How Dickinson and Earnshaw turned silver into gold against all the odds

SILVER Buck’s extraordinary journey to steeplechasing’s summit 30 years ago – victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – began 12 months to the day, and with little confidence, before this magnificent Yorkshire chaser deservedly joined National Hunt racing’s all-time greats.

He had finished a leg-weary third in the 1981 renewal, Michael Dickinson’s stable star well-beaten by Little Owl and former champion hurdler Night Nurse, who were completing an unforgettable one-two for Ryedale trainer Peter Easterby.

This was part of a golden era for Yorkshire trainers – their domination of the Cheltenham Festival was on a par with the monopoly enjoyed more recently by Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins.

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Yet only one man was seemingly unperturbed by Silver Buck’s lacklustre run – his Harewood-based trainer, whose faith in the gelding never faltered. “I must have been the only person who left Cheltenham that night convinced that Silver Buck had not been beaten because he lacked stamina,” Dickinson told the Yorkshire Post at the time.

There was a legitimate excuse – it later transpired that Silver Buck had broken a small blood vessel, though he would not have been the first horse to succumb to Cheltenham’s heartbreak hill that decides the Gold Cup at the end of three-and-a-quarter miles of relentless galloping and jumping.

Owned locally at Otley by Christine Feather, whose son William Haggas trained last year’s Epsom Oaks winner Dancing Rain and is married to Lester Piggott’s daughter Maureen, preparations for the 1982 Gold Cup did not go to plan – Silver Buck, a lean and lightly-built horse, was confined to box rest throughout February and Dickinson was fearful the 10-year-old would be short of physical fitness for this gruelling test. The trainer was as nervous as the horse who, at the best of times, was never the most relaxed – despite a great steeplechasing rivalry with Night Nurse.

Dickinson, a stickler for detail, spent the eve of the race going through the tactics with Silver Buck’s jockey, Robert Earnshaw – he was 22 at the time and hailed from Gargrave. Nothing was left to chance as recordings of the 1981 race were used to plot the horse and rider’s every move.

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It worked – to a point. Earnshaw, now a leading stipendiary steward, had no problem settling Silver Buck towards the rear of the 22 runners before making up ground coming down the hill on the first circuit.

As Tied Cottage, disqualified after being first past the post in 1980, led Silver Buck’s stablemate Bregawn, the Colin Tinkler-ridden Sugarally, Sunset Cristo and subsequent National winner Grittar out onto the second circuit, with race favourite Night Nurse well-placed on the inner, Silver Buck was travelling easily.

Earnshaw and Silver Buck had just three horses in front of them as they approached the fourth last – Night Nurse, unsuccessfully bidding to become the first horse to complete the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup double, was now in full retreat.

The problem was when Earnshaw would strike for home. Dickinson had hoped his jockey would wait until the home straight – Silver Buck idled in front – but Earnshaw had to make an instant decision that meant deviating away from the carefully-planned instructions. “He was going so well and I did not want to check him,” he said.

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That the finally winning margin over Bregawn was a diminishing two lengths perhaps explains why Silver Buck did not receive the plaudits that his performance merited – as the trainer explained last week.

“John Francome, the champion jockey, said of Silver Buck ‘When he is in behind, anyone can ride him, but when he makes the lead, he needs 10 men on him!’,” recalled Dickinson, who has retired from training to focus on developing his pioneering Tapeta all-weather racing surface.

“Turning for home in the Gold Cup, he was running away. He made the lead and then stopped. He had a ton in hand that day and the form he was in then, he could have won almost any Gold Cup.

“We all loved Silver Buck, not least Robert Earnshaw, who looked after him and rode him so well, but also his doting owner, Mrs Chris Feather.

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“At the time, I was very proud of our team’s training performance of Silver Buck and I still am to this day.

“Kevin Whyte was his exercise rider and rode him with skill and sympathy and made it look easy.

“It was a memorable day. It would have been interesting to know how far he could have won if he hadn’t stopped when he got in front – my guess was 10 or possibly 20 lengths.”

Michael Dickinson was to enjoy an even greater Gold Cup in 1983 when he trained the first five home, with Bregawn leading the cavalry and the defending champion back in fourth.

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As for Silver Buck, the winner of 34 of his 48 starts, his life came to a tragic end. Always a nervous character, he was spooked while being taken out of the Dickinson’s yard for morning exercise in 1984 and galloped riderless into a brick wall, suffering fatal internal injuries.

It was a tragic end to the career of one of Yorkshire’s greatest ever racehorses – one good enough to turn silver into gold.

tom.richmond@ypn.co.uk

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