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Andrew Le Jeune talks with the sport's biggest names to discuss the one race that stands out in their memory. Jockeys, trainers, owners, broadcasters and officials all take a turn at recalling the stories behind their biggest racing moments on 'The Race'.
Royal Ascots often steals the headlines as far as their two Group 1 sprinting contests are concerned, but for many the real jewel in the UK sprinting crowd is the July Cup at Newmarket.
Lamarto was simply brilliant that afternoon, albeit a little wayward under Harry Bentley, but giving both Jockey and Horse their first Group 1 success, which went a long way to establishing them as major players on the biggest of international stages.
I'm Andrew Lejeune and this is the race brought to you by Idle Horse. And I'm pleased to say that Harry joins us to reflect on what was a very special day, Harry, and a very special horse for you as well, as far as your career was concerned. Yeah, hi, Andrew. Thanks for having me. But yeah, to add to your question, he was an extremely important horse in my career. And I think really just springboarded me onto that next level and got me competing and competitive in the top group one.
which for any jockey, you just need that breakthrough horse. And he was the one for me. Yeah, it was the first group one for you. It was the first group one for him as well, in actual fact, Lomato. But as you say, really launched you as far as being major players then on the global stage. went to America and Dubai, then, and I suppose ultimately it helped accelerate your career as well with maybe overseas opportunities too. Yeah, that's right. I mean, I was able to go and ride him in the Breeders' Cup, which was a huge
It huge milestone, I think, in my career to be on the big stage like that with a competitive ride. I felt like things slightly took a change for the better in my career, just that quality was stepping up. So, yeah, incredibly talented horse. And on his day when the ground was right and over his correct trip, he was very formidable.
and had an awful lot of talent. So before we get to the actual July Cup itself, how did your association come about? Because you'd ridden him in the start before and that was the first time you'd ridden him, I think, in the lock-in stakes. That was over a mile. I think previously James Daw would have ridden him a bit, Ryan Moore would have actually ridden him as well. So how did you get the ride for that season? Yeah, well I remember him as a two-year-old. was extremely impressive when winning at Kempton, I think first time out under David Probert. Then James Daw got the ride and
He ended up winning, I think, Red Car, that two-year-old race towards the end of the season of the racing post race. he obviously had a bit of a reputation as a young two-year-old coming through. And then Paul Jacobs, the owner, just contacted me one day at the races. I remember I was at Chelmsford riding. And he pulled me aside and just said, would you be interested in having a ride on La Marta with the hope that you'll stay with him?
really get to know him and hopefully you two can sort of go through the rest of his career with him. So it was a bit of a bolt from the blue, but an amazing opportunity to have picked up and you never know how these things are going to go, whether or not you're going to ride in once or twice, things don't go to plan and you lose the ride and that often happens in racing and you just accept that those things are part of the parcel.
I was extremely happy to get the ride though and as you mentioned his first race came in the lock-inch which was over a mile and it was the first time he was stepping up to that distance so there were a few question marks going into it and I think coming out of that race naturally slightly disappointed with his performance but also thinking that anything after that first run was going to be an improvement and just knowing in the back of our heads that perhaps a mile wasn't
the way it was going to pan out for him and it might not have been his favorable trip. So we left that lock-in race with plenty to take away, but certainly not writing him off after that, knowing that whatever he did after that, he was still going to be a very good horse going into that season. You mentioned that red car race as a two-year-old. He had an incredible record over a period of time. So seven seasons he won.
a listed or group race from a two-year-old right up until his final season as well. had amazing consistency over that time as well because we're talking about his four-year-old season now as we go towards the July Cup. Yeah, that's correct. He was incredibly consistent throughout his career and I mean he never went off the ball. Yeah, he had a couple of runs and races that didn't go his way. As I said before, he was very ground dependent.
moisture in the ground, he just wasn't at his best. knowing what the weather can be like in the UK, even in our summers, there was never a guarantee that he was going to get that quick of ground. So a few of his runs were on ground, was far from ideal. But his performance at that top level was incredible and it just showed how tough he was. So going into the July Cup itself then, how confident were you?
as far as being a winning chance was concerned. Obviously you'd be happier coming back in trip, but a group one feel, did you ever envisage that he'd do what he actually did that afternoon? Well, I knew going into the race that he had a really good chance and I knew that obviously in the betting he was very well fancy to bounce back from his lock-in run and very happy with what he was doing at home and he always gave me a very good feel.
