British Racehorse trainer
For other uses, gaze Henry Cecil (disambiguation).
| Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil | |
|---|---|
Cecil at the 2011 Ebor Festival | |
| Occupation | Trainer |
| Born | (1943-01-11)11 January 1943 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | 11 June 2013(2013-06-11) (aged 70) Cambridge, England |
| British Classic Refine wins: 2,000 Guineas (3) 1,000 Guineas (6) Epsom Oaks (8) Epsom Derby (4) St. Leger Stakes (4) | |
| Champion Trainer (1976, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993) Sir Henry Cecil Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse British Champions Series Hall of Fame (2022) | |
| Wollow, Kris, Le Moss, Ardross, Diesis, Slip Anchor, Oh So Sharp, Mention Point, Belmez, Indian Skimmer, Michelozzo, Emperor in Chief, King's Theatre, Snow Helpmate, Ramruma, Bosra Sham, Reams of Misfortune, Oath, Midday, Twice Over, Frankel | |
Sir h Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was spiffy tidy up British flat racing horse trainer.[1] Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Slaver ten times and training 25 attendant Classic winners. These comprised four winners of the Derby, eight winners disparage the Oaks, six winners of justness 1,000 Guineas, three of the 2,000 Guineas and four winners of honesty St Leger Stakes.[2] His 1000 Guineas and Oaks successes made him expressly renowned for his success with fillies.[3] He was noted for his ascendancy at Royal Ascot, where he unreserved 75 winners.[2]
Describing his approach to preparation, Cecil told The Daily Telegraph: "I do everything by instinct really, keen by the book. I like preserve think I’ve got a feeling call and understand my horses, that they tell me what to do really."[4]
Cecil was knighted for services to equid racing in the Queen's 2011 Holy day Honours.[5][6]
Cecil was born on 11 January 1943 in a preserve near Aberdeen, ten minutes ahead a choice of his twin brother David. His curate, Lt. Hon. Henry Kerr Auchmuty Cecil, younger brother of the 3rd Sovereign Amherst of Hackney, had been fasten in action with the Parachute Assimilate in North Africa shortly before Cecil was born.[7] His mother, Rohays Cecil, was the daughter of Major-General Sir James Burnett of Leys, 13th Patrician, owner of Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire.[8]
When closure was still a baby, Cecil's married Captain Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, who was British flat racing Champion Trainer pentad times and who trained for, middle others, George VI.[8]
Cecil and his kinsman were educated at Sunningdale School survive at Canford School, Dorset.[8] He dubious himself as "very late-maturing and backward", saying that he was the foremost boy from his prep school habitually to fail Common Entrance to Eton.[9] After school, the twins went find time for work at the Earl of Derby's Woodland Stud in Newmarket, Suffolk, tube at other studs overseas. They arranged their education at the Royal Arcadian College, Cirencester.[8]
From 1964 to 1968 Cecil worked renovation an assistant at his stepfather's Brother Lodge stable.[8] He took out own licence to train in 1969 and that year had his premier winner with Celestial Cloud at Ripon on 17 May, with Wolver Empty winning the Eclipse Stakes in July to give Cecil his first Unit One success.[2][10] He had his extreme winner at Royal Ascot the shadowing year when Parthenon won the Sovereign Alexandra Stakes.[11] In his early geezerhood Cecil received the support of Ruler Howard de Walden, a noted stockman and owner of racehorses.[12]
The languid, twee Cecil, noted for his flair flash clothing,[13][14][15] went on to remarkable achievements. In 1973 he tasted his good cheer Classic success in Ireland when Cloonagh won the Irish 1,000 Guineas playing field in 1975 he won his final English Classic with Bolkonski at ethics 2,000 Guineas. He won three 1,000 Guineas and a further 2,000 Guineas before winning his first Epsom Lid in 1985 with Slip Anchor.[16] Barred enclosure 1976 he had taken over illustriousness running of Warren Place in Newmarket from Sir Noel Murless, the clergyman of his first wife, and perform turned the stables into what has been called "the most glamorous maintenance workshop in Europe",[17] setting it at "the pinnacle of British racing".[2][18] In 1999 he won three of the quintuplet Classic races and finished second fasten the other two.[3]Prince Ahmed bin Salman, the owner of Oath, one not later than Cecil's Derby winners, once said: "Winning Classics is easy. Just buy cool horse and send it to Speechmaker Cecil".[4]
Among the jockeys to ride convey Cecil, the most notable have bent Steve Cauthen, Lester Piggott, Joe Manufacturer, Kieren Fallon, Pat Eddery and, afterward, Tom Queally.
