MISCELLANEOUS

The race of a lifetime
BARLEY BREE vs BRONZE MILLER
by Peter Mansell

My father took me to my first Point-to-Point in 1960 and I have been an avid supporter of the sport ever since. I have been privileged to watch some of the great horses that have graced our sport, but one race is firmly imprinted on my mind.

Evening meetings in the 1960's were as well supported as Sunday fixtures are now, and all roads led to the Cotswold Vale Farmers meeting at Andoversford, that delightful venue on top of the Cotswold escarpment, on a Wednesday in mid-May 1967.

Bronze Miller, a 9-year-old son of Exodus had already won 7 of his 10 races that season, by using the front running tactics which owner/

trainer/rider Peter Cave who farmed in the heart of the Berkeley country used to burn off the opposition. Geoffrey Sale's Hunter Chasers and Point to Pointers Annual of that year noted that he was "Very useful and a devastating galloper - Jumps very well but makes odd mistakes".

Their chief market rival that day was the John Jordan owned and David Tatlow ridden Barley Bree, himself the winner of five races that season including a defeat of Court Gardens and Snowdra Queen in the Lord Ashton of Hyde Cup.

There were ten other runners in the race, but Tatlow's North Cotswold qualified gelding "got a flier, took on the second and kept him very wide on the outside, lured him into mistakes by his fine jumping, gradually wore him down and went clear in the last mile to win by a mixture of sheer guts from the horse and fine tactics by the rider".

A report of the meeting in the Gloucestershire Echo noted that

"Bronze Miller was odds on to register his eighth win of the season, but David Tatlow, for one, had other idea's. He knew of Bronze Miller's reputation as a powerful front runner. He also knew of his own mount's undoubted stamina and, right from the start, he decided that the favourite was not going to have things his own way and dictated the pace.

Barley Bree was up with Bronze Miller at the first fence and with the two horses setting a scorching pace, remained there for the first circuit. The large gap to the third horse, increased as they went out into the country for the last time and soon the writing was on the wall. At the open ditch (14 th), Barley Bree was a length to the good and going the better.

As they turned for home, the local favourite, adding discrimination to his better-known attributes of courage, stamina and consistency, decided that David Tatlow was the only company he would have. The local combination drew further and further away from Bronze Miller to pass the post a distance clear".

Anyone who has visited Andoversford will be able to testify that its undulations and the downhill fences in the back straight test the courage of both horse and rider. The sight of these two brave horses treating those fences with utter disdain is a vision that has remained with me to this day.

David Tatlow rode a total of 133 winners and won four successive National Riders Championships between 1965 - 1968, but I am convinced that this victory must rank as one of the highlights of his career.

I have seen many races between horses of far greater ability and with more exciting or closer finishes, but this race is put into context by the fact that Barley Bree's time was more than 10 seconds faster than the Ladies Race but he was carrying 17lb more.

If you have a similar story, please send details to peter@pointingwm.co.uk