'He's not a racehorse' - nine-year-old retired after hopeless Windsor debut

Chicago Socks, the nine-year-old who barely raised a gallop on his belated debut at Windsor on Monday evening, is heading for a new career in dressage and will not be asked to race again.

Trainer William de Best-Turner said before the 1m3½f novice that he would be happy if Chicago Socks got out of the stalls and passed the winning post. He did, but only after showing reluctance both before and during the race.

The son of Catcher In The Rye showed no interest in racing and was estimated by the Racing Post racereader to have been beaten around half a mile – too far for the judge to measure it by conventional means and even further than the 223 lengths shown in the result.

De Best-Turner, who was fined for a vaccination irregularity, had to find a replacement jockey for Raul da Silva and was asked to explain why Chicago Socks was shown on the racecard as a colt when he is in fact a gelding, admitted: "It wasn't a very good day."

However, he reported Chicago Socks, who was eventually ridden by Finley Marsh, to be none the worse for his exertions – or lack of them – and outlined a way forward.

Jonathan Neesom's in-running comment

Reluctant to enter stalls, reluctant to race, pottered around in own time, beaten nearly half a mile (100-1, tchd 80-1)

After starting in racing 50 years ago as an apprentice in Newmarket, De Best-Turner trains only part-time and has had just three winners from around 350 runners since 1999. He said: "He's fine, but he's going to go and be a dressage horse now. He has no spark about him and he's not a racehorse.

"The only reason I ran him was to see if I could get any spark as he doesn't want to go unless he's surrounded by other horses. I was hoping other horses would carry him along, but unfortunately that didn't work.

"He's huge. He's not fat, he's just a very big horse. I gave him every chance and that's it now. I know someone who will have him as a dressage and show horse."

Racing Post Ratings view

Within seconds of leaving the stalls you could see Chicago Socks had no ability. He was detached immediately and within a couple of furlongs he had disappeared off the screen.

He earned an RPR of zero for his dismal performance – and he only got that because we don't give negative numbers.

Generally speaking horses rated in the 40s and low 50s struggle to win a race. Those rated in the 20s and 30s are effectively not even competitive racehorses in Britain. Then there's Chicago Socks.
Sam Walker

While Chicago Socks might be finished in racing the story is not over. De Best-Turner has his four-year-old half-brother Calgary Tiger, who he believes is a racehorse, even though he was beaten upwards of 58 lengths at odds ranging from 66-1 to 250-1 in three bumpers last season.

The trainer, who has six horses in training, said: "Calgary Tiger is a completely different horse to his half-brother – one's a racehorse and one's not – and he'll be going over hurdles this season. He has been out three times and improved with every run, but he needed to strengthen up so we put him away. He's a nice horse."

Three others who did not excel on the track

Quixall Crossett

Perhaps a contender for the title of Britain's worst racehorse, the son of Beverley Boy showed little ability in his 103 outings, although he did finish second twice, once under a 7lb conditional called Jim Crowley in a novice chase at Wetherby. Such was his lack of talent, he acquired a cult following before his final start at Ayr in 2001 - 11 years after his debut.

Haru Urara

Plenty of horses have their own Wikipedia page, but not many have one for never winning a race. Japan's Haru Urara took part in a whopping 113 of them - all at Kochi racecourse on Shikoku island - but never managed to finish first. Her losing streak, however, allowed her to become a popular figure, signing off with a fifth in August 2004.

The Green Monkey

The most expensive thoroughbred to sell at auction never came close to paying it back. The subject of a frenzied duel between the Coolmore partners and Sheikh Mohammed in 2006, he ended up with the former, who shelled out $16 million for him. His career ended with form of 344 and just $10,440 won in prize-money.

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