Mike Vince reflects on the career of dual-purpose hero Not So Sleepy who signed off with a win at Newbury on Saturday.
A foul afternoon at Newbury - lit up by the smiles on the faces of Lady Blyth, Hughie Morrison and Tom Marquand as the grand old warrior Not So Sleepy ended his career as he started it - in the winners' enclosure.
Racing won’t be the same without him.
It was in October 2014 when jockey George Baker booted the newcomer home at Nottingham over a mile on soft ground, and he began his three year old career landing the Dee Stakes at Chester by a short head.
Not So Sleepy ploughed through the mud for just the sixth Flat win of his career, having taken the Autumn Cup also a year ago- and his exploits on the level include a second in the November Handicap and a fourth in the Cesarewitch.
But he’ll be best remembered for his exploits over jumps.
He always seemed to be best at the end of the day - as darkness fell as the race was last on the card for TV he deadheated with Epatante in the 2021 Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle - a race he won last year when it was run at Sandown, being sent off the 9/1 outsider on his beloved heavy ground.
But it was in that race in 2020 he memorably got rid of jockey Paddy Brennan at the first and then riderless carried out Silver Streak at the second!
His achievement at Ascot though will stand the test of time - winning the track’s big pre Christmas Hurdle feature, the Betfair Exchange Trophy in 2019 (see free video replay, below) and making fools of everyone a year later when serving up an encore in the gathering gloom at insulting odds of 20/1(unless you were on!).
He has earned connections more than half a million pounds, been called a few names, but has been a huge credit to Lady Blyth and Hughie Morrison who have looked after him.
He’s been a great fun horse and now is the time for him to have the fun in a richly deserved retirement.
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