Good looks attract the eyes. Personality attracts the heart. Might Bite certainly had both but what endeared him so magnetically to many of us was his unique and seriously special personality. Nicky Henderson speaking on his retirement in January said, "You could write a bloody book on him !! He was always a great character. He was as good a looking horse as you'd see, and I think he knew it."
Might Bite won 10 of his 25 starts (40%) including 4 Grade 1's, but sadly he was winless in his last 9 races. Both his sire Scorpion and his grandsire, the very classy multiple Group 1 winner Montjeu have both been described as quirky and temperamental. The best personalities in life are always different to the rest. They stand out in a crowd. They are red in a yellow sea. Might Bite was certainly individualistic who was very much out on own. He was a very likeable individual. He was unlike other racehorses. If they went right, he went left. He did things his way. He was horse who got people through the turnstiles, who raised expectations, who created excitement, and who made the raceday experience a far better one, just simply by being on the same racecourse as him. He had an alluring aura about him, a striking attractiveness in both body and soul.
At his brilliant best, he flamboyantly freewheeled on a racecourse. His love and appetite for the jumping game was very clear to see. Many horses are followers, who jump as part of a herd, not particularly because they want to or in fact enjoy it, but because they are following their natural instincts. Might Bite wasn't like this. He enjoyed what he did immensely and he was fully aware that he was extremely good at it. He loved to show off. He had natural ability and he possessed a special aptitude. It was always a joy to see him jumping so boldly, completely unworried, and displaying a readiness and a real sense of fun.
There was no finer example of this than when he led them all a merry dance in the 2017 Grade 1 RSA at the Cheltenham festival. This was Might Bite at the very top of his game, at his optimum, in terms of both health and well-being, and form and fitness. He was later to go on and show a higher level of form but I will always remember his RSA with fondness. Twelve lengths clear jumping two out that day, he would have had time for tea and cakes with Nico and still won on the bridle, but Might Bite being Might Bite thought that the job was done, he thought he'd done enough, and he has rarely been given credit for how quickly his mind worked. He knew where the racecourse stables were, he knew where the walkway back to the paddock was, and that's where he was heading at a tangent of approximately 45 degrees to the gasps of the packed grandstands. Nico pulled hard on his left rein and managed to rescue the situation just in time to straighten him up and hold on by 2 lengths from his fast finishing stablemate Whisper.
The next season 2017-2018 was when Might Bite came of age. He began with a superb round of jumping at Sandown Park in the Future Stars Chase to defeat Frodon by a very comfortable and mightily impressive 8 lengths. He then won the coveted King George on Boxing Day before heading to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup a fresh horse. He looked fantastic that day. The moment he strode purposefully into the paddock with his shoulders back, his head held high, and his ears pricked, you could see that he was attentive, alert and proud, and you just knew automatically that he would go very close to claiming the biggest crown in national hunt racing. Nicky had him at his peak and had him primed to perfection. What ensued that day was a definitive moment in Might Bite's career. As glorious as the race was, the spectacular but dogged dual with Native River around the cauldron of Prestbury Park, that excited and thrilled the festival faithful. Might Bite just failed. There was a feeling that the physical and mental toughness of that race certainly left it's mark and Might Bite never ever forgot it and psychologically he was never the same horse again. The following month he did win the Betway Bowl at Aintree defeating Bristol De Mai and Clan Des Obeaux comprehensively but from then onwards he never won another race and there were occasions when he showed that he had lost the will to win, the will to race, his enthusiasm had waned, and he definitely wasn't enjoying himself anymore. Sad but true.
I loved Might Bite when he was good and I loved him when he was disappointing. I loved the horse, not the racehorse. Love the animal first and the sport second. You love horses to achieve at the races, but for me the love that you feel for them and the bond that you build with them is unconditional and not performance dependant. That is the beauty of racing, we can establish these relationships, and have strong feelings for horses without actually being that close to them.
So Might Bite will enjoy his retirement with former Aintree and Ascot supremo Charles Barnett and his family. A great home for a great horse. Lots of turn out, lots of hacking, and plenty of love. I was lucky to visit Might Bite last summer at Hillwood Stud where he spent his summer holidays whilst he was in training with Nicky. I saw for myself what a beautiful horse he was, what a kind horse he was, and how attractive he was in both looks and personality. He was cared for there by Tracy and Charlie Vigors and their boys. The Vigors family absolutely adored him and he evidently adored them too. If I was a racehorse I couldn't think of anywhere better to spend my summer holidays. I'd be packing my suitcases well before the Sandown Park finale. The Vigors family are real horse people who live and breathe horses. They give so much love, and they have empathy and a deep understanding of horses that I was privileged to witness and admire.
Wishing Might Bite many more years of health and happiness and I thank him for providing me and many others with so many great memories. Horses like this don't come around very often. He was one in a million. Happy retirement to a legend x
"Anyone can catch you eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart."
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