The hunter-'chaser.

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who delivered a long, but fruitless chase up the home straight before giving best to the hunter by 15 lengths. Lots of them are listed in my book, btw, as more of them used to run in the NH Chase, including probably the best mare of them all, Pucka Belle in 1936.

Spartan Missile was moved to Nicky Henderson's Lambourn yard, and, on his first run at the age of 11 and in the name of Thorne's widow Wendy, finished second under Diana in the John and Nigel Thorne Memorial Hunters' Chase at Stratford. Daddy later took him down to Devon for stag hunting and they went out five days out of ten, which really helped to educate the horse and get him to think about the job.and so when Pete became separated he found a policeman and asked to be taken to the winner's enclosure.

The following season, perhaps rusty for his season's debut as an eight-year-old and carrying the familiar weight of 12st 10lb, Spartan Missile missed out on his annual opening-day Sandown win before scoring at Warwick, but a suspensory ligament issue curtailed further action.Instead, the temptation of another Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase was taken, and while Spartan Missile gave Diana a fine ride and carried her into sixth place behind the Alan Hill-ridden Elmboy he finished lame. As a five-year-old Spartan Missile's education continued and he was twice pulled up before enormous ability overcame his youth, size and inexperience. At that fence he sprawled, Thorne was almost dislodged and briefly had both boots on one side of the saddle, yet recovered to beat Crystal Gazer easily by eight lengths. The book details every aspect of the subject, and is of particular value, for it is the only one of its kind published for many years.