The People's Champion: an Aintree Hurdle specialist and a horse who fulfilled his potential for Henry Cecil

The Racing Post is trying to find the people’s champion – our readers’ favourite racehorse of all time. To make sure your favourite makes the shortlist of 80 horses, you can nominate using any of the methods below. In the meantime, here are two of our writers with their picks.

Paul Kealy 

Morley Street

In around 40 years of watching horses, few have grabbed me as immediately as Morley Street did when he made a winning bumper debut at Sandown in 1988.

Perhaps it's just because I was so young at the time, but he turned out to be a bit of a superstar, reinforcing my view at the time that I knew what I was on about (I didn't).

He won the Champion Hurdle in 1991 and two Breeders' Cup Chases (they were hurdles), but his best was undoubtedly saved for Aintree, where he won on five consecutive Grand National days, first in novice company, and then with four Aintree Hurdles.

He seemed to do everything so easily, which was just as well, because as he got older he tended to find less and less on the bridle.

Graham Bradley waiting until halfway up the run-in to let him go in the 1993 Aintree Hurdle (his last win, though he was fourth in a Northumberlamd Plate at the age of ten) is a race I still treat myself to watching on YouTube every now and again. It was perfect.

John Cobb

Gunner B

They don't make them like Gunner B any more, a tough nut who was having his 30th race when he outfought Arc runner-up Balmerino in the 1978 Eclipse.

In three seasons with Beverley-based Geoff Toft he rose through handicaps and amateur races, under huge burdens, sometimes racing twice in a week, until he reached the heights of Group 3 success in the 1977 Diomed Stakes as the disregarded 12-1 outsider of the field.

He earned a transfer to Henry Cecil the following season and fulfilled his potential with a string of victories including the Brigadier Gerard, Prince of Wales's Stakes and Eclipse.

His stud career continued to defy expectations and he produced winners of the Champion Hurdle in Royal Gait and Grand National in Red Marauder. When he died in 2003 he was the oldest active stallion in Europe at the age of 30. 

How to nominate

By post Send the name of your horse and make your case to The People's Champion, Racing Post Editorial, Floor 7, Vivo Building, South Bank Central, 30 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9LS. Letters must reach us by no later than Tuesday, August 1.

By email Get in touch at peopleschampion@racingpost.com.

Online Click here and follow the instructions.

Read more from the People's Champion series . . .

The People's Champion: a horse who didn't like to hang about and another with a unique record   

The People's Champion: an injury prone Rolls-Royce and a poor-jumping, hold-up horse   

The People's Champion: our series begins with a true legend of the turf and a popular grey  

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