Arthur Cecil Samuel Freeman Falkiner Brabazon, who went by his second Christian name of Cecil, was born in 1884, one of six children of William and Madelaine Brabazon. William farmed at Johnstown House near Mullingar, County Westmeath. In those days, almost every farmer, big or small, kept a few horses for working the land, for transport, for hunting and the natural follow-on from that – a horse or two for the local point-to-point or nearby race meeting.
From this background, Cecil established himself as a leading amateur rider in the early years of the twentieth century. He rode his first winner at Kilbeggan in 1906 on his father’s mare Annie Symons. In 1910 he won the prestigious Conyngham Cup Chase at Punchestown on Repeater II.
He started training at his home, Woodlands, on the shores of Lough Owel in County Westmeath, then in 1912 he moved to a rented yard at Rossmore Lodge on the Curragh. In 1913, aided by his younger brother Leslie, he trained 42 winners from just 18 horses.
In 1915 Cecil journeyed to America where he took up a post as private trainer to Ambrose Clark at Belmont Park. He rode and trained several winners in the States but never really settled there, returning to Ireland the following year. With Ireland then under British rule and heavily involved in the Great War, coupled with the Easter Rising of 1916, setting up as a trainer was virtually impossible, so he took up a position in Belfast as head of a remount depot.
When the war ended, he rented Kilcumny House, on the outskirts of Kildare, and resumed training. His son, Aubrey, destined to become Irish champion jockey in 1946 and to win three Cheltenham Gold Cup on Cottage Rake and a brace of Champion Hurdles on Hatton’s Grace, was born there on January 7, 1920.
Just two months later, Cecil achieved his greatest success in the saddle when winning the 1920 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, known then as the Amateurs’ Grand National, on Prudhomme, owned and trained in Ireland by James Daly. Prudhomme was backed down from 10-1 to 9-2 co-favourite on the day so was evidently a popular winner.
Cecil had one ride in the Grand National itself, on Ballyboggan, trained by Bob Fetherstonhaugh. Ballyboggan had won on the 1918 Irish Grand National and had finished second to Ernie Piggott’s mount Poethlyn in the 1919 Grand National, so there were great hopes for him the following year. Alas, those hopes were short-lived as he made the earliest possible exit by falling at the first fence.
Cecil was champion Irish amateur in 1920, 1922 and 1923, but his overall record, although impressive, was overshadowed by the exploits of his brother Leslie, who was champion amateur rider on six occasions and was outright champion jockey in 1913, a feat only achieved during the twentieth century by two other amateurs, Billy Parkinson and Eric McKeever.
Cecil did well as a trainer too, winning the Irish Grand National in 1921 with Bohernore, owned by his lifelong friend Archie Willis. A few weeks later, Bohernore completed a big race double when winning the Prince of Wales Chase at Punchestown. Also that year, he trained King Michael to win eight races in a row including the Galway Hurdle.
In 1925, he moved to Trimblestown Stud in County Meath, having taken the job of private trainer to Frank Barbour, a wealthy Northern Ireland businessman in the linen trade. Barbour was so enthusiastic that he built a steeplechase course of his own incorporating reproductions of several famous fences, over which the horses were schooled.
The partnership got off to a flying start when Blancona and Alroi won the Galway Plate and Galway Hurdle double in 1925. A few months later, Blancona showed his versatility by winning the Irish Cesarewitch and the following year he returned to Galway to win the Galway Hurdle, the only instance of a horse completing the big Galway double ‘the wrong way around’.
Another good horse Cecil trained for Frank Barbour was Koko. He saddled him to win at Limerick and Mullingar in 1925. The following year Barbour sent him over to his English trainer, a man named Bickley, shortly before the third running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup which he duly won. Cecil then won several more races with Koko when he returned to Ireland after his Cheltenham victory.
At one time, Cecil had an even better horse under his care in Easter Hero, one of the all-time greats of steeplechasing. Frank Barbour bought him in the summer of 1926 and Cecil trained him to win chases at Ballinrobe and Baldoyle in 1926 before he was also sent to Bickley, for whom he won Liverpool Molyneux Chase. Subsequently sold to American owner Jock Whitney, Easter Hero would go on to the become the first dual winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1929 and 1930.
The successful association with Frank Barbour ended after only a few years. As Barbour’s private trainer, Cecil’s part in the operation was never publicly recognised and he felt that his future training career was being jeopardised by the fact that his employer was always reluctant to share any credit with his trainer. All the successes credited Barbour and rarely, if ever, mentioned Cecil by name.
He thus relinquished his post and moved to Rangers Lodge on the Curragh, where he trained for the remainder of his career. Among his main patrons there was Richard Croker, son of ‘Boss’ Croker, owner of Orby, the first Irish-trained winner of the Epsom Derby. Cecil trained plenty of winners in the Croker colours including Cederhurst, who won the Phoenix Stakes, known as the ‘Fifteen Hundred’, Ireland’s most prestigious two-year-old race, in 1932. Two others were Celebrator and Corey, who finished sixth and seventh respectively behind April The Fifth in the 1932 Epsom Derby.
In 1937, Cecil won the Irish Grand National for a second time with Pontet. He was Ireland’s champion trainer in 1940 when training his third Irish National winner, Jack Chaucer. Jack Chaucer also won that year’s inaugural running the Red Cross Chase, which was then by far the most valuable steeplechase ever run in Ireland. It was a promotional effort by the government and the Hospital Sweepstakes to give racing a boost in the depressed war years.
Cecil had his last ride at the age of 55 when partnering St Martin, which he also trained, in a Leopardstown bumper on April 6, 1940, bringing to an end a 35-year career in the saddle. St Martin finished unplaced on that occasion but next time out won a maiden hurdle at Limerick Junction with Cecil’s son Aubrey in the saddle. Aubrey and St Martin went on to win a great many races, including, in 1941, the Red Cross Chase, giving Cecil back-to-back victories in Ireland’s richest steeplechase.
In 1948, Cecil trained Beau Sabreur to win the Irish Two Thousand Guineas and the Irish St Leger, then in 1949 he sent Beau Sabreur to England to win the Coronation Cup. Beau Sabreur was also the first Irish-trained runner in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, finishing seventh behind Coronation in 1949.
By the time of his retirement in 1960, he had trained the winners of three Irish Grand Nationals, two Galway Plates, two Galway Hurdles and two Red Cross Chases, while on the Flat he trained the winners of the Irish Two Thousand Guineas, the Irish St Leger, the Coronation Cup, two Phoenix Stakes, a National Stakes, as well as five winners of the Irish Lincolnshire.
