The word Legend and Great is thrown around in sport, but that is exactly what Sir Henry Cecil was a sporting great and a wonderful man. He had been through his ups and downs, showing remarkable strength and courage to come back against all the doubters and in a way, himself.
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| A Young Sir Henry Cecil |
As a trainer he only had to wait four years before his first classic winner in 1973, after Cloonagh won the Irish 1000 Guineas. However his first English Classic came at his beloved Newmarket when Bolkonski won the 2000 Guineas partnered by father of Frankie, Gianfranco Dettori. They were to be his only classic winners before moving to his long time home of Warren Place, which he acquired from his at the time father in law Sir Noel Murless.
When someone mentions the name Sir Henry Cecil, racing fan's mind's immediately think of Warren Place, where he trained from 1976 to his day of passing. Before the turn of the century Sir Henry was regarded as one of the best trainers of his current time, winning the Champion Trainer title 10 times from 1976-1993. Even in the year of his transition to Warren Place he managed to send out the 2000 Guineas winner with Wollow, once again with Gianfranco Dettori in the saddle, landing back to back wins in the race. It took him 3 years at Warren Place till he landed the Fillies equivalent when One In A Million won the 1000 Guineas, this time Joe Mercer did the steering.
It wasn't until 1985 until he won his first Classic at Epsom, but it was more than worth the wait as he and Steve Cauthen first won the Oaks with Oh So Sharp, then the Derby with Slip Anchor. Oh So Sharp went on to win the ladies triple crown after a narrow victory in the 1000 guineas when again partnered by Cauthen. Cecil won three more Epsom Derby's with Reference Point in 1987, Commander In Chief in 1993 and finally with Oath in 1999. But it was Oh So Sharp who stole the year despite Slip Anchor being the top rated European Horse on a mark of 136 after his 7 length Derby win. However Oh So Sharp did win the top rated European three year old filly award off a mark of 131 after her St. Leger victory.
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| Oh So Sharp completing the fillies Triple Crown |
But it is for his handling of fillies that he will be fondly remembered, landing the 1000 Guineas 6 times but topping that with 8 victories in the Epsom Oaks. After Oh So Sharp was the heroine of the 1985 Oaks, he followed up in 1988 once again with a Sheik Mohammed owned horse. This time it was Diminuendo that won the Oaks, only for the duo of Cecil and Cauthen to win the race again the year after with Snow Bride. After that victory in 1989 there was a break of 7 years till the next Oaks win at Warren Place when Lady Carla won in 1996. However that opened the floodgates and Cecil won the Oaks four times between 1996 and 2000 when Love Divine won under Richard Quinn.
Things had gone fantastically career wise for the Master of Warren Place even after Sheikh Mohammed had withdrawn his string of 40 horses from the yard. But in the year of 2000 His twin brother David passed away of Cancer which started a long cold run for Cecil. With his stable once of 200 now down to 50, the racing public began to call for his retirement, saying that he was past it. But against everyone's word he carried on, everyone but Prince Khalid Abdullah who kept his full faith during this period. During the time of July 2000 through to October 2006, Cecil had failed to send out a Group 1 winner, something unheard of by someone his class and talent. In the season of 2005 Warren Place had only 12 winners throughout the whole string of 50 horses, for the first time Cecil began to doubt himself and mention retirement.
As if things weren't bad enough, Sir Henry was diagnosed with Stomach Cancer in 2006, a hit that for most people would be the icing on the cake. But Sir Henry came back in admirable style and throughout it all despite physically declining, mentally he never lost his edge. Although gaining the sympathy of the public, that wasn't enough and the next chapter is quite incredible to us mere mortals.
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| Light Shift (right) Out Battles Peeping Fawn (left) |
In the Oaks of 2007, a race that had been so good to Sir Henry over the years, he saddled two runners including 9/4 favourite Passage Of Time. But it was his lesser fancied Light Shift who swept to the front with just over 2 furlongs to go, but almost as soon as she did that she was challenged. The challenger was her to be old rival Peeping Fawn in the hands of Martin Dwyer, while victory looked unlikely for Light Burst she knuckled down and battled. During that fight to the line she was joined but never headed with Ted Durcan aboard leaving not one eye dry on the downs that afternoon. Against all the odds Sir Henry Cecil had another classic winner and was back in the eye of the public and the media. That was his 24th Classic winner, of course with there to be one more incredible and breathtaking performance left.
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| Twice Over (near side) gets on top of Midday (Far Side) |
Cecil began to repay Prince Khalid Abdullah when training the frequent top class winners with horses such as Midday and Twice Over. But there was one last hurrah from the Master of Warren Place, that 'hurrah' came in the form of Frankel, arguably the best thoroughbred to have ever lived. Frankel ran a total of 14 times and was never beaten in any of them, but it was on 30th April 2011 in the 2000 Guineas when we realised just how good he was. Rerouted was the pacemaker for his stablemate, or so he was meant to be. But from the gates opening Frankel was out in front and after 2 and a half furlongs into the race, half the field were off the bridle trying to keep up. They tried in vain as the public sat back and watched a true great dominate Group 1 horses to win by a very easy and never in doubt 6 lengths.
After his 2000 Guineas romp, Frankel went on to win 8 more Group 1 races varying from a mile up to a mile and two furlongs. Those runs earned Frankel the tag of 'Best Racehorse in the world' despite strong competition from Australia's Black Caviar. But to tell the truth, he wasn't the best racehorse in
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| Frankel in Imperious form at Ascot |
Sir Henry Cecil was knighted in 2011 by Her Majesty, and if you could find a more deserving person in any sport I would be shocked. He earned the title as the Master of Warren Place through his 25 Classic winners throughout the course of his career and his presence on the racecourse.
Sir Henry was taken from us after a long fight with Stomach Cancer just a week before Royal Ascot starts, a meeting in which he trained no fewer than 75 winners, a record for some time to come. But it is not his incredible record on the course we will remember him best for. We will remember him for being the perfect gentleman, for having impeccable manners no matter who you are. But more importantly for the relationship he had with a racehorse, his zest and fight for life and for the way he captured every heart of the public. His legacy will live on through his three children and on the racecourse in them Khalid Abdullah colours worn by Tom Queally.
Like the vast majority of you reading this, you won't have known British Horse Racing without a Sir Henry Cecil leading the way. I just hope that I have managed to capture at least half the man he was, and that his name live on through everyone's little personal memory of the great man.
With that I conclude this run-through of the incredible life and man that was Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil. I ask each and every one of you to join me in saying a fond farewell and with lumps in our throats, Goodbye Sir Henry, thank you for all the memories and for being the leading light in British Horse Racing. May you Rest In Peace and your name live on for centuries to come.
Thank You.
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| RIP Sir Henry Cecil - 11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013 |
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