The People's Champion: a horse who didn't like to hang about and another with a unique record

The Racing Post is trying to find the people’s champion – our readers’ favourite racehorse of all time. To make sure your favourite makes the shortlist of 80 horses, you can nominate using any of the methods below. In the meantime, here are two of our writers with their picks to help get the juices flowing.

Lewis Porteous

Make A Stand

It wasn’t so much what Make A Stand achieved on the racecourse but rather the way in which he achieved it that captivated me.

The dynamic chestnut joined Martin Pipe from a claimer at Leicester with his handicap mark on the Flat languishing in the 50s. Switched to hurdles, he went on a meteoric rise that culminated in victory in the 1997 Champion Hurdle.

Make A Stand wasn't a horse who liked to hang around, going as hard as he could for as long as he could in his races. His rivals knew what was coming but more often than not were powerless to stop him.

He epitomised an era when horses trained by Pipe and ridden by Tony McCoy dominated British jumps racing and his front-running, nine-length win in the Tote Gold Trophy and five-length verdict in the Champion Hurdle had me hooked for life.

Make A Stand: a horse who didn't like to hang aroundCredit: Pat Healy

Tom Segal

Troy

Few people enjoy a career doing something they love. In that respect I have been incredibly lucky and, for that, the one horse I have to thank is Troy. He was the one who ignited my passion for horse racing.

I can still remember where I was when he bounded clear of subsequent Eclipse winner Dickens Hill in the 1979 Derby, and when he first beat the older horses in the King George at Ascot.

To this day, he's the only horse to win the Derby, Irish Derby, King George and what is now known as the Juddmonte International in the same season, and before that he'd already won Classic trials at Sandown and Goodwood.

I regularly watch reruns of his Epsom, Curragh and Ascot wins and they never fail to turn a moderate day into a good one.

Troy: holds a unique record of four top races in the same season

How to nominate

By post Send the name of your horse and make your case to The People's Champion, Racing Post Editorial, Floor 7, Vivo Building, South Bank Central, 30 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9LS. Letters must reach us by no later than Tuesday, August 1.

By email Get in touch at peopleschampion@racingpost.com.

Online Click here and follow the instructions.

Read these next:

The People's Champion? Why I think this horse should be named the winner  

The People's Champion: our series begins with a true legend of the turf and a popular grey  

Subscribe to Racing Post Members' Club Ultimate Monthly and pay just £9.99 per month for your first two months! Available to new subscribers purchasing Ultimate Monthly using code SUMMER. First two payments charged at £9.99, renews at full monthly price thereafter. To cancel please contact us at least seven days before subscription is due to renew. Offer expires 30/09/2023.