When the chips were down, he really would give you an incredible feel. So I knew I was going into the race with him in good spirits, but at the same time, it was a really competitive field. There were some very good horses in there. And I seem to remember that my draw wasn't ideal just because the better horses in the race were drawn on the other side. So I knew it was going to be quite tricky, but he got a lovely run through. If anything, I'd probably hit the front a little sooner than ideal.
And you see how he ran around in those closing stages. He was able to beat an extremely strong field and be running around at the same time. So it was a hell of a performance. And I remember at the time everyone remarking on the fact that it was a strong July Cup. It's never an easy race to win. on that day, there were some very, good horses in there. So it was hell of a performance.
Idol Horse (07:14.198)
little quirk you could see in him. He's never been the most straightforward of horses, whether it be saddling up before the race, he was difficult to put a saddle on and hated his girth being done up. And if you got his girth checked at the start, he'd almost do the splits. He was extremely soft-skinned and just hated being touched. And even in the stable, he would savage you at any given time. So he had a real quirk.
him but I think in a way it was one of his assets, he was a fight for the little thing. So what can you put it into words what that feeling is like when you're in a group one six furlong sprint and you can still run away from the fields like that, he did on other occasions as well but the feeling must be just incredible. Yeah that's the feeling that we all get up in the mornings for to be honest when you're riding those really good horses and to be able to do that in a group one
race in that sort of company when you it's almost like pushing the button and that instant response you know as a jockey that it's going to take a hell of a horse to come and get you when you get that change of pace and turn of foot so an amazing feeling and I really knew at that moment once I kicked for home that it was going to take a hell of a horse to come and get him the way you responded that day.
You can only be so tactical, I suppose, in a straight six furlong race. You know, that sort of level, you had a clear run. Whether you hit the front or not, really matter. You still won the race. But there's only so much tactically speaking you can do when you're sort of, you know, traveling so strongly upside the leaders. You what else are you going to do but just to kick on and go for home? Well, yeah, that's right. I mean, you've got to be careful in those races when you've got such big fields that you don't get boxed in and don't get that.
chance to even show what your horse can do. So that's in the back of your mind. You want just a fair race and you want to be able to come back and say, we had every chance and if we were the best on the day or not on the best of the day, at least you can go home knowing that you gave it a fair crack. You had a fair chance. So yeah, that's always something to consider. But at the same time, as you say, when you're traveling that well,
and the horse is just taking you into the race. You don't want to disappoint them too much or try and break their stride. You want to just let them stretch and get into a rhythm really. And whether they take you there a few strides earlier than you'd ideally like, I think it's also important that your horse is traveling and quickening in its own time. Even taking into account his quirks, I can't imagine you really expected him to veer off the way he did. I sure enough, you're riding a green two-year-old first time out,
you'd be expecting that maybe there's going to be a, you know, a jinker left or a right. But that's the last thing you'd have been expecting in a group one sprint. Was there a moment when your weight just sort of shifted? thought, I'm in trouble? Or are you always under control? I think I was always under control. But I did, I think when I watched the replay, I thought, wow, that could have gone really sideways. yeah, it's one of those things. All you want is just a smooth run and things to go as easy as possible. So yeah, you just.
You know, made sure I was still concentrating, I think. I think when I watched the head on, I really did think that was that could have been quite, quite nasty. thankfully, stayed as one and I certainly marked his card after that and thought I'll rest on my laurels if he's out in front. was, as we touched on, consistent over a long, period of time. And when he was, I mean, you can't expect a horse to perform at that level necessarily.
every single time they set for the race course but it did seem when he was good he was just exceptional. was at the end of the year at Longshan as well, the group one there, the Predola 4A. The way he used to travel and other horses, group one horses around him off the bridle, he just seemed to be still in second or third gear just waiting for you to push the accelerator. How do you describe that, do think, in terms of having that sort of ability?
It's very, it's few and far between this to be able to do that in good fields, in group one fields consistently like he did. Yeah, well, I mean, as I said before, it's just those horses are the ones that you really are just searching day in, day out to try and a fine, but also get on them. And neither is easy. Sprinters notoriously can be a little bit in and out with their form. And if you ran a race 10 times, you might get
six different outcomes of some of these sprint races that closely matched. But Lomato on his day when the conditions were right, my god, he was a seriously talented horse. And I just remember that Prix de la Forêt, which was the year it was at Chantilly, while Longchamp was being constructed for what it is now. And I mean, the race just couldn't have gone smoother. I had a really nice draw.
