However, her thorough pre-race work didn’t fairly go in keeping with plan.
Struggling with the hype surrounding the Festival, Stanhope Street nearly pulled himself up after one circuit.
“It was a very awkward race for me,” Fortescue-Thomas mentioned.
“Stanhope Street was a complete flop. He had won two point to points but back with the white rails and with all the noise and tannoy he didn’t enjoy it. We were tailed off after the first circuit.
“I sat very patiently feeling an absolute fool, trying an fool, feeling an fool, I used to be about to tug him up on the prime of the hill.
“I thought if I get off him and lead him home people would realise there was something wrong and I might not get a roasting from those who had put their money on.
“But I received to the highest of the hill and tried once more to encourage him and instantly he went ‘OK fantastic!’
“What was embarrassing at first, became almost more embarrassing by passing all the horses and we ended up passing everything at a rate of knots.”
They didn’t catch winner Mickey Seabright however they swept previous all the things else to fly up the hill and end second by 12 lengths with Fortescue-Thomas turning into first lady to complete a race on the Festival.
Timeform, the racing kind bible, mentioned the horse appeared to have “been given far too much to do” however did word that the thoughtful using of Fortescue-Thomas might have made “some contribution” to his return to kind in 1976.
“At the end of it some chap who had seen me walk the course [beforehand] said ‘Well there you are dear, you only had to follow the others didn’t you?'” Fortescue-Thomas recalled.
It would be the ladies who adopted Fortescue-Thomas, and those that will proceed to take action in the long run, who owe her an even bigger debt of gratitude.
