Golden Cygnet

The Scottish Champion Hurdle represented a huge step up in grade. Until now, Golden Cygnet had been taking on fellow novices. At Ayr, he faced very experienced hurdlers of the highest class. It was also a handicap. In most years, a Cheltenham-winning novice could expect to receive up to 10 lbs or more in weight from their more experienced championship rivals, especially from the likes of Night Nurse, the Champion Hurdle winner in 1976 & 1977, and Sea Pigeon who went on to win the Champion Hurdle in 1980 & 1981. However, the handicapper allotted Golden Cygnet 11 st 13 lbs, which was 5 lbs more than dual champion Night Nurse, 7 lbs more than Beacon Light, who had been fourth in the Champion Hurdle the previous month, and 12 lbs more than Decent Fellow, winner of the Irish Sweeps Handicap Hurdle under 11–4. The only horse with a higher weight was Sea Pigeon, who was asked to carry just 1 lb more, having finished a close second to Monksfield in the previous month's Champion Hurdle.

The race went according to plan most of the way. Having been held up early on, Golden Cygnet moved into third place as they came to the second last hurdle. Approaching the final flight, he moved alongside the leader Night Nurse travelling very strongly and looked an assured winner, but he did not lift his front legs high enough and crashed through the hurdle, somersaulting on his head before hitting the ground. Fortunately, Madden was thrown clear and although shaken, he was uninjured. Sea Pigeon went on to win the race, catching Night Nurse close home. "I was cantering on him," said Madden afterwards. "Still cruising. He had jumped brilliantly, never touched a hurdle. And then for some reason, he stood off a bit too far at the last and he just clipped the top of it and came down on his neck." Racing's highly respected judges 'Timeform' stated in their 1977/1978 Annual:

"The race confirmed two important points – that Sea Pigeon had no superior among the established hurdlers apart from Monksfield, and that all the superlatives heaped on Golden Cygnet had been justified.... Golden Cygnet appeared to have plenty left, and was two lengths up on Sea Pigeon and about to take the lead from Night Nurse when he suffered his fatal fall. Judging by the way Golden Cygnet finished in his previous races, he would have taken some catching.....The connections of Sea Pigeon did not dispute the general feeling afterwards that Golden Cygnet would have beaten Sea Pigeon in the Scottish Champion Hurdle if he had not come to grief at the last. And for a novice to have defeated a seasoned campaigner of Sea Pigeon's calibre at a difference of only 1 lb would have been a staggering achievement."

The compilers of the form book commented (7/4 JF, waited with, improved approaching 2 out, quickened between last two, disputed & looked winner when fell last) .

Golden Cygnet eventually got back to his feet after the fall and appeared to be in relatively good shape, although dazed and sore. A long period of rest over the summer seemed to be all that was required. However, trainer Edward O'Grady was not 100% happy with the horse's condition. A lump had developed on his neck which appeared to be some form of haematoma but O'Grady was worried that it might be something more serious. After consulting the racecourse vet, he decided as a precaution to send the horse to the veterinary unit at the University of Edinburgh for a couple of days to be sure that everything was OK before allowing him to travel home. When he was contacted by the university the following day (Sunday), everything appeared to be fine, but 24 hours later Golden Cygnet's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. When O'Grady arrived home from Kilbeggan races on Monday evening, his phone rang. It was the university again. He was hoping to receive the all-clear for the horse to travel home. Instead, he was told that Golden Cygnet had suffered a brain hemorrhage as a result of an injured vertebrae and had been humanely destroyed. O'Grady said, "It was devastating, absolutely devastating. Rather like a friend or part of the family not only dying unexpectedly but in a different country. That was the hardest part." Timeform stated in their annual publication:

"Tragically, a bad fall at the last flight in the Scottish Champion Hurdle in April left him fatally injured and robbed hurdling of its most exciting recruit for years. Without doubt Golden Cygnet was a tremendous prospect and, with another year on him, there was no telling how good he might have proved himself to be. By the time of his death, he had achieved much more in his first season as a hurdler than either of the most recent winners of the Champion Hurdle, Monksfield and Night Nurse, at the same stage of their careers.......There was no doubt that he was still improving when we last saw him and it is as certain as anything can be in racing that he would have had a very bright future in the top class had he survived."

Golden Cygnet remained the highest-rated novice hurdler for over 40 years. Timeform rated him 176 at the end of that season. Sea Pigeon would later attain a rating of 175 after winning 2 Champion Hurdles.^[2] Their highest rated hurdler ever, Night Nurse, was given a mark of 182 at his best in 1976-77 but given the normal improvement one could have reasonably expected from a novice of Golden Cygnet's potential, there is every chance that he would have exceeded that figure in the future but for his fatal fall.

Golden Cygnet's full race record over hurdles is listed below:

Niall Madden described Golden Cygnet as "a freak." "I knew then that no matter how long I'd be in the game I'd never ride another like him." "He was different alright," said O'Grady. "The further most horses go in a race the more they come off the bridle. When he jumped off at the back of the field, he wouldn't pull. But the further he moved through the field, the more he started to pull. Exactly the opposite to a normal horse. He was certainly the best I ever had and I would like to think that he was the best I saw over hurdles."^[2] O'Grady also considered that he was not so distraught at the time as he might have been later, "Being so young, I fully expected that another every bit as good would come along and I simply didn't realize that a horse of his ability would prove to be quite so rare."^[2]

Golden Cygnet has a race named in his honour, the Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle, which takes place annually at Leopardstown in early February.

In the aftermath of his death, one Irish newspaper described him as "the greatest loss to National Hunt racing since Arkle" whilst another quoted a leading trainer as saying "They say that there is always another one around the corner but somehow I think it is going to be a very long corner before we see another Golden Cygnet." He remained Timeform's highest-rated novice hurdler until they gave Constitution Hill a rating of 177 after the 2022 Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

• Golden Cygnet's Pedigree
• 1978 Supreme Novices' Hurdle Cheltenham
• 1978 Fournoughts Hurdle Punchestown
• 1978 Fingal Hurdle Fairyhouse
• 1978 Scottish Champion Hurdle Ayr
• Supreme Novices' Hurdle