TUESDAY, 18 MAY 2021 THE WEEKLY WRAP: COMING OF AGE JOE MERCER DIES AT 86 By Emma Berry In February, the inevitable announcement came that Pivotal (GB) was to be pensioned at Cheveley Park Stud at the age of 28. David and Patricia Thompson's homebred son of Polar Falcon has been one of the great British breeding stories of the last few decades and the sturdy chestnut has been a great friend to small and major breeders alike through his magnificent stud innings. As he continues his retirement, so does his legacy gain momentum. A few months before Pivotal was retired, his son Siyouni (Fr) had been crowned champion sire in his native France for the first time. The Aga Khan Studs stallion had only missed out on earning that title in the two previous seasons to Galileo (Ire) and Nathaniel (Ire), respectively the sires of the high-earning Arc winners Waldgeist (GB) and Enable (GB) in Joe Mercer at Ascot in 2017 | Getty Images those two years. Then Siyouni got his own Arc winner, Sottsass (Fr), augmenting a profile which already had a properly classy By John Berry look to it. British racing has lost one of its greatest figures with the In each of the last four seasons, Siyouni has been responsible passing of former champion jockey Joe Mercer OBE at the age of for a French Classic winner. His first-crop daughter Ervedya (Fr) 86. had actually got the ball rolling in 2015, winning the Poule Joseph Mercer was one of two brothers, born in Bradford in d'Essai des Pouliches for her and her sire's breeder the Aga Yorkshire, who lit up Britain=s apprentice ranks in the decade Khan. A little gap ensued, but Le Brivido (Fr) was soon knocking after the Second World War. The elder brother Emmanuel on the door, and was only a short-head away from claiming the >Manny= Mercer served his apprenticeship in Newmarket with Poule d'Essai des Poulains two years later when being so George Colling and created such a good impression (most narrowly beaten by Brametot (Ire). Cont. p5 obviously by riding the 100-1 winner of the 1947 Lincolnshire H., Jockey Treble, aged only 17) that Major Fred Sneyd, who trained at Wantage in Oxfordshire and who had already produced the IN TDN AMERICA TODAY great jockeys (and brothers) Eph and Doug Smith, wrote to NYRA SUSPENDS BOB BAFFERT Mercer=s father to ask, AAre there any more like him at home?@. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was temporarily suspended by Mr. Mercer jumped at the chance to send his younger son south NYRA on Monday. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. to be indentured to Major Sneyd. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 15 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • 18 MAY 2021 Joe Mercer Dies at 86 Cont. from p1 setting a record total of 61 wins) and had become a rare example of an apprentice to win a Classic, courtesy of the Apprenticeships were hard work in those days, particularly victory of Ambiguity (GB) (Big Game {GB}), owned by Lord Astor under the stewardship of a martinet such as Major Sneyd, and and trained by Bob Colling, in the Oaks in 1953. It would be Joe Mercer=s apprenticeship another 29 years until another featured unrelenting hard work apprentice (Billy Newnes) won a with very little money to show British Classic, taking the Oaks in for it. He started, aged 13, on 1982 for his boss Henry Candy on half-a-crown (12.5p) a week and Time Charter (Ire) (Saritamer). was still earning that sum when Tragically, Manny Mercer=s he rode his first winner, Eldoret, career was a great one (he rode three years later at Bath in two Classic winners and finished September 1950. He actually in the upper reaches of the sometimes did not even earn that jockeys= table throughout the much as he was fined sixpence 1950s) but not a long one: he (2.5p) every time he fell off. died instantly from head injuries Mercer=s wages had risen to 10 when his mount slipped on her shillings (50p) a week by the end way to the start before the Red of his seven-year apprenticeship. Deer S. at Ascot in September What was most relevant, though, Brigadier Gerard with Joe Mercer in the irons (far right) defeats Mill 1959. He was aged only 29. was that by then he was well on Reef in the 1971 2000 Guineas at Newmarket | Getty Images Happily, his younger brother was the way to a career such as money couldn=t buy. As an able to carry the family=s baton with the greatest distinction, apprentice he had ridden nearly 200 winners, had been remaining among the very top tier of British jockeys for 30 champion apprentice twice (in 1952 and =53, in the latter year years. