Golden Years: The 1970 juveniles

Looking back over the years I’ve followed racing there are 2 consecutive years that stand apart. People will argue there were better single years, others will argue there were better horses than these. I just think it’s impossible to argue against the uniformity of class that was seen during those two years: and they were 1970 & 1971.

In this trawl back through these memories this article concentrates on the 2yos of 1970. I cannot believe there was a better year for 2yos in the last 60 years. Interestingly the Thoroughbred Breeders Review of that year starts its chapter on 2yo racing in the UK with this:- It seemed a really vintage crop of 2yos in 1970 and not for many years had there been three juvenile stars of such brilliance as My Swallow, Mill Reef and the filly Cawston’s Pride (sic).

Let’s go back to the start and it began with an American bred colt called Fireside Chat who spreadeagled his field on 2000 Guineas day.. Such was his performance that when he reappeared at Salisbury in the 5f Salisbury Stakes he was at a price of 2/9. Defeat was out of the question but he was slaughtered by a relatively small, but beautifully made American bred colt called Mill Reef, who cantered to a 4 length victory. Racegoers went home knowing they’d seen something special and trainer Balding announced his target was the Coventry Stakes.
That same week a strong, attractive Le Levanstell colt, called My Swallow, made his debut at the Dante meeting at York and won as he liked from 4 previous winners. A few weeks later he was upped in distance to 6f and had a comfortable victory in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby Day. Little did people know that he was not to run again in England as a 2yo.
At Royal Ascot Mill Reef proved supreme in the Coventry, winning by 8 lengths at a price of 4/11. There was another American bred 2yo winner at that meeting and that was Jeremy Tree’s Swing Easy who stylishly (if narrowly) won the New Stakes. He had already won his debut race at Newbury in May.
A week later, at the then Newbury Summer meeting, a Queen’s Hussar colt called Brigadier Gerard made his debut in the listed Berkshire Stakes (5f) against 3 previous winners, including Newmarket winner, Young and Foolish (Piggott) and owned by My Swallow’s owner David Robinson. He was 8/15 while the newcomers were at odds of 100/7: his jockey had arranged with Duncan Keith, the rider of another unraced colt, that if they got left behind that they’d race upsides and give both their horses a good racing speed gallop. That arrangement wasn’t needed as Brigadier Gerard bounded out of the stalls, and although seemingly just cantering had the rest of the field off the bit after 2f. He was eased by his jockey yet still won easily by 5 lengths. Just 8 days later he appeared again at Salisbury and upped to 6f put in a workmanlike performance to win by a couple of lengths from his field (to whom he was giving weight).
Meanwhile My Swallow ploughed his own furrow in France. His first victory overseas was in the Prix du Bois at Longchamp at the end of June. There were 8 French runners, all winners, plus My Swallow, who totally dominated proceedings winning by 5 and 4 lengths. It looked like being a long hard summer for French 2yos.
Swing Easy then started to build his reputation. He took the July Stakes at Newmarket and then the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood to give himself a score of 4 from 4. It was beginning to look an exceptional year, especially as there was a 2yo filly called Cawston’s Pride. By the time Royal Ascot came along this cheaply bred filly had won 3 races for trainer Farnham Maxwell. She started at Newbury in April and won well, reappearing mid-April at Goodwood to slaughter her field. Before the Queen Mary she took in a race at Newmarket, where despite her penalties she won by 5 lengths. She started favourite for the Queen Mary and surging ahead mid-race came away from her field to win by 6 lengths.
These unbeaten 2yos had to take each other on at some point and the first such encounter was the Prix Robert Papin (5.5f), on July 20th, where Mill Reef took on My Swallow. The two English colts drew clear of their rivals with My Swallow leading on the rails. A half-furlong out Mill Reef drew upsides but, given a powerful ride by Piggott, My Swallow asserted himself to win by a short-head. Opinions were split: some felt that My Swallow had proved himself the better, others that My Swallow wouldn’t beat Mill Reef again (especially as Mill Reef had had a difficult journey to France). To support the My Swallow camp, their colt then easily won the Prix Morny.
By this time another fast colt called Mummy’s Pet had appeared at Kempton and won over 5f. Upped to 6f, Mummy’s Pet won the Hyperion Stakes from Charladouce (who started favourite having finished 3rd in the July Stakes). Mummy’s Pet went on to complete his hat-trick at Doncaster in the Norfolk (now Flying Childers) Stakes.
The weekend before the York Ebor meeting Brigadier Gerard won his third start back at Newbury. Restrained on this occasion, he found himself behind 3 horses below the distance, but when a gap appeared he powered through to win by a couple of lengths. A week later, on very soft ground, Mill Reef gave an astonishing performance to win the Gimcrack by 10 lengths (Timeform did point out he was probably the only horse in the field to handle the going). At the same meeting Cawston’s Pride won her 7th race of the year when she took the 6f Lowther Stakes.
In early September My Swallow won another big race when he took on the unbeaten Swing Easy and won the 7f Prix de Salamandre, beating Jeremy Tree’s colt by just over 3 lengths. This and the Morny win showed My Swallow hadn’t been affected by his tough Papin victory. The same could be said for Mill Reef after his Gimcrack win. The decision with this colt was that he’d go for the Dewhurst and have a preparation race in the Imperial Stakes at Kempton over 6f. His chief opponents were an unbeaten colt, Grey Sky, and a very useful filly called Hecla who had won first time out then been beaten narrowly in the Princess Margaret Stakes. Hecla went off like a scalded cat and Mill Reef looked to be struggling mid-race to keep up with her. Lewis got down to serious work on Mill Reef and at the furlong pole was only a half-length down. He asserted himself in the last half-furlong and came home a length winner. It had been a tougher race than had been expected.
Newmarket beckoned but though Hecla went for the Cheveley Park Cawston’s Pride skipped that race and went for the later Cornwallis Stakes at Ascot. Short-priced favourite for the Cheveley Park was a Noel Murless filly called Magic Flute, who had won impressively on her debut at Newbury in the St Hughs Stakes (5f) in August. She did win, but only narrowly in a driving short head finish ahead of Super Honey and her stablemate Melodina. A tough race for what John Oaksey christened the flying bedstead, as she was so sparely made. Hecla was unplaced.
Despite the above race having 12 runners the Middle Park had only 6, but they were a select trio with the unbeaten odds-on favourite, Mummy’s Pet, solid yardstick, Swing Easy, and unbeaten Brigadier Gerard (who was 9/2 third favourite). The race was very straightforward, with Fireside Chat setting a steady gallop and Mummy’s Pet bringing up the rear. After two furlongs Brigadier Gerard took up the running at a faster pace and Mummy’s Pet moved up to dispute 2nd place. After the bushes the two market leaders tried to take on the leader but it was soon obvious it was a hopeless cause and Brigadier Gerard strode to a 3 length victory with Swing Easy a half-length further back.
My Swallow won his fifth French race when beating Bonami narrowly in the Prix du Moulin (then the biggest one mile 2yo race in France). He had now won 5 races in France and the never before or again achieved the winning of France’s top 4 juvenile races: Robert Papin, Morny, Salamandre and Moulin. It is interesting to note that My Swallow’s winnings in France was more than David Robinson’s total winnings in the UK, where his horses won 60 races!
By this time an enticingly bred colt had appeared in Ireland. This was Minsky, who was a full-brother to Triple Crown winner Nijinsky, and he was a dual winner (of the Railway and Beresford Stakes) by mid-September. Hopes were that he was Nijinsky reborn. This could cause a dilemma for Piggott, who had ridden My Swallow in his last 6 races as he was contracted to ride Minsky in his UK races.
At Ascot Cawston’s Pride won her 8th race when she beat Mummy’s Pet by 4 lengths with the Cheveley Park Stakes 3rd, Melodina, a fast finishing 3rd just a half-length behind him.
The Dewhurst attracted a disappointing 3 runners that year and Mill Reef had no problem beating Wencelas (an Irish colt who’d won his only start) and Lombardo , to make it 5 wins from 6 races.
The last big UK race of the year was the Observer Gold Cup at Doncaster, for which Minsky was 6-4 favourite. A Crepello colt called Linden Tree was 25-1 and had recently won a 36 runner maiden at Newmarket. He led from the start and though strongly challenged from two out kept his head in front by that distance from Minsky with Fine Blade just behind.

