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‘Irish Genius’ Vincent O’Brien Inducted Into British Champions Series Hall Of Fame

Legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien, together with three titans of the turf from the 1970s, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and Nijinsky, have been named as the next four stars to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, which can be found online at Horseracinghof.com.

Launched to mark the 10th anniversary of QIPCO's sponsorship of the British Champions Series, the first official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing sets out to immortalize the Modern Greats of the sport, both human and equine, from 1970 onwards.

On the basis of their undisputed status and achievements within the sport, the quartet will join inaugural inductees Frankel and Lester Piggott in the Hall of Fame, with O'Brien becoming the first trainer to gain membership.

Broadcaster Brough Scott, who undertook his first broadcast for ITV Racing in 1971, the year in which Brigadier Gerard completed his incredible unbeaten 3-year-old season, was part of the independent panel of horseracing experts who agreed on the inductees.

He said: “No racing decade ever had a start like the 1970s. Nijinsky, Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard – three horses of the century only a year apart. No Derby winner more majestic than Nijinsky, no Arc winner more of a mould-breaker than Mill Reef, no miler more complete than Brigadier Gerard.

“Irish genius Vincent O'Brien added to the magic of that era, setting a standard most could only dream of matching. He changed the racing and training landscape, and his legacy lives on at Ballydoyle and Coolmore – which remain two of the world's greatest racing operations to this day.

“They individually and collectively deserve these places within the Hall of Fame and the panel and I offer our heartfelt congratulations to their connections.”

Trainer O'Brien, who registered a total of 141 Group One wins, with 67 in the UK, died 12 years ago but his influence on the sport will go on forevermore. As well as training six Derby winners and a host of other British Classics, he also landed three consecutive Grand Nationals in the 1950s, making him one of few trainers to succeed in both disciplines at the highest level. He also created the superb training facilities at Ballydoyle and played a pivotal role in the development of Coolmore Stud – two of Ireland's, if not the world's, most illustrious racing operations. Tellingly, the winning machine that Vincent O'Brien helped create and develop continues to flourish to this day.

Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and Nijinsky – the last-named trained by O'Brien – all lit up the sport during the early 1970s. Between the three, they won an incredible 40 of their 45 races.

The mighty Brigadier Gerard, ridden by the late Joe Mercer, won 17 of his 18 races and is remembered as one of the greatest milers there has been, although he also shone over further. His record in 1971 was phenomenal, winning all six of his races, and his final resumé contained a British Classic in the 2000 Guineas, two Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and two Champion Stakes victories.

The Ian Balding-trained Mill Reef had to play second fiddle to Brigadier Gerard in the 2000 Guineas of 1971 but, upped in distance, he would never be beaten again. His exploits included outstanding victories in the Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Meanwhile, the majestic Nijinsky, ridden by inaugural Hall of Famer Lester Piggott, made history in 1970 by scooping the Triple Crown. No horse has since achieved this milestone of winning the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger in the same year. Nijinsky went on to become a hugely successful stallion and, to this day, remains the only sire to have a winner of the Derby (Epsom) and the Kentucky Derby in the same year.

Connections of these four stars will receive a specially commissioned medal, designed by Asprey and unique within British racing, to mark their achievement. The four medals will be displayed at Doncaster's Cazoo St Leger day (Saturday 11th September) as part of a QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame exhibition. The exhibition can be found within the racecourse's grandstand in the Grandstand Enclosure.

Achieving a place in the Hall of Fame has become one of the highest accolades within British Flat racing, reflecting extraordinary achievements and contributions to the sport. Launched to mark the start of this year's QIPCO British Champions Series, a number of additional inductions will be announced in the build-up to QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot (Saturday Oct. 16), including one horse chosen by the public (vote here) which is open until Sept. 24.

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Vincent O’Brien Is First Trainer Inducted To Hall Of Fame

The late Vincent O'Brien, a master trainer on the Flat and over jumps, is the first of his profession to be inducted to the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame. His name was announced along with three equine stars of the 1970s, Mill Reef, Nijinsky and Brigadier Gerard (GB).

