Foaled: | 10 March 1982 |
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| Sire: | Imperial Fling | |
| Dam: | Easymede | |
| Owner: | Charles St George | |
Races: | 11 | |
| Wins: |
2
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| Flat form: | 0200010 | |
| Jumps form: | 0012 | |
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Descartes was owned by Charles St George. He was a grey gelding who'd been bought from a pal of Lester Piggott's. After racking up a string of duck eggs Descartes had won the Scarborough Stakes over seven furlongs at Redcar ridden by Martin Hindley.
Descartes was a fragile horse but despite a few setbacks, Charles kept the horse in training although it was safe to say he was one of his lesser lights. Descartes had run unplaced in a couple of hurdle races before dropping in grade in the Cranwell Selling Hurdle at Market Rasen in March 1986. It was as bad a race as you could hope to find, yet Charles’s delight when Descartes won on that Friday afternoon was testimony to a man who loved his racing regardless of the money or the status of the race.
Nothing can match the enjoyment of training for an owner who is also an enthusiast. Ardross had won eleven group races and over £400,000 (£2 million in today’s money) yet I will never forget the smile on the face of Charles St George when Descartes picked up that £694 for winning at Market Rasen. It mattered not if the horse was a Group 1 winning superstar or a modest plater, Charles had an equal love for each and every horse that carried his silks.
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