It’s very easy when talking about talented sportsmen, to get caught up in the present, or who was a legend in the hayday of the sport (which often coincides with the increase in TV coverage) for instance I find though that with that attitude we often miss out of discussing some of the biggest successes in sport. That cerainly applies to races and figures such as Fred Winter who, born in 1926, went on to win just about everything there was to win in National Hunt racing.
His accolades include British Jump Jockey Champion (four times) and British Jump Racing Champion Trainer (a staggering 8 times). As his titles suggest he more than made a successful transition from jockey o trainer on account of his racing knowhow. Evenually made a CBE, he quite simply did it all, winning tthe Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdled as both jockey AND trainer, a feat no-one else has ever been able to repeat. He rode over 900 winners in total, drawing the curtain on his illustrius career in 1964 (the year after he was awarded a CBE).
While time dims many a light and young racegoers might be unaware of his near endless string of achievements, his name lives on in the form of the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle National Hunt race (run over a distance of about 2 miles and ½ furlongs) that occurs annually during the Cheltenham Festival. The race was first introduced in 2005. During his time in racing, Winter rode upon 17 winners at Cheltenham Festivals, and trained 28. With that in mind, it’s no wonder they still fly his flag high.
