Ok as promised heres my story about a chance meeting with the great Sir Henry Cecil. Prior to Champions weekend in 2012 I emailed Sir Henry to ask if it would be possible to visit Warren Place as it had so much history going back years and it had been the home of so many of my favourite horses like Reams of Verse, Dushyantor, Slip Anchor, Oh So Sharp, Reference Point, Commander in Chief and at the time, Midday, Twice Over, Bullet Train and the mighty Frankel. To my amazement Sir Henry emailed back and said that a visit to Warren Place would not be possible because so many people ask they just couldnt accommodate them all and it would be unfair to say yes to some and no to others but all of a sudden the fact that he got back in touch with me seemed far more important than anything elsel!! I emailed him back to thank him for his time and again he came back to me to say that all is not lost as Frankel would be on Warren Hill on the morning I would be there and he even gave me a time. Now Im not sure how many of you have been to Newmarket but for those who havent if and when you do go stay at the Premier Inn, its a very nice hotel and a two minute walk from the High Street and five from the training grounds but you can smell the horses the minute you step out of there. A week later having taken his advice there I was at 07:00am on a cold summers morning waiting for the Warren Place string to make their way down to Warren Hill but half an hour later there was till no sign so I approached a gentlemen to ask if he knew if I had missed them and as I got closer realised it was John Gosden!! Henrys lot are always one of the last out he said so dont worry!! he said. As it approached 8am my partner decided that she had, had enough and chose to retreat back on foot to the hotel for breakfast but I was having none of it and was there for Frankel and would stay there until I saw him! Not long after as the video footage shows further down the page, there in the distance was Frankel leading his stable mates towards me - what a moment, this was it I thought and I took my position ready to get it on film. As he led Bullet Train, Twice Over and Noble Mission over the road onto the gallops I filmed for a few seconds as they made their way down to the 7 furlong uphill sprint start. There were several racing yards out there being put through their paces using the same routine of being walked down slowly to the foot of the hill before cantering then sprinting back up it and they would do this twice before making their way home. I decided that I would just observe the first session and get the camera out for the second for some shots but I was beside myself when Henrys lot decided to return to the stables after just one sorte after reaching the top of the hill!! The problem for me was when I realised this I was at the bottom of it and a good 400 yards away which I had to make up on foot before they got back home which from where they were was not very far at all!!! As much as I tried my legs werent having it and by the time I got to the top again the first bunch including Frankel had long gone but after a minute or so a second crop seemed to be heading out of the trees opposite the Cecil yard. I was isolated at this point it was just me with nobody else around as I stood and watched the horses approach the road interested to who might be among them and as I did this I heard a car pull up behind me and a door open and close. I didnt look around because I was focussed on the horses but then the person who had got out of the car walked twenty yards passed me and stood in the middle of the road to wave his horses across. When they were all safely escorted to the stable entrance he turned around and it was Sir Henry, my jaw dropped and without further a do I introduced myself as the fan from North wales who had been emailing him, he smirked and said Did you get to see Frankel then !!! I nearly fell over at the fact that he remembered me. The next thing I know was he leaned with his back against his black car and opened up a cigarette packet to take one out. He closed the packet and tapped the ciggy against the box before lighting up. We engaged into conversation within seconds and stood there for twenty minutes chatting about horses he has trained and he mentioned Kris as one of his best although he did say that he has had too many good ones to choose. What happened next was quite amazing. It had started to trickle with light rain and after a further five minutes he asked where my car was to which I replied I was on foot and had walked up from the hotel which was a ten minute walk if that. He saw I had no waterproofs on and had no umbrella so he said to me hop in Ill run you back!! I wanted the hotel to be miles away at this point not just down the road but as he dropped me off he said Your a good man and if you are over there in the morning Ill take you across I took his hand and told him he was a legend and how grateful I was for what he had just said to me, the lift and the emails. I got out of the car and dashed back to the hotel where up until that point my girlfriend had been enjoying her breakfast!! To say I disturbed the peace is an understatement. The following morning I did go back across but he was with Lord Grimthorpe so I soon realised that I wouldnt be going to Warren Place but to be honest by then it didnt matter, nothing was going to equal what had happened the previous morning although I did make my way up and a stable hand said I could take a few pictures but would need to be quick because he would get into trouble. Some pictures are below of that and there is also one of me with Sir Henry taken the very next day on a cold, wet, windswept July course. T This story gets sad at this point because Sir Henry had one runner at the meeting....the unknown Thomas Chippendale also pictured below. He won impressively and I said to Sir Henry that he has a new star in the making top which he agreed. There is a picture here of Thomas in the winners enclosure with Sir Henry and Lady Jane in the background. Just over a year later Sir Henry passed away and not long after that Thomas Chippendale had a heart attack and died after winning the Hardwicke Stakes at Ascot. Sir Henry Cecil was a true Gentleman and I shall never forget what he did for me. Thomas was a fine horse and would have gone on to greater things I am sure. They are together again and may they both rest in peace.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:39:33 +0000
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