Theo Hill first went to Warwick as a spectator in 1963 and understood why everyone wanted to win Warwick, including himself. He learnt from that 1st visit you needed a top horse to win the Gold Cup and he aspired to return with one good enough to win.
He bred his Comara mare Princess to his mate Harry Ball’s Abbey & Abdul was the 1st colt foal from the cross. He was always special, but the win was particularly special on Abdul as he was injured in a near fatal accident whenย he fell 70+ feet off a riverbank.
Theo first competed at Warwick in 1971 and at their 3rd attempt he and Abdul were successful. Abdul was only campaigned by Theo for 5 years, before he suffered a broken pedal bone, but he is remembered as one of the prominent camp horses of the 70โs, with his real contribution to the sport being that of a sire. He was a sire of sires and his bloodlines remain prominent throughout the sport today.
[Information from: The Warwick Gold Cup, Campdrafting’s Memories and Magic Moments , written by Bev Cheers.]
