Michael Church Racing Books

Pinza and Sir Gordon Richards

As we celebrate The Queen’s 60th anniversary, I should like to recall the events of the Coronation Derby. A race in which her first Derby runner, Aureole, finished second to Pinza.

A few days before the 1953 Derby, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II conferred a knighthood on Gordon Richards for his services to racing. On Derby Day, Sir Gordon was to make his 28th and final attempt to win the race, this time on Pinza, a powerful bay of 16.1 hands by the French stayer Chanteur out of Pasqua, by Donatello.
Bred by Fred Darling, Pinza was sold as a yearling to Sir Victor Sassoon at the Newmarket Sales for 1,500 guineas. Sent to Newmarket trainer Norman Bertie, although backward as a two-year-old, Pinza won two of his four starts, concluding with an impressive five lengths victory in the Dewhurst Stakes.

He was allotted 9st 2lb in the Free Handicap, 5lb less than the Middle Park winner Nearula. Slow to recover from a fall on gravel in the winter, Pinza missed the Guineas and returned in mid-May to win the Newmarket Stakes in a canter. After which, his Derby price was immediately cut from 33-1 to 8-1.

Derby Day was hot and sunny and the crowd, reported to be more than half-a-million, had been swelled by the thousands who had come to London for the Coronation earlier in the week. The Queen’s runner Aureole, having won the Lingfield Derby Trial, had been a leading fancy for some weeks, but after sweating up in the preliminaries drifted out to 9-1. Joint-favourites at 5-1 were Pinza and Aureole’s stable companion Premonition, winner of the Great Northern Stakes at York. Also in contention was the Two Thousand Guineas winner Nearula, who had missed a vital week of preparation and was now offered at 10-1.
The 27 runners on their way, Shikampur took an early lead and coming down the hill he was four lengths clear of Victory Roll and Mountain King, with Pinza close up. Around Tattenham Corner, Richards, finding an opening on the rails, moved Pinza into second place.
Once in the straight, Charlie Smirke continued to ride out Shikampur, but Pinza closed rapidly and swept by two furlongs out. In the final stages, Aureole made steady progress on the outside, but by now it was too late and the deafening cheers from the distance told the tale – Gordon Richards had finally won the Derby.

To all those who witnessed the occasion (including the author) it was a never-to-be-forgotten day. Aureole was second, four lengths away, with Pink Horse running on in third and the gallant Shikampur fourth. After the weigh-in the Queen sent for the winning jockey to offer her congratulations.

Sir Gordon Richards (1904-1986), one of a family of 12 children, was born at Donnington Wood, near Oakengates in Shropshire, where his father was a coal miner. Gordon served his apprenticeship with Martin Hartigan at Foxhill and rode his first winner on Jimmy White’s Gay Lord at Leicester on 16 October, 1920. He was Champion Jockey for the first time in 1925 and, in 1933, made the front pages of every Daily newspaper when beating Fred Archer’s record of 146 winners in a season.
A modest, dedicated man of great integrity, Gordon Richards was the undisputed hero of those who followed racing for the first half of the 20th century, and his Derby victory on Pinza the most popular of that period.
In 1954, when leaving the paddock at Sandown, the filly Abergeldie reared up and fell over backwards on top of Richards, breaking his pevis and dislocating four ribs. The following year, fully recovered, he trained from Beckhampton, later moving first to Ogbourne-Maizey and then to Whitsbury in Hampshire, with Scobie Breasley as stable jockey.
Gordon Richards was Champion Jockey 26 times and from 21,834 mounts rode 4,870 winners. His 14 Classic winners included Tudor Minstrel (1947 Two Thousand Guineas) and Sun Chariot (1942 fillies’ Triple Crown).
Returning to Pinza, in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, he again beat Aureole, this time by three lengths. However, shortly afterwards, he broke down and never raced again. Syndicated at a value of £200,000, he retired to stud.

