QIPCO British Champions Series has named two of horseracing's greats, American jockey Steve Cauthen and 1980s racing sensation Pebbles, to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing.
Both inductees will be recognised with a special presentation moment on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, Oct. 21, with Cauthen making one of just a handful of trips back to the UK since his retirement to attend.
Popular jockey Steve Cauthen, who Frankie Dettori has openly spoken of as being his idol, becomes just the fifth jockey to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, his astounding achievements on UK soil making him eligible for induction. Meanwhile, Pebbles becomes the first filly to be inducted, her exploits earning her a rightful place alongside equine superstars including Frankel and Galileo.
Indeed, Cauthen and Pebbles combined for a historic success in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park in 1985, as the latter also became the first filly to win the race in its 99-year history at that stage.
Cauthen, now 63, was a teenage sensation in America who then came, saw, and conquered Great Britain. His exploits include being the only jockey to have ever ridden the winner of both The Derby and Kentucky Derby and becoming the youngest jockey to win the US Triple Crown – a feat which saw him become the only jockey ever to appear on the front cover of Time magazine, which he did so alongside boxer Mohammed Ali.
On British soil, he was crowned Champion Jockey three times and rode the winners of ten English Classics, all but one for Hall of Fame trainer Sir Henry Cecil, including two Derby winners in Slip Anchor and Reference Point. His lucid interviews also gave British fans an insight into the sport quite like never before.
Speaking of his induction, Cauthen said: “I'm grateful to have had so many brilliant opportunities on both sides of the pond and to still be recognised for my achievements is really quite special to me.
“Having been inducted into America's Hall of Fame some years back, it's an honour to now celebrate my induction into Great Britain's Hall of Fame, and I'm looking forward to marking this moment with family and friends on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot later this month.”
Read Steve Cauthen's full biography here.
Pebbles meanwhile, conquered quirks, setbacks and top-quality rivals on her way to ground-breaking triumphs in the mid-1980s, her sporting prowess leading her to become the first British-trained winner at the Breeders' Cup in 1985, when she landed the Turf at Aqueduct in a record time.
But she had scaled dizzy heights long before that spectacular night in New York, which proved to be the final act of an eventful career on and off the racecourse. There had been a commanding victory in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket the year before, plus a breath-taking annihilation of a star-studded field in the Champion Stakes back on the Rowley Mile three weeks before she took America by storm. In between, she had also become the first filly to win the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, testament to the skill and cunning of Clive Brittain, her popular trainer.
Speaking following news of Pebbles' induction, Newmarket-based Brittain said: “I first saw Pebbles about two days after she was born, and I knew even then that there was something special about her. I used to go and see her in the paddock at weekends, where she was always taking charge of the others – she had such great spirit.
“I still think about her today and can see her fresh in my mind, particularly with her boyfriend, Come On The Blues. Theirs was a great love story and he accompanied her wherever she went – even travelling out to America with her for the Breeders' Cup Turf. That day was the only time that I've been racing and felt nervous, but I just did the same as we'd have done at home and it all worked out.
“Pebbles was 100% racehorse and she was simply a pleasure to train. I'm so very pleased to see her inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame and I'm also very proud to have played a part in her success.”
Speaking on behalf of Godolphin, the racing operation owned by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Pebbles' owner, Managing Director Hugh Anderson added: “Pebbles was a uniquely talented and very tough racehorse with an outstanding race record. Amongst numerous victories, she won the 1000 Guineas, the Champion Stakes, the Eclipse and a Breeders Cup turf, beating the very best horses of either sex in Europe and the USA.
“She truly was one of the best racehorses of the 1980s and a flagbearer for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's racing operation at the time. She is a very deserving inductee to the Hall of Fame and His Highness is delighted to see her achievements recognised in this way.”
Read Pebbles' full biography here.
These inductions round off an incredible season of talent to be celebrated within the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, with Sir Michael Stoute, Sea the Stars, Stradivarius and Prince Khalid Abdullah having also been inducted during this year's QIPCO British Champions Series, bringing the total number of inductees to 20, all of whom have been recognised within a three-year period since the Hall of Fame's inception in April 2021.
The Hall of Fame website reflects these incredible stories, whilst racing fans are also encouraged to visit the Hall of Fame exhibition within the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket for rarely-seen-before artefacts and interactive experiences that help bring some of these heroic stories to life.
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