Hethersett was born in 1959 and lived for just seven years, during which time he won one of the country's five classic races and was denied a possible win in the UK's most famous race - the Epsom Derby.
It's difficult to know whether Hethersett is most remembered for winning the St Leger or for falling in the Derby.
After showing promise as a two-year-old, Hethersett was the highest-rated British three-year-old of 1962 when he also won the Brighton Derby Trial and the Great Voltigeur Stakes. After his success in the Leger, when he gave his trainer Dick Hern his first classic win, Hethersett never won again and was retired in 1963. He had a brief but successful stud career before his death at the age of seven.
Hethersett was a powerfully-built bay horse with no white markings bred by his owner, Major Lionel Brook Holliday and named after our village. Holliday sent Hethersett to his private Lagrange stable at Newmarket where he was trained by Dick Hern.
Hethersett was sired by Hugh Lupus, a French-bred stallion who won the Champion Stakes in 1956. Hugh Lupus suffered from low fertility at stud but sired several other good horses including the 1,000 Guineas winner Pourparler.
Hugh Lupus and Hethersett were representatives of the Byerley Turk sire line, unlike more than 95% of modern thoroughbreds, who descend directly from the Darley Arabian.
Hethersett's dam, Bride Elect (by Big Game) was a fast filly who won the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot for Holliday in 1954. However her dam, Netherton Maid, was a stayer and finished second in the Oaks, another British classic.
Hethersett began his three-year-old season on 15th May by winning the Derby Trial Stakes at Brighton by five lengths. Three weeks later he was sent to Epsom for the Derby, and was strongly fancied, despite his lack of experience. Ridden by the 45-year-old veteran Harry Carr he started favourite at odds of 9/2 in a field of 26 runners. He appeared to be travelling well in the middle of the field when he was one of seven horses to either fall or be 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. It is a relatively rare occurrence for a horse to fall in a flat race.
Hethersett ran poorly on firm ground at Goodwood in July, finishing seventh but returned to form in August at York. Ridden by Frankie Durr in the Great Voltigeur Stakes over one and a half miles he started at odds of 15/2 and won by a short head from Miralgo.
In the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster on 12th September, Hethersett started at odds of 100/8 with some doubting that he would be effective over the distance of fourteen and a half furlongs (almost two miles) 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 16 Classic victories in his career as a trainer. On his final appearance of the season, Hethersett was brought back in distance for the Champion Stakes over one and a quarter miles at Newmarket and finished second to the Irish 2000 Guineas winner Arctic Storm.
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. Hethersett was given a rating of 134 by the independent Timeform organisation, placing him equal with Arctic Storm as the best three-year-old in Europe.
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). 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 in 1966: Hern speculated that the trouble stemmed from the head injury the colt sustained in the Derby.
Being somebody who has been "racing" on numerous occasions over the years I am aware that some of the terminology above may be a little difficult to understand. Put in simple terms there are five British classics - The Derby, The Oaks, the St Ledger, the 1,000 Guineas and the 2,000 Guineas. Hethersett was a top class horse. I am not sure just why he was named after our village but the fact the owner named one of his offspring Blakeney would suggest a love or strong connection with Norfolk.
You can view the closing stages of the St Ledger 1962 on You Tube by following the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lBm-me_QxA
The 1962 Pathe News coverage of the Derby can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NvrNYzVZjo.
Unfortunately the coverage misses the incident where Hethersett was brought down. There's slightly different coverage at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o8YC8CavBE
I am very grateful to Lewis Buckingham once again for sending me more images of Hethersett Racecourse. which are reproduced below. The first is a map showing the racecourse. This clearly shows that there was a grandstand. Below that is a painting entitled Hethersett Challenge which depicts racing at Hethersett by H. F. Mills.
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