11 June 2024 , 16:20
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A racehorse owner whose runners carry the ‘D Day’ prefix has named his latest horse after an American war hero.
David Oliver attended last week’s 80th anniversary ceremonies of the Normandy landings which helped turn the tide of the Second World War.
And he was back at Windsor races on Monday where one of his horses, D Day Arvelenreeva, was beaten a head in the closing handicap.
Oliver explained his reasons for using ‘D Day’ to name his horses, who are trained by Kevin Philippart De Foy, during an emotional interview with Sky Sports Racing.
“My father landed on the beaches in Normandy and went right up to Germany,” he said. “He drove a lorry, he didn’t have a rifle.
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“Because of that we got an invite to the commemoration service at Bayeux. It’s something that has to be remembered. It’s a cornerstone in history. That’s why I’ve got the D Day prefix. I do get really emotional about it.”
He continued: “In 2009 I met a GI who was one of the first off Omaha Beach. His name was Harley Reynolds and I went back there this year and went to Omaha Beach and met a very good friend of his who nursed him until he died.
“I’ve got another horse with Kevin called D Day Harley R after this guy Harley Reynolds. He was an absolute character.
“There's not much photos and film of D-Day because a lot of it got spoiled. Because of all that went on, very little film survived. But I’ve seen one of him on the landing craft, he was leaning on the landing craft grinning at the camera.
“The more people understand what went on the better. This was why that service was so important. The eyes of the world were on Biden there and Macron and King Charles.”