Luke Harvey explains to Oli Bell how a two-mile chaser who looked like a Derby winner helped inspire his racing career.
Luke Harvey: Why I got hooked on racing
My first insight into racing that fired my enthusiasm was watching the early Grand Nationals. There was Red Rum obviously, The Pilgarlic, Spanish Steps, those old horses, I just loved watching them.
But the main horse for me was Lefrak City. He was the first horse I looked after at Captain Forster’s. He won a point-to-point and was only about 15.2 hands high. He looked like The Minstrel, a bright chestnut with four white socks and a white face.
How he could gallop at home was unbelievable, I rode him all the time, and he was a laughing stock as he was tiny compared to all his massive stable companions.
He worked well but was useless over hurdles, he won one novice somewhere, but the way he worked at home he went like a champion.
But as soon as they sent him over fences he was different class and he won the Tingle Creek, which was actually a handicap in those days, and raced against some really, really good horses.
I’ve always been passionate about racing but he was really the one that stands out when I think of what got me started.