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……………..There were certainly no thoughts around at the time that there was never any intention by Henry to drop Lester in it but the owner who leaked the letter was certainly being malicious.
……and Lester certainly has more class than to ever waste time looking to blame anyone……..so not his style.
Nice change of subject Wallace.Of course he should.We all should.But not the issue at hand is it?
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We all have our moments and that wasn’t one of Henry’s better ones. Someone mentioned Henry praised Lester for turning out at small meetings but everyone and their uncle knew if the ordinary owner wanted Lester to ride the black book came out…That’ll cost you $$$$$$ whatever..no way your would get Lester to travel up to Redcar to ride a no hoper for 40 quid.
On a slightly different note, but I am sure I saw on TV (or maybe read somewhere) that Lester lost the Wildenstein rides because of the disqualification of Vacarme from the Richmond Stakes. However Piggott usbsequently rode Vacarme to victory in the Mill Reef Stakes.
Piggott never rode Vacarme again, but the colt never won a big race again!
However according to Dick Francis’ excellent biography, Lester agreed to ride Sheikh Mo’s Yorkshire Oaks heroine Awaasif in the 1983 Arc. Trained by John Dunlop, she had finished 3rd to Akiyda and Ardross a year earlier and Lester committed himself to ride her 6 weeks before the first Sunday in October.
Then the week of the big race All Along’s trainer Patrick Biancone tried to engage Piggott to ride the Wildenstein owned filly. Piggott said he would ride All Along in the event that Awaasif came up short in a final serious gallop.
Biancone’s poor English seems to have resulted in him telling the papers that Piggott had definitiely agreed to ride All Along. Piggott responded with his own press release saying that he only rides All Along in the event of Awaasif proving to be unfit.
Daniel Wildenstein immediately threw a tantrum and stated Piggott would never ride for him again. So the reason behind Piggott finally losing the Wildenstein rides was down to the All Along/Awaasif incident as opposed to Vacarme.
Cecil stayed loyal to Wildenstein rather than Piggott, dispensing of Lester’s services the following season (1984) – Setev Cauthen stepping into the breach. This was in some contrast to Peter Walwyn who told the Parisian Art Dealer where he could go when Wildenstein asked Walwyn not to use Eddery following the defeat of Bucksin (’78 Ascot Gold Cup) and Crow’s breaking down whilst being prepared for that season’s King George.
As an ironic post script, Cecil’s loyalty to Wildesntein was thrown back in his face in 1985 when all the horses were removed from Warren Place and returned to France to be trained in the main by, surprise, surprise, Patrick Biancone – it wasn’t until the Spring of the year of Daniel Wildesntein’s death (2001) that he would appear to bury the hatchet with Cecil sending him Rolly Polly to win the Fred Darling.
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Thank you Ivanjica, for a most absorbing post which clears up several historical mysteries. Much enjoyed…
A couple of years ago, amongst a small group of people being entertained by Mr Cecil, the question was asked as to who was the best jockey that ever rode for him.
The reply was quite unequivocally……….Steve Cauthen.
I did wonder at the time whether personal issues he may have had with one or two jockeys got in the way of his decision, but he appeared adamant.
A couple of years ago, amongst a small group of people being entertained by Mr Cecil, the question was asked as to who was the best jockey that ever rode for him.
The reply was quite unequivocally……….Steve Cauthen.
I did wonder at the time whether personal issues he may have had with one or two jockeys got in the way of his decision, but he appeared adamant.
I would have to agree with that -Cauthen was a genius of pacesetting. I watched for the first tiome in ages this evening his ride in defeat on Reference Point in the ’87 Eclipse – although beaten he gave the colt every chance to win but setting the sort of fractions neede to draw the sting from Mtoto. Time would show Mtoto himself to be blessed with abundant stamina as well as speed.
Compare Cauthen’s ride then to lets say young Will Buick’s on Dar Re Mi this season in the Eclipse. The young lad was simply not urgent enough in claiming the lead/rail, something probably only an American jockey of Cauthen’s high standing could properly achieve.
Somewhat unfair to compare Buick to Cauthen. Cauthen had already won the Triple Crown when he came over to ride for Sangster.In fact to compare Cauthen at his age to any other young jockey means reducing the field to one –Lester.
