Hethersett (1959–1966) was a British

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

and

sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" an ...

best known for falling when favourite for The Derby and then winning the

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

in 1962. After showing promise as a two-year-old he was the highest-rated British three-year-old of 1962 when he also won the Brighton Derby Trial and the

Great Voltigeur Stakes The Great Voltigeur Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and ...

. After his success in the Leger, when he gave his trainer

Dick Hern William Richard Hern (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions. Following his early caree ...

his first classic win, Hethersett never won again and was retired in 1963. He had a brief but successful stud career before he died in 1966.

Background

Hethersett was a powerfully-built bay horse with no white

markings Marking may refer to: Symbols Marking may refer to human-made symbols and annotations in several contexts: On vehicles * Aircraft marking * Emergency vehicle equipment markings ** Battenburg markings, emergency vehicle patterns * Vehicle marki ...

bred by his owner, Major Lionel Brook Holliday and named after a village in Norfolk. Holliday sent Hethersett to his private Lagrange stable at

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 ...

where he was trained by Dick Hern. Hethersett was sired by Hugh Lupus, a French-bred stallion who won the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

in 1956. Hugh Lupus, who was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genetic disorders an ...

2 × 3 to the stallion

Tourbillon In horology, a tourbillion () or tourbillon (; " whirlwind") is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy. Conceived by the British watchmaker and inventor John Arnold, it was developed by his friend the Swiss-Fr ...

, suffered from low fertility at stud but sired several other good horses including the

1,000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1, ...

winner Pourparler. Hugh Lupus and Hethersett were representatives of the

Byerley Turk The Byerley Turk (), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three Stallion (horse), stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian).Ahnert, ...

sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the

Darley Arabian The Darley Arabian (–1730) was one of three dominant foundation sires of modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock. The other two founders were the Godolphin Arabian and the Byerley Turk. This bay Arabian horse was bought in Aleppo, Syria ...

. Hethersett's dam, Bride Elect (by Big Game) was a fast filly who won the

Queen Mary Stakes The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

for Holliday in 1954. However her dam, Netherton Maid was a stayer and finished 2nd in the Oaks: Netherton Maid's full sister,

Neasham Belle Neasham Belle (1948 – November 1971) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the classic Oaks Stakes in 1951. After winning one minor race as a two-year-old, she was well-beaten in her first two races in 19 ...

, won the 1951 Oaks. Bride Elect had considerable success as a broodmare, producing several winners including the

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

runner-up Proud Chieftain.

Racing career

1961: two-year-old season

Hethersett did not appear as a two-year-old until the autumn when he made a successful debut in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes over six furlongs (not the modern race of the same name) at

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade ...

. He was then moved up in class and distance for the inaugural running of the Timeform Gold Cup at

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

. He finished fifth behind Miralgo, although he appeared to be rather unlucky in running.

1962: three-year-old season

Hethersett began his three-year-old season on 15 May by winning the Derby Trial Stakes at

Brighton Racecourse Brighton Racecourse is an English horse racing venue located a mile to the northeast of the centre of Brighton, Sussex, owned by the Arena Racing Company. Location and layout It is situated on Whitehawk Hill, on the edge of the South Downs, ...

by five lengths from River Chanter and Heron. Three weeks later he was then sent to

Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse in a hilly area near Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course has a crowd capacity of 130,000 including ...

to contest the Derby, and was strongly fancied, despite his lack of experience. Ridden by the forty-five-year-old veteran Harry Carr he started favourite at odds of 9/2 in a field of twenty-six-runners. He appeared to be travelling well in the middle of the field when he was one of seven horses who fell or were brought down in a pile-up just after half distance. Hethersett escaped with minor injuries, but Carr sustained a broken shoulder which kept him out of racing for almost two months. The race was won by the Irish-trained outsider Larkspur. Hethersett ran poorly on firm ground at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in l ...

in July, finishing seventh behind Gay Challenger in the Gordon Stakes but returned to form in August at

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. Ridden by Frankie Durr in the

over miles he started at odds of 15/2 and won by a short head from Miralgo. In the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster on 12 September, Hethersett started at odds of 100/8 (12.5/1) with some doubting that he would be effective over the distance of fourteen and a half

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...

s on soft ground. Ridden by Carr, he took the lead a furlong and a half from the finish and won easily by four lengths from Monterrico, with Miralgo in third and Larkspur sixth. This was Hern's first of sixteen

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

victories in his career as a trainer. On his final appearance of the season, Hethersett was brought back in distance for the

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

over one and a quarter miles at Newmarket and finished second to the

Irish 2000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and i ...

winner

Arctic Storm The Arctic (; . ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway (Nordland, Troms, Finnmar ...

