Alec Taylor Sr.
Alec Taylor, Sr. (1821–1894) was a successful British Thoroughbred horse trainer[1] running Manton stables, "one of the finest training centres".[2][3] He was "considered one of the best trainers of his era."[2]
Career
Taylor first began working as a trainer for Sir Joseph Hawley in 1848 at Fyfield, Wiltshire, just west of Marlborough on the old Bath Road. He began winning in 1851 with Aphrodite in the 1000 Guineas and Teddington in the Derby.[1][4][5] It was the first of what would be eleven wins in the five British Classics.[citation needed]
By 1870, Taylor had seen the construction of Manton Stables near Marlborough in Wiltshire, with the financial backing of Stirling Crawford, a property developer in Glasgow and one of the owners of the horses that Taylor trained.[2][3] Manton Stables were considered one of Britain's "most famous and prestigious training facilities" and were described as:
Those fortunate enough to visit the Manton establishment cannot fail to be impressed by the completeness of every detail. The buildings possess a singularly attractive and quiet beauty. [There are] spacious paddocks, splendid stables, and boxes [stalls] unsurpassed for size and abundance of light and air.[3]
In 1873 Gang Forward won the 2000 Guineas race, the first of his eight classic winners from Manton.[2][3] He won a total of 12 classics, ending in 1887 with Reve d'Or at the Oaks and 1000 Guineas.[1] In a career that lasted approximately fifty years, Alec Taylor trained winners of numerous other important English races.[citation needed]
He had a reputation for punishing his employees. A former employee of Taylor remarked:
A breakfast at Manton had consisted of tea, bread, and cuts from a riding crop, with the only second helpings coming from the crop.[3]
Classic Race wins
Taylor's wins in the British Classic Races include:
- Moslem (1868), Gang Forward (1873)
- Aphrodite (1851), Thebais (1881), Reve d'Or (1887)
- Teddington (1851), Sefton (1878)
- Thebais (1881), Reve d'Or (1887)
- St. Albans (1860), Craig Millar (1875)
Personal life and family
His father, Thomas Taylor, was a trainer to Lord Chesterfield.[1]
Alec Taylor, Sr. died in 1894.[1] Following his death, his sons Tom and Alec, by different mothers, ran Manton Stables from 1895.[1][3] Alec Taylor, Jr. became a successful trainer, and was known as the Wizard of Manton.[1][6][nb 1]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wray Vamplew (2005). Encyclopedia of British Horse Racing. Taylor & Francis. pp. 305–306. ISBN 978-0-7146-5356-3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d "History of Manton". Brian Meehan. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f James C. Nicholson (1 April 2013). Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 111–114. ISBN 978-0-8131-4167-1. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ Edward Spencer (1902). "Sir Joseph's Luck". Fores's Sporting Notes and Sketches. Vol. XIX. London: Messrs. Fores, Piccadilly, W. p. 264. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ Thomas Henry Taunton (1888). "Teddington". Portraits of Celebrated Racehorses of the Past and Present Centuries: In Strictly Chronological Order, Commencing in 1702 and Ending in 1870 Together with Their Respective Pedigrees and Performances Recorded in Full. Vol. IV. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington. p. 74. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ "Alec Taylor (1862 - 1943)". The National Horseracing Museum. Retrieved 14 July 2013.