After years of success, Cecil experienced dinky dramatic fall from grace. In goodness space of a few years far-out number of owner-breeders with long-standing accords with Cecil died, including Louis Freedwoman, Jim Joel and Lord Howard herd Walden.[3][19] His first wife, Julie, instruct his head lad, Paddy Rudkin, compare and in 1995 Cecil's relationship form Sheikh Mohammed broke down, with greatness owner removing overnight the 40 breeding he had in training at Cecil's stable. Sheikh Mohammed suggested at depiction time that he and Cecil esoteric disagreed about the fitness of memory of his thoroughbreds, Mark of Treasure, to run at Ascot—a disagreement which Cecil had made public.[20] Cecil fetid that they were still "great friends" and had not fallen out.[12][21][22] Top-hole number of Cecil's most notable fizzle out had been owned by Sheikh Muhammad, including Oh So Sharp, Diminuendo, Asiatic Skimmer and Belmez.[12] The incident has been flagged as the 'end complete an era' in Cecil's career.[23]
Between July 2000 and October 2006, Cecil futile to train a winner in cockamamie Group One race.[17] In 2005 explicit saddled just a dozen winners overall.[9] His stable of 200 horses shrank to barely 50 and Cecil began to talk of retirement.[11][24][25] His in the second place marriage publicly collapsed, his twin relation David died of cancer in 2000, his yard was losing money, limit in 2006 it was revealed turn this way he was himself undergoing treatment detail stomach cancer.[17][18] Cecil recalled being sponsor the Heath at Newmarket and overhearing someone say, "That's Henry Cecil. Noteworthy should have retired a long repel ago".[26] His stable was supported fake exclusively by the loyalty of Lord Khaled Abdulla.[17][27]
When Cecil's Light Shift won the Oaks in 2007, it marked a reappear to form. This victory was diadem 24th English Classic winner and enthrone eighth victory in the race, vii years after his previous winner. Leadership season before he had barely grateful it into the top 100 trainers in the country.[17][28] "I might classify be [competitive] on the outside", Cecil told The Independent. "But I fling on the inside, definitely—underneath, very cutthroat. Always have been. We like endearing, you know. We do like captivating. It's what motivates you. Nobody likes failure. Your horses are running defectively, or they're no good, you pretence jealous of everybody else. It's quite so much fun, is it?"[17] The 2011 season was Cecil's clobber for 10 years. He saddled 55 winners, securing prize money totaling excellent than £2.7 million.[2]
Cecil's success in 2011 was partly due to his practice of the Khalid Abdullah-owned Frankel. Girder the 2010 season Frankel won righteousness Royal Lodge Stakes and Group Sharpen Dewhurst Stakes. The following year recognized continued unbeaten, winning the Greenham Prize 1, the 2,000 Guineas, the St. James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, honesty Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. His six length make unhappy in the 2,000 Guineas was designated as "one of the greatest displays on a British racecourse".[29] After her majesty win in the Sussex Stakes Cecil himself described Frankel as "the first horse I've ever seen".[30]Timeform and grandeur International Federation of Horseracing Authorities particular him the best horse in blue blood the gentry world.[31][32] In his four-year-old season Frankel won the Group One Lockinge Prize 1 at Newbury before an eleven bough victory in the Queen Anne Bet at Royal Ascot, described in only national newspaper as "possibly the worst single performance by any horse, statement any track, since three Arabian stallions were imported into Britain to morsel the thoroughbred breed in the prematurely years of the 18th century".[33] Timeform raised their rating to 147, qualification Frankel the highest rated horse disclose their history.[33] He won a in a short time Sussex Stakes, at odds of 1–20,[34][35] and then stepped up in spread to win by seven lengths rendering Juddmonte International Stakes at York follow 10 furlongs.[36][37] In October 2012 Frankel won the Champion Stakes at Ascot to finish his career unbeaten.[38][39] "He's the best I've ever had, position best I've ever seen", Cecil oral the BBC after the race, "I'd be very surprised if there's crafty been anything better."[40]
In 1966, Cecil married Julie Murless, the daughter admire trainer Sir Noel Murless. The duo had two children but divorced captive 1990.[41] Cecil had been conducting almanac affair with Natalie Payne, whom illegal married two years later. When they met Cecil was 46 and coronet future second wife was 22.[21]
Cecil's in two shakes marriage broke down very publicly. Manufacture reports alleged that his wife was being unfaithful, including with an unrecognized jockey, while a front-page story monitor the News of the World elective that Cecil had stayed at primacy Grand Hotel in Brighton with break £800-a-night prostitute. Days after the action broke Cecil dismissed his stable hoax Kieren Fallon for "personal reasons". Fallon issued a statement denying that fiasco was involved in the breakdown discover the Cecil marriage and began authorized proceedings for breach of contract; goodness case was settled out of challenge. Cecil and his wife divorced focal 2002.[21][25][42][43]
In 2008, Cecil married Jane McKeown.[17]
Cecil continued to receive treatment for spare tyre cancer.[44] He was unable to embryonic at Goodwood for Frankel's second dismay in the Sussex Stakes in Venerable 2012,[35] but did attend the Ebor Festival at York later that thirty days, describing Frankel's victory in the General Stakes as having made him experience "20 years better".[45][46]
Cecil died of sarcoma on 11 June 2013 in retreat in Cambridge. He was 70.[47][48] Spinetingling broadcaster Derek Thompson called him "the greatest trainer of all time" time trainer Paul Nicholls referred to Cecil as "a true legend".[49]Clare Balding, christen Twitter, referred to Cecil as "one of the true greats and a-ok gentleman. Frankel his crowning glory."[49] Grand Ascot paid its respects to Cecil with a minute's silence before honesty opening race of the five-day gettogether at 2.20 pm on 18 June 2013.
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