Morse Code (horse)
Morse Code | |
---|---|
Sire | The Pilot |
Grandsire | Grand Annual Chase (1936) (1938)Cheltenham Gold Cup |
Morse Code (foaled 1929) was a British
Background
Morse Code was a
Racing career
Morse Code showed early promise and recorded his first major win when he won the
In the 1937/38 National Hunt season Morse Code made steady progress to become regarded as one of the best steeplechasers in Britain. On his final prep race for Cheltenham he finished third to Airgead Sios and Macauley. In the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 10 March he faced Airgead Sios and Macauley again but most of the attention was focused on the eleven-year-old
Morse Code had the Gold Cup as his main objective in the following year and was expected to follow up in the 1939 Gold Cup against what appeared to be a significantly weaker field than 1938.[8] He had performed well in a workout at Kempton Park Racecourse a week before the race and on 9 March, with Danny Morgan again in the saddle, he started at odds of 4/7 against only four opponents. Bel et Bon was second favourite on 11/4 with Brendan's Cottage on 8/1 and the other two runners, L'Estaque and Embarrassed starting at long odds. As in the previous year, the race was run at a slow pace with the runners closely grouped until Morse Code and Brendan's Cottage broke away from their opponents on the second circuit. The favourite led until the last fence but was being hard ridden by Morgan whilst Brendan's Cottage was traveling easily. Morse Code was overtaken on the run-in and was beaten five lengths into second place.[5]
Assessment and honours
In their book, A Century of Champions, based on the Timeform rating system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Morse Code an "inferior" Gold Cup winner.[9]
Pedigree
Sire The Pilot (GB) 1921 |
Tracery (USA) 1909 |
Rock Sand | Sainfoin |
---|---|---|---|
Roquebrune | |||
Topiary | Orme | ||
Plaisanterie | |||
Homeward Bound (GB) 1912 |
Isinglass | Isonomy | |
Dead Lock | |||
Will Return | William the Third | ||
Recall | |||
Dam Heliograph (GB) 1914 |
Heliotrope (GB) 1903 |
St Frusquin
|
St Simon
|
Isabel | |||
Cereza | Petrarch | ||
Cherry | |||
Revolving Light (GB) 1906 |
Red Prince | Kendal | |
Empress | |||
Revolver | Hawkeye | ||
Repetition (Family: 2-h)[2] |
References
- ^ a b "Morse Code pedigree". Pedigree Online. 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- ^ a b "Martha Lynn – Family 2-h". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- ^ "English Racing". The Press. 15 February 1937.
- ISBN 978-1-873626-15-3.
- ^ ISBN 1-84018-381-0.
- ^ "Racing and Trotting: Losing Dash". The Press. 21 April 1938.
- ^ "Racing and Trotting: A Bold Bid". The Press. 5 May 1938.
- Glasgow Herald.
- ISBN 9781901570151.