Make A Stand (horse)
Encyclopedia
Make A Stand is a retired British Thoroughbred
racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1993 to 2000 he ran thirty times, both on the flat and over hurdles, and won twelve races. His greatest success came in the 1996–1997 National Hunt season when he won nine races including the 1997 Champion Hurdle
.
, was bred by R M West in 1991. His sire was the Derby
runner-up Master Willie Originally sent into training with Henry Candy in Oxfordshire
, his best performances came after he was bought out of a claimer
in 1995 and joined the stable of Martin Pipe
.
two years later. Bought for £8,000 he was transferred to the Nicholashayne stable of Martin Pipe
in September 1995.
began with a remote ninth in a Novices' Hurdle at Exeter
in October, although the fact that he was sent off 15/8 second favourite suggested than he had shown some potential. He was not seen on the course again for almost six months.
of wins in the space of twenty-four days, by an aggregate margin of thirty-six lengths. Because the wins took place after 1st May, his novice
status for the following season was not affected. Returning to the flat in the summer of 1997, he recorded a win and two places from four starts.
When the jumps season began in earnest in autumn, Make A Stand's career resumed where it had left off in May, with the gelding carrying top weight to an easy victory in a Stratford handicap, but was then well-beaten in his next two starts. His real potential became evident next time out, as he led all the way to beat a high-quality field of experienced hurdlers in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Sandown. Two weeks later he won the Grade II Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle
at Ascot
by five lengths and in January he led from the start to win unchalleged in the Lanzarote Hurdle
. A large rise in the weights made no difference as he then produced his best performance yet under 11-5 in the Tote Gold Trophy. His run was described as an "astonishing display" as he "obliterated" the other runners to win by nine lengths. Pipe described him after the race as "a very good, tough horse, a real athlete". Tony Stafford, writing in the Sunday Telegraph called it "the most remarkable handicap performance in any hurdle race of my experience".
At Cheltenham, he was sent off at 7-1 for the Champion Hurdle, against a field that, as usual, brought together the best hurdlers in Britain and Ireland. None of them was able to provide Make A Stand with any challenge. Adopting his usual front-running tactics he ran right away from the field, coming home a five-length winner from Theatreworld. Alastair Down, writing in the Sporting Life
, described the performance as "a remorseless display of speed and precision hurdling", while Theatreworld's jockey, Norman Williamson
said of the winner, "He is a true champion - he just annihilates you with his speed".
, but tired into third in the straight and finished lame. Injury problems then interrupted his career, and he was not seen on the racecourse for almost three years. On his next and final start, he took the early lead in the 2000 Champion Hurdle, but soon tired and finished tailed-off behind Istabraq
. His retirement was finally announced in February 2001. Pipe said, "he looks wonderful...he just seems to have lost his enthusiasm".
. He took part in a parade of former champions at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in 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...
racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1993 to 2000 he ran thirty times, both on the flat and over hurdles, and won twelve races. His greatest success came in the 1996–1997 National Hunt season when he won nine races including the 1997 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...
.
Background
Make A Stand, a chestnut with a broad white blazeHorse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
, was bred by R M West in 1991. His sire was the Derby
Epsom Derby
The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
runner-up Master Willie Originally sent into training with Henry Candy in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, his best performances came after he was bought out of a claimer
Claiming race
A claiming race in thoroughbred horse racing is one in which the horses are all for sale for more or less the same price up until shortly before the race. Race types form a hierarchy in terms of the quality of horse they attract, with handicap races and graded stakes races attracting the "best"...
in 1995 and joined the stable of Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....
.
1993-1995: Flat racing
Making his debut in 1993, Make A Stand raced on the flat for three seasons, showing very modest ability. His only wins in twelve starts came in a maiden race at Newmarket in 1993, and a low-grade claiming event at LeicesterLeicester Racecourse
Leicester Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, England.The course is oval shaped and nearly 2 miles in extent. It was opened ante 1773....
two years later. Bought for £8,000 he was transferred to the Nicholashayne stable of Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe
Martin Pipe was a racehorse trainer until his retirement in April 2006.The son of a West-Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Devon, near Wellington, England....
in September 1995.
