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If every trainer disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow and you had to build four statues of different trainers who shaped the sport during their generation who would you pick and why?
Noel Murless, Vincent O’Brien, Henry Cecil and I can’t think of another.
Colin
Noel Murless, Vincent O’Brien and Henry Cecil prostrating themselves at the feet of Peter Grayson – how’s that?
Vincent O’Brien
Greatest ever horse trainer without any doubt. Over 40 Classics (English and Irish) including 6 Epsom Derby wins. Also 4 Cheltenham Gold Cups, 3 Champion Hurdles and 3 Grand National wins amongst his national hunt achievements.Henry Cecil
Genius of a trainer across 5 decades. 30 Classics (24 in England). Over 70 Royal Ascot winners. Has overcome personal and health problems to still deliver classic winners including the removal of Sheikh Mohammed’s horses from his training.Aidan O’Brien
He is the man behind the success of the Coolmore operation, quiet, unassuming but without doubt a genius of a man at training and developing horses into winning machines. Has dominated Irish flat racing and beyond since the late 90s with over 20 Irish Classics and 14 English Classics to his name. Also delved into the national hunt with the exploits of the magnificent Istabraq (3 Champion Hurdles) Decades left in the game and will undoubtedly come close to his namesakes records.Michael Stoute
A great career shaped over 5 decades which have seen him claim 26 Classics either side of the Irish sea aswell as a Champion Hurdle win with Kribensis. A long awaited Arc win was recently added with Workforce and his abilty to churn out group one wins with older horses is his forte.(Andre Fabre would be a close 5th)
Strikingly unoriginal but
Noel Murless
Vincent O’Brien
Henry Cecil
Michael Stoute
Aiden O’BrienBut also
Fred Winter
Fulke Walwyn
Michael DickinsonSorry re previous post guys – I forgot to limit it to 4. Still – they are all worthy of recognition
Vincent O’Brien
Henry Cecil
Martin Pipe
Aiden O’BrienJust surprised that M. Pipe wasn’t mentioned earlier.
Didn’t he ‘raise the bar’ quite significantly?Ok, maybe he took a more um, industrial (?) and opportunistic approach in contrast to the softer one prevalent until that time … ?
It’s puzzled me why he doesn’t seem held in higher esteem – don’t others follow in his footsteps nowadays?Probably just one statue of Dandy Nicholls, about all the funding could stretch too these days
Probably just one statue of Dandy Nicholls, about all the funding could stretch too these days
Like this a lot!
Liked all the responses, especially the Dandy Nicholls one – he would have been on my list if their were five, he is hugely underrated. But just to cheer up Mr Wilson, I thought I’d respond to his post (shaping the sport & why) rather than just list my favorite trainers (Winter, Cecil and a couple of others).
John Porter
– added horse management, financial management, man management, asset management and attention to detail to the common idea of getting horses fit.
Vincent O’Brien
– sought knowledge to increase skill, using ambition and a genuine horsemans skills to think ahead much further than anyone else.
F T Winter
– just a hero, and the hero of the game, hugely successful while maintaing all his human attributes. A marvellous unique man.
Martin Pipe
– brought consistence science to improve training methods, redefined what it meant to get a horse fit, used his difference brilliantly to win more races.
- Total Posts 17716
Liked all the responses, especially the Dandy Nicholls one – he would have been on my list if their were five, he is hugely underrated. But just to cheer up Mr Wilson, I thought I’d respond to his post (shaping the sport & why) rather than just list my favorite trainers (Winter, Cecil and a couple of others).
John Porter
– added horse management, financial management, man management, asset management and attention to detail to the common idea of getting horses fit.
Vincent O’Brien
– sought knowledge to increase skill, using ambition and a genuine horsemans skills to think ahead much further than anyone else.
F T Winter
– just a hero, and the hero of the game, hugely successful while maintaing all his human attributes. A marvellous unique man.
Martin Pipe
– brought consistence science to improve training methods, redefined what it meant to get a horse fit, used his difference brilliantly to win more races.
What a fantastic well thought out post, thanks for that Marginal Value.
Will definatly take time to read into the legends you’ve mentioned a little further.
Thanks
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