I followed the pace and was able just to get a run off the back of the leader. And it was that instantaneous asking him to quicken and him putting length between the field. And I was able to almost really take that in that day, I think that the way he quickened and got to the front, I just knew he'd won. I knew there was nothing that could come and get me from from that. And It's the dream really. I've been looking for that sort of feeling again and will be till the day I retire from this job. That's really what excites you and gets you motivated. There are so many superlatives I could use but he was committable over that. Seven furlongs actually but if you look at the programme in the UK it really doesn't suit seven furlong horses at the top level. We've got one race which is the lock in, no sorry, the Lennox takes at Goodwood over the Glorious Goodwood week. That's been upgraded from a group three to a group two in recent years. But we have no group ones over seven furlongs in the UK. that always, I guess, it almost overshadowed what he could have done as well. Even though his career was extremely decorated, it could have been more so had the calendar suited the seven furlong horses more and I genuinely think he would have won more at the top level in those group one races had that been the case. So, you know, the four-eight was the ideal race for him over that seven furlongs, but equally he was very talented over six. And the second in the Numpalp as well over five. Yeah, exactly. I mean, again, that just shows, I think these good horses at the top level, even when you get good milers, they have that natural speed and they can just adapt and cruising speed with those good horses is undeniable. I say, could get Romantic Warrior, for example. I he'd win over far less a distance just on pure war talent. Talking, going back to his temperament maybe for a moment, Henry Candy, did he like you to come down and ride in work or did he leave that to the lad that knew him best? Did you just see him on race day or did you ever go to Kingston Warren as well? I went to Kingston Warren. I used to go to Kingston Warren actually every week to ride out and actually it almost spurred a bit of a relationship between myself and Henry Candy as well. The fact that I got on Lomato and I think we got on well as a team actually. I enjoyed riding for, I can't even call him Henry Candy, it's always been Mr. Candy. So I always really enjoyed riding for him. an extremely laid back person to ride for and really leaves a lot of trust and judgment in the jockey's hands, which is where I think jockeys excel when they're given that little bit of freedom. And so yeah, I used to go in there weekly and ride a lot of the other horses as well as the marten when he did work, but there was never any real pressure like you have to be here when he whenever he does X, Y and Z. The guy who used to ride him out every day knew him inside out. So Miss Candy was always very happy to let whoever do the work, whether it be me or Neil, his work rider. So yeah, was a great relationship. I think there was, as I say, that freedom to not be tied down to one instruction. That helps the jockey, I think, going into those big races, just relax a bit more. You're actually one step ahead of me because a few people would know that he gave me, Henry Kander gave me my first job in, well, it's actually my first job, my first job in racing. I used to live down the road.
I'd cycle up on school holidays and weekends. And we used to call him Sir back then. And I still feel a certain, not uneasy is probably the wrong word, but when I've seen him again since, still, like meeting your old headmaster from school. But when I tell people about Kingston Warren, I try and portray what an amazing training center is. Not so much the state of the art facilities with equisizers and climate control and that sort of thing, but the gallops are just incredible in terms of the space they have and the quality of the turf. And you could probably fit two racecourses on the land there. the, so the, the unbelievable opportunity that the horses have there to those grass gallops in particular on the top of Whitehorse Hill and KWB as well, are just incredible. But it's very hard without going there, be able to describe what they're like exactly. Yeah, it really is. mean, it's hallow turf, to be honest. anyone would jump at the opportunity to have those on their doorstep. And what I think is very important for those horses, especially from a young age, it's not like you're running on a pan flat man-made grass gallop. They're very undulating and they really test the horse's balance. And for those younger horses, they get themselves extremely organized and especially heading to their first races. They really know how to keep hold of themselves and our tracks in the UK, as you well know, are very undulating and cambered and what have you. So the grass gallops there are absolutely imperative to get those horses ready and as best prepared for racing as you could imagine. So you have to see it to really understand it.
