Best Stayers of my lifetime

As a pre-eminent authority on the history of horseracing his thoughts on the Stayer make fascinating reading through a series of short pieces that we are carrying in the build up to the finale of the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million.

I think possibly Alycidon was the best of all. Not only did he dominate as a staying horse soon after World War II, winning the Gold Cup and at Goodwood and Doncaster as well, but he was a champion stallion too. And he was capable of breeding horses now and again who were really quick, including a Cheveley Park Stakes winner called Gloria Nicky.

As a three-year-old Alycidon was on a rising trend in terms of ability and when he ran in the St Leger he was second to Black Tarquin. When they were four-year-olds Black Tarquin was supposed to win everything and was trained for the Gold Cup. He won Listed and conditions type races early on but when they met to huge excitement in the Gold Cup, which was the race of the season, Alycidon crushed Black Tarquin by five lengths. Alycidon had too much stamina and got better as he got older. Black Tarquin was a hell of a good horse, but unlike Alycidon he didnât get better as he got older.

In those days a top staying horse was given a chance at stud, but 30 years later neither Le Moss nor Ardross was. If Alycidon were to come along nowadays I doubt he would be. The commercial pressures have changed everything.

The reason these horses are so important is not only what they sire on the racecourse but their daughters. If they are properly used they will produce very effective broodmares. Itâs exactly the way to breed a really good broodmare if you want to bother, but nobody does now, because nobody sends good-class mares to those sort of horses.

The stallion I like at the moment is Nathaniel. He might not have got many top horses at below a mile, but by God he breeds outstanding horses over a trip, who just get better and better. They very wisely didnât try to turn him into a Cup horse. Would he have been a success? I suspect he would have been an absolutely tremendous stayer. Instead they stuck to running him at a mile and a half and less, and they were able to win an Eclipse with him, which was below his best distance, because he was a hell of a good horse.