Golden Miller

Foaled in Pelletstown, County Meath on April 30, 1927, Golden Miller raced long before the advent of Timeform ratings or any other metric that allows meaningful comparison between generations. Regardless of his position in the pantheon of steeplechasing greats, though, he was undoubtedly the most famous chaser of the inter-war years and, the better part of a century after his retirement, as a 12-year-old, in 1939, still holds two records that have yet to be beaten, or even equalled.

Golden Miller won the Cheltenham Gold Cup five years running between 1932 and 1936 and, in 1934, fresh from his third victory in the ‘Blue Riband’ event, shouldered 12st 2lb to victory in the Grand National, setting a course record that would stand for 39 years. He remains the only horse to complete the Cheltenham Gold Cup – Grand National double in the same season.

Owned by Dorothy Paget and trained by Basil Briscoe at Longstowe, Cambridgeshire, Golden Miller was still only a five-year-old when he tackled the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the first time in 1932. Ridden by former Champion National Hunt Jockey Ted Leader, he was sent off 13/2 third-favourite in a field of six but, with market leaders Grakle and Kingsford both coming to grief, was left to complete a routine victory, beating Inverse and Aruntius by four lengths and a distance.

In 1933, with reigning Champion National Hunt Jockey Billy Stott replacing Leader, Golden Miller was sent off at 4/7 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and duly obliged, coming home by 10 lengths from Thomond II. He was sent off favourite again in 1934, at 6/5, with Gerry Wilson replacing Stott and won by six lengths en route to his memorable Grand National triumph. In 1935, again with Wilson aboard, he justified 1/2 favouritism, albeit by just three-quarters of a length from Thomond II. By the 1936 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Briscoe had been replaced by Owen Anthony and Wilson by Evan Williams, but it was business as usual for Golden Miller, who again justified favouritism, beating Royal Mail by 12 lengths to complete his historic five-timer.