Your favourite Sir Henry Cecil moment.

I don't have a good story like some others here, but always remember this one from the early 90's. I was in a city centre betting shop to watch the opening maiden from the craven meeting. I think the horse was called Sherpas, and it definitely went off favourite. Everyone in the shop was on the thing, and when making its challenge the whole shop erupted, even the usually calm chinese were shouting like mad. In all my time in betting shops, I've never heard cheering like it for a winner of a race. I always smile when I think about that day. God knows where those twenty or so years have gone.

come on navel you are letting the side down. late 80s or early 90s he had a solid group performer.

spritsail was another group performer who never seems to get a mention.

SHíT! Citidancer!

SHÍT!
Citidancer!

Posted it twice...not appearing

Citidancer

It's there now!!!

remember him finishing 2nd to terimon on his 4yo debut in the group race at the craven meeting.

Earl Of Sefton...c'mon Fid!!!

couldn't for the life of me think of the name of the race.

what claim to fame did spritsail have.

Lady HDW colours?

yeah. what was his claim to fame

PS - with the black sash I meant.

You got me there Fid

I just checked to make sure I was correct but there is no mention of it anywhere. im sure he held the course record at ligfield for 20 odd years

Would never have known that...do you remember the black sash at all?

yeah name a big handicap winner who also had those colours

Wolsey

didn't he dead heat for it

I knew that straight away (putting something in the microwave) as I was there for that Magnet Cup - Knockando FPP

With Brave Dancer - Harwood's

I was thinking it was brave dancer but just at the limits of my memory banks

aah. thought so lol

Has anyone mentioned Fatah Flare ?

1984 2yo filly...I thought she was something special but then the bubble burst and Oh So Sharp came along!

I remember Peter O'Sullevan had a frog in his throat when he called Fatah Flare home (I think at Ascot)

won the musidora on her debut as a 3yo. why didn't she run in the oaks,was it just because of oh so sharp

I can't remember...I just recall her getting beat as a 2yo after looking really special.

Was it Helen Street that put her in her place?

not too sure,her 3yo career is about as far back as I remember in horse racing. although I do remember grittar winning national

I see sure blade died last week too. which horse of henrys did he end their unbeaten record.

I think she might have been beaten twice after winning impressively on her debut at HQ.

Goodwood is ringing a bell...might have been Helen Street (she lost her unbeaten record against Oh So Sharp at Ascot in the Fillies Mile)

Was it Faustus? Or another Sheik Mo colt that I'm struggling to remember.

Faustus was correct.


heres a name you will have forgotten.

Favourite flower. won her debut at 2/5 by 12 lengths then was odds on to beat pass the peace but badly disappointed

Totally forgotten that one squire though I remember Pass The Peace well...Michael Bell's first decent performer that won the Cheveley Park.

Did Faustus finish fourth?
I can remember the second home but I've forgotten the rest.

Faustus was 2nd ahead of truly neureyev

I thought Truly Nureyev was second
I remember a strong run on the outside but I won't argue with you on that score

just checked the timeforem book for 1985 so I better be right lol

Sabrehill was a proper horse, got a shocking ride from Roberts in the
juddmonte,on ground softer than he wanted, we never got to see what he was capable of.

I think you might be...Truly Nureyev's 2yo form was 231 I think - he was beaten in a maiden before the Champagne.

motley I remember him being DQD at newbury after scooting home by 4l.

231 is correct navel

Did he win the Houghton?

For me probably the Belmez/Old Vic King George. Cecil was a bit gutted afterwards as he really wanted Old Vic to win (what a stride that colt had)

navel.his 2yo win came in the Somerville tattersalls stakes. at least you got the course right

Bastard! I always get those two races mixed up

Bosra Sham winning her Guineas prep by 10 lengths.

Yeah Fidway your right, shocking decision, nothing could get him off the bridle at home.
Traveled really well, and could quicken off any pace, proper horse, shame he went wrong.

it was only 6L but it felt like 10!

Probable not the "MASTERS" fav moment on course.

But my biggest investment even to this day was on BOSRA SHAM "Eclipse"

After timing on a loser.   

Or how Fallon afterwards called it "BOSRA SHAMBLES" 

Fallon was replaced for BOSRA's last race by P.Eddery.

I thought it was,well the famous "CERT" I even backed the winning distance with coral on course (shop)

Happy day's even though I did my brains.     

I remember reading about his gallop reports in the months leading up to his debut and he sounded a world beater then he  disappointed on the week before his debut so you somehow got 15/2for him . I had him in a Trixie with lyphards delta at 13/2 and another cecil beast whos name escapes me who was 2nd at 2/1.

Nice, remember lyphards delta, wasn't he Wildensteins, or was that lyphards wish?

lyphards delta was green and white colours, cant think of another with her colours.

I think Lyphard's Wish was Carlos D'Alessio (Le Moss & Tolomeo)

Lyphard's Delta colours were green & white chevrons.

navel, there was another cecil horse who carried lyphards deltas colours who was fav for the derby for a while. can you name him.

