Henry Cecil: Trainer of Genius

by Brough Scott

The story of trainer Henry Cecil is one the great redemption songs of sporting decades of success at the highest level followed by years in the professional and personal depths – then a glorious resurrection topped by the unbeatable Frankel, widely considered the greatest racehorse of all time. Hollywood could not have scripted the tale better. Henry Cecil is the trainer who did not fit the the shy, foppish figure who despite his aristocratic profile unleashed waves of popular affection previously unknown in Flat racing. The public loves Cecil, and he returns that affection with a bemused tilt of the head and self-effacing humour. Despite that self-deprecation, Cecil’s record testifies to his being one of the greatest racehorse trainers in history, with 25 wins in English Classics to his credit – including the Derby four times – as well as countless other big-race victories around the world. But what makes the figure of Henry Cecil so compelling is the extraordinary personality behind the records, and no one is better placed to chronicle the giddy highs and desperate lows of his story than Brough Scott. The former jockey and now leading sports journalist has witnessed the Cecil genius at close quarters for decades, and tells the full story with honesty and candour as well as admiration and affection. This is one of the most gripping sporting stories ever told, and its cast list includes luminaries of the racing world such as Lester Piggott, Steve Cauthen and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, as well as equine heroes and heroines such as Kris, Oh So Sharp, Reference Point, Bosra Sham and the incomparable Frankel. The Henry Cecil story is an emotional rollercoaster. Stand by for an exhilarating ride.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[Studvet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story and competently written and covered everything. I don't see why the Cecils were offended as the book was, overall, very sympathetic to Cecil. The author really knows his stuff and obviously had a lot of intimate detail and contact with the people and events in it. The knowledge and detail of the past from the author was very sound and great background detail. My main bugbear, which lost it a star and was mentioned by others, was the writing style. A lot of trivial qualifications and asides, which made the book harder to read and and at times disturbed fluency. Also a tendency to overblown and romanticised comparisons and attributions to many of the characters and events and ascribing of motivation and feelings to them. BUT, a great read overall.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book I picked up on my trip to London two summers ago. It's a history of the great trainer, yes, but also the sometimes dark, sometimes tawdry history of his personal life as well. This was mentioned in the epilogue as creating a bit of a falling out between the Cecils and the author. Unfortunate, but I'm not quite sure why it was necessary to mention that. And, being American, some of the British slang slipped past me without being quite understood. But overall, it was a great story and the final chapter, covering the great Frankel's reign in Cecil's sunset days, was particularly exciting and heartbreaking all at once.

[Stephen Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Immensely hard work

Not the greatest horse racing fan, this was a tough read not helped by a rambling style of writing which often went of at tangents just to fit in a witty segue.

[Lisa Niemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and interesting

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved Henry, but just couldn't get into this.

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly produced & in parts poorly written; disappointing.
I have had an interest in horses & racing all my life, but I was bored by this book. I have avidly read books on racing since my teens & I am sorry to say this has been one of the worst I have read. Rambling, trivial in places with plates that quite frankly look as if someone has photocopied them hurriedly in a lunch break at work.

It is little wonder Henry Cecil didn't want it published, his private life besides, it is an insult to the man and his horses.
Henry Cecil's autobiography, though written before his greatest successes is a far more revealing read.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Sir Henry and his horses. I liked Brough Scott's journalistic style and honesty. I did shy away from the book after the criticism from the Cecil's but in the end I wanted to read about the horses, not Natalie in the shower!
It is a hard read, harder than I thought and even though I'm a Timeform swat, the racing analysis in places is laborious. For all that, it shows the mans genius, flaws and all, and should be read by everyone who has ever walked into a bookies and blindly backed a Cecil fav and then walked up to the counter to collect.

[Emma Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Cecil was and will be one of flat racings greats and Frankel is the pinnacle of an equine racing athlete. I wasn't a big fan of how this book was written. I would have liked more of it to be about Frankel, Frankel and Henrys relationship and the character of Frankel when he was a youngster and what he was like on the yard. It would have been good to add more about Frankels major races, his training and when Henry went with Frankel to Newmarket stud where he is now retired as a covering stallion.

[David Sinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. The horsey set will love this, to whom this book is probably aimed, but as a non- horse person I loved it. The Cecil story is fascinating but Scott's ability to describe horses and, particularly, races is what makes the book. After a few paragraphs you can almost hear the horses panting and the crowd roaring. The Frankel of sports books.

[Hilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

found this one difficult to read at times, that's why it has taken me so long probably.
Having said that, it is a must read for all racing fans, Sir Henry was a very great man, who adored his horses, that's why they performed so well for him.
Recommended to all racing fanatics!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inevitably such a book must be a chronicle of horses, races and the people involved. There was a lot about the atmosphere of the racing world and many of the people and horses in the life of Henry Cecil, but I just felt that it did not tell enough about the enigmatic man himself.