A look back at the racing year in 1975 on the flat inevitably includes a reminder of the striking stable lads protest march at Newmarket following the 2000 Guineas. Ugly scenes, which included Willie Carson being dragged from his mount, were centred on pay and after much negotiation, which continued until August, a minimum weekly wage of £37 was agreed.

There was a 33/1 shock in the 2000 Guineas when Bolkonski, bred by James McVey at Woodpark Stud, won with Frankie Dettori’s father, Gianfranco, in the saddle. The son of Balidar was a first classic success for Henry Cecil who went on to win the St James’s Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes with Carlo d’Alessio’s colt.

Bolkonski beat the subsequent champion three-year-old Grundy at Newmarket. Another Italian-owned colt, of Dr Carlo Vittadini’s, Grundy recorded a Derby double at Epsom and the Curragh and was also victorious in the Irish 2000 Guineas. The St Leger was won by Charles St George’s Bruni from the Irish-trained King Pellinore.

There was an Irish-trained winner of the 1000 Guineas when Nocturnal Spree won for Stuart Murless. The filly was owned by Denis and Anne-Hart O’Kelly, Raymond Keogh and Denis Coakley. Johnny Roe took the mount on this daughter of Supreme Sovereign who was bred at Newborough Stud by Jerry Dillon. In the Oaks Jeremy Tree combined with Lester Piggott to win with Juliette Marny.

In Ireland I have very fond memories of the Irish 1000 Guineas, won by Miralla who was trained by Sir Hugh Nugent for Lady Lister Kaye. The owner bred the filly with Lady Nugent. She was from the first crop of the Irish St Leger winner Allangrange, managed by my late father Benny at Elizabeth Nelson’s Waterloo House Stud in Mallow. Buster Parnell won on Miralla.

The recently deceased Pat Eddery won the Irish 2000 Guineas and the Irish Sweeps Derby with Grundy, while the Oaks double was brought up when Juliette Marny scrambled home by a neck at the Curragh. The old firm of Vincent O’Brien and Lester Piggott teamed up to win the Irish St Leger, then restricted to three-year-olds, with Caucasus in the colours of Jane Englehard.

Malinowski was the highest rated two-year-old in Ireland, some 3lbs ahead of Niebo, while Welsh Garden was the best filly. In Britain there was an even more dominant juvenile, with Wollow rated 5lbs clear of Hittite Glory and Take Your Place. The leading filly was Pasty.

It was a magic era for older horses but the outstanding runner in this category was Bustino, the horse who went head-to-head with Grundy at Ascot in what many consider to be the race of the century. Sagaro, Allez France, Dahlia and Hail The Pirates were some of the other outstanding performers that season.

OVER JUMPS

The rain-sodden Cheltenham Festival meeting saw a number of races abandoned after the Gold Cup on Thursday, but not before Irish-trained runners had landed five races. The first day’s racing had to be abandoned completely.

Ten Up, with Tommy Carberry in the saddle, won the Gold Cup by six lengths from Soothsayer. This was winner number three for Jim Dreaper, whose father Tom lived to see the feat. Dreaper senior died in April 1975, four years after retiring and handing over to his then 21-year-old son and successor.

Jim Dreaper and Sean Barker got the Festival off to a good start when they combined to win the second race at the meeting with Lough Inagh. This was a vintage renewal of the Two-Mile Champion Chase with the other runners being Royal Relief, Skymas, Dorlesa, L’Escargot, Amarind, London Express and the tailed-off Tingle Creek.

It was Brown Lad’s turn to give the Kilsallaghan yard of Jim Dreaper their second win at the meeting when he was a facile winner of the Lloyds Bank Hurdle, Tommy Carberry having a steering job. Earlier on the first day Padge Berry saddled Bannow Rambler to win the Champion Novice Hurdle. The fifth Irish winner was Davy Lad in the Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle, Mick O’Toole giving Dessie Hughes the leg up.

Jim Dreaper carried his away form into the Aintree meeting and, again with Tommy Carberry on board, won the Topham Chase with Ollie Freaney’s Our Greenwood. Dan Moore may have been out of luck at Cheltenham but he was back in the winner’s enclosure at Liverpool with L’Escargot, an imperious winner by 15 lengths from Red Rum in the News Of The World Grand National. It crowned a memorable year for Tommy Carberry.

What many may have forgotten about the Aintree fixture at that time is that the three-day meeting consisted of nine National Hunt races, three on each day, mixed in with 10 flat races, Grand National day having a seven-race card.

In Britain Raymond Guest won the owners title, despite only having a single winner with L’Escargot. Comedy Of Errors’ owner Ted Wheatly was second, though the Champion Hurdle winner was his only winning horse, his five victories earning £26,386. The Queen Mother had a great year with 10 horses winning 20 races – the most by any owner.

Fred Winter was champion trainer by money won, his 81 winners earning £74,205, but Arthur Stephenson won 87 races. Tommy Stack was the champion rider and his tally of 82 wins was comfortably ahead of John Francome’s and Graham Thorner’s 70 successes. Ridley Lamb’s 22 wins meant he finished five ahead of Lord Oaksey on the amateur riders’ table.

In Ireland the Sweeps Hurdle was the most valuable National Hunt race run in 1975 and only the five Irish classics were worth more. Fred Rimell sent Comedy Of Errors over to contest it and took home the loot. The Irish Grand National meanwhile went to Brown Lad who was giving young Jim Dreaper his second win in a row and the son of Sayajirao won the race again in 1976.

Galway, now a five-day meeting as the day at Tuam was absorbed into the programme, saw the hugely popular and versatile Our Albert win the Galway Plate with Dessie Hughes, while the Galway Hurdle was divided, Dermot Weld winning the first division with Spanner and Clem Magnier landing the next with the favourite Double Default.

CHAMPIONS

By winning two classics and the Royal Whip with Consol, Peter Walwyn beat Vincent O’Brien to be champion trainer for the second year in a row, while Kevin Prendergast’s 53 wins was one better than Clem Magnier’s total. The other trainers in the top 10 by winnings were Dermot Weld, Paddy Prendergast, Richard Annesley, Sir Hugh Nugent, John Oxx and Stephen Quirke.

Christy Roche was champion flat jockey with 73 winners, clear of Raymond Carroll on 52 and Johnny Roe with 50. Wally Swinburn was fourth with 45 victories.

Frank Berry and Tommy Carberry shared the champion National Hunt riders’ title, while Jim Dreaper was at the height of his success and winning the fourth of his five titles as champion trainer.