What year?

early 90s

Don;t think I'll get that one

aljadeer. ended up running at hexham and wetherby

Was that thing favourite for the Derby?

I can barely remember it!

Wasn't tenby was it, where's onlooker?

Just checked its form...second at 3/1 in Sandown Classic Trial and then beaten at 5/4 for the Dante by Alnasr Alwasheek, so you're probably right as there were 8/1 joint favourites for the Derby that season.

Tenby was bladdered at odds on - Commander In Chief year

remember him looking like winning the sandown classic trial  but got caught by pollen count then was 3rd to alnasr alwasheek in the dante

razeen was another cecil horse who started fav for derby

When Mtoto beat Reference Point in the Eclipse and when Reference Point got beat in the Arc

Fid - remember the Geoff Wragg horse that was beaten favourite in the Derby?

1990 Razeen.unbeaten up till
the Derby.

Red Glow

Razeen was sheikh yerbouttis, wasn't he?

W/D Penzance - looked good in the Dante

backed him 14/1 Dante
33s for Derby.
Pat did'nt give him the
best of rides at Epsom.

did know rede glow but was making my lunchfor tomorrow lol.. he beat kefaah didn't he

Yes - Alec Stewart's I think.

henry cecil had the fav for that race. can you mind what it was

Red Glow won race after 40/1
in NZ somewhere I think.

Indian Skimmer, Belmez and Old Vic were all his I think.  French Oaks, King George and French Derby?  Don't think he ever did me any favours apart from Reference Point getting beat

Sanquirrico?

sure was.dont think he trained on

I can't remember Sanquirico running in it but I'd probably have named him (as a guess) as he was a 2yo in 1987.
W/D Penzance...I had to cheat!

Angel Gabrial

Loved your tale about Reference Point and the Dante.

I was at Brighton Races that same day with the young lady who later became my missus.

I had planned out my bets for the day, starting with £100 on the first favourite at Brighton. I then intended to leave the next two races at the track before having £200 on Reference Point. After that, I had 3 x £50 bets lined up for Brighton and, to end, a £25 each-way at York (I have always faithfully recorded my bets since I started at age 12, 41 years ago!)

Anxious to show my young lady I was a shrewdie, I was well pleased when the first Brighton bet won. But then blo*dy disaster struck.

Stewards Enquiry at Brighton slung out the winner for a minor offence just after the start. It wouldn't happen today but it meant a turnaround for me of £275 (£100 at 7/4).

I was furious and, afraid to say, lost my head. Lumped £100 on each of the next two races at Brighton which I was originally going to leave. Both bets lost.

So, Reference Point comes along with me doing £300 instead of being £175 up. I could barely speak with rage and went into the Tote Credit office and lumped £400 on RP. The Tote Credit Office was packed for the race (who can remember that office at Brighton?) and how the cheers rang out, probably led by me, when Stevie Cauthen (the best jockey I have ever seen bar Piggott) brought him home.

F*ck me, was I relieved.....disaster turned to triumph.

Honestly, the memories of the mid to late 1980's of Cecil and Cauthen just go on and on and on...

Another two worth throwing into the mix:

Salse - A very,very good colt but a 7f specialist and they never get the credit they perhaps deserve. Saw him in the flesh when he won the Somerville Tatts.

Royal Hive - This was the first Henry Cecil animal I saw win a G1 live when she won the 77 Yorkshire Oaks. The Queen was there that day to see Dunfermline who finished 3rd and they'd probably left something to work on for the Leger.

remember salse beating reprimand at newmarket

Has to be with Frankel , as we all knew he was struggling physically , but stoically . He deserved Frankel .

One lovely August day, sometime in early 90s - can't remember exactly but i know for a fact someone on here will! - a few pals and myself went off to Ripon for the day, day of the Great St Wilfs H'cap.  Got back to our local (in Lancashire) for a drink, went to bar and landlord sez, 'you lads been to Ripon?  guess who's in here, only Henry Cecil!'  Our replies were largely unprintable cos our landlord was a laugh but also a total bull*******.  Looked round, who's stood there?  Well, it wasn't Sir Henry himself but his brother David and it took a while for us to realise it wasn't HRAC himself.  Anyway, David had been to some horse/country fair at Haigh Hall, near Wigan and had somehow ended up in our local a few miles away.  We made a beeline for him!  Had lovely chat with him, he'd had more than a few but was charm itself.  Of course, we mithered him for tips and he gave us Belmez and Snurge, both of which we were well aware of and when we, jokingly, said they'd be no price he merely stated 'they will win, get on' or words to that effect.  Would have been running at the Ebor meeting, Snurge in Voltigeur and Belmez in Juddmonte (may have been B and H then)I think.  I was a skintish student then but lumped on what I could and they both duly obliged (ok aftertiming but gimme a break here eh?).

Now, I know this little tale isn't about HRAC specifically but every single person who met him sez what an absolute gentleman he was and so was his brother.  He needn't have given us the time of day but he was a true gent.  A very drunk true gent, but still an absolute pleasure to spend time with.  So,when I read everyone's stories about HRAC it's obvious they're heartfelt and genuine cos we felt the same when we met his brother.   

