He's the most hyped horse since Golden Cygnet, but Samcro justifies the hype

He is, quite simply, the most hyped horse since Golden Cygnet. It is just as well Gordon Elliott’s Samcro isn’t human, because, if he was, the weight of expectation might overwhelm him, writes Pat Keane.

Lots of great National Hunt horses have come and gone since Golden Cygnet died in 1978, but none, one can argue, ever captured the public’s imagination in the way Samcro has, at least not in the early stages of their careers.

Golden Cygnet was a freak of nature and a quite extraordinary talent. I was lucky enough to be at Cheltenham in 1978 when Boots Madden guided him to success in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.