Marcia Anastasia Christoforides - Personal Interests

Personal Interests

A devotee of show horses and equestrian events, she was also a leading race-horse owner, spending a vast amount of money on horses. Her horses almost always had names made up of seven letters. Amongst the many thoroughbreds she owned were:

• Boldboy - a gelding, who won twelve group races including the Lockinge Stakes and Sprint Cup, on his retirement he was the highest ever stakes-winning gelding to have raced in the United Kingdom
• Bustino - won the 1974 St. Leger Stakes and the 1975 Coronation Cup and was her highest rated racehorse
• Relkino - won the 1977 Lockinge Stakes and Benson and Hedges Gold Cup as well as being runner-up in the 1976 Epsom Derby
• Niniski - a son of the great Nijinsky II, he won the 1979 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp and the Irish St. Leger, then became one of the leading sires in flat racing.
• Petoski - won the 1985 Prince of Wales's Stakes and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes
• Minster Son - won the 1988 St. Leger Stakes
• Terimon - runner-up in the 1989 Epsom Derby and won the 1991 International Stakes
• Mystiko - won the 1991 2,000 Guineas

She started owning horses in the late 60s and initially had her horses trained by Sir Gordon Richards. In 1971 on his retirement, she transferred them to Dick Hern. In later years she had horses with Clive Brittain. She bred horses as well as owning them.

Lady Beaverbrook's high-profile in British society and the publicity from her philanthropic work resulted in a near tragedy. On May 4, 1971 a bomb was strapped to the underside of her Rolls-Royce Phantom VI car (which is coloured green and brown, her horse racing colours), placed there by The Angry Brigade, a British terrorist group. The device was detected before it exploded. The car is now part of the collection at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.