Rumpelstiltskin, marking his fifth birthday, delivered an outstanding performance, securing a half-length victory over stable companion The Rabbi in the £1,000 Sir Walter Gilbey Challenge Cup at Caymanas Park. The five-year-old, owned and bred by Arthur Jackson and trained by Eileen Cliggott, started as a 2/1 favourite in the six-horse field. Despite being held back in fourth position initially, Rumpelstiltskin surged in the final furlong, surpassing The Rabbi and crossing the winning post under the guidance of jockey Douglas.

Published Janauary 3, 1967

Rumpelstiltskin completes Yule Double with Gilbey Cup victory

- Douglas judges it just right

RUMPELSTILTKIN just turned five years old on New Year’s Day and gave the finest performance of his career when he was driven to a half-length victory over his stable companion, The Rabbi, in the £1,000 Sir Walter Gilbey Challenge Cup at Caymanas Park yesterday.

Starting a 21 favourite in the six-horse field, Rumpelstiltskin, who was allowing weights ranging from 19lb to 17lb to his opponents, was held back in fourth position. Blue Mist set a blistering pace along the back stretch of the nine-furlong run, followed by Syncopution and The Rabbi. As they swung unto the final turn Blue Mist fell back, and The Rabbi, but Douglas was not the least perturbed.

With half a furlong to go, Rumpelstiltskin was in full stride and, as he came into the final yards, he glided past The Rabbi. With Douglas looking back, he took him across the winning post.

Owned and bred by Arthur Jackson, Rumpelstiltskin, who has been trained by Eileen Cliggott ever since he was a three-year-old, has definitely proved himself the finest native-bred stayer to come along over the past five years.

Outstanding

He ranks alongside such outstanding native-bred horses as Double Man, Birnamwood, See Saw, Father Christmas and Young Ben.  Bred by his owner, he is by the French stallion Rumesnil out of the unraced Merry Mark mare Swinging.

Rumpelstiltskin, who won the 11 miles Harold Bolton Handicap on Boxing Day, has thus swept the popular Yule Double. The last horse to accomplish such a feat was the American-bred mare Alemap, in 1962-63.

Secondary feature, the Beck Cup race over the straight five furlong course for 'F' Class horses attracted 17 starters and produced a most exciting finish with my tip, Christmas Chimes, getting home by a short head from the rank outsider, Hunting Coin, with last year’s winner Susie D a half length farther back in third place.

SUSIE D, who took over the lead in the final furlong from the favourite See Rum looked all over a winner until the closing stages when Christmas Chimes and Hunting Coin came with a terrific rush on the outside.

Had Susie D won the race, she would have retired the cup for her owner.

Laurie Silvera and Trevor McKenzie, last year’s respective champion trainer and jockey, had two winners each. Silvera’s apprentice Winston Ellis and heavyweight jockey Kenneth Mattis also rode two winners each and trainer Morty Heron also scored a double, but the honours of the day must surely go to Cliggott, who saddled the winner and second horse in the feature ‘Sir Walter Gilbey Challenge Cup’ to place herself at the top of the trainers’ list.

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