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When the Two-Year-Old Handicap was published (and remember this is the Free Handicap and can only be compared relatively with Timeform’s ratings) here were the scores:-

My Swallow 9st 7lb
Mill Reef 9st 6lb
Brigadier Gerard 9st 5lb
Cawston’s Pride 9st 4lb
Linden Tree 9st 4lb
Mummy’s Pet 9st 1lb
Fine Blade 8st 12lb
Swing Easy 8st 12lb
Magic Flute 8st 11lb
Few disagreed with these ratings. It is interesting to reflect on the fact that if these ratings were correct then Cawston’s Pride, with her sex allowance, would be rated to beat My Swallow. Some comments were made that Brigadier Gerard’s rating reflected the feeling that the Middle Park was a weak renewal.
In France My Swallow was rated ½ kg better than Mill Reef, with Bonami ½ kg behind him. In Ireland Minsky was given a top weight of 9st 12lb with King’s Company (who’d finished 5th in the Gimcrack) 4lb behind.

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Postscript: 1971
My Swallow ran 4 times. He won the Kempton Park 2000G trial, was 3rd in the 2000G, and was 2nd in the Prix de Porte Maillot and the July Cup.
Mill Reef ran 6 times. He won the Greenham, Derby, Eclipse, King George and Arc de Triomphe, and was 2nd in the 2000G
Brigadier Gerard ran 6 times. He won the 2000G, St James Palace, Sussex, Goodwood Mile, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Champion Stakes.
Cawston’s Pride ran 3 times. She won the Ascot 1000G Trial
Linden Tree won the Chester Vase and was 2nd in the Derby
Mummy’s Pet ran 6 times. He won the Temple Stakes and was 2nd in the Kings Stand
Swing Easy ran 6 times. He won the Dan Prenn, the Kings Stand and Nunthorpe Stakes, was 2nd in the Abbaye and 3rd in the Greenham.
Magic Flute ran 6 times. She won the Coronation Stakes, Strensall Stakes and October Stakes and was 4th in the 1000G.
Fireside Chat won the Prix de Seine et Oise and the Golden Pietsche.
Minsky won the Gladness and Tetrarch Stakes, and was 4th in the 2000G.

 

Yes agree. This was pre-pattern (came in '71), so they were prestige races rather than Group races. Now there are so many Group races that horses can make their reputations without taking each other on. Just in the last fortnight we had the Denford, Acomb and then Solario: all G2/3 and all over 7f.
Even Mill Reef's two opponents were Group horses. Wenceslas won several Gp2s and was 2nd in the Irish St Leger. Lombardo was similar and was 2nd in the Irish Derby and 4th in the Derby.
I don't think there was a better Middle Park field. Even the 4th placed won a G3 race as a 3yo.
It was more competitive then. .I don't think there was again so many good 2yos in one year as evidenced by their records that year and in 1971.
I could have also mentioned Athens Wood, who won the Solario and St Leger.
The 1971 1000G, Oaks and Irish Oaks winner won 4 races in her career but only won a 6f maiden on her only start as a 2yo. Altesse Royale was a 25-1 winner of the 1000G and Magic Flute's stablemate.