Author: admin

The late Sir Henry Cecil, who was knighted for services to horse racing in June 2011 and died two years later, aged 70, was one of the most successful horse trainers in British history. In his heyday, he was champion trainer on ten occasions between 1976 and 1993 and, in a career spanning six decades, saddled a total of 25 British Classic winners. Cecil won the Oaks nine times and the 1,000 Guineas eight times, highlighting his prowess as a trainer of fillies, but also won the Derby and the St. Leger four times apiece and the 2,000 Guineas three times. In the latter years of his career, he was best known for his handling of Frankel, who retired unbeaten in 14 races in October 2012 and was susbequently announced as the highest-rated horse in the history of World Thoughbred Rankings.

Born near Aberdeen, Scotland on January 11, 1943, Cecil gained work experience at studs in Newmarket, France and America before completing his education at the Royal Agricutural College (now the Royal Agricultural University) in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. In November 1964, he became assistant trainer to his stepfather, Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, at Freemason Lodge Stables on the Bury Road in Newmarket. By that stage, Boyd-Rochfort was coming towards the end of his career, but had already become champion trainer five times, in 1937, 1938, 1954, 1955 and 1958. He retired in 1968 and the following year Cecil took out a training licence in his own right, saddling his first winner, Celestial Cloud, at Ripon in May, 1969.

In short, Aidan O’Brien has never won the British jump trainers’ title, but it would be fair to say that is the only accolade missing from his enviable training CV. Born and raised in County Wexford, O’Brien, 55, took over the licence at the family yard in Piltown, County Kilkenny from his wife, Anne-Marie (née Crowley), in 1993 and went on to win the Irish jump trainers’ title five years running between 1993/94 and 1997/98. On the opposite side of the Irish Sea, he became best known for his handling of Istabraq, owned by J.P. McManus, who won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival three years running, in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

In 1996, O’Brien was approached by John Magnier, founder of Coolmore Stud, with a view to replacing his unrelated namesake Vincent O’Brien as his private trainer as Ballydoyle Racing Stable in County Tipperary. At the helm of what is widely considered to to be the finest training establishment in the world, O’Brien won the Irish flat trainers’ title for the first time in 1997 and, while he ceded the crown to Dermot Weld in 1998, regained it the following year and has remained the perennial champion ever since.

In Britain, O’Brien became champion trainer for the first time in 2001, making him the first Irishman since Vincent O’Brien, 30 years earlier, to do so. He has since won the British flat trainers’ championship five more times, in 2002, 2007, 2008, 2016 and 2017, placing him joint-sixth, alongside Fred Darling, on the all-time list.

The term ‘Thoroughbred’, written with an initial capital letter, refers to a breed of horses, to which all racehorses belong. Of course, the term ‘throughbred’ is used to describe to any pureblooded horse, of unmixed ancestry or descent, but, strictly speaking, refers exclusively to the Thoroughbred breed.

The Throughbred breed of horses was originally developed in Britain by crossing Arabian stallions with heavier native mares, thereby producing offspring blessed with both speed and stamina. Indeed, the ancestry of the breed can be traced back to three so-called foundation sires – namely the Byerley Turk, the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian – who were imported to Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. That said, the origin of the Byerley Turk is disputed and he may, in fact, have been foaled in Britain, but if there is insufficient evidence either way.

As a compound adjective, ‘Thoroughbred’ was first recorded around the turn of the eighteenth century and, obviously, formed by combining the adjective ‘thorough’, in the sense of ‘complete in every regard’, with the past participle of the verb ‘to breed’. Students of etymology may be interested to know that ‘thorough’ and ‘breed’ ancient words, both of which were first recorded before the end of the first millenium CE. ‘Thorough’ is derived from the Old English word ‘thuruh’, which in turn is a variant of ‘thurh’, meaning ‘through’. The verb ‘to breed’, on the other hand, comes from the Middle English word ‘breden’, which had its roots in the Old English word ‘bredan’, meaning ‘to nourish’.

The first Grade 1 steeplechase of the British National Hunt season is the Lancashire Chase, better known, for sponsorship purposes, as the Betfair Chase, which is run at Haydock Park in November. In fact, at the time of writing, the next renewal is scheduled for November 23, 2024, making the race the first Grade 1 contest, of any description, on the 2024/25 National Hunt calendar.

The Betfair Chase is run over a distance of three miles and one and a half furlongs and, novice chases aside, is one of just four Grade 1 steeplechases over distances of three miles or beyond during the season. The others are the King George VI Chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Bowl. In fact, at various points in its history, the Betfair Chase has served as the first leg of two £1 million bonus schemes, known as the “Betfair Million” and the “Chase Triple Crown”, also involving the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star, who won the Betfair Chase four times, King George VI Chase a record five times and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice, collected the Betfair Million in 2008/09.

The Betfair Chase was inaugurated in 2005, but it would be fair to say that the nature of the race has changed in recent years. In 2008/09, the once-famous, permanent drop fences at Haydock Park were replaced with less demanding, portable versions, in 2013/14, the Betfair Chase, along with all steeplechases run at the Merseyide course, was transferred to the outer Flat course and , in 2017/18, the distance was increased by a furlong and a half.