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Cauthen better than Lester?
My only critisism of Lester was/ Look for yourself:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xZKJc4kGsg
From the 2f marker Lester hit the horse 14 dull ones. I reckon if Lester were riding today he’d spend so much time sitting out bans he’d never win a championship.
As Colin/Seabird once said we shouldn’t compare eggs and onions but in polls Lester would most certainly have come out on top but how could you compare:-
Piggot
V
SG Richards, Breasley, Smirke, Cauthen, Carson, Eddery, Fallon, Dettori, Mercer, Swinburn,Lewis, Roche, Kinane Stevens, Day, McCarron, Bailey, Wilson Velazquez,Ezpinoza Shoemaker,St Martin etc etcVincent had Lester and Lester had Vincent and racing is lucky to have had both.
Look at the jockeys riding, the style, the effect that the "average" jockey in the 1970’s and 80’s has on a horse and you’ll see that in terms of riding ability, effect and ability to get a horse to win, strength in a finish etc. that the top 15-20 jockeys riding at the moment are stronger, fitter, better horsemen than those riding 20 or 30 years ago.
Look at how many poor judges of pace there were back then – Cauthen revolutionised that and now it’s standard practice for a jockey to be know what fractions he’s setting in a race, before Cauthen that was the premise of the few (Piggott, Breasley, Richards etc.).
Piggott was the greatest jockey of his generation but comparing him to the modern greats is madness.
Lester will do for me.
Piggott himself regarded Willie Shoemaker, Yves St. Martin and Scobie Breasley as probably the best jockeys he had ridden against.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Look at the jockeys riding, the style, the effect that the "average" jockey in the 1970’s and 80’s has on a horse and you’ll see that in terms of riding ability, effect and ability to get a horse to win, strength in a finish etc. that the top 15-20 jockeys riding at the moment are stronger, fitter, better horsemen than those riding 20 or 30 years ago.
……just to take this point – I don’t agree with it Martin.
I think we have a dearth of top jockeys at the moment, compared with 20 or 30 years ago as you state, although they have stricter rules to adhere to today, and a lot more surveillance of their riding.
This is where I think Cauthen would be one of those who’s style transcends an era and would be in tune with the modern.
Piggott less so. I suspect also that Steve Cauthen was a shade easier to deal with, at least in the earlier days.Irish Stamp-how many races have you seen from 20 or 30 years ago to be able to make that generalization about jockeys then being poor judges of pace.Tony Ives knew enough about pace to be able to win an Arlington Million.
Look at the jockeys riding, the style, the effect that the "average" jockey in the 1970’s and 80’s has on a horse and you’ll see that in terms of riding ability, effect and ability to get a horse to win, strength in a finish etc. that the top 15-20 jockeys riding at the moment are stronger, fitter, better horsemen than those riding 20 or 30 years ago.
.The overall standard of jockeyship has improved (particularly in NH) but I’ve yet to see any Flat jockey who has the all but undefinable aura, attributes and
je ne sais quoi
of Piggott and Cauthen. Weren’t we lucky their careers overlapped? So different but both so mesmerising. With McCoy the only jockeys I could happily focus on rather than the race itself
Had I been the age then I am now then the jaundiced eye of experience may have judged them less favourably: the rose tinted spectacles of youth and all that, but it’s doubtful
Irish Stamp-how many races have you seen from 20 or 30 years ago to be able to make that generalization about jockeys then being poor judges of pace.Tony Ives knew enough about pace to be able to win an Arlington Million.
Well done to him Luke – I’ve seen the top races only, not got enough time to go back through Class 5 and 6 races from 1975-85. I’m working on the possibly incorrect assumption that those riding in the King George, Epsom Derby, Epsom Oaks, 2000 Guineas etc. were the best at the time and looking at the various races shown on ATR, RUK etc. there are a heck of a lot of front runners going out like lights 1 or 2f from home.
You are making your judgement on a very small sample.Lester was good enough to win two Washington Internationals in the 60s,Ives and Eddery both won ArlingtonMillions in the 80s.
I remember Eddery and Cauthen at their peak fighting for a jockeys title and there was nothing between them.
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