2011

WITH an enviable sense of theatre, Barry Hills went to Chester for his last day at the races as a licensed trainer.

With no fewer than 11 Dee Stakes victories to his credit, plus four in the Chester Cup and five in the Cheshire Oaks, the retiring 72-year-old nurses considerable affection for this unique, ‘frying pan’ circuit.

No one was about to let him down on an emotional afternoon.

Starting at 6/5 favourite, the two-year-old filly Na Zdorovie came through to take the lead a furlong out in the toteswinger EBF Maiden Stakes, and strode out well for Robert Winston to beat Fa’iz by just over a length.

She returned to a rapturous reception as her trainer, never one to make a fuss, bowed politely and quietly made his way home, though not before the Chester executive had made a special presentation of two signed prints of the course and its surrounds.

“Racing is a marvellous sport, full of intrigue, fascination and a bit of skulduggery. It’s too serious these days; it should be more fun,” the trainer said as he departed.

Record books

A few hours later at Bath, stable companion One Lucky Lady took her place in the record books by capturing the mile and a half handicap, and becoming the last ever winner to be trained by ‘B.W.Hills, Lambourn, Berks’.

“Trust him to go out with a winner,” said trainer Mark Usher, who stayed on especially to see his old boss’s last runner. “I suppose it must be 30 years ago that I started out in racing with him. I bet this was planned a month or so ago, knowing him!”

One Lucky Lady was backed from 6/1 to 5/1 just before the off. What a trainer. What a man.

Exhibition of class by Dutch Art in France

2006

A LOT of the interest in last Sunday’s Darley Prix Morny was removed when Aidan O’Brien was virtually forced to declare Holy Roman Emperor a non-runner the previous day.

O’Brien had flown over to Deauville on Saturday with Kieren Fallon to have a close look at the ground. Shortly after they arrived the heavens opened and dumped rain on to an already soft track. At half-past three the master of Ballydoyle said: “We are not going to run Holy Roman Emperor as the ground is saturated.”

No doubt he cast his mind back to last year when Ivan Denisovich ploughed his way through ground which resembled a potato field, and was second to Flashy Wings in the Morny. O’Brien remarked: “It took a lot out of Ivan Denisovich, and he is only just coming back.”

The Group 1 race went to the English colt Dutch Art, who was a last minute ride for French champion Christophe Soumillon. They were always in the first three and raced up the centre of the track.

Trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, Dutch Art won comfortably by a length from the French filly Magic America, who carries the colours of Tony Ryan. She arrived late on the scene to steal second place off Excellent Art by a head.

There had been more drama on Sunday morning when Alan Munro had to come off Dutch Art at the eleventh hour, as he suffered what he termed “a convulsion” on the place to France. He disclosed that he had a fall down the stairs of his new house just before he boarded the light plane for Deauville.

Improving

Winning trainer Chapple-Hyam said: “I think I have won every Group 1 race in France for juvenile colts, and I think this one will go on improving.”

A son of Medicean, Dutch Art was bought at the Doncaster Sale for 16,000gns by Tom Goff of Blandford Bloodstock, the first Group 1 purchase for the agent. The colt changed hands again in a deal arranged by Anthony Stroud, and Paul Roy, the owner Susan Roy’s husband, disclosed: “I normally breed all my horses, but we lost Majors Cast earlier this year.

“Instead of banking the insurance money I decided to buy Dutch Art. He is now a sort of reincarnation of Majors Cast.”

[Dutch Art was unbeaten in four starts at two, also winning the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes and the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. At three he was runner-up in the Group 1 July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the 2000 Guineas.

The Cheveley Park Stud stallion is sire of the Group 1 winners Slade Power, Mabs Cross, Starman (the 2021 July Cup) and Garswood]

Prendergast rides his first winner

1956

THERE were some shock results at Gowran Park on Tuesday, Royal Duel (20/1), Simca (100/8) and Stella Coeli (10/1) winning their respective races. However, the layers had not got it all their own way, Royal Toy, Overseer and Pall Mall II being obliging favourites.

Overseer and Stella Coeli are trained by Tom Taaffe, and both were ridden by his son, Toss. Meanwhile, Mr Kevin Prendergast, son of the Rossmore Lodge trainer, had the pleasure of riding his first winner on Pall Mall II.

Owned and trained by P.J. Prendergast, Pall Mall II was an odds-on chance for the Kyle Plate, and the four-year-old won easily.

The bookmakers had a dream result in the nine-furlong Clashwilliam Handicap, Royal Duel running out an easy winner from four well-backed rivals. Apprentice Johnny Roe tracked the others on Royal Duel until about a furlong and a half out, where his mount moved smoothly to the front to win by four lengths.

Brown Jack slams rivals in Ebor rout

1931

EVERYTHING that happened at the York meeting – and a great deal did – takes a back seat behind the performance of Brown Jack in winning the Ebor Handicap, under 9st 5lb, by two and a half lengths from Coaster and Argonaute II.

The great crowd did not wait for him to pass the post before they began to cheer. When he was still a quarter of a mile out the applause was beginning to well up, and it had grown into such a crashing roar as he passed the post as has rarely, if ever, been heard on the Knavesmire.

The newspapers have burst into panegyrics of Sir Harold Wernher’s horse, and such headlines as ‘Greatest stayer in the world’, ‘The most popular horse since Victor Wild’ and ‘Riots for a public idol’ appeared in most papers. Mr Kipling would have remarked, “and every single word of it true.”

Actually, there have been a few horses who have won the Ebor with more weight. Isonomy, for instance, had 9st 8lb, but he had only four opponents. Corrie Roy, a great mare on the turf and ancestress of Pharos and Fairway, had 9st 12lb. Races were run very differently in those days, and Brown Jack’s was certainly the most spectacular performance ever seen in the Ebor.

He had, it is true, everything in his favour, for the ground was ideal for him and Donoghue have him a perfect ride. Brown Lad was so full of running that Donoghue simply let him go on, and he won very comfortably.

He never had the least pressure applied to him, running, I think, what was the best race of his career.