Greatest Racehorses: Night Nurse 356m36

Pedigree Details

Sire: Falcon

Dam: Florence Nightingale

Dam’s Sire: Above Suspicion

Breeder: Cloghran Stud Farm

Foaled: 26 May 1971

Race Record & Factfile

Races: 64

Wins: 32

Owner: Reg Spencer

Trainer: Peter Easterby

Profile

Five horses might have won more Champion Hurdles, but Night Nurse holds the strongest claims to the title of ‘greatest hurdler’. For a start, his Timeform peak rating of 182 remains the highest ever awarded to a hurdler, whilst his second Champion Hurdle win in 1977 came at the height of what is widely regarded as the ‘golden era of hurdling’. Indeed, that second Cheltenham win came in the classiest-ever field assembled for the Champion Hurdle, the fact that runner-up Monksfield and fourth-placed Sea Pigeon went on to win the next four renewals merely underlining the strength in depth. All bar one of his 19 wins over hurdles came for the unfashionable veteran Paddy Broderick, whose distinctive upright riding style aboard the trail-blazing Night Nurse (dubbed "the machine of my career" by Broderick) was one of the most iconic racing images of the 1970s. Night Nurse’s most powerful weapon was a rapid-fire jumping technique, his bold displays from the front largely explaining why he was a completely different proposition over hurdles than on the Flat. The gelding’s other most famous trait was his willing attitude ("as brave as a lion" was Peter Easterby’s verdict), those battling qualities perhaps best exemplified in his memorable dead-heat with Monksfield in the 1977 Templegate Hurdle at Aintree.

That never-say-die attitude, combined with his trademark fluent jumping, stood Night Nurse in good stead once he was switched to the larger obstacles, his chasing career proving so successful that only stable-companion Little Owl prevented him completing the historic Champion Hurdle-Cheltenham Gold Cup double in 1981. Connections decided to draw stumps with the immensely-popular Night Nurse on his 12th birthday, which prompted Chasers & Hurdlers 1982/83 to write: "For almost a decade the name Night Nurse has been synonymous with what is best in National Hunt racing. His retirement leaves a gap that will not be easily filled - he was a fine ambassador for jumping and must have made many a convert to the sport."  

1974/75 Season

Of the seven yearlings sold by Dublin’s historic Cloghran Stud at the Houghton Sales at Newmarket in 1972, the unflashy son of once-raced mare Florence Nightingale and former sprinter Falcon made the least money, with Peter Easterby needing to spend only 1,300 guineas to secure him. "A great big, plain horse he was – but I liked him and he wasn’t much money either," the trainer explained. Eight people turned down the gelding before Easterby managed to persuade Edgar Rudkin, an octogenarian with failing eyesight, to take the plunge. Night

Nurse drew a blank as a two-year-old, whilst an all-the-way win in a nine-furlong maiden at Ripon the following summer proved to be the highlight of a largely undistinguished Flat career. Rudkin wasn’t keen on jumping, so Night Nurse changed hands again (a slight heart murmur further complicated matters when trying to sell him) in 1974, with Easterby’s old school friend Reg Spencer taking over the bills prior to Night Nurse’s hurdling debut win in a summer juvenile at Market Rasen. He wore Spencer’s purple and pink cross-belts for the remainder of his career, the new owner enjoying an instant return on his investment as Night Nurse gained a further four wins, which prompted The Sporting Life to declare him "undoubtedly the best juvenile hurdler in the North. Night Nurse is a breathtaking jumper for a beginner". Alas, that juvenile campaign ended on a low note when he finished down the field on barely raceable ground (the meeting was called off after the following race) in the 1975 Triumph Hurdle, though even that proved a blessing in disguise. There were many potential suitors for Night Nurse by this stage, with a reputed offer of £25,000 on the table had he figured prominently in the Triumph, which could have led to him leaving the yard.

1975/76 Season

Although he would run to higher ratings later, in 1975/76 Night Nurse was at his most dominant and arguably provides the best examples of his greatness. He was unbeaten in eight starts, with Broderick never having to resort to his whip even once as he comprehensively saw off the leading hurdlers on either side of the Irish Sea. He kicked things off with smooth all-the-way wins at Chepstow and Newbury, but it was his next two starts which proved a portent of things to come as he twice lowered the colours of reigning champion hurdler Comedy of Errors. The latter gelding was bidding for a fourth straight win in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle but proved no match for Night Nurse (who was ittedly receiving 9 lb) when runner-up at Newcastle, whilst third was all he could manage behind his younger rival when attempting a hat-trick of Sweeps Hurdle wins.

