Sir Mark Prescott, 3rd Baronet (born 1948), is an English

race horse ''Race Horse'' was an 1850 clipper barque. She set a record of 109 days from New York to San Francisco during the first Clipper Race around the Horn. Construction ''Race Horse'' was similar to a barque built by Samuel Hall a few years earlier, ...

trainer with over 2000 winners to his name, including Alpinista, winner of the 2022

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

. He is based at Heath House Stables, a historic 50-box yard at the bottom of Warren Hill in Newmarket.

Background

Prescott is the son of Conservative Party MP Stanley Prescott and grandson of Sir William Prescott, 1st Baronet, who was also a Conservative MP. He attended

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and in 1965 inherited the Prescott baronetcy from his uncle. Prescott left school aged fifteen, with plans to become a jockey. He was riding in a race at Wye in 1965 when he broke his back in a fall, resulting in a nine-month hospital stay. He then joined the yard of Jack Waugh at Heath House Stables and took over the licence on Waugh's retirement in 1970.

Career

In a career spanning more than fifty years, Prescott has trained over 2,000 winners. Although a British Classic has eluded him, he has won a French Classic as well as numerous

Group races Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Trio ...

and major handicaps. Notable amongst his horses have been Spindrifter (winner of 13 races as a two-year-old in 1980), sprinter Pivotal (winner of the

King's Stand Stakes The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 fu ...

and the

Nunthorpe Stakes The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is sc ...

in 1996), Confidential Lady (winner of the French Classic

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is one of the most important and prestigious Group 1 horse races in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at C ...

in 2006), Marsha (winner of the

in 2017), and multiple Group 1 winning sisters Alborada and Albanova. His greatest prize came when Alpinista, owned and bred by

Kirsten Rausing Kirsten Elisbet Rausing, DL (born 6 June 1952) is a Swedish businesswoman, who owns a third of the holding company Tetra Laval and sits on the company board alongside other members of her family. She was listed as the 150th richest individual ...

won the 2022

under Luke Morris. "It has been just a marvellous journey – I'm lucky to get a good one at this stage of my career" said Prescott of Alpinista after her victory. In the early days of his of career Prescott employed assistant trainers for a period of two years but since 1999 William Butler has occupied the position and will take over the licence when Prescott retires. His former assistants include leading trainer William Haggas.

George Duffield __NOTOC__ George Duffield MBE (born 30 November 1946) is an English retired flat racing jockey. He served a seven-year apprenticeship with Jack Waugh, and rode his first winner on 15 June 1967 at Great Yarmouth Racecourse on a horse called Sy ...

was stable jockey at Heath House for 31 seasons from 1974, winning 830 races for Prescott. He was succeeded by Seb Sanders, with Luke Morris riding as first jockey to the yard since 2012. Author

Jilly Cooper Dame Jilly Cooper, (born Jill Sallitt; 21 February 1937) is an English author. She began her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. Cooper is ...

spoke to Prescott as part of her research for the novel ''

Mount! ''Mount!'' is a 2016 novel by English author Jilly Cooper. It is the tenth book in the Rutshire Chronicles series. The plot centres on Rupert Campbell-Black's efforts to have his horse Love Rat named as Leading sire in Great Britain and Ireland, ...

Personal life

Prescott is unmarried. His interests include field sports such as

hare coursing Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent. In some countries, it is a legal, competitive activity in which dogs are tested on their ability to run, overtake and turn ...

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds" ...

and

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

, he also developed a deep passion for the Gaelic game of hurling through his companionship with a young Newtownshandrum boy named Eric Curtin. On 1 September 2009, Prescott and television cook Clarissa Dickson-Wright received an absolute discharge from

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Magistrates' Court A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several Jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings. Courts * Magistrates' court (England and Wales) ...

after pleading guilty to hare coursing whilst attending an event organized by Yorkshire Greyhound Field Trialling Club in March 2007. He is distantly related to actress

Sue Johnston Sue Johnston (born Susan Wright; 7 December 1943) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy '' The Royle Family'' (1998–2012), G ...

, via her maternal line, as discovered by ITV's DNA Journey; aired 16 Oct 2024

Major wins

Great Britain *

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 ...

- (2) - '' Alborada (1998, 1999) *

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres) and is ...

- (1) - '' Hooray (2010)'' *

- (1) '' Pivotal (1996)'' *

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at ...

- (2) ''Last Second (1996), Alborada (1998)'' *

- (2) - ''Pivotal (1996), Marsha (2017)'' *

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile ...

- (1) - '' Alpinista (2022)'' ---- France *

- (1) - '' Confidential Lady (2006)'' *

Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs ...

- (1) - ''Marsha (2016)'' *

- (1) - '' Alpinista (2022)'' *

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

- (1) - '' Alpinista (2022) '' ---- Germany *

Preis von Europa The Preis von Europa is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse, Cologne over a distance ...

- (2) - ''Albanova (2004), Alpinista (2021)'' * Rheinland-Pokal / Grosser Preis von Bayern - (2) ''Albanova (2004), Alpinista (2021)'' *

Grosser Preis von Berlin The Großer Preis von Berlin, formerly known as the Deutschland-Preis, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Hoppegarten over a distance of 2,400 metres ( ...

- (2) ''Albanova (2004), Alpinista (2021)'' ---- Ireland * Pretty Polly Stakes -(1) - ''Alborada (1998)''

References

1948 births Living people People educated at Harrow School British racehorse trainers Place of birth missing (living people) Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom People from Newmarket, Suffolk {{UK-horseracing-bio-stub