Marking the 10th anniversary of QIPCO's sponsorship of the British Champions Series, the Hall of Fame was launched in May with the inaugural inductees Lester Piggott and Frankel (GB).

During an illustrious career, O'Brien notched 141 Group 1 wins, with 67 of those coming in the UK, including six Derby winners. Prior to that his extraordinary success in the National Hunt field included training three consecutive winners of the Grand National. Moreover, he played a hugely significant role in the development of Coolmore Stud in partnership with his son-in-law John Magnier and Robert Sangster. O'Brien's particular liking of the stock of Northern Dancer led to some of Ballydoyle's and Coolmore's leading lights, including his fellow inductee and Triple Crown winner Nijinsky, and the Sangster-bred supersire Sadler's Wells.

“No racing decade ever had a start like the 1970s. Nijinsky, Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard–three horses of the century only a year apart. No Derby winner more majestic than Nijinsky, no Arc winner more of a mould-breaker than Mill Reef, no miler more complete than Brigadier Gerard,” said Hall of Fame panellist and broadcaster Brough Scott.

“Irish genius Vincent O'Brien added to the magic of that era, setting a standard most could only dream of matching. He changed the racing and training landscape, and his legacy lives on at Ballydoyle and Coolmore–which remain two of the world's greatest racing operations to this day.

“They individually and collectively deserve these places within the Hall of Fame and the panel and I offer our heartfelt congratulations to their connections.”

Vincent O'Brien's son Charles said, “The QIPCO British Champion Series Hall of Fame is a wonderful initiative and, on behalf of the O'Brien family, we are absolutely delighted that Vincent O'Brien is the first trainer to be inducted. His achievements, both in the National Hunt and Flat spheres, are unparalleled and highly unlikely to ever be matched. Additionally, his creation of Ballydoyle as a training centre and his involvement in the early days of Coolmore Stud will ensure that his legacy will live on. We would like to thank QIPCO and the judging panel for helping to ensure that this is the case.”

Nijinsky, whose name is intertwined with both O'Brien and Lester Piggott, claimed the Triple Crown in 1970, a feat that has not been repeated in the intervening years. From a hugely successful stallion career, he remains the only sire to have had a winner of the Derby and the Kentucky Derby in the same year, in Shahrastani and Ferdinand.

Brigadier Gerard, bred in Britain by his owners John and Jean Hislop, was ridden by Joe Mercer to win 17 of his 18 races, including the 2000 Guineas, two Queen Elizabeth II S., and two Champion S.

Mill Reef, trained by Ian Balding, was runner-up to Brigadier Gerard in the 2000 Guineas of 1971 but was never beaten again in subsequent starts, including in the Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Fifty years on from Mill Reef's magnificent 3-year-old season, his trainer's son Andrew Balding is currently leading the trainers' championship in Britain.

Connections of the four inductees will receive a specially commissioned medal which will be displayed at Doncaster on Cazoo St Leger day (Saturday) as part of a QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame exhibition. The exhibition can be found within the racecourse's grandstand in the Grandstand Enclosure.

A number of additional inductions will be announced in the build-up to QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 16. These include one horse chosen by the public, who can vote here until Sept. 24.

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Brigadier Gerard S. To Be Run In Memory Of Mercer

The names of Joe Mercer and Brigadier Gerard will be united once more with the announcement that Sandown's Group 3 contest which carries the name of the great horse will this year be run in memory of his former jockey, who died on Monday.

Set to be run on Thursday, May 27 during Sandown's elite evening meeting, the 10-furlong race will now be named The Coral Brigadier Gerard Stakes (In memory of Joe Mercer).

Brigadier Gerard (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}), trained by Dick Hern for his owner/breeders John and Jean Hislop, was beaten just once in an 18-race career. His Group 1 victories included the 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace S. of 1971 as well as the following season's Eclipse S. and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S., as well as consecutive wins in the Champion S. Mercer was in the saddle for all of his 18 starts.

“We were deeply saddened to hear of news of Joe Mercer's death earlier this week, and are pleased to be able to mark the occasion in the race which honours the horse he was most famously associated with,” said Phil White, regional director of Jockey Club Racecourses.

