Flat racing lost one of its favourite horses this week when the 12-year-old Gordon Lord Byron suffered a suspected heart attack during a routine gallops-exercise. To start 5 questions associated with Gordon Lord Byron.
1. The horse ran 108 times, in how many different countries?
2. How many different jockeys did he have: 18 – 26 – 34?
3. He was named after a famous figure of the late eighteenth / early nineteenth century – most famous for what?
4. That two legged Byron lived a lot of his life, when in the UK, and scandalised local society with his exploits, in or around which English East Midlands racecourse-town?
5. Gordon Lord Byron, the horse, was said to particularly dislike one inevitable part of racing life. The stewards – the whip – wet weather?
Keeping up the Irish theme…
6. Siskin won the Irish 2000 Guineas – what is a Siskin?
7. The result was a 26th European Classic for prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms operation. Which champion which has become a sought-after stallion also won Juddmonte the Irish 2000 Guineas?
8. How many runners did the Ballydoyle team of trainer Aidan O’Brien have in the 2020 race?
9. Siskin is trained by Ger Lyons at Glenburnie stables at Kilmessan, County Meath – after what type of equine star is the yard named?
10. The first three home in the Irish 1000 Guineas raced with jockeys in the same owner’s silks – whose?
Onto Royal Ascot starting on Tuesday…
11. Why was the 1901 Royal Ascot known as the ‘black Royal Ascot’ so everyone was ordered to wear black?
12. There was no TV coverage of Royal Ascot in 1975 – why?
13. What was different about the 2005 Royal Ascot?
14. Who or what links Monaveen a winner at Fontwell in 1949, and runner in the 1950 Grand National, with Royal Ascot?
15. Chicarica, owned by Sheikh Mohammed and ridden by Pat Eddery, won the Chesham Stakes in 1990 giving which trainer his first Royal Ascot success?
16. What island-country is the place of birth of leading Royal Ascot trainer Sir Michael Stoute?
17. Battaash is a strong favourite for the Kings Stand Stakes: he’s run at Royal Ascots three times (1x Windsor Castle and 2x Kings Stand) and won how many?
18. Stradivarius will attempt to win the Gold Cup for the third year running – members of the original Stradivarius family were skilled craftsmen and women making what?
19. The Diamond Jubilee Stakes started in 2012, and was previously the Golden Jubilee Stakes, from 2002 – marking Royal anniversaries, but what was it prior to 2002?
20. The Diamond Jubilee winner of 2003 also won the Kings Stand, and started a modern trend for Australian speedsters to aim at Royal Ascot. What was he?
And onto ‘Miscellany’…
21. The Diomed Stakes staged this year at Newbury was won on Saturday for the second time by Century Dream. Who or what was Diomed?
22. Which former champion jockey got married at Chester register office on 5 May 1982 and afterwards went to Chester races for 5 mounts, one of which won the Cheshire Oaks?
23. What surname links the founding of the Tote in 1928, by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, with the following areas of Britain: Oldham, Manchester NW, Dundee, Epping and Woodford.
24. Which newspaper did JA McGrath serve as racing correspondent for 23 years from 1991?
25. Which Baroness who’s been much in in the news during the pandemic has won a Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Becher Chase at Aintree twice?
26. Staying on the pandemic, which flat racing trophy believed to be the oldest raced for in Britain usually takes place at Carlisle in June but not this year – what is it?
27. The two best known female TV racing presenters of recent years, Clare Balding and Francesca Cumani, are both trainer’s daughters and rode as amateur jockeys: who won more races?
28. In which famous racing town in the south of England did the fitness coach Joe Wicks grow up?
29. The middle names of which trainer brothers – like their father – include the name Leeper?
30. Which Irish racecourse has the postal address Foxrock, County Dublin.
Send in your answers to quiz@corneliusracing.com
