EVEN now, three months after his untimely death, strong men reach for their pints with misty eyes and sadly shake their heads in despair.

For the lads who banded together as the unlikely-named Turks Head Racing Club, are still in mourning over the loss of their Grand National hope for the future.

Crabbie's Pride, owned by a syndicate of customers from the booming St Helens pub (and named in memory of one of its most popular regulars, the late Alan Crabbe) broke his pelvis in a February race at his favourite course, Catterick, the scene of the three winning triumphs of the six year-old chestnut gelding with the distinctive white blaze down his face and rear-feet socks.

In typical determined style, the courageous hurdler completed the race, but immediately on dismounting, jockey Richard Wilkinson reported him lame.

It was only later, when a course vet was treating him for a burst blood vessel, that the full extent of his injury was discovered.

'Crabbie' sank to his knees in agony, and with the permission of his trainer, Sue Smith, the gallant horse, which never failed at a single hurdle in an all-too-brief career (he was also placed five times) was humanely put down.

Less than a month earlier, the Cooper Street pub's own racing mag, 'Voice of the Turks' - a sort of fanzine to Crabbie - had been headlining the completion of a hat-trick of victories "on his favourite stomping ground."

This milestone, earning him the proud title of 'King Of Catterick Bridge' was followed in the next, and final, edition of The Voice with the despairing banner headline, "End Of A Dream."

But Crabbie was more than just a horse to the 50-strong syndicate, chipping in their tenners a month for his upkeep. He was doted over. No dowager's pet poodle nor country squire's favourite gundog was held in greater affection. Organised coach parties followed him around the turf and regularly visited him in training.

Ernie Marsh, the pub's landlord, racing aficionado and chief scribe of The Voice, put it this way: "From the very beginning, we knew we had a special sort of horse in Crabbie. He was quickly accepted as our honorary No. 1 regular.

"Some of us were actually in tears when we heard the bad news that he had had to be put down - especially after learning that he had managed to finished the race and appeared to be running on."

Only months earlier, the taproom syndicate had been studying the odds, sought from Ladbrokes, who had offered 100-1 against Crabbie winning the Grand National between the years 2001 and 2003.

That was the sort of long-term planning in mind . . . all to be dashed by the bombshell news of that fatal injury suffered by a horse that had proved a flat race failure but had inspired the syndicate to put him over the hurdles after he was seen to clear a five-barred gate from a standing start, at his racing stables.

The golden dream all began over a few foaming pints one Sunday afternoon. A few regulars were mulling over their successful day at the races 24 hours earlier when one of them piped up: "Wouldn't it be fantastic to go on our trips to watch our very own horse?"

The seed was sown and the rest became history.

But the Turks racing club is far from being wound up. They are now in the market for another horse whose name has already been decided upon - Formidable Ale, in honour of an high-octane brand produced by sponsoring brewery Cain's, whose beer is dispensed in copious amounts at the Cooper Street pub.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.