Brough Scott (2013) Henry Cecil Trainer of Genius. Racing Post Books
My own interest in horseracing began just as Sir Henry Cecil’s training fortunes were taking a downward turn, so this book was a good way to learn about his glory days in the 1980s and 1990s.
Sir Henry seemed represent a bridge between the old and the new in the training establishment. As the author comments, “Warren Place was as different from Marriott Stables in style and background as Henry was from his father-in-law [Sir Noel Murless, from whom Cecil took over training at Warren Place]”.
The book contains an excellent collection of photos from across Sir Henry’s training career and they helped bring colour to the anecdotes and racing achievements.
It is a shame that Sir Henry did not seem to approve of the final publication because it stands as a comprehensive account of a complex man’s life. The author says, “what you have read is my affectionate, admiring but I believe necessarily realistic portrait of an extraordinary man and a quite exceptional career”.
The book closes with a fitting tribute:
“His has been the greatest racing story ever told, because the career which he brought to a climax with Frankel has the quality that only the gods can bestow. It’s called immortality”.
