#henry cecil

[holdhard]

The ability to look at ease in a top hat is, not unsurprisingly, best done by those who have to don one on a regular basis. Insouciant top hat wearers usually fall into one of two groups: British royals and aristocrats, and the upper echelons of the horse racing world. 

[ukhorseracingtipster]

Foal of Frankel sold at London auction

Foal of Frankel sold at London auction

LONDON: Foal of Frankel sold at London auction

kentucky.com By Kentucky.com

London — A foal of undefeated race horse Frankel was sold along with its mother Crystal Gaze for 1.15 million pounds ($1.96 million) in an auction at Kensington Palace on Monday.

The colt is the first offspring of the late Henry Cecil’s undefeated champion to come under the hammer. Crystal Gazeis expecting a second foal…

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[porterdavis]

A notable passing in the horse-racing world

Word came two weeks ago that Henry Cecil had died. His life would have been unremarkable as a trust-fund lay-about except for his knack for understanding how a horse was feeling. He rode that talent to the top of the trainers' table during a remarkable string of successful years in the 70s and 80s.

His fortunes ebbed a bit from the 90s on, but in 2010 fortune smiled on him in the form of Frankel, perhaps the greatest horse of all time who went undefeated in 13 Group races on the gallop. 

It seems only fitting that Sir Henry should go out with a champion.

[ukhorseracingtipster]

Our favourite things this week: the best sports journalism from around the web

Guardian Sport

Our favourite things this week: the best sports journalism from around the web By Paul Campbell

Featuring Neymar, Roger Federer, baseball’s new star, Spain‘s No10s, Henry Cecil and the intersection of golf and the law

Thanks for all your…

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[littlemisswhale-blog]

undoubtably one of the coolest photos of henry cecil & lester piggott, RIP a racing legend

[vishadavidcom]

RIP Henry Cecil died from cancer aged 70. Much liked racing trainer

[thehurdlibrary]

A handsome gift

By 1784 Bishop Hurd's library had become so well known that it was attracting gifts from his neighbours. One of them, Henry Cecil of nearby Hanbury Hall, sent a set of Baskervilles.

Here is one of them:

John Baskerville has been called the greatest type-designer of the post-incunabula age and was, like Hurd himself, a midlands man. He was born in nearby Wolverley but spent most of his life in the much-maligned city of Birmingham, "which thus for once enters into the history of civilisation" as one cynical printing historian put it. An anonymous 19th century verse went further:

     When Birmingham, for riots and for crimes

     Shall meet the keen reproach of future times

     Then shall she find, amongst our honoured race,

     One name to save her from entire disgrace.

Baskerville died in 1775 so Hurd probably never met him but as a fine book-collector he was evidently delighted with Mr Cecil's gift. He might not have been so pleased had he known what was going on at Hanbury. Henry Cecil was the heir of the Earl of Exeter. He had married Emma Vernon, the heiress of Hanbury, in 1776 but did not make much of a husband, neglecting her to such an extent that she transferred her affections to the curate and ran off with him in 1789. Henry was so afraid of being laughed at by the neighbours that he ran off too, called himself John Jones and took lodgings with a farmer in Shropshire who had a pretty daughter called Sally.   Henry lost no time in getting her into trouble and was forced by her irate father to marry her - bigamously of course. However he managed to divorce Emma in 1791 (she married the curate the same year) and he then married Sally again. Two years later he succeeded to the earldom and took her off to Burghley Park without telling her who he really was. They arrived after dark, were met by bowing servants and she never got over the shock of finding she was a countess. One must hope that Henry bought the Baskervilles for Bishop Hurd and did not pinch them from the library at Hanbury, now of course in the care of the National Trust.

Through one of the marvels of modern science, as King George V said in his first Christmas broadcast 80 years ago, I am enabled to post this blog at 11 a.m. on 9 November, when I shall be nowhere near my computer.

Chris Penney, Hurd Librarian.

[robnapierdesigner]

Two champions Sir Henry Cecil and Frankel, a fantastic but sad day for racing as it is unlikely we will see either in the public eye again.