Very sad, but not unexpected news, given his increased frailty of late. A master of his craft, and a true gentleman, and there are not many you can say that of. I'm pleased that Warren Place will be continuing in his wife's name, and I'm sure that somewhere, he will be cheering on Hot Snap in the Coronation Stakes on Friday week! RIP Sir Henry, you have left the sport of kings far more regal than when you entered it
Very sad to hear this news Trained so many fabulous racehorses - my favourite was probably Indian Skimmer
For for what you did with this horse in particular, I thank you [video=youtube;O-wt1PmjA8Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wt1PmjA8Y[/video]
Was a giant of racing. And will be sadly missed by me. I will be hoping for a few lady Cecil winners next week.
RUK and ATR Video Tributes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPfL2o9T7ao http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llm74Mpqd1M
Echo the thoughts on here as i work in a place where cancer takes lifes daily i know that you have to strive for that extra breath to carry on a short road Frankle gave Sir Henry the extra years i believe and in doing so gave us all the bonus of seeing the best horse of our generation trained by the best character in horse racing and the best talent in his sport stay frosty Henry
One of my earliest memories of a Cecil horse winning a big race was Shavian in the St James Palace Stakes. A great front-running ride from Steve Cauthen in the famous Lord Howard de Walden colours. [video=youtube;8LWzpv-a-GU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LWzpv-a-GU[/video]
Please excuse my intrusion on your board as a visitor from the football forum. I like Horse Racing although I rarely bet, don't always watch it on TV and my visits to racecourses are few and far between. What I have done every day for more years than I care to remember is look at the cards to see what runners Sir Henry had and at night I would make sure that I checked the results to see what winners he had. He was one of my two ' sporting heroes' I had in your sport - Lester was the other - as not only was he a great trainer but he seemed to be an absolute gent who was straight as a dye and obviously loved all the horses in his yard to the extent that their welfare was paramount. At 67 years of age I shed tears when I heard the news this afternoon. RIP Sir Henry.
Nice to read the many tributes on here. The man was a thoroghbred indeed. He had his flaws as do we all. He was a fine judge not only of a racehorse but of horsemen too. Its the end of an era.
A fantastic trainer and a legend in flat racing. He seemed to have a knack of understanding a horse and when not to run one if he thought they werent right. I remember the awesome Cecil/Cauthan combination in the 80s and one of my first memories was when Slip Anchor won the Derby under Cauthan and trained by the master in 1985. I was a mere 14 years old then. RIP Sir Henry........
Warren Place send out Frankel's half brother tomorrow, along with 2 other horses, what more fitting tribute to the man than for him to win. One thing's for sure, there won't be a dry eye in the house at Ascot next week should they have a winner. By the way, if you are going to read the Racing Post today have your tissues handy
Sir Henry Cecil is someone who I will miss, not as a friend or someone I know but for his ability to overcome whatever the adversity and with humbleness. Luckily Sir Henry will be remembered for his incredible ability to train horses to run supremely and not the average frailties that mankind has. Respectfully suggest that this not turn into a who is better, bigger, righteous than who and simply celebrate one of the most magnificent of horsemen there has ever been.
Very difficult subject this. It's a sad loss to the world of racing when one of the greatest trainers to have lived passes away. I feel for those who loved him and have lost. My dad is currently trying to survive through mantle lymphoma which is a serious and rare form of leukaemia. The changes that the sufferer go through really are stark and if he was anything like my dad he's probably spent the last few years in a lot of pain but complained very little. What can be more devastating is the mental anguish that his wife will have gone through as I am seeing now. Very upsetting and frustrating to watch. However, I think Shergar is justified in having his own opinion and I certainly don't think he should be ashamed of himself. Just because someone is a great trainer shouldn't, in my view, nullify the fact that he was a degenerate drink driver who caused a huge amount of sorrow to the family of his victims. I've experienced a death of one of my best childhood friends because of a drink driver (and she was a passenger). I have no sympathy and make no allowances for those actions. Nevertheless, maybe this particular thread isn't the right forum for expressing those views. I'd suggest creating a second thread where those opinions can be aired is a better idea. That way this thread won't be clouded by arguments for those who want to commemorate his training abilities.
Boston has put the point across far more articulately than me. There is a time and place for these sorts of comments, and a day after the man's death from a cruel disease is not it. I've been told this morning that his death was a shock to everyone. He had been undergoing a second round of treatment in a hospital in Cambridge and was even working on the work rider lists on Friday and reading through the Racing Calendar on Saturday, planning the campaign for his horses. Whilst he had not been expected to see the year out, they certainly were not expecting him to go so soon.