“Our thanks go to Coral for their assistance in facilitating this and we hope the race will give racing fans and the industry a chance to remember one of the greatest and most stylish jockeys the sport has seen.”

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Joe Mercer Dies At 86

British racing has lost one of its greatest figures with the passing of former champion jockey Joe Mercer OBE at the age of 86.

Joseph Mercer was one of two brothers, born in Bradford in Yorkshire, who lit up Britain's apprentice ranks in the decade after the Second World War. The elder brother Emmanuel 'Manny' Mercer served his apprenticeship in Newmarket with George Colling and created such a good impression (most obviously by riding the 100/1 winner of the 1947 Lincolnshire Handicap, Jockey Treble, aged only 17) that Major Fred Sneyd, who trained at Wantage in Oxfordshire and who had already produced the great jockeys (and brothers) Eph and Doug Smith, wrote to Mercer's father to ask, “Are there any more like him at home?”. Mr Mercer jumped at the chance to send his younger son south to be indentured to Major Sneyd.

Apprenticeships were hard work in those days, particularly under the stewardship of a martinet such as Major Sneyd, and Joe Mercer's apprenticeship featured unrelenting hard work with very little money to show for it. He started, aged 13, on half-a-crown (12.5p) a week and was still earning that sum when he rode his first winner, Eldoret, three years later at Bath in September 1950. He actually sometimes did not even earn that much as he was fined sixpence (2.5p) every time he fell off.

Mercer's wages had risen to 10 shillings (50p) a week by the end of his seven-year apprenticeship. What was most relevant, though, was that by then he was well on the way to a career such as money couldn't buy. As an apprentice he had ridden nearly 200 winners, had been champion apprentice twice (in 1952 and '53, in the latter year setting a record total of 61 wins) and had become a rare example of an apprentice to win a Classic, courtesy of the victory of Ambiguity (GB) (Big Game {GB}), owned by Lord Astor and trained by Bob Colling, in the Oaks in 1953. It would be another 29 years until another apprentice (Billy Newnes) won a British Classic, taking the Oaks in 1982 for his boss Henry Candy on Time Charter (Ire) (Saritamer).

Tragically, Manny Mercer's career was a great one (he rode two Classic winners and finished in the upper reaches of the jockeys' table throughout the 1950s) but not a long one: he died instantly from head injuries when his mount slipped on her way to the start before the Red Deer S. at Ascot in September 1959. He was aged only 29. Happily, his younger brother was able to carry the family's baton with the greatest distinction, remaining among the very top tier of British jockeys for 30 years.

Ambiguity had been trained at West Ilsley in Berkshire, whither Bob Colling had moved from Newmarket in 1949 to train for Lord Astor. Joe Mercer, although still apprenticed to Major Sneyd, was appointed the stable's jockey in 1953, a position which he held until 1976. By this time, Major Dick Hern had taken over as trainer (following Colling's retirement at the end of the 1962 season) and the property was now owned by Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Arnold (later Lord) Weinstock. To widespread consternation, Sobell and Weinstock decided in the autumn of 1976 that it was time to replace Mercer with a younger man, appointing Willie Carson to the position.

At this point, Mercer was aged 42 and was widely regarded as the greatest jockey then riding in Great Britain who had never been champion. He had enjoyed Classic success in the Oaks, the St Leger (twice), the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas, Irish Derby, Irish St Leger and, memorably, in the Prix de Diane in 1974 when he and HM The Queen's great filly Highclere (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}) had followed up their victory in the 1000 Guineas. Most notably, he had ridden the horse whom many regarded as the Horse of the Century: he had ridden the Dick Hern-trained 1971 2000 Guineas hero Brigadier Gerard (GB) (Queen's Hussar {GB}) in all his races.

