Miscellaneous

Today is a very sad day the 25th November 2005, for one of the greatest footballers of all time and the best ever from Northern Ireland namely George Best of Manchester United fame has past away,he was a grand lad and a Busby Babe who shot to fame with the demolition of Benfica in the European Cup Final one of the great results that made Man Utd, HE WILL BE SADLY MISSED by all us Mancunians.....see yer Georgie

Remembering Pebbles - An Article

For most Americans, the name, Pebbles, conjures up fond remembrances of a certain baby daughter of Fred and Wilma Flintstone who lived in the fictitious television town of Bedrock.But for horse racing fans, the name summons memories of one of the best fillies of all time. And judging by her phenomenal exploits on the turf against the best fillies and colts in the world, Pebbles might be one of the best racehorses, male or female, of the last quarter century.Considering Pebbles died last month at the age of 24 at Darley Stud's Fukumitsu Farm in Japan, coupled with the fact this year marks the 20th anniversary of her remarkable victory in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Turf at Aqueduct, it seems a very fitting time to recall my favorite Breeders' Cup moment.Pebbles, a 4-year-old trained by Englishman Clive Brittain and owned by Sheikh Mohammed, arrived in New York 20 years ago with a prodigious reputation that preceded her.Just two weeks earlier in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in England, Pebbles and her jockey Pat Eddery cruised up alongside Slip Anchor, toying with the 1985 Epsom Derby winner ridden by Steve Cauthen. Eddery sat motionless on Pebbles as the pair swept past Slip Anchor en route to a facile three-length victory.America beckoned the Queen of European racing. Pebbles was a great story, with her penchant for a pint of Guinness a day, and her constant companion, a 6-year-old gelding named Come On the Blues.Pebbles won the Coral Eclipse Stakes earlier in 1985, defeating among others, Rainbow Quest, who would go on and win that year's Prix del Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris.Following Pebbles' death, Brittain said of the 1985 Coral Eclipse Stakes: "When she won the Eclipse, she made colts like Rainbow Quest look like hacks."Now Pebbles had one last mission left: Win the Breeders' Cup Turf against males. Her brilliance was apparent, further evidenced by her connections' eagerness to supplement her for $240,000.Thirteen others stepped into the starting gate at Aqueduct on Nov. 2, 1985. Her customary passenger, Eddery, took his place aboard the shiny chestnut filly with saddlecloth No. 11. It was Eddery's only mount of the day.Besides the fact that this marked Pebbles' first attempt at 1 1/2 miles, only a troubled trip seemed to stand in the way of her ascending to the summit of the turf world while gaining international glory.Bettors made Pebbles the favorite at $2.20 to $1 while Greinton was the second choice at $2.60 to $1.When the gates opened, Eddery was in no hurry, securing a place along the rail toward the rear of the pack. Pebbles was 13th after a half mile in 48 seconds, covered up by horses while Eddery sat chilly, pondering his assault on the leaders.Eddery's maroon and white silks hugged the rail as Pebbles surged near the leaders at the mile mark. Still seventh at this point, Eddery was waiting, biding his time until the top of the stretch.And then it happened.As the leaders turned into the stretch, Eddery deftly guided Pebbles toward a hole along the rail and, within a few strides, the champion filly quickened, seizing the lead.Now Eddery had Pebbles in high gear, sailing along the rail with the finish line in sight. In mid-stretch, Steve Cauthen and Strawberry Road II made a serious move, momentarily appearing as if he would pass Pebbles.But Eddery had more than enough left and held off Strawberry Road to win by a measured neck. Pebbles' winning time of 2:27 established a new Aqueduct course record, lowering the previous mark by 1 1/5 seconds.Pebbles' scintillating performance left the Aqueduct crowd and millions watching on NBC breathless.In 1985, Pebbles defeated the winners of the Epsom Derby, Prix del Arc de Triomphe, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes, English Champion Stakes, Epsom Oaks, Arlington Million, Hollywood Gold Cup, and Breeders' Cup Turf.Pebbles defeated Lashkari, who won the inaugural Breeders' Cup Turf in 1984, along with Theatrical, who would go on and win the Breeders' Cup Turf two years later at Hollywood Park.Pebbles, a daughter of Sharpen Up, won eight of 15 career starts over three years, placing second four times, while earning $1.4 million. In 1985 she was champion miler and older mare in England and, despite only having one start in America, earned the Eclipse Award for outstanding turf female.Pebbles was one of the true stars in Breeders' Cup history.

Jim Tierney, a lifelong horse racing fan, is a news reporter for the Journal Inquirer newspaper based in Manchester, CT.