Night Nurse put up a stunning display at Leopardstown and it was a similar story in the Champion Hurdle itself, which was very much a changing of the guard – the up-and-coming Bird's Nest was the only one to make a race of it, whilst previous winners Comedy of Errors and Lanzarote could manage only fourth and fifth respectively. Night Nurse’s dominance, plus the unseasonably dry winter, meant his other three wins came in small-field affairs that were reduced to glorified schooling sessions, but his unbeaten campaign still did plenty to explode that well-worn myth that front runners were ‘doing it the hard way’. Chasers & Hurdlers 1975/76 stated: "There seems to be a prejudice against making the running with a good horse, or even with a fancied one for that matter. Under certain circumstances front-running tactics are highly appropriate – in Night Nurse’s case, the horse is not only perfectly at ease out in front but is such a fluent jumper that he can take lengths off some of the best in the country at his hurdles. Why hold him up when he can jump the opposition silly?"  

Major races won

• Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Newcastle
• Sweeps Hurdle, Leopardstown
• Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
• Scottish Champion Hurdle, Ayr
• Welsh Champion Hurdle, Chepstow

1976/77 Season

A measure of Night Nurse’s standing in the sport is that his second successive National Hunt Horse of The Year award came in the same season that Red Rum claimed his record-breaking third Grand National win. Night Nurse had created his own piece of turf history just 40 minutes earlier on that same Aintree card, his thrilling dead-heat with Monksfield (who was receiving 6 lb) in the Templegate Hurdle earning him that record Timeform rating of 182. Broderick most definitely resorted to the whip on that occasion, and he’d also had to get serious with Night Nurse when claiming their second Champion Hurdle win just over a fortnight earlier. Night Nurse was even headed three out but rallied bravely to prevail under vastly different ground conditions to 12 months earlier.

Doubts about his effectiveness on the ground, plus two defeats in the build-up to the race, meant Night Nurse was an easy-to-back 13/2 shot at Cheltenham behind short-priced favourite Bird's Nest (who finished fifth). It had looked business as usual for Night Nurse upon his return in the autumn, when he’d taken his unbeaten run to ten thanks to victories at Newbury and Sandown (albeit pushed close by Lanzarote). A shock 15-length defeat to Bird's Nest in the Fighting Fifth suddenly made him seem mortal, as did his narrow second to Dramatist in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton next time up, for all that he reversed those Newcastle placings with Bird's Nest and emerged as the best horse at the weights. That mid-season blip was firmly behind him in the spring, though, and he confirmed his status as the leading hurdler in this vintage era with a comprehensive defeat of Dramatist (who was receiving 5 lb) in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Chepstow on his final start.   

Major races won

• Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
• Templegate Hurdle, Aintree
• Welsh Champion Hurdle, Chepstow

1977/78 Season

"We didn’t make many mistakes with Night Nurse but we should have gone over fences with him sooner than we did," was Easterby’s verdict on the gelding’s final campaign over hurdles. For whatever reason, Night Nurse’s speed had been blunted by 1977/78, which meant most of his races that season saw him getting outpaced at a vital stage before rallying in typically willing fashion. Worst of all, a horror fall at the last in the Christmas Hurdle ended the career of Broderick – ironically, the popular veteran had already stopped riding over fences in order to prolong his association with Night Nurse. That Kempton fall was a fourth successive defeat (including two by Bird's Nest) for Night Nurse, but he stopped the slide when teaming up with champion jockey elect Jonjo O’Neill at Doncaster on his next start, where he edged out old rival Bird's Nest in a thrilling duel.

He was sent off 3/1 favourite for the Champion Hurdle on the back of that win (even though O’Neill opted to remain loyal to stable-companion Sea Pigeon) but could manage only third under stand-in jockey Colin Tinkler behind Monksfield and Sea Pigeon (ridden by Frank Berry after an 11th-hour injury to O’Neill). Night Nurse also had to settle for minor placings in the Templegate Hurdle, Scottish Champion Hurdle and the inaugural running of the very valuable Royal Doulton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock, whilst a miserable unplaced effort in a handicap hurdle at Newcastle in the middle of May proved to be the rather inglorious end to his hurdling career.