Sobell and Weinstock may have felt at the time that Mercer's talents were past their best, but nobody else did. In particular, Henry Cecil clearly didn't, hiring Mercer as his stable jockey. Nor did former champion trainer Peter Walwyn, who signed up Mercer, by then in the second half of his 40s, during a remarkable jockeys' merry-go-round in the autumn of 1980, triggered by Lester Piggott's decision to sever his ties with Vincent O'Brien. Walwyn's jockey Pat Eddery went to O'Brien at Ballydoyle; Mercer (who had lost the support of some of Cecil's owners) went to Walwyn at Seven Barrows in Lambourn; and Piggott went to Cecil at Warren Place in Newmarket.

Mercer's relatively short period as stable jockey to Henry Cecil contained many of his finest hours. He was obviously never going to ride another horse as great as Brigadier Gerard, but for Cecil he rode one who could be mentioned in the same breath: the mighty Kris (GB) (Sharpen Up). He also enjoyed rode two more Classic triumphs, taking the 1000 Guineas in 1979 on One In A Million (Ire) (Rarity {GB}) and the St Leger in 1980 on Light Cavalry (GB), a son, fittingly, of Brigadier Gerard. He also rode such top older horses as the 1978 G1 Eclipse S. winner Gunner B (GB) (Royal Gunner) and the outstanding stayer Le Moss (Ire) (Le Levanstell {Ire}) on whom he won the G1 Gold Cup at Ascot in 1980. Mercer had previously won the Gold Cup in 1967 on the Derrick Candy-trained Parbury (GB) (Pardal {Fr}).

Even more notable than any individual winner whom Mercer rode for Cecil was the fact that he finally achieved the highest accolade of them all. In 1979 he enjoyed his greatest season, easily outstripping his previous best seasonal total (115 wins the previous year) when becoming champion jockey with 164 wins, 22 clear of runner-up Willie Carson. At 45, he was not the oldest champion jockey (both Sir Gordon Richards and Scobie Breasley had topped the table at a greater age) but was the oldest to secure the title for a first time. It was widely regarded as a fitting honour for a jockey viewed as the most technically perfect (more so than Piggott) of his generation, a master tactician and the ultimate professional. At the end of the year came the icing on the cake: he was awarded an OBE.

Although spending his final five seasons riding for Peter Walwyn, Joe Mercer's greatest triumphs in that period came on outside rides. He won the St Leger for his old boss Dick Hern and former patron Jakie Astor in 1980. Shergar (Ire) (Great Nephew {GB}) was the hot favourite but Hern, undaunted, saddled two runners. Willie Carson elected to ride Lady Beaverbrook's Bustomi (GB) so Mercer was booked for Cut Above (GB) (High Top {GB}) and the pair landed a shock victory at 28/1. Bustomi, incidentally, was a son of Bustino (GB) (Busted {GB}) on whom Mercer had won the St Leger for Major Hern and Lady Beaverbrook in 1974 before riding the gallant horse into second place behind Grundy (GB) (Great Nephew {GB}) in the 'Race of the Century', the 1975 G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Diamond S. at Ascot.

Mercer had previously won the 'King George', Britain's premier weight-for-age race, on Brigadier Gerard in 1972 and he won it again in 1983. Billy Newnes had been badly injured in a fall on Henry Candy's gallops near Wantage the previous week so the mount on the previous year's Oaks winner Time Charter became available. Mercer was booked by the trainer, for whose father he had ridden many winners during the 1960s, and the partnership landed a famous victory, beating a stellar field which included the recent Classic winners Sun Princess (Ire) (Sun Prince {Ire}) and Caerleon (Nijinsky {Can}).

Joe Mercer finally called time on his great career in the autumn of 1985 at the age of 51. Fittingly, he recorded his final big win on his final ride, guiding the John Dunlop-trained Bold Rex (Fr) (Rex Magna {Fr}) to victory in the November Handicap at Doncaster on the last day of the season. It was his 2,810^th British triumph. The November Handicap is not the race which it was, but it has been won by some great horses over the years and has seen some very popular winners. Arguably none, however, has returned to as heartfelt a round of applause as that which greeted the (presumably bemused) Bold Rex.

After his retirement from the saddle, Joe Mercer, a man who commanded the respect of the entire racing community, continued to put his great racing brain to good use in his role as racing manager for Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum, a role which he held for 19 years until the latter's death in January 2006.

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