One Man (1988 – 3 April 1998) was an Irish-bred

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

steeplechase racehorse sired by Remainder Man out of the mare Steal On. The popular grey won 20 of 35 races, including the

Queen Mother Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the onl ...

in 1998. He was trained by the late Gordon W. Richards and owned by John Hales. Renowned for his jumping ability and high cruising speed, he was nicknamed his "little bouncing ball" by Richards and was adopted by many as the new

Desert Orchid Desert Orchid (11 April 1979 – 13 November 2006), known as ''Dessie'', was an English racehorse. The grey achieved a revered and esteemed status within National Hunt racing, where he was much loved by supporters for his front-running atta ...

. One Man received a Timeform rating of 179, an outstanding figure.

Early career

Bought for 4,000 Irish guineas as an unraced three-year-old in Ireland, One Man first raced over hurdles and won three races from nine starts. He was then sold for 68,000 guineas to John Hales in May 1993; Hales had gone to the sale with a limit of 7,000 guineas, spending far more than he anticipated.

1993–1994 season

One Man was switched to steeplechasing and won his first five Novices' Chase races before his first race at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Ra ...

in March 1994. Despite being the 3-1 favourite for the

Sun Alliance Chase The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about ...

, he finished ninth behind Monsieur Le Cure.

1994–1995 season

One Man's next season began with victories in the Tennents Special Chase at Ayr and the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury before he unseated his rider in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby. This was followed by an uncharacteristic fall in the

Racing Post Chase The Coral Trophy is a Grade 3 Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles (), an ...

at Kempton, which ended his season.

1995–1996 season

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

of victories in the Motherwell Chase (at

Ayr Racecourse Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland,'' British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny – Page 71 was opened in 1907. There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing. History Horse racing in Ayr dates back to 1 ...

), the Tommy Whittle Chase (at

Haydock Park Racecourse Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfie ...

) and the

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...

(at Sandown) provided preparation for a shot at the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs (3 ...

in March 1996. One Man started the 1996 Gold Cup as the 11-8 favourite but finished sixth behind Imperial Call. He had travelled well throughout the race before weakening approaching the last fence. The conclusion of many was that he did not quite stay the three-mile, two-and-a-half-furlong trip, which ended with the gruelling hill finish at Cheltenham Racecourse. He had previously won over this distance at

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat ...

; the pace of the Cheltenham Gold Cup is often more like a 2½-mile contest, however, and there is a greater emphasis on stamina.

1996–1997 season

The following season began with another hat trick; One Man took the

Charlie Hall Chase The Charlie Hall Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in England which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Wetherby over a distance of about 3 miles (3 miles and 45 y ...

(at

Wetherby Racecourse Wetherby Racecourse is a racecourse situated near the market town of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England, located from Leeds city centre. For most of its history the course has hosted only National Hunt racing but staged its first Flat racing ...

), the

for a second time (at

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has ...

) and the Pillar Chase at Cheltenham's January meeting. Despite finishing second to Strong Promise in the Comet Chase at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

in February, One Man returned to Cheltenham in March 1997 for another attempt at the Gold Cup. Once again, however, despite apparently going well and moving close into second place after the next-to-last fence, One Man suddenly tired again before the last fence and was reduced to almost walking pace in the run-in, ultimately finishing sixth again (at odds of 7-1). This performance was followed by a trip to Aintree Racecourse for the Martell Cup, in which jockey

Richard Dunwoody Thomas Richard Dunwoody MBE (born 18 January 1964 in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a retired British jockey in National Hunt racing. He was a three-time Champion Jockey. Racing career Dunwoody's race victories include the King George VI Cha ...

pulled up One Man after the horse burst a blood vessel in his nose.

1997–1998 season

One Man's 1997-98 season started with a victory over his old rival Barton Bank in the

(at Wetherby), and a win in the Peterborough Chase (at

Huntingdon Racecourse Huntingdon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Brampton near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on a Site of Special Scientific Interest of the original Brampton Racecourse. The most notable race held a ...

). Attention then turned to Kempton and One Man's bid to win the

for a third straight time and emulate Desert Orchid (who won the race in 1986 and three successive times from 1988-1990). However, One Man finished fifth in the Boxing Day spectacular this time around, with the race being won by the progressing See More Business. His connections were left to decide on One Man's target for the 1998 Cheltenham Festival. A third attempt at the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs (3 ...

was not to be considered; instead, a start in the two-mile

was the favoured option. Before this, One Man returned to Ascot for the Comet Chase in February; this time, he finished ahead of Strong Promise. In March 1998, One Man returned to Cheltenham. He started the Champion Chase at 7-2 odds and jumped well throughout; jockey Brian Harding took him clear at the final turn, where he once again faced the Cheltenham hill. However, this time the trip was right; he saw off his closest challengers Or Royal and Lord Dorcet with a blistering pace. One Man's Queen Mother Champion Chase victory is remembered as one of the most emotional Cheltenham festival victories of all time, as he was led towards the deafening cheers around the winners' enclosure by a tearful John Hales. Never before had a horse won both the King George and the Champion Chase. Sixteen days later at Aintree, on 3 April 1998, One Man crashed through the ninth fence in the Melling Chase and landed in a heap. He did not seem to take off at the fence; one possibility is that he could have had a heart attack. He broke a hind tibia in the fall (a fatal injury in a racehorse) and was put down on the spot. One Man was listed number 6 in a 2004 Racing Post readers' poll''Racing Post'' readers' poll
Retrieved 2011-06-23. of their favourite race horses, with just three steeplechasers ahead of him ( Arkle,

and

Red Rum Red Rum (3 May 1965 – 18 October 1995) was a champion Thoroughbred steeplechaser. He achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years, 1975 ...

References

External links

famousracehorses.co.uk
– ''One Man press reviews'' 1988 racehorse births 1998 racehorse deaths Cheltenham Festival winners Horses who died from racing injuries National Hunt racehorses Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 6-e