. The successes of Hethersett enabled Holliday to become British champion owner for the third time, while Hern won the first of his four trainers' championships.

1963: four-year-old season

In 1963, Hern gave up his job as Holliday's private trainer and moved to

West Ilsley West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 United Kingdom Census, 2011 Census was 332. Location and amenities It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbur ...

in Berkshire, leaving Hethersett behind at La Grange where the training licence was taken over by Hern's former head-lad, S.J. Meaney. Hethersett failed to win in three starts although he did finish second in both the

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) ...

and the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...

(beaten six lengths by

Exbury Exbury is a village in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Exbury and Lepe. It lies just in the New Forest, near the Beaulieu River and about a mile from the Solent coast. It is best known as the location of Exbury House, built ...

Assessment

Hethersett was given a rating of 134 by the independent

Timeform Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by th ...

organisation, placing him equal with Arctic Storm as the best three-year-old in Europe, a pound below the top-rated four-year-old

Match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

. In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Hethersett an "average" St Leger winner.

Stud record

Hethersett had little chance to prove himself as a breeding stallion, dying in 1966 at the age of seven after only three years at stud. He showed considerable promise, siring the 1969 Derby winner Blakeney and the filly Highest Hopes (

Prix Vermeille The Prix Vermeille is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles) ...

). Rarity, a colt from Hethersett's final crop of foals, came within a short-head of beating the then unbeaten Brigadier Gerard in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in 1971. Hethersett died of a brain tumour on 26 August 1966. Hern speculated that the trouble stemmed from the head injury the colt sustained in the Derby.

Sire line tree

*HethersettByerley Turk Line
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> **Dalry **Heathen ***Harken ** Blakeney ***Norfolk Air ***Charlotte's Choice ***Coloso ****Colosal ***

Julio Mariner Julio Mariner (24 January 1975 – 26 May 2004) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic St Leger Stakes in 1978. In a racing career which lasted from August 1977 until October 1978 he won three of his twe ...

****Sir Galahad ***Roscoe Blake ***Sexton Blake ****Jung ***Commodore Blake ***Sheringham ***

Tyrnavos Tyrnavos () is a municipality in the Larissa regional unit, of the Thessaly region of Greece. It is the second-largest town of the Larissa regional unit, after Larissa. The town is near the mountains and the Thessalian Plain. The river Titarisios ...

****Dihistan ***Electric ****Petrullo ****Travelling Light ***Band ***Castle Rising ****Abbas ***Just David ***Satco ****Szolarisz ***Dragon Negro ***La Yegua ****Toldeo **Harken **Nevado ***Beethoven **Schuylerville ***Avelino ***Vinetu ***Ajvanho ***Armando **Healaugh Fox **Rarity ***Decent Fellow ***Pollerton ***Rare April ***Icelandic ****Mickey's Town ****Reykjavik ****Krona *****Regal Krona ***Camiros

Pedigree

Hethersett is

4S x 3S to the stallion

, meaning that he appears fourth and third generation on the sire side of his pedigree. ^ Hethersett is inbred 5S x 6S x 4S to the stallion Bruleur, meaning that he appears fifth generation (via

Ksar Ksar or qṣar (), in plural ksour or qsour (), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh). The equivalent Berber languages, Berber term used is ' ( ...

)^, sixth generation (via

)^ and fourth generation on the sire side of his pedigree.

References

{{St Leger Winners 1959 racehorse births 1966 racehorse deaths Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom Thoroughbred family 21-a Byerley Turk sire line St Leger winners