In our latest blog Stephen Wallis of The Paddock and the Pavilion, goes back to the late 1920s and the story of Easter Hero, Cheltenham’s first chasing hero.
Between 1928 and 1937 only two horses won the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the legendary Golden Miller and Easter Hero. Whilst the former reigned supreme for five successive years (1932-37), Easter Hero comprehensively took the honours in 1929 and 1930. The 1931 race was abandoned because of frost. Many experts agree that he was the best horse to have run in the Aintree Grand National and not to have won the race, unlike Golden Miller in 1934. However, he ran an amazing race in 1929, where he finished 2nd.
Easter Hero was bred by Larry King an Irish farmer and foaled near Greenogue Co Dublin in 1920. His sire, My Prince was a half brother to Hurry On, the undefeated 1916 St Leger winner. My Prince had a modest flat record but an outstanding record at stud, in National Hunt terms, siring three horses to win the Grand National: Gregalach (1929), two time winner Reynoldstown (1935 & 36) and Royal Mail (1937). However, his most famous progeny was Irish horse, Prince Regent, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1946. The latter also finished 3rd and 4th in successive Grand Nationals, carrying massive weights to rival Easter Hero as one of the best horses to have run at Liverpool and not to have won the race. Easter Hero’s dam Easter Week ran only once.
As a four-year-old Easter Hero ran three times on the flat in Ireland at Baldoyle (17 March 1924), Phoenix Park and the Curragh, coming third in his second run.
The small beautifully fashioned chestnut Easter Hero, was sold as a 5-year-old by King to Mr Bartholomew for little money. His English owner was renowned as a bit of chancer, who ran the horse here, there, and everywhere. The gelding’s first run under National Hunt rules was on 1 January 1925 at Baldoyle, where he was unplaced in a hurdle race. Subsequently in the 1924/25 season he ran at Manchester, Hurst Park, Manchester, Cheltenham, at the Festival and Navan. His second visit to Manchester provided his first victory on 7th March, in the two-mile Ellesmere Steeplechase. Finally on 13th April, he was unplaced in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.
However, despite showing signs of ability the powerful yet elegant gelding’s jumping was unreliable. Indeed, he had fallen three times during his first full season.
His form improved in the 1926/27 season now under the ownership of Frank Barbour, a wealthy, eccentric, linen thread manufacturer from Ulster, who paid £500 for the horse. Barbour owned the previous year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner, Koko. Easter Hero’s major victory came at Liverpool in the Molyneux Handicap over 2 ¼m, where future Grand National winner, Tipperary Tim was a faller.
Although the horse returned in November 1927 to win the Becher Chase his most significant triumph to date came in the following March at Kempton. As the 100/30 favourite, Easter Hero proved his staying power for the first time in the prestigious Coventry Handicap Chase, a recognised Gold Cup trial over 3 ½ miles carrying the top weight of 12st 7lbs. This win over an extended distance established the now sleek, streamlined, powerful, elegant 8-year-old as a major player in top class steeple chasing. His appearance at the 1928 Cheltenham festival was widely anticipated.
Unlike today the steeple chasing scene of the 1920’s was dominated almost exclusively by the Grand National. Whilst the Cheltenham Gold Cup was first run in 1924, there were very few race-for- age races. Handicaps were prevalent, though not in the long-term interest of the sport.
Against this background the rising star was purchased by Captain Alfred Lowenstein, a Belgian international financier for £7,000, plus a £3,000 contingency should he win the Aintree showpiece. An astronomical sum for a National Hunt horse, whose owner then chose to bypass Cheltenham to prepare for the main prize of the age.
Easter Hero was allotted 12st 5lbs and went to post fourth in the betting of the then record 42 runners, at 100/7 on Friday 30th March. Visibility on the day was poor, the going very heavy, though this did not deter his bold front running tactics. He was treating the massive obstacles with apparent impunity until he reached the open ditch at the canal turn. There he miscalculated his take off, landed on top of the fence and reminiscent of the Foinavon National of 1967 a melee of dramatic proportions happened. Twenty horses were removed from the race and only nine horses emerged unscathed. Eventually, only two horses finished the race, won by 100/1 outsider Tipperary Tim, whilst the second the American horse Billy Barton had himself been remounted after falling at the last fence.
A trip across the channel followed for the Grand Steeplechase de Paris, but he refused the water jump. However, a few days later he redeemed himself by comfortably winning the Prix de Drags, in what turned out to be the only success for his Belgian owner.
Sensationally, Captain Lowenstein disappeared shortly afterwards when his plane went missing in the North Sea on his way to Brussels. No trace was ever found of him.
An American millionaire John Hay Whitney (known as Jock), paid Captain Lowenstein’s estate a total £11,000 for the horse, who he immediately moved to Jack Anthony’s yard at Letcombe Regis, on the Berkshire Downs. The purchase also included the French mare, Marguelonne, who had run well in 1928 before falling at the fence after Valentine’s on the second circuit. These purchases began the American’s quest to win the world greatest steeplechase.
