If Wishes Were Horses Trivia Quiz

Answer: Stroller

Marion Coakes (Marion Mould after her marriage) and Stroller were among the most popular show jumping combinations of their era. Marion's father bought Stroller from Ireland in 1960 when Marion was aged 13. He was a pony, rather than a horse, and smaller than the horses he was competing against, but Marion refused to part with him.

The pair represented Great Britain in the Mexico Olympics in 1968 and came home with an individual silver medal. Stroller lived to the great age of 36 in 1986, having enjoyed 15 years of retirement.

Answer: Lester Piggott

Piggott's first winner was in 1954, when he was aged 18 on Never Say Die. He won again on Crepello (1957), St. Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977), and Teenoso (1983). Piggott was tall for a jockey and was nicknamed 'The Long Fellow' as a result. Carson won the Derby four times and Eddery three times. Dettori won the race for the first time on his 15 attempt, in 2007, riding Authorized.

Answer: Grey

Although the official description is 'grey', Desert Orchid's coat was white, which made him an eyecatching sight when in full flow over fences. Among his victories were the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase, which he won in 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990. Following his retirement from racing in 1991, 'Dessie' as he was known, followed in the hoof marks of Red Rum and forged a career as an equine superstar raising huge amounts of money for charity in the process.

He died in 2006 at the age of 27.

Answer: Badminton

All the venues named are known for holding three day events, although only Badminton and Burleigh hold the highest level four-star events. Lucinda's record of six wins was still standing in 2010, along with her seven wins of the Tony Collins Trophy for the most successful rider of the season.

Her first win was in 1973 on Be Fair, before wins in 1976 on Wideawake, in 1977 on George, 1979 on Killaire, 1983 on Regal Realm, and finally on Beagle Bay in 1984. Lucinda also won six gold medals in the European Championships, two golds in World Championships, and a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics.

Answer: Polo

Polo was originally used as training for cavalry riders, and dates back to at least the first century AD. Players use a wooden mallet to propel the ball into their opponents' goal area while negotiating their horses around the field of play. It needs one of the largest playing areas in sport, and all players have to play right handed, even if they are normally left handed.

It has long been associated with the upper class, and was played by Prince Philip (the husband of Queen Elizabeth II) and Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Both of these have now retired, but Princes William and Harry have carried on the tradition. Drizzle suffered a heart attack and died after taking part in a match in 2006.

She was only 10 years old, and it was reported at the time that Prince Harry who had been riding her during the match, shed tears over her death.

Answer: Aldaniti

Bob Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1979 and given only a 40% chance of survival. Despite undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Bob continued to train and ride. Aldaniti himself had been written off, having suffered from serious leg injuries, but the pair came together to make the fairy tale come true.

Their story was so inspiring that it was made into the film 'Champions' in 1983 with John Hurt playing Bob Champion and Aldaniti playing himself. The other horses had their own claim to fame, with Corbiere being the first winner trained by a woman (Jenny Pitman) in 1983 and 1990, with Mr. Frisk being ridden by Marcus Armytage, an amateur. Foinavon won in 1967 as a 100-1 outsider when most of the field came to grief at the 23rd fence, which has since been renamed the 'Foinavon Fence'.

Answer: Princess Anne

HRH Princess Anne won the individual gold medal at the age of 21, and went on to be voted 'BBC Sports Personality of the Year' in 1971. She also won silver in 1975 in the same event. Princess Anne met her first husband, Mark Phillips, through their shared interest in eventing and their talents were passed on to their daughter, Zara, who won the European Eventing Championship herself in 2005, riding Toytown. Pippa Funnell won the title in 1999 and 2001, riding Supreme Rock, while Virgina Leng won on three successive occasions.

Her first victory was in 1985 on Priceless, followed by Night Cap II in 1987 and Master Craftsman in 1989.

Answer: Prince Karim Aga Khan IV

All the options are well known owners, with The Aga Khan winning again in 1986, 1988, and 2000. HM The Queen did not have a Derby winner in the 20th century, but the other two did. Shergar won the race by an astounding 10 lengths, and was retired to stud in Ireland in September 1981.

In 1983, the horse was stolen and a ransom demanded. Although the IRA was the prime suspect, no one was brought to justice and Shergar was never seen again. He is believed to have been killed soon after being taken as the kidnappers were unable to handle the highly strung horse.

Answer: Harry Llewellyn

The gold medal was won in the Team Jumping event and was the only one won by Great Britain in 1952, when the Olympic Games were held in Helsinki. The partnership also won a bronze medal at the 1948 Games, and were successful three times in the King George V Gold Cup, in 1948, 1950, and 1953. Since 1954, the Horse of the Year Show held an event for novice horses which is named 'The Foxhunter Championship' in memory of the horse.

The other choices are all British show jumping champions, Broome and Smith from the 1960s, and Whitaker from the 1980s and 1990s.

Answer: Auctions racehorses

The best known auctioneer of bloodstock, Tattersalls was founded by Richard Tattersall in 1766 and operated from Hyde Park Corner, which was not in the middle of London at that time. It moved its premises to Knightsbridge in 1865 and later operated from Newmarket, the centre of Britain's horseracing business.

The name originally included an apostrophe, but later was officially dropped. There are directories of jockeys, sporting newspapers, such as 'The Racing Post', and the best known annual show jumping event is, 'The Horse of the Year Show'.