This needs fact checking. haven't, I was told once, but I haven't actually checked myself that Michael Dickinson was interviewed once and asked if he ever come back to the UK or to Europe. And he said the only places you consider training were Balli Doyle, Mannton and Kingston Warren because of the, because of the gallops that probably says a lot. If it's true, of course, it might just be an urban. Yeah. No, well Mannton's well, I don't know. I'm sure Pally Doyle is absolutely. I've never been there myself, but the other two I have. Moving on from Limato then, Harry, obviously amazing days and some amazing wins to enjoy on that. is there one race that you look at? might have been with Lomato in actual fact, but you look at and think things didn't just go quite right for you. And if you had that opportunity again, for whatever reason it might have been, that it might have been a different outcome. Yeah, well, I think Naturally, throughout my career, there have been plenty of times where I thought, God, I'd love a rerun of that one. You the old adage of we're wiser after the event comes to mark. I think, I mean, perhaps one would have been Lightning Thunder, who I rode in the Guineas, the Thousand Guineas, I think it was maybe 2014. Not that anything went really wrong, but I just felt that perhaps as a rider I was a little bit, well obviously I was less experienced than I am now. She ended up just hanging a little bit in the closing stages and being beaten the neck. In a classic it's always hard to take. So I'd love another go at that. And I think if I were to be riding her now, I don't know if I would have made the difference of getting that neck back, but I think I would have given it a better crack. And that, yeah, I guess that one stayed with me a little bit.
It wasn't a real cut and dry, I should definitely have won that. There's nothing like that, I love another go at it. Yeah, and it's without saying the obvious, you get one shot, don't you? It's not like a game of football. You can turn around and shake your head and you get another chance, another five minutes time. That's it. It's the one hit, one shot, one chance, and then it's over. You've got to wait another year, not for that, for a different horse even, to have a go at that race.
Yeah, well, that's it. And you say wait another year, but you might actually never get in that position again where you have a live chance or a horse that actually takes you there in a classic, which as we know, there are only five British classics in a season. So they're hard to get. But that is part of the job. And I think as a sports person, whether or not it's a team sport or individual sport, you have to learn from whatever's happened, take the facts out of it and try and move on without it affecting you negatively going forward. No matter what happens week on week, there are always going to be races that you wish you could have maybe done this or done that, but at the end of the day, you're faced with a split second decision so many times and it's not always going to go your way. So I think as long as you are able to compartmentalise both things and move on because at the end of the day you're going out to your next race 30 minutes later. So you can't always take it with you. Sometimes you can't help it. It might just be lingering in your mind, but it's always important to try and move on and take the next race as a totally new proposition. you deal with that internally yourself in an era of sports psychologists? Is that something that you use or look towards now or do you deal with it internally?
Well, yeah, throughout my whole career, I've always dealt with it myself. And I think, especially when I was in my younger years, I found it harder to get over losses and mistakes. But I think as I've got more experience and I've been doing what I'm doing for 15 years now, just over, so I'm a lot better at getting over those speed bumps really. And don't get me wrong, but still there are still times where something will stay with me and it will just frustrate me a little bit. since I've been in Hong Kong, we do have the access to a sports psychologist, which I've spoken to on a number of occasions. And it just gives it a different spin on certain scenarios and makes you just think that there are or can be better ways to handle certain things. And any tool like that that's available, you'd be mad not to utilize and make the most of.
Absolutely. Well, onwards and upwards and the search for the next Lamarzo continues. We're in the constant search for new guests as well, Harry. So I'd like to ask you for a suggestion. Helps me move along. Who would someone you'd think would be either might be someone you know directly, who's got a good story to tell about a certain horse or somebody you'd like to hear from as well. Yeah, well, a good friend of mine, Luke Morris, I think would be a very good jockey to speak to. He's, I I mean, he's had an incredible career, whether it be just the sheer number of rides and winners he's had, but he's also had some incredible winners at the top level and an incredibly hard working guy, probably the hardest working person I know. He'd definitely be an interesting person to speak to and I think you'll find him very fascinating. All right, we'll certainly put him on the list. We'll track him down and try and get him on for a future episode, but really appreciate your time this afternoon, Harry, and we'll catch up again soon. Absolute pleasure. Thanks for having me. Thank you for your company as well. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe to make sure you never miss a future episode and let us know who you'd like to see on an upcoming episode as well as a future guest. For now though, that's it. We'll see you next time on The Race.