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'It's very exciting and poignant - but I think Dad would be quite embarrassed'
Peter Thomas tells the tale of the horse named to be a hero of Epsom
For a 52-year-old racehorse trainer, the prospect of winning the Derby for the first time is a tantalising one, usually mentioned only in tones measured enough to mask the sheer enormity of the dream. Best not get too carried away, no matter that landing the world's premier Classic race has the power to change lives and revive slumbering careers.
For a nine-year-old schoolboy, meanwhile, considerations of caution and restraint rarely trouble the psyche. Life is a simpler thing altogether, and for the son of a successful racehorse trainer in the late 1970s, winning the Derby was less about careful perspective and more about unshackled childhood glee.
Certainly for Ed Dunlop, the sight of Shirley Heights slipping up the rail to overhaul Hawaiian Sound in the final strides to land the race for his father John at Epsom in 1978 was a source of great delight, although for reasons that had little to do with stud valuations and the future of the breed.
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- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’