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • 18 MAY 2021 Joe Mercer Dies at 86 Cont. Ambiguity had been trained at West Ilsley in Berkshire, whither Bob Colling had moved from Newmarket in 1949 to train for Lord Astor. Joe Mercer, although still apprenticed to Major Sneyd, was appointed the stable=s jockey in 1953, a position which he held until 1976. By this time, Major Dick Hern had taken over as trainer (following Colling=s retirement at the Senior Vice President end of the 1962 season) and the property was now owned by Sir Gary King Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Arnold (later Lord) Weinstock. Twitter: @garykingTDN [email protected] To widespread consternation, Sobell and Weinstock decided in + 1.732.320.0975 the autumn of 1976 that it was time to replace Mercer with a younger man, appointing Willie Carson to the position. International Editor At this point, Mercer was aged 42 and was widely regarded as Kelsey Riley the greatest jockey then riding in Great Britain who had never Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN been champion. He had enjoyed Classic success in the Oaks, the [email protected] St Leger (twice), the 2000 Guineas, the 1000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas, Irish Derby, Irish St Leger and, memorably, in the Prix European Editor de Diane in 1974 when he and HM The Queen=s great filly Emma Berry Highclere (GB) (Queen=s Hussar {GB}) had followed up their Twitter: @collingsberry victory in the 1000 Guineas. Most notably, he had ridden the [email protected] horse whom many regarded as the Horse of the Century: he had Associate International Editor ridden the Dick Hern-trained 1971 2000 Guineas hero Brigadier Heather Anderson Gerard (GB) (Queen=s Hussar {GB}) in all his races. Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Sobell and Weinstock may have felt at the time that Mercer=s talents were past their best, but nobody else did. In particular, Marketing Manager Henry Cecil clearly didn=t, hiring Mercer as his stable jockey. Nor Alayna Cullen did former champion trainer Peter Walwyn, who signed up Twitter: @AlaynaCullen Mercer, by then in the second half of his 40s, during a [email protected] remarkable jockeys= merry-go-round in the autumn of 1980, triggered by Lester Piggott=s decision to sever his ties with Contributing Editors Vincent O=Brien. Walwyn=s jockey Pat Eddery went to O=Brien at Alan Carasso Christina Bossinakis Ballydoyle; Mercer (who had lost the support of some of Cecil=s owners) went to Walwyn at Seven Barrows in Lambourn; and Cafe Racing Piggott went to Cecil at Warren Place in Newmarket. Cont. p4 Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY SCARBOROUGH, NICOLL REFLECT ON CABARET’S INFLUENCE Australian breeder Bob Scarborough and BBA Ireland’s Adrian Joe Mercer aboard Brigadier Gerard winning the 1972 King George VI Nicoll share their thoughts on Cabaret (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Click and Queen Elizabeth S. | Getty Images or tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. SCAT DADDY NO NAY NEVER Norfolk Stakes-Gr.2 & Gr.1 winner at 2. Sensational sire. TEN SOVEREIGNS Middle Park Stakes-Gr.1 winner at 2, European Champion 3YO Sprinter. Outstanding first foals in 2021. ARIZONA Coventry Stakes-Gr.2 winner. New for 2021. CARAVAGGIO* Royal Ascot superstar at 2 and 3 years. The only first season sire in history to be represented by two TDN Rising Stars before May 1st JUSTIFY* Undefeated Triple Crown winner & Horse Of The Year. The leading sire of weanlings in North America in 2020. SIOUX NATION Norfolk Stakes-Gr.2 & Gr.1 winner at 2 – just like NO NAY NEVER. First foals in 2020 sold for up to €140,000. MENDELSSOHN* Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf-Gr.1 winner. First weanlings in 2020 sold for $300,000, $300,000 etc. * Standing at Coolmore America ❝Nymphadora a potential star for No Nay Never❞ RACING POST 16 May Andreas Vesalius (CARAVAGGIO) scored at Naas to become his sire’s 6th first crop 2YO winner! 16 May Unicorn Lion (NO NAY NEVER) won the Listed Yahiko Stakes in Japan 15 May The Entertainer (CARAVAGGIO) was a first-time-out winner at Navan for Aidan O’Brien 14 May Nymphadora (NO NAY NEVER) scored for Andrew Balding at York in Britain’s first 2YO blacktype race of the season 11 May Dizzy Bizu (CARAVAGGIO) won first time out at Chantilly for Stephane Wattel Northern Dancer, Sadler’s Wells, Danehill, Galileo, SCAT DADDY. THE NEXT BIG THING! Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Hermine Bastide, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller, Neil Magee or Mark Byrne.