Bernard Henry Richard Harcourt van Cutsem (23 January 1916 – 8 December 1975) was an English horsebreeder and racehorse trainer.

Ancestry and early life

The van Cutsem family are Catholics, and of Belgian origin.
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', September 03, 2013 The family was said to descend from a illegitimate son of

Henry II, Duke of Brabant Henry II of Brabant (, ; 1207 – February 1, 1248) was Duke of Brabant and Duke of Lothier, Lothier after the death of his father Henry I, Duke of Brabant, Henry I in 1235. His mother was Matilda of Boulogne, Duchess of Brabant, Matilda of Bo ...

, who was given a knighthood and an estate, called Cuetssem Velde, near Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. By the 13th century, the family possessed considerable land, and, by 1514, a property known as t'Hof van Cuetssem.Burke's Landed Gentry, 18th ed., vol. III, ed. Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, 1972, 'Van Cutsem' pedigree Members of the family migrated to England in the 19th century. Bernard Henry Richard Harcourt van Cutsem was born on 23 January 1916. His father was Henry Harcourt van Cutsem (1877–1917) and his mother, Eleanor Mary Josephine Southwell Trafford. Van Cutsem attended

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

and served as a second lieutenant in the Life Guards during the Second World War.

Career

Van Cutsem bred horses at Northmore Farm in Exning, near

Newmarket, Suffolk Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global ...

, widely known as the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred horse racing. He became a millionaire, thanks to his training and breeding of champion horses. For example, he trained

High Top High Top (1969–1988) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire (horse), sire, best known for winning the British Classic Races, classic 2000 Guineas in 1972. High Top was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1971 when his succ ...

(1969–1988), Park Top and

Sharpen Up Sharpen Up (17 March 1969 – 2 March 1992) was a British racehorse and sire (horse), sire. He was one of the leading European two-year-olds of his generation, winning all five of his races including the Seaton Delaval Stakes and the Middle Park ...

(1969–1992). Moreover, he trained the winner of the Washington, D.C. International Stakes, the City and Suburban Handicap and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1969. Additionally, he trained the winners of the Blue Riband Trial in 1970, 1971 and 1972. He also trained the winner of the

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mi ...

and the Seaton Delaval Stakes in 1971, the winners of the Observer Gold Cup in 1971 and 1972, and the winner of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes in 1972. The Superlative Stakes was previously known as the ''Bernard van Cutsem Stakes'' in his honor.

Personal life

Bernard van Cutsem married Mary Compton (1919-1989), daughter of Major Edward Robert Francis Compton (1891–1977) and Sylvia Farquharson of Invercauld (1899–1950), on 28 September 1939. They had two sons: * Hugh van Cutsem (1941–2013); close friend of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

. *Geoffrey Neil van Cutsem (born 1944); married Sally McCorquodale, daughter of Scottish athlete

Alastair McCorquodale Alastair McCorquodale (5 December 1925 – 27 February 2009) was a British Athletics (sport), athlete and cricketer. His son is married to Princess Diana's sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Sarah Spencer. McCorquodale was educated at Harrow ...

and sister of Neil McCorquodale, the husband of Lady Sarah Spencer (the elder sister of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

). They divorced, and in 1948, he married Lady Margaret Fortescue (1923–2013), daughter of Hugh Fortescue, 5th Earl Fortescue (1888–1958) and Hon. Margaret Helen Beaumont (1892–1948). They had two daughters: *Eleanor van Cutsem (born 1949). married Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran. *Rosamund Isabelle van Cutsem (born 1952). In 1966, she left van Cutsem, resumed her maiden name, and they divorced in 1968. Bernard Van Cutsem died on 8 December 1975 at Westminster Hospital. He was 59 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:van Cutsem, Bernard 1916 births 1975 deaths People from Newmarket, Suffolk Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge English racehorse owners and breeders English Roman Catholics British racehorse trainers English people of Flemish descent Bernard British Army personnel of World War II British Life Guards officers