1995/6 National Hunt season
His career as a jumperNational Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
began with a remote ninth in a Novices' Hurdle at Exeter
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 Hills...
in October, although the fact that he was sent off 15/8 second favourite suggested than he had shown some potential. He was not seen on the course again for almost six months.
1996/7 National Hunt season
Beginning in May 1996, Make A Stand put together a sequence which saw him racing fifteen times in ten months, winning ten races and improving by some fifty pounds on the way to the Championship. The tactics were predictable; he took the lead from the start, and generally stayed there. He began with a hat-trickHat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
of wins in the space of twenty-four days, by an aggregate margin of thirty-six lengths. Because the wins took place after 1st May, his 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...
status for the following season was not affected. Returning to the flat in the summer of 1997, he recorded a win and two places from four starts.
When the jumps season began in earnest in autumn, Make A Stand's career resumed where it had left off in May, with the gelding carrying top weight to an easy victory in a Stratford handicap, but was then well-beaten in his next two starts. His real potential became evident next time out, as he led all the way to beat a high-quality field of experienced hurdlers in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Sandown. Two weeks later he won the Grade II Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle
Kennel Gate Novices' Hurdle
The Kennel Gate Novices Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt race in Britain. It is run at Ascot Racecourse in December over a distance of 2 miles.-Recent Winners:* Amateur jockeys indicated by "Mr". The 2009 race was abandoned because of snow....
at Ascot
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
by five lengths and in January he led from the start to win unchalleged in the Lanzarote Hurdle
Lanzarote Hurdle
The Lanzarote Hurdle is a 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 and 5 furlongs , and during its running there are ten hurdles to be jumped...
. A large rise in the weights made no difference as he then produced his best performance yet under 11-5 in the Tote Gold Trophy. His run was described as an "astonishing display" as he "obliterated" the other runners to win by nine lengths. Pipe described him after the race as "a very good, tough horse, a real athlete". Tony Stafford, writing in the Sunday Telegraph called it "the most remarkable handicap performance in any hurdle race of my experience".
At Cheltenham, he was sent off at 7-1 for the Champion Hurdle, against a field that, as usual, brought together the best hurdlers in Britain and Ireland. None of them was able to provide Make A Stand with any challenge. Adopting his usual front-running tactics he ran right away from the field, coming home a five-length winner from Theatreworld. Alastair Down, writing in the Sporting Life
Sporting Life (newspaper)
The Sporting Life was a British newspaper published between 1859 and 1998 that was best known for its coverage of horse racing. Latterly it has continued as a multi-sports website....
, described the performance as "a remorseless display of speed and precision hurdling", while Theatreworld's jockey, Norman Williamson
Norman Williamson
Norman Williamson is a professional jockey in the Irish National Hunt.- References :...
said of the winner, "He is a true champion - he just annihilates you with his speed".
Later career
It seemed likely that Make A Stand was at the beginning of a long career as a top hurdler: in fact he never won again. Three weeks later, he attempted to make all the running in the Aintree HurdleAintree 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 , and during its running there are eleven hurdles to be jumped...
, but tired into third in the straight and finished lame. Injury problems then interrupted his career, and he was not seen on the racecourse for almost three years. On his next and final start, he took the early lead in the 2000 Champion Hurdle, but soon tired and finished tailed-off behind Istabraq
Istabraq
Istabraq is a retired Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who was most famous for his hurdling. He had an exceptional pedigree, being the produce of Sadler's Wells, a son of Northern Dancer, and a Secretariat mare making him a three-quarter brother to Epsom Derby winner Secreto. He won the Champion...
. His retirement was finally announced in February 2001. Pipe said, "he looks wonderful...he just seems to have lost his enthusiasm".
Retirement
After his retirement Make A Stand was retrained by the charity "Retraining of Racehorses" and became a hunterFox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
. He took part in a parade of former champions at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is one of the most prestigious meetings in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, and has race prize money second only to the Grand National...
.