubt unfortunate that S expect to get a soft surface Bred by EB Moller & White Lodge Stud in there. In fact it was good to my only sighting of Youth – a tip-top Kentucky performer on the evidence of his firm and Teenoso turned in an displays in France, and the US Race record impressive performance, securing his – had come on the occasion of his one second Group 1 win at the end of a Ran 13 Won 6 2nd 1 3rd 3 strongly run race – and after having really poor effort, but I couldn’t erase Earned £452,001 the memory of that day at Ascot. Just Big races won Trial Stakes, clouted Piggott over the eye and why Eric Moller would send his Derby Stakes, , drawing blood coming out of the beautifully bred Oaks runner-up Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, King stalls. Furioso to that long-backed, ugly George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes Now I was beginning to think that brute was hard to . Group 1-winning progeny None Teenoso and in command in the 1983 Derby Teenoso was better than I’d imagined I wasn’t present when Teenoso and the King George confirmed me in made his debut in a minor 6f event at forced a number of abandonments. from vintage Derby. The colt had On his return from Ireland Teenoso that view. He faced tougher rivals Newmarket at the end of August, but I Fortunately Lingfield survived, albeit obviously improved significantly in was targeted at the St Leger, but he than ever on the fastest ground he didn’t seem to have missed much; he with heavy ground, and the rerouted recent weeks and those Newmarket missed that date after a mishap in his had encountered, and two of the four finished far back in a field of 21. He Wragg colt turned in a highly and Lingfield wins confirmed him as a prep, the Great . If his third other Classic winners lined up against had two more runs as a two-year-old satisfactory performance in the Derby mudder; if it kept raining he might place at York initially seemed him – and and I saw them both, without taking Trial, leading from halfway and even seem a worthy favourite. disappointing it hardly amounted to a – were preferred to him in the ring. too much notice of him. Seventh, staying on stoutly to win by three It did keep raining, climaxing with disaster, as he was conceding 7lb to Under a masterly Piggott ride making no show, as a 50-1 shot in a lengths from the favoured Shearwalk. a thunderstorm of Wagnerian intensity the pair who beat him. When we Teenoso led for the first half-mile, was 7f contest at , he signed off It seemed strange that a colt who on Derby eve; for the first time since learned that he had come out of the with five furlongs left for the year with a better effort over had taken until mid-April to break his waded home in front in race lame on his off-fore and unable and was never headed again. the Rowley Mile, leading until maiden – and on his fifth start 1926 the Classic was going to be run to run again that year he almost hero Sadler’s Wells challenged hard in halfway then fading into fourth, – should be a realistic Derby on heavy ground. The conditions, warranted complete forgiveness. the straight but he could make no unable to muster a change of gear. contender, but this was turning out to allied to the blind faith in his jockey, While I applauded the decision to impression on the leader, who was The improvement, modest though it be a strange year. Few of the previous meant Teenoso was clear favourite at keep Teenoso in training at four I going away again at the finish. Only was, perhaps owed something to the season’s top two-year-olds had 9-2 when the stalls opened. wasn’t confident about his chances of the - duel of 1975 had ground, softer than he had previously promised to stay middle distances and This was not a Derby like ’s enhancing his reputation. True, his been run in faster time. experienced. of those who had allowed that hope or ’s, when Piggott’s third place on fast ground in the Irish Teenoso was going to start favourite At the end of his first season, when Danzatore and were now in brute strength proved crucial. This Derby wasn’t bad, but he was so for the Arc before picking up an injury retired and son Geoffrey disgrace, was ruled out by time it was all about the nous he had clearly favoured by a soft surface that a few days before the race. No matter. took over at Abington Place, Teenoso the prevailing soft ground and acquired over 35 years in the saddle, I thought he would need another rainy He had done enough to prove that he could not be regarded as anything out was being reserved for the his familiarity with Epsom’s unique season to bring out the best in him. was an outstanding middle-distance of the ordinary. True, he had some Prix du Jockey-Club. switchback and his certainty that he Teenoso did not have the chance to performer under any conditions. scope and seemed likely to prove The last two Derby trials came and could rely on Teenoso’s stamina and more effective over longer trips, but went with Morcon winning ability to cope with the soggy surface. he was rated stones behind the best of Goodwood’s Predominate Stakes Exuding confidence throughout, the Your recollections of his contemporaries and nobody could easily and Salmon Leap preserving his maestro soon had his mount on the HHBrilliant , brilliant trainer, brilliant HHWent to see the Oaks after my second envisage his becoming a colt with unbeaten record with a narrow victory heels of the leaders, brought him third jockey. gunhoare, Barbados year exams at college. Oh So Sharp Classic aspirations. over four-year-old Erin’s Hope in the into Tattenham Corner and sent him HHI was 19 years old when I first started needed two handlers in the parade and The No.1 priority for Teenoso in the Stakes at Leopardstown. on early in the straight. Teenoso’s looked a picture and I put a whole £5 spring of 1983 was to make him a Guineas hero was perhaps victory was gained with the minimum watching racing and she was my superstar, what a filly. A triple crown on the nose. Never in any doubt. maiden winner, and he couldn’t the class horse heading for Epsom, of fuss by three lengths over readmanp manage that on his reappearance at but was he going to stay 1m4f? Many Carlingford Castle. heroine, I reckon she could have won the Derby. jactay HHThere have been many great , Haydock where he made late ground had their doubts. What Teenoso did not do at Epsom including , and to wind up a neck short. But the The key issue resolved in the was persuade everyone that he was a HHI was at Donny when she won the Leger and I’ve never seen a more , but to my mind she was the breakthrough finally came back at Predominate was the total eclipse of top-class horse. In with plenty greatest, IMO. mypunts.com Newmarket where 1m4f on Polished Silver, which meant that a of other smartarses I put his win down relieved jockey than . She HH rain-softened ground him in his certain jockey with eight Derby to his ‘obvious’ predilection for soft was like a cat on a hot tin roof and he Oh So Sharp was the reason I gained a element. In front more than a quarter victories already on his cv was not ground, while having reservations had to nurse her home from a very passion for racing. I had my first bet on unprepossessing bunch. What a looker, of a mile from home he kept going to be required by Warren Place. about the quality of the field he her when I’d just turned 18. It was July but she slammed the ground with those 1985 in the King George and I listened extending his advantage and won Next thing we knew he was booked to defeated. How smug we sceptics felt forelegs. bobmorris to the race on the radio. She was second unchallenged by eight lengths. ride Teenoso. when Teenoso encountered a firm HHThat turn of foot to take her away to but I followed the rest of her After that Teenoso was scheduled to Lester Piggott’s commitment to surface for the first time in the Irish brilliant career. hampshire go for the , but the entire from the Oaks field lives long in the Teenoso pretty much determined who Derby and was decisively beaten by HH meeting was lost to waterlogging as was going to start favourite in what and Caerleon, who memory. One of the Warren Place Tell us your recollections of Britain’s wettest spring in many years appeared to be a very open and far had swerved Epsom. master’s very best. npayne Teenoso on racingpost.com