Remembering the great trainer of Frankel

David Ord remembers the great Henry Cecil 10 years on from his passing.

HRAC. Four initials on a rug that always set the pulse racing.

First and foremost they meant the horse was trained by one of the greatest handlers of all time. A man touched by genius. He may have been handed a significant advantage when starting out, inheriting Warren Place from then father-in-law Sir Noel Murless, but what followed surpassed even the loftiest of expectations.

Just look at the numbers: 25 British Classics, 75 Royal Ascot wins, over 400 British pattern races and ten trainer championships. He trained for some of the biggest, most powerful, owners in the world, but was adored throughout the sport. He was the punters’ pal.

And then there are the horses that went through his hands. The brilliant miler Kris, a stayer in Ardross who was so talented he was only beaten a head by in his final race, the 1982 Arc. He was good but still couldn’t cope with stablemate Le Moss, who twice completed the Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Doncaster Cup treble during the same era.

Slip Anchor, under an inspired Steve Cauthen, was a remarkable winner of the 1985 Derby, the pair combining again for another all-the-way Epsom winner with Reference Point two years later. He went on to add the King George and St Leger to his big-race haul.

There was a fillies’ Triple Crown for Oh So Sharp, Indian Skimmer won the Prix de Diane in 1987 and the English and Irish Champion Stakes the following year. He somehow kept the wheels on Bosra Sham to win the 1996 1000 Guineas, and a year later followed up with Sleepytime.

Kieren Fallon rode those fillies – and Oath who gave Cecil a fourth Derby winner (Commander In Chief, unraced at two) was the third. It was glorious.

But then the wheels came off. In 1995 Sheikh Mohammed removed his horses from Warren Place, leaving 40 empty boxes and an absence of spending power at the sales. And in 2000 his twin brother, David, died of cancer.

That was a devastating blow and between 2001 and 2006, Cecil was absent from the top table. Incredibly in 2005 he saddled only 12 winners. For many the game was over. What followed, started by Light Shift’s win in the 2007 Oaks, was one of sport’s most glorious comebacks.

The tumultuous scenes as she returned to the winners’ enclosure at Epsom will live long in the memory. The man himself was visibly touched, if a little, embarrassed by it all. But he had momentum – and crucially Prince Khalid Abdulla by his side.

Twice Over and Midday provided more Group One success before, in his final years, along came Frankel. The horse of a lifetime.

We can go over Frankel’s career time and time again, from the remarkable 2000 Guineas, through the Duel On The Downs, a 10-length Queen Anne romp and memorable Juddmonte International triumph at York he was peerless.

His trainer was very frail as he welcomed him back to the winners’ enclosure, on the Knavesmire, the ravages of his own cancer battle that began in 2006 clearly visible. He could barely muster his voice to speak but Frankel’s performance – and the reception of the York crowd – did it for him.

“He’s the best I’ve ever had and the best that I have ever seen,” was Cecil’s tribute to the colt.

Frankel was fortunate to be housed where he was.

Article first published April 2022

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