Past Cheltenham Heroes: Bregawn 1983 Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Gold Cup has thrown up many great feats over the years, but none more so than in the 1983 race when Michael Dickinson trained the first five home in National Hunt’s blue riband event.

Dickinson was only 33 at the time and in just his third season as a trainer after taking over the reins from his parents Tony and Monica at their stables in Harewood, Yorkshire.

Getting five horses fit and ready to race in the showpiece event was an amazing achievement in its own right, and Dickinson admitted after the race that the worry of doing so had caused him to lose a stone in weight.

But, after briefing him team of jockeys and planning out meticulously how the horses would be ridden, Dickinson achieved something truly out of the ordinary that will never be achieved again.

Bregawn had been second in the Gold Cup the previous season, but this time made virtually all the running in the hands of Graham Bradley and battled on bravely up the hill to hold off his stablemates.

Captain John ran a terrific race to finish the five length runner-up, Wayward Lad was one and a half lengths 1/2 lengths further away in third, and Silver Buck a remote fourth.

It was then left to Ashley House to stay on gamely up the famous Cheltenham hill to pass Combs Ditch and secure fifth spot.

Bregawn was the hero on the day, but all his stablemates had also put in heroic efforts to ensure the most remarkable outcome of a Gold Cup ever witnessed. Relive it below:

1983 Gold Cup finishing order:
1, Bregawn 100-30F (Graham Bradley)
2, Captain John 11-1 (David Goulding)
3, Wayward Lad 6-1 (Jonjo O’Neill)
4, Silver Buck 5-1 (Robert Earnshaw)
5, Ashley House 12-1 (Mr Dermot Browne)