Events / Malcolm Pannett / 01 November 2009 / 1 Comments

The November Handicap used to be a major race. The meeting was an opportunity for Flat racing aficionados to salute the passing season and engineer one last big gamble. It provided the last chance to wonder at the thoroughbred at full pelt before the bigger woollier jumpers took centre stage - a time to say goodbye to the gang before the winter recess. Malcolm Pannett examines the fate of a once great race.

"The next Flat racing is no longer the Lincoln meeting the following April it is an all-weather meeting a matter of days later. Therefore it is no surprise that the lack of absence has made the heart less fond"

The traditional season finale is not the race it used to be - but then again neither is the end of the season. The next Flat racing is no longer the Lincoln meeting the following April it is an all-weather meeting a matter of days later. And with the international Flat racing season still in full swing it is no surprise that the lack of absence has made the heart less fond.

Started in 1876 as the Manchester November Handicap (MNH) it was run over 1m 6f at the newly opened racecourse at New Barns and won by Polonaise who also won the Great Northern Handicap at York. Polonaise was a daughter of Adventurer who had twice been successful in the City and Surburban Handicap - another race that is a shadow of its former self.

The race soon gained prestige with horses of the stature of 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes-winner Belphoebe (1874) winning the third running. Two years later Madame du Barry (1880), who had won the previous season's Irish Derby and went on to add the Goodwood Cup the following year, joined the roll-call.

Class acts who couldn't win included the 1892 fillies' Triple Crown-victor La Fleche who lost out to 40/1-shot Golden Drop in 1893 but was still good enough to win the Ascot Gold Cup and Champion Stakes the following season. And Winkfield's Pride, who had won that season's Cambridgeshire, had to play second fiddle to Telescope in 1896 before going on to fill the same position behind Persimmon in the Ascot Gold Cup, and then triumphing in the Doncaster Cup, the next year.

In 1902 the New Barns course was sold and racing under the Manchester banner reverted to Castle Irwell which had previously staged meetings from 1847 until 1867. The first renewal of the MNH at the new venue was won by the four-year-old St Maclou who bookended the season having gained a last-stride victory over subsequent quadruple Classic-winner Sceptre in the Lincoln. At this time the distance of the race was reduced by two furlongs to the current 1m 4f.

Another noteworthy victor was Free Fare (1935) who subsequently won the 1937 Champion Hurdle. While Las Vegas (1946) gave Harry Wragg a fitting winning finale to his career.

Castle Irwell closed in 1963 with the last winner of the MNH being the Jimmy Lindley-ridden Best Song. The land was subsequently developed into student halls of residence and playing fields for the University of Salford.

The race transferred to Doncaster dropping the Manchester prefix with the first race there going to Osier trained by Bernard van Cutsem. Many enjoyable occasions followed in the first quarter century at Town Moor however the class of the race had started to dwindle, a trend that sped up rapidly with the introduction of racing on synthetic surfaces in 1989.

Notable winners in more recent times include Bold Rex (1985) who provided a swansong winner for former Champion Jockey Joe Mercer; Young Benz (1988) who developed into a useful jumper winning a decent novices' hurdle and a Grade 2 novices' chase at Aintree's Grand National meeting; Hieroglyphic (1991) who returned to Doncaster the next year finishing third in the Doncaster Cup; Quick Ransom (1993) who also won the Ebor and Northumberland Plate during his career; Clifton Fox (1996) who had won the Cambridgeshire a month before; Sabadilla (1997) who went on to win the 2003 Galway Hurdle; and Yavana's Pace (1998) who won the John Porter Stakes and finished second in the Irish St Leger twice before being campaigned all over Europe taking Group1 honours at the ripe old age of ten.

Since then circumstances have led to the race becoming ordinary not much better than a bread-and-butter handicap. It's not that it is a bad race - it might be better if it were notorious - somehow it is worse than that as it is now just moderate.

The race wasn't run in 1904, 1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1925, 1926 or 1954. During the Second World War the race was run at Pontefract (1942 to 1945). The 1989 race, won by Bruce Raymond aboard Firelight Fiesta, was run at Thirsk as Doncaster was closed due to subsidence, and the 2006 race, won by the Roger Charlton-trained Group Captain, was run at Windsor while the course was being redeveloped.

25 years ago - Michael Stoute's Abu Kadra benefited from the return of a professional on board to beat 22 rivals. Sent off at 25/1, after two disappointing runs in apprentice races, the son of Blakeney stalked Kingswick until well into the final furlong before zipping by to score by two lengths under Walter Swinburn.

10 years ago - Guy Reed's Flossy, ridden by Tony Beech, just got the better of a battle of heads with Carly's Quest and the fancied Lord Lamb. The trio came together as they swamped the pacesetter Evander in the final furlong with the Chris Thornton-trained daughter of Efisio getting the verdict by a head with a short-head back to the favourite. Both Beech and Robert Winston, who rode Carly's Quest, received bans for excessive use of the whip.

Five years ago - Carte Diamond, under Kieren Fallon, produced as good turn of speed to win by two-and-a-half lengths from Distant Prospect with the previous season's winner Turbo, who was sent off 4/1 favourite, finishing a tame 12th in the 24-runner field. Carte Diamond went on to finish runner-up to Sergeant Cecil in the 2005 Ebor having returned to action after suffering severe injuries when impaling himself on a spike after running through the rail in the build up to the 2004 Melbourne Cup.

Last year - The David Arbuthnot-trained Tropical Strait, at 20/1, prevailed by half-a-length beating market-leader The Betchworth Kid. Previous-winner Carte Diamond led them a merry dance until the three furlong pole where Martin Dwyer sent Tropical Strait on and the son of Intikhab just held on despite hanging left in the final stages.

Tags: Abu Kadra, Belphoebe, Carte Diamond, Flossy, La Fleche, Madame du Barry, Polonaise, Tropical Strait, Winkfield's Pride