With the exception of Pinturischio, who was sensationally, twice poisoned when favourite for the 1961 Derby, Pinza never produced a horse equal to himself.

He died in 1977 and is buried at Woodditton Stud, Newmarket.

A video of Michael’s personal account of the 1953 Coronation Derby, can be found at the foot of “About Michael”.

For more racing history go to Michael’s Books for Sale

The Investec Derby 2011

As the Official Derby Historian part of my service is to continue the ongoing history of the race in the style of my previous books. So, I feel it appropriate, that my first Blog should be about the great race.

The 2011 Derby was both exciting and dramatic, with the Queen’s horse Carlton House and the French-trained Pour Moi at the head of the betting.

Here is my account of the race and the events surrounding it.

In a Derby filled with passion and drama, the iconic moment came yards from the post. Mickael Barzalona, aboard Pour Moi, having come from stone last, to win the Derby in the final stride, simultaneously, stood upright in the saddle to salute the crowd – the photofinish print capturing his exuberance together with a mere head victory over Treasure Beach.

All would agree that the print was not only an exceptional statement, but one that will forever remain a part of Derby history.

Ten days before the Derby, Andre Fabre, France’s 22-times champion trainer, brought Pour Moi, the recent winner of the 1m.2f. Prix Greffulhe, to the Epsom event, Breakfast with the Stars. After an impressive mile gallop, Fabre, delighted by what he saw, asserted that this was his best chance ever, to win the race.

Ironically, the event’s other racecourse gallop involved the Ed Dunlop trained, Native Khan, ridden by Kieren Fallon, who, having previously signed an agreement to ride the horse in the Derby, later agreed to ride the Aidan O’Brien trained, Recital. The case was put before a High Court judge, and following an appeal, Fallon ended up riding neither horse.

However, the main topic going into the race was the Queen’s horse, Carlton House, winner of the Dante Stakes and 6-4 favourite, until incurring an injury to his
near-foreleg a week before the race. Bulletin’s were posted daily and the colts Epsom chances were closely monitored on Betfair, until, eventually, Sir Michael Stoute gave him the all-clear and the nation breathed a sigh of relief.

On a glorious summer’s day, before a crowd of 120,000, thirteen went to post on good to firm ground. Her Majesties’ Carlton House, ridden by Ryan Moore, was sent off the 5-2 favourite. While there was strong support for Pour Moi, from 6-1 into
4-1, with Recital, the best backed of the Aidan O’Brien quartet and now ridden by P.J. Smullen, at 5-1.

After an even start, the early leaders were Memphis Tennessee, Marhaba Malyoon and Treasure Beach, while Carlton House was steadied at the back of the field and, Pour Moi remained last.

Coming down the hill, Memphis Tennessee extended his lead to six lengths, until rounding Tattenham Corner, where Carlton House made his move, rapidly making up ground wide of the pack. Approaching the two-furlong marker, Memphis Tennessee’s lead was down to three lengths from Treasure Beach, with Carlton House, Native Khan and Recital in hot pursuit. At the furlong pole, Treasure Beach moved up challenge Memphis Tennessee, while Ryan Moore was now hard at work to close the gap.

With 80 yards to run Treasure Beach was holding Carlton House, however, Pour Moi, having tracked the Queen’s horse all along the straight, produced an incredible burst of speed to pass everything close home.

The official winning distance was a head. Treasure Beach was second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Carlton House, with Memphis Tennessee fourth.

An attractive, dark bay colt with a blaze, Pour Moi was bred by Lynch Bages Ltd, alias Paul Shanahan of Coolmore Stud. He is the third Derby winner in seven years from his sire Montjeu, and the fourth foal of his unraced dam Gwynn, whose Sadler’s Wells filly, Gagnoa, was placed in both the French and Irish Oaks.

Sadly, in late August, Pour Moi suffered a severe overreach to his near fore fetlock during exercise at Chantilly. He did not race again and stands at Coolmore Stud, where, for the 2014 breeding season, his fee was reduced from E17,500 to E12,500.