The
annually-held Grand National championships are a pretty fantastic
time for gaming enthusiasts from all over the world. And such a
typically fabulous racing occasion was the 1959 National, which buzzy
sporting contest was won by Oxo, a still little-known horse at the
time.
This
marked the 113th unveiling of the famously competitive horse-riding
affair...usually run at the Aintree Racecourse, a few miles from
Liverpool in England. Taking place on 21 March, it has been fittingly
remarked as being one of the most exciting versions ever, with a
couple of firsts that rendered it a particularly memorable clash.
The
event's ultimate victory went to the 8/1 Oxo, shepherded by the
evidently skillful Michael Scudamore, a jockey of real tenacious zeal.
The unanticipated winner had been trained by Willie Stephenson.
The
iconic race drew a total of thirty-four horses, including the
defending champion, Mr. What, who finished third. The second place
went to Wyndburgh, a tough horse who would go on to enroll for a
couple of other future clashes. However, he at large ended up without
inking any other similarly victorious career records.
The
1959 staging involved a characteristically large number of in-field
accidents, with a single fatality. Henry Purcell was one of the few
unlucky jockeys who suffered an early fall at the Becher's Brook, a
somewhat spooky harbinger that portended the occurrence of thirteen other
pace-killing mishaps.
Following
Purcell in the slowly unfolding string of falls was Slippery Serpent,
who conked out at the 13th fence. The terminally injured runner was
eventually euthanized as a result of irrecoverable fracture problems,
one week after the ill-fated sprint. The ensuing encumbrances
attracted a great deal of negative coverage by animal lovers and
equestrian opponents from across the globe.
Actually,
a major debate on these questionable accidents convened in the
British parliament...to discuss for the umpteenth time the very
obvious brutalities previously associated with equine games. The Home
Secretary, Rab Butler, was arraigned before the local National Hunt
Committee and asked to respond to the growing concerns voiced by
various global fraternities opposed to the time-honored animal sport.
The
winning horse was only a little bay gelding raised up in Dorset by
one A.C. Wyatt. Being generally inexperienced in top-cadre professional sprints, very few actually expected him to come out
with such a record-setting performance. He nevertheless easily
pierced the proverbial ceiling to take home the year's jackpot.
The
1959 winner was only eight years old when he attained this
picture-perfect success. He was owned by Jack Biggs but instructed by
Willie Stephenson around Royston...a doubtless fine horse handler
domiciled in Hertfordshire, also Stephenson's close buddy and valued
professional partner.
Michael
Scudamore received wide-ranging accolades for the classic feat. He's
especially celebrated as a truly dexterous rider who ably steered a
sheer starter with the shiny odds of 8/1, a second favorite, to a
distinguished finish. He had to beat the mighty challenge posed by
Wyndburgh, who missed the top prize by one and a half lengths.
Michael
Scudamore, the number-one rider of the year, was born on 17 July
1932. He was a locally admired equine maverick who dominated numerous
English National Hunt sporting meets in the 1950s and 1960s. He
capably captained to excellent finishes many illustrious runners, a
glittering catalogue of victories capped by his winning 1959
National atop Oxo.
Moreover,
he took a prominent part in 16 uninterrupted Aintree tournaments,
with Oxo's stunt entering history books as his most noteworthy racing
feat. The hardworking jockey is also famed for having ridden Linwell
- a relatively renowned horse best remembered for winning 1957
Gold Cup.
Mr.
Scudamore's sufficiently decorated equestrian gaming career hit a
final snag in 1966, due to grave racetrack accidents. The determined
rider developed severe health complications after a serious fall
while on a chance ride, on Snakestone, at Wolverhampton. These led to
multiple fractures and a problematic lung, eventually causing
near-blindness in one eye.
None
to be easily deterred by any small upsets, the unconquerable riding
doyen carried on with his horse training career until his demise four
decades later. Michael Scudamore continues to be deservedly eulogized
as one of the modern world's most outstanding equestrian talents of
all time. To say the least, he's a lasting motivation to upcoming
jockeys and seasoned gamers alike.
