The following season, perhaps rusty for his season's debut as an eight-year-old and carrying the familiar weight of 12st 10lb, Spartan Missile missed out on his annual opening-day Sandown win before scoring at Warwick, but a suspensory ligament issue curtailed further action. Fifth on a get-fit season's debut at Wetherby, Grittar then clocked up four straight hunters' chase victories starting at Leicester, continuing in Cheltenham's Foxhunter Chase, then Aintree's equivalent and finally at Southwell. At the Canal Turn Saunders made little attempt to jump the fence on the angle and let his horse run wide, reasoning it was a less-risky option when he had plenty in reserve.

I remember Steve Marshall and Derek Lane who worked for us saying Grittar was difficult to break in, and that was probably why he was sent to licensed trainer Walter Wharton at Melton Mowbray. The Grand National-winning trainer is known for his ability to be an unconventional thinker, but this is a previously well-trodden route to success. Career record: 1961 2213 10-3 lb: 1962 f1f1(disq)111 11-10 lb 3rd top rated hunter chaser: 1964 b11112 11-13 lb 2nd top rated hunter chaser: 1965 1111 12-2 lb champion hunter chaser: 1966 1u111 12-0 lb champion hunter chaser: 1967 11f1f 12-0 lb joint champion hunter chaser: 1968 2 11-7 lb 6th top rated hunter chaser: 1969 7 11-1st.Libby says: "After Grittar won there was a scramble to reach the winner's enclosure, and in the packed crowds Pete went missing. Burning Ambition failed to fire at Cheltenham, where it was a second successive victory for Pacha Du Polder, whilst at Aintree there were emotional scenes, as the late Peggy Hagan’s Balnaslow came home in front for Derek O’Connor and Graham McKeever. A fine second under 12st 4lb at Nottingham when ridden by John Francome saw him start favourite for the 1983 National in which he was joint-top weight with 11st 12lb, and, ridden by Paul Barton, ran a sound race to finish fifth behind Corbiere. Lots of them are listed in my book, btw, as more of them used to run in the NH Chase, including probably the best mare of them all, Pucka Belle in 1936.

Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. Spartan Missile was moved to Nicky Henderson's Lambourn yard, and, on his first run at the age of 11 and in the name of Thorne's widow Wendy, finished second under Diana in the John and Nigel Thorne Memorial Hunters' Chase at Stratford. Greater historical note revolves around the age of his amateur rider, Dick Saunders, who at 48 became the oldest person to ride a National winner, a record that remains intact 38 years later.

With the Spring 2020 programme having been largely wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic, an all Hunter Chase / Point-to-Point Bumper card was created at Fairyhouse in mid-November to compensate connections and proved to be a popular addition, whilst in 2021, unlike the interuptions experienced by action between the flags, the spring Hunter Chase programme was fully completed. Fifteen horses lined up, half a dozen runners departed at the first, and when Spartan Missile cruised down to Becher's Brook he had just three rivals. The Irish were out of luck at both Cheltenham and Aintree, with Burning Ambition getting closest at Liverpool, having to settle for second despite looking the likely winner approaching the famous elbow.

And the English successes within the big spring hunter chases once again continued through to Punchestown, as Rose Loxton’s Caid Du Berlais ran out a wide-margin winner of the Champion Hunter Chase for the second year in succession.

Grittar was foaled in 1973, a son of the stallion Grisaille out of Tarama (Tamerlane), one of the first mares bought by Gilman. The Christie team did enjoy some compensation however when Vaucelet and Ask D'Man claimed a famous Stratford double to end the season.