Master Willie (12 April 1977 – October 2001) was a British racehorse 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 ...

. As a three-year-old in 1980 he finished second in The Derby and won the

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

Benson and Hedges Gold Cup Benson may refer to: Comics and animation * Benson, a character in the TV series ''Regular Show'' Places Geography Canada * Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality * Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom *Benson ...

. In the following year he added victories in 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 ...

and

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 ...

before being retired to stud. He stood as a breeding stallion in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany with mixed results before his death in 2001.

Background

Master Willie was a chestnut horse with a white blaze and four white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the Calf (leg), calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. ...

bred by William and Robert Barnett. He was sired by High Line, a stayer who won three consecutive runnings of the

Jockey Club Cup A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. His dam, Fair Winter, was a top class racemare whose wins included the

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 ...

. Like all the Barnett's horses, the colt was trained by Henry Candy at Kingstone Warren in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

. He was ridden in most of his races by Candy's stable jockey Philip Waldron.

Racing career

1979: two-year-old season

Master Willie ran four times as a two-year-old in 1979, winning two races. He also finished first in the

Acomb Stakes The Acomb Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at York over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each y ...

but was disqualified and relegated to second place.

1980: three-year-old season

Master Willie began his three-year-old season by winning the

Easter Stakes The Easter Stakes was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It was run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Kempton Park on Easter Saturday. It was run for the last t ...

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom, licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London; it is 13 miles ...

before finishing fourth in his next race. At York in May, Master Willie finished second to the

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners o ...

-trained Hello Gorgeous in the

Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () ...

, a major trial race for the Epsom Derby. At

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 ...

in June, Master Willie was one of twenty-four colts to contest in the 201st running of the Epsom Derby. Starting as a 22/1 outsider, he was settled in mid-division before producing a strong late run to finish second, three quarters of a length behind the winner Henbit. Master Willie started favourite for the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) 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 dista ...

at the end of June but was unsuited by the very soft ("gluepot") ground and finished fifth behind Tyrnavos. At York in August, Master Willie was matched against fillies and older horses in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup and started at odds of 13/2. He appeared to be under pressure two furlongs from home but finished strongly to take the lead in the last strides to win by half a length from the Irish filly

Cairn Rouge Cairn Rouge (foaled 9 March 1977) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After showing promise as a two-year-old in 1979, Cairn Rouge improved to become one of the best three-year-old fillies in Europe in the following year. She won t ...

. He started favourite for the Valdoe Stakes 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 ...

but was beaten one and a half lengths by the four-year-old Welsh Chanter. On his final appearance of the season, Master Willie finished second to Cairn Rouge in 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 ...

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

on 18 October.

1981: four-year-old season

Master Willie returned as a four-year-old in 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) ...

at Newmarket in April. Starting at odds of 2/1 he took an early lead and was never challenged, winning by ten lengths from King's Ride, with Henbit unplaced. Master Willie returned to Epsom for the Coronation Cup in June and was made the 1/2 favourite. On a course covered with litter left behind after the previous day's Derby, he led from the start and won easily from Prince Bee with the filly Vielle in third place. In July the colt was moved back in distance for the Eclipse Stakes over ten furlongs at

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt racing, National Hunt races and one Group One, Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Sta ...

. He started the 6/4 favourite and again made all the running to win by three quarters of a length from Hard Fought (subsequently disqualified) and Vielle. In July he contested the 31st running of the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot ...

at Ascot. He led for most of the race but faded in the straight and finished fourth behind

Shergar Shergar (3 March 1978 – ) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of ...

. In August Master Willie attempted to win the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup for the second time, but finished third behind Beldale Flutter. Master Willie was rested until October when he finished unplaced behind Vayrann in the Champion Stakes.

Stud record

At the end of his racing career, Master Willie was sold to the

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred Stud farm, horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor o ...

and exported to stand as a breeding stallion in the United States. His sale valued him at $10 million, with Windfields owner

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989), was a Canadians, Canadian business tycoon, investor, and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing, r ...

regarding him as providing an

outcross Out-crossing or out-breeding is the technique of crossing between different breeds. This is the practice of introducing distantly related genetic material into a breeding line, thereby increasing genetic diversity. Outcrossing in animals Out ...

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred that, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. After being retired from racing, he became one of the most successful Stallion, sires of the 2 ...

. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1988 and also stood in Germany. Master Willie suffered from an

arthritic Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected jo ...

knee in later life and was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

at Conduit Farm in Oxfordshire in October 2001. After the horse's death Candy described him as "the most laid-back horse I've had. If you looked at the string from a mile away and there was a big gap in it, it would always be in front of Master Willie". His best winners included

Make A Stand Make A Stand (21 March 1991 – 22 November 2019) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a career which lasted from 1993 to 2000, he ran thirty times, both on the flat and over hurdles, and won twelve races. His greatest success came in the 19 ...

, Chilly Billy (

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group races, Group 2 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old Colt (horse), colts and geldings. It is run at York Racecourse, Yor ...

), Deputy Governor ( Eddie Read Handicap), Hollywood Dream ( Premio Presidente della Repubblica, Deutschland-Preis) and Master Speaker (

Ben Ali Stakes The Ben Ali Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run in the Spring of each year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one and three-sixteenth miles on ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1977 racehorse births 2001 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 4-j Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom