Cyril Mitchell

1915 - 2001

Cyril Albert Mitchell was born on February 27, 1915. Apprenticed to Epsom trainer Vic Smyth, he began his career on the Flat before turning to jumps.

He had his first ride under National Hunt rules on Venturer in the Crowhurst All-aged Hurdle at Lingfield Park on November 23, 1934, finishing unplaced. His first winner came courtesy of a horse named Peer Gynt, trained by Bill Payne at Epsom, in the Open Handicap Hurdle at Huntingdon on Whit Monday, June 10, 1935.

Cyril rode one winner at Cheltenham’s National Hunt meeting, Bishop’s Move in the Stayers’ Selling Hurdle in 1936, having also won on him at Gatwick the time before. He enjoyed his best season numerically with eight wins in the truncated 1939/40 season, during which he had his first ride in the Grand National, completing the course tenth of the seventeen finishers on 40-1 shot Dominick’s Cross.

But for the war, Cyril would probably have beaten his best season’s score of eight. He had his second Grand National mount in 1948 on 100-1 outsider Serpentine but was among the many fallers in a year when more than half the 43 runners either fell or were brought down.

He rode a total of 53 winners over jumps in Britain, the last of them on Dunpergo in a Plumpton selling hurdle on the Saturday of Plumpton’s Easter meeting, April 16, 1949. He came close to landing a big prize when finishing third on Pretence behind Secret Service in the 1950 Imperial Cup.

He had final ride when unplaced on Judgment in the Margate Handicap Hurdle at Folkestone on September 4, 1950, a day on which Bryan Marshall rode the first three winners, all of them owned by Dorothy Paget and trained by Fulke Walwyn.

Cyril began training in 1952, based at Burgh House Stables at Burgh Heath, the yard being located behind a pub. He achieved his first major success when saddling Gold Lion to win Royal Ascot’s King’s Stand Stakes in 1954.

He trained Sir Peter O’Sullevan’s Be Friendly to win Haydock’s Vernons Sprint Cup as a two-year-old in 1966. At three, Be Friendly won the Kempton 2000 Guineas Trial under Scobie Breasley before reverting to sprinting. Be Friendly was the best sprinter of 1967, his wins including the King’s Stand Stakes, the Ayr Gold Cup and a second Vernons Sprint Cup.

In 1968, with Cyril now based at Downs House, neighbouring the backstraight of Epsom’s racecourse, Be Friendly won the Prix de l’Abbaye with Geoff Lewis in the saddle. The following year he won the Sceptre Stakes and Newmarket’s Palace House Stakes.

Peter O’Sullevan’s successor to Be Friendly was Attivo, whom Cyril trained to win the Daily Express Triumph Hurdle and, on the Flat, the Chester Cup and the Northumberland Plate.

Another good horse he trained was the miler Boysie Boy, who, as a four-year-old in 1969, won five races culminating in the William Hill Handicap at Sandown, in which he beat a good colt named Lorenzaccio, destined the following year to beat Nijinsky in the Champion Stakes. Boysie Boy also finished second in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp.

Cyril retired at the end of 1974 and moved to Majorca, having been succeeded at Downs House by his son, Philip. Later, when asked “What was your best day in racing?”, he replied “The day I gave it up.”

Cyril Mitchell died on January 29, 2001, aged 85.