Who was Mirabel Topham?

Born Mirabel Hillier in 1891, Mirabel Topham married Ronald Topham in 1922, joined the family company, Topham Limited, in 1934 and quickly rose to become Chairman and Managing Director. Remarkably, Mrs. Topham, a former ‘Gaiety Girl’, was appointed to take over the management of Aintree Racecourse when it was bought, outright, by the Topham family from the Earl of Sefton in 1949.

A colourful, larger-than-life character, with little or no interest in horse racing before her marriage, Mrs. Topham nevertheless proved a highly astute businesswoman, who commanded admiration and respect in a male-dominated world for the best part of four decades. The Topham Steeplechase, run over an extended 2 miles 5 furlongs on the Grand National Course, was introduced in 1949 and is still run on the second day of the Grand National meeting in April each year. The so-called ‘Mildmay’ Course, which originally featured smaller, National-type spruce fences, arranged inside the existing National Course, opened in 1953.

A decade later, Mrs. Topham sought to set aside an agreement with the Earl of Sefton that the land on which Aintree Racecourse stands could only be used for agriculture or horse racing during his lifetime. Court cases, planning applications and Parliamentary questions followed but, despite subsequent renewals of the National repeatedly being dubbed ‘the last one ever’, planning permission was never granted. In 1973, Aintree Racecourse was eventually sold to property developer William Davies, but Mrs. Topham, a.k.a. the ‘first lady of Aintree’, is credited with presiding over some of the most difficult years at the historic Merseyside venue.

What’s the best draw in the Lincoln Handicap?

The Lincoln Handicap, run over a straight mile at Doncaster in late March or early April, traditionally marks the start of the Flat season ‘proper’. The straight mile on Town Moor has no pronounced draw bias, but the Lincoln Handicap has a safety limit of 22, such that even a minor advantage or disadvantage – which can, in turn, be a factor of pace – can have a major effect on the outcome.

Granted that the Lincoln Handicap is run on a straight course, typically at an end-to-end gallop, any horse will struggle to make all the running, regardless of where on the course it is drawn. The same principle applies, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, to horses that like to race close to the pace and, irrespective of the draw, the winner is always likely to emerge from a group of patiently ridden horses that share the pace burden between them. That said, in recent years, thirteen, or 76%, of the last seventeen winners of the Lincoln Handicap were drawn in stall nine, or higher, so while it may not pay to be dogmatic about the draw, a middle to high draw does seem to be a good starting point.

How tall are jockeys, on average?

In Britain, the minimum riding weight is 8st 0lb for Flat jockeys and 10st 0lb for National Hunt jockeys, although apprentice or conditional jockeys can claim a 7lb allowance, which reduces the minimum riding weight to 7st 7lb and 9st 7lb, respectively. Consequently, while there are no rules or regulations regarding height, most male jockeys riding on the Flat in Britain are significantly shorter than average height – that is, 5’10” – simply because taller riders struggle to meet the weight requirements.

According to reigning champion trainer John Gosden, Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, who stands 5’3” tall and can ride at 8st 6lb, or 8st 7lb, is ‘perfectly proportioned’ for a jockey. Indeed, Dettori is just an inch taller than the average Flat jockey and, although 5lb or 6lb heavier than average – after all, he is 48 years old and entering the twilight years of his career – Gosden was keen to point out the importance of a suitable physique and strength-to-weight ratio in any jockey. Generally speaking, Flat jockeys typically stand between 4’10” and 5’6” tall and weigh in between 7st 10lb and 8st 6lb – or, in other words, 5’2” and 8st 1lb, respectively, on average – but also need to be extremely fit, with an abundance of core, leg and shoulder strength.

Which horse is, or was, the highest-rated Champion Hurdler of the Timeform era?

As far as the ‘Timeform era’ is concerned, it is important to note that Timeform ratings – which express, in Imperial pounds, the calibre, or merit, of each horse – were not published for National Hunt racing until the early Sixties. Consequently, the Timeform era does not include luminaries of the post-war years, such as National Spirit, Hatton’s Grace and Sir Ken, who collectively won the Champion Hurdle eight times between 1947 and 1954.

However, as Japanese writer Haruki Marukmai once said, ‘Everybody has to start somewhere’ and, as it stands, Night Nurse, who recorded back-to-back victories in the Champion Hurdle in 1976 and 1977, is the highest-rated hurdler of the Timeform era, with a Timeform Annual Rating of 182. Indeed, the 1977 renewal of the Champion Hurdle is often acclaimed as the best ever run and Monksfield, who finished second on that occasion before winning in 1978 and 1979, is the joint-second highest-rated hurdler of the Timeform era. His Timeform Annual Rating, of 180, places him alongside Istabraq, who won the Champion Hurdle three years running, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

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