And wow, could he get the best out of a horse...RIP and thanks for the memories.

Belmez/Snurge finished 1st & 2nd in
the Great Voltiger Stks.
sure you did'nt have the f'cast?

To be honest, I was certain I'd had them both in a double! That's really thrown me.  I hold my hands up and apologise for my lousy memory but, as I said, I was sure he'd given us those two and that they both won.  After I'd posted, I recalled that they were both short e.g. 6/4 and 2/1ish but God knows what happened.

I apologise if I led anyone astray...

We ALL do that sometimes Armpits

It's the thought that for years now I've been telling myself (and anyone else that would give me the time of day)that Henry Cecil's twin brother gave us two winners one night in a pub.  Ah well, can't even get my aftertiming right  Again, I apologise.

Joined: 19 Apr 02 | Topic/replies: 5,767 | Blogger: MC Roller's blog
I don't have a good story like some others here, but always remember this one from the early 90's. I was in a city centre betting shop to watch the opening maiden from the craven meeting. I think the horse was called Sherpas, and it definitely went off favourite. Everyone in the shop was on the thing, and when making its challenge the whole shop erupted, even the usually calm chinese were shouting like mad. In all my time in betting shops, I've never heard cheering like it for a winner of a race. I always smile when I think about that day. God knows where those twenty or so years have gone.



I had the same experience when Reams of Verse won the oaks, just got to the bookies in time after work to watch the race. There were about 50 punters yes 50!(them days will never be repeated)in the shop and I've never heard a bookies so quite when Fallon got in trouble 3 furlongs out but as he got the horse going after switching to the outside the noise just grew louder and louder, there was a Jamaican bloke who must of been in his 50's riding and whipping in the shop shouting 'go on kieran bring it home to daddy', pens and betting slips flying everywhere. Great memories.

Back in the 80s, never liked to oppose Henry's 2-y-os making their debut on the July Course. Recall the day there was a big course whisper and plunge on a Ron Sheather horse - Northern Habit, I think. Thorn Dance, trained by Henry & owned by Sheikh Mohamed duly drifted in the same maiden. Naturally backed Thorn Dance & he won easily.
Another evening meeting there a friend knew one of the Warren Place work riders who told him Tessla (Charles St George colours, I think), would win on debut. We were shocked when, like Thorn Dance, (she?), think Tessla was a filly, kept drifting. We kept backing. Cauthen up, she wasn't called during the commentary until about a furlong and half out when she swooped through to win comfortably.
There was a summer back then when Henry's 2-y-os were all winning. Think he had something like 15 in a row, a good few winning at Yarmouth.
And that was the time when he farmed 3-y-o middle distance maidens at Windsor on a Monday night. And many a time the supposed '2nd string' would win there at huge odds.
This seemed to be a time when there was unbelievable value knocking around, not like now. Some names in the back of my mind - Quexios - struck up about 5 wins in a row, if memory serves; Baron Corvo, possibly one of those big priced Windsor winners.
High Estate, in Jim Joel's colours, won many races as a 2-y-o.
Also remember (a full brother?) to Oh So Sharp running at York called Ice (Dancer?), I think. Won well but never ran again. And not forgetting Lupe winner Scimitarra who was travelling well in the Oaks, the year Unite won, but had to be pulled up by Cauthen after she fractured her leg. May well have won that day. She was saved at the time which was some consolation.

Armpits - with a little logic I think I've solved your conundrum

I figured why would David Cecil give you a Paul Cole horse (Snurge) and you might have that horse in your head as it was runner-up to Belmez.

I tracked down the results for the day at York on RP website and I saw the name of Sedair which was a Cecil 2yo that won the Acomb Stakes at 13/8 - sorted

Thanks Navel I would never have retrieved Sedair myself, in a million years.  Had completely forgotten that Snurge wasn't even one of HRACs.  The memory certainly plays tricks.  Cheers again.

And it's snurge with the surge. Great days.

I loved Thorn Dance.  He won the Acomb before it was a group race IIRC. I was disappointed he didn't go on to become a stable superstar.  I think he ended up a half decent stallion in Australia.

I've just remembered another chestnut white-faced filly: Patricia.  Won the Park Hill stakes.  He did have such a knack with those flashy temperamental orange girls.

Went to Goodwood one day and Cecil had a 2yo in the first race

Was backed from 10/1 into 2/1 think it was called Caspin or something like that

It never got out of 3rd gear never mind second

I can still see the horse in my minds eye

His brother would often have a few shillings on the tote

brush aside could have been a group1 performer if it wasn't for injury

How long will Lady Cecil take over the reins for ?

I really hope she maintains Henry's traditional response to dumb (e.g. Rishi) questions by tilting her head and saying "I don't know, what do you think?"

Shame there is not a Forum section for this sort of thread as they have a potential longevity where fans can dip in and out of them over a long period of time, adding personal photos and press cuttings too.