Born at Erith, Kent, on March 9, 1901, Victor Henry James Smyth was apprenticed to Richard Wootton, and rode his first winner, Dick Whittington, at Manchester on June 3 1914.

His two jockey brothers, William & Monty, had both also served their time with Wootton.

Vic with his brother, Monty

Newmarket 1918: Vic wins the Cambridgeshire on Zinovia

Zinovia makes its way down to the start of the 1918 Cambridgeshire

Newmarket. 1922 Two Thousand Guineas. The favourite, Captain Cuttle, ridden by Vic, finish a well-beaten third behind St Louis (George Archibald) and Pondoland. The main reason Captain Cuttle disappointed his backers at Newmarket was health. He had won the Wood Ditton Stakes in a canter just weeks prior but became ill shortly after. His legendary trainer, Fred Darling, admitted the colt hadn't fully recovered by the time the Guineas rolled around. He lacked his usual "zip" and was simply outpaced by the fitter St Louis on the soft ground. The 2,000 Guineas defeat actually worked in favor of the "shrewd" punters. Because he finished a distant third, his odds for the Epsom Derby drifted to 10/1.

Four weeks later, back at peak fitness and with Vic replaced by the iconic Steve Donoghue, Captain Cuttle completely reversed the form. He didn't just win; he dominated, winning by four lengths in a then-record time of 2:34.6. St Louis, the Guineas winner who had looked invincible, struggled on the Epsom gradients and finished a well-beaten fourth.

St Louis entered the Two Thousand Guineas with a relatively quiet juvenile record, having finished unplaced in his only start at age two. However, he showed immense improvement over the winter. On the day of the race, the ground was soft, conditions that favored his strength. Ridden by the American jockey George Archibald, St Louis surged past the leader, Captain Cuttle, in the final furlong to win comfortably by three length

The victory was particularly special for George Archibald. He had arrived in England that year to take up a retainer with trainer Peter Gilpin at the famous Clarehaven Stables. Winning a Classic so early in his tenure cemented his reputation in the UK.

In a bizarre twist that feels more like a modern tabloid headline, Captain Cuttle's Derby win was later embroiled in controversy. The Daily Express published allegations that the horse had been illegally injected with cocaine to numb the pain of a "shoeing accident" (a prick from a nail) just before the race.

His owner, Lord Woolavington, was outraged and sued the newspaper for libel. He eventually won the case, as no proof of drugging was ever found, but the "Cocaine Derby" remained a talking point for years.

Captain Cuttle was famously massive—a "heavy-topped" chestnut by the great sire Hurry On. His size was so imposing that Fred Darling often had to ride the horse himself during exercise because he didn't trust a lightweight apprentice to handle the colt's power. This bulk made him a late-maturer, explaining why he was only "half-baked" during the spring Classics.