Major races won

• Yorkshire Hurdle, Doncaster

1978/79 Season

Inglorious also sums up Night Nurse’s chasing debut, when he got no further than the fourth (unseating O’Neill) in a novice at Market Rasen, but that quickly became a distant memory as he rattled up a five-timer under Ian Watkinson, who had come in for the ride after an injury to O’Neill. Watkinson’s final ride on Night Nurse came when just losing out in a battle with Silver Buck for the Embassy Premier Chase Final at Haydock, which was undoubtedly one of the most exciting races of the decade. Those exertions had possibly left their mark when Night Nurse flopped in the Cheltenham Gold Cup next time, but he rounded off a fine novice chase campaign with further valuable wins (both under O’Neill) at Aintree and Ayr.

Major races won

• Sean Graham Trophy Chase, Aintree
• Future Champions Novices’ Chase, Ayr

1979/80 Season

Night Nurse’s rivalry with Silver Buck was to become one of the most enduring themes of the next few seasons. Although Silver Buck ended up with a six-one lead in their head-to-head record, Night Nurse’s many fans are adamant that scoreline should have been a bit closer. O’Neill, for one, is certain Night Nurse would have won the 1979 Edward Hanmer Memorial Chase at Haydock but for going lame with a serious tendon injury in the latter stages, in the end losing out by just a length and a half to Silver Buck (who was receiving 1 lb). That Haydock race was over three miles, but he’d been dropped to the minimum trip at Ascot 11 days earlier, when his clear-cut win in a fiercely-run renewal of the Buchanan Whisky Gold Cup saw him overtake Red Rum as jumping’s most successful horse in of first-place prize money.

Major races won

• Buchanan Whisky Gold Cup, Ascot

1980/81 Season

An emotional winning return in the Red Alligator Handicap Chase at Doncaster might have been Night Nurse’s only addition to that first-place prize money tally, but his 1980/81 campaign still represented a remarkable comeback from 13 months off (he was fired on both forelegs in the interim), proving himself a top-class staying chaser in the process. Indeed, he’d have probably won the King George VI Chase at Kempton but for unseating at the last (Silver Buck, naturally, was the chief beneficiary), whilst his hugely courageous second place (with Silver Buck ten lengths back in third) to stable-companion Little Owl in the Cheltenham Gold Cup featured one of the best rounds of jumping ever seen in the race. He ran well under big weights in handicaps between those two races, notably when a brave second to the lightly-weighted Tragus at Sandown. O’Neill’s understudy Alan Brown, who rode Night Nurse in all bar one of his 1980/81 races, was taken aback when Night Nurse received a bigger cheer than the winner when returning to the unsaddling enclosure at both Sandown and Cheltenham: "The guts of the horse was unbelievable. Especially at that stage of his career because he’d had some really hard races."

Major races won

• Red Alligator Handicap Chase, Doncaster

1981/82 Season

Night Nurse had one more tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup and it wasn’t just sentiment which saw the popular 11-year-old sent off the 11/4 favourite in a record field of 22 runners. He’d won three times earlier in the season, notably an emotional success under top weight in the Mandarin Chase at Newbury on the middle occasion. This was the first time O’Neill (whose own career had been put in jeopardy by serious injury in 1981) had partnered Night Nurse since that unlucky Edward Hanmer defeat and a typically bold round of jumping left its mark on the jockey, who described the ride as "the greatest thrill I ever had on a horse – I’m sure it was like getting a spin to space in the space shuttle!" Fine weight-carrying performances when placed behind the up-and-coming Bregawn at both Haydock and Kempton further enhanced his Gold Cup claims, but Night Nurse flopped badly in the big race itself, beaten some way out having never been able to get to the front. To rub salt in the wounds, Bregawn finished a close second, whilst victory went to his nemesis Silver Buck!

Major races won

• Mandarin Chase, Newbury

1982/83 Season

Old age finally caught up with Night Nurse in 1982/83 and he was retired on New Year’s Day after looking a shadow of his former self in both the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury (pulled up) and King George VI Chase at Kempton (distant fifth), though he did manage one final win in a minor event at Wolverhampton prior to that. He enjoyed a long retirement at Easterby’s Great Habton stables, where he is buried (alongside former rival Sea Pigeon) having lived to the ripe old age of 28.

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