In order to feel the greatest highs, you have had to have known the lowest lows. Horses will give you some of your most cherished memories, but on too many occasions you have to say goodbye far too soon.
Unfortunately I have to relay the very sad news that on Sunday night Becky The Thatcher suffered complications with colic and could not be saved. Our very best wishes and commiserations go out to her owners Mcgoldrick Racing who have owned her all of her racing career.
Becky was purchased at the Doncaster breeze up sales in 2015, she raced on four occasions as a juvenile achieving a BHA mark of 75. As a three year old she struggled over middle distances, her best performance was in finishing second at Thirsk in July off a reduced mark of 61. It wasn't until she went hurdling that we began to see the best of her, she won on debut at Musselburgh, and again under a penalty at Catterick in March.
She returned in October of 2017 with two attempts off marks of 58 and 54 on the flat, but she couldn't take advantage, but back over hurdles at Wetherby in November she made no mistake from a mark of 122. In May of 2018 she finally found her form on the flat when winning by five lengths at Carlisle, then following up at Pontefract in the two miles and one furlong staying event. We had finally found the key to her on the flat, and that was extreme distances, the further they went the better she was. From that race on she never raced at any track on the flat apart from Pontefract. During 2018 she took in five of the Pontefract staying races which make up the 'Pontefract Stayers Championship,' with points awarded for winning and being placed, she won once and was second three times,with the highest total she won the prestigious 'Pontefract Stayers Championship of 2018.
Becky improved with age, in May of last year she won at Cartmel, receiving a career high mark over jumps of 134, and the following month she won off her highest mark of 66 on the flat over two miles and two furlongs at Pontefract.
Billy Garritty who rode her on all of her last seven jump races said,'Tough as a Lion, she had a will to win like no other I rode.' Franny Norton who on her twice said,'Once she got to the front, she would be hard to beat.' Micky said,'She was a pleasure to train and a yard favourite. It was a privilege to train for the Mcgoldrick partnership, they have let us get on with training her and she rewarded them.'
Thank you Becky The Thatcher for all those wonderful memories,
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