New trainer Jack Anthony (1890-1954), the youngest of three famous Welsh racing brothers, was already part of the great race’s history having ridden the winner in 1911 at only 21 years of age (his first ever ride in the race), 1915 and 1920, all as an amateur. He later turned professional, but had retired in 1928 to set up as a trainer. He had been champion jockey in 1914 and 1922.
His brother Owen trained the winner of the 1922 Grand National, Music Hall and the legendary Gold Cup winner, Golden Miller to his final triumph at Cheltenham in 1936. Meanwhile, Ivor trained the winners of the 1933 and 1937 Aintree races, but was more famous for training Brown Jack to win the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot for six successive years (1929-34) and the Champion Hurdle as a four-year-old in 1928. Ivor, like his brother Jack was also champion National Hunt jockey in 1912.
Thereafter began the period of greatest success for the classy chaser. He started the 1928/29 season with four easy wins over hurdles, before his first tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 12th March 1929. The race was postponed for a week due to frost and Easter Hero’s meticulous pre-race preparation included a number of exercise canters on the sands at Tenby.
The bold front runner out jumped and out galloped the 10-runner field to win comfortably by 20 lengths. The 7/4 favourite was ridden by Fred, (known as Dick) Rees, who had won the previous year’s race on the 5-year-old Patron Saint.
Firmly established now as the premier chasing star of his era, Easter Hero headed to Aintree. Indeed, after the debacle of 1928 the racing authorities hoped by increasing the entrance fee to £100, in addition to a double forfeit stage, that entries would be down. However, victory for the no hoper Tipperary Tim along with the substantial prize, resulted in an incredible field of 66 going to post. To compare the two races, the Aintree winner of 1929 took home £13,000, compared to the paltry sum of under £1,000 for Gold Cup.
As expected, Easter Hero headed the weights with 12st 7lbs and went off with Jack Moloney on board as the 9/1 favourite. Amazingly all 66 runners negotiated the first fence and only one horse fell at the second. Meanwhile, Easter Hero adopted his customary front running tactics, dominating the race until Valentines’ second time round. By halfway the field had been reduced to only 19.
Unfortunately, Easter Hero then spread a plate which twisted into the shape of a letter S, and receiving 17lbs his half-brother and 100/1 outsider Gregalach, wore him down to eventually win by 6 lengths.
The next season 1929/30 followed a similar pattern. After two chasing wins at Wolverhampton and Leicester, the 10-year-old headed for Cheltenham. This time with Irishman Tommy Cullinan in the saddle, the horse survived uncharacteristic mistakes at the first two obstacles, but eventually won by 20 lengths, (at 8/11) ahead of Grakle, ridden by Keith Piggott, Lester’s father. Gib had been upside him, but fell at the second last when under pressure.
Sadly, a scheduled return to Aintree was halted due to a tendon strain four days before the big race. As a result, jockey Tommy Cullinan, who had also won the Champion Hurdle for Anthony on Brown Tony, got the ride on the winning horse, Shaun Gollin.
It proved to be a minor setback for the great chaser, who again began what proved to be his last season on Boxing Day at Wolverhampton. Two further victories followed at Leicester and Sandown Park, until giving away 23lbs to Desert Chief, who was beaten by a head at Lingfield Park. However, an attempt to win a third Gold Cup was foiled by the weather, the race being abandoned due to frost.
As a fresh horse the 11 year old headed to Aintree in 1931, with high hopes he could atone for the unfortunate incident of the previous year, which denied him the chance to fulfil Whitney’s dream. Certainly, despite his top weight of 12st 7lbs the bookies thought so, sending him the 5/1 favourite in a field of 43 runners. But luck wasn’t on his side as he was knocked over at Becher’s second time round, when well placed to mount a challenge. The race was won by his old adversary Grakle, with 1929 winner Gregalach 1 ½ lengths back in second.
The following day Easter Hero returned to the racetrack for the Champion Chase Cup, a popular level weight’s contest over 2m 7 ½ furlongs. It is hard to believe after completing about two thirds of the Grand National course the day before that he was asked to run. He only managed a dead heat against the French horse, Coup De Chateau, who at level weights was rated a much inferior animal to the double Gold Cup winner.
After the result the horse was immediately retired to America. Here he spent his time hunting with his American owner in Virginia, until Easter Hero died on 10th February 1948 at the age of 28.
Whitney meanwhile failed in his dream to win the Grand National, as Thomond II twice and Sir Lindsay both finished 3rd. However, he remained a major supporter of racing on both sides of the Atlantic, having several horses which ran in the Kentucky Derby. Another famous horse he owned in his early career, bred at the family’s Greentree Stud was Sea Pigeon, who as a flat horse came 7th in the 1973 Derby. Sea Pigeon later went on to win the Champion hurdle in both 1980 and 1981.
Easter Hero was without doubt a superstar of steeplechasing in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. As the first dual winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, he hacked up to win on both occasions and helped raise the profile of the race. During that period, he dominated the jumping arena particularly on park courses where he was the supreme racing animal. Whilst he became slightly overshadowed by Golden Miller, he was probably the first truly athletic type chaser of National Hunt history. His valiant, but ultimately vain attempt to win the Grand National in 1929, remains one of the most remarkable episodes in Aintree history.
Stephen Wallis
