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Prince Regent
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By Stewart Peters. ©Stewart Peters, 2005. Stewart Peters is an author who writes about steeplechasing; his latest is The History of the Aintree Spectacular. This is an excerpt from his forthcoming book, The Irish Grand National.
See Also Irish Grand National Race Chart
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Without doubt, one of the biggest stars in steeplechasing in
the first half of the twentieth century was the immensely popular
Prince Regent, a bay gelding with an intimidating body frame,
standing over seventeen hands high. Prince Regent dominated Irish
racing during the 1940s, and but for the intervention of the Second
World War that so disrupted racing in England, the horse surely would
have enshrined himself as one of the top two or three horses of the
century.
As it was, Prince Regent's career was magnificent. Owned by
one of racing's most wealthy patrons, Mr James V. Rank, the horse was
sent in to training at Tom Dreaper's farm at Greenogue, Kilsallaghan
in County Dublin, with the trainer (when also an amateur jockey)
partnering the horse to its first win in 1940. Dreaper was an
unassuming man and never trained the quantity of horses at one time
that the likes of Martin Pipe or Paul Nicholls do today, yet for over
40 years he remained at the top of his profession, and in the Irish
Grand National, his training record was unrivalled.
Developing into a powerful animal with size and strength,
Prince Regent quickly illustrated his brilliance over fences as a
youngster, and was soon given the burden of carrying huge weights
every time he raced, tasks he performed quite imperiously in his
prime in the early forties. In 1942, when seven years of age, he
contested the Irish Grand National for the first time. Allotted the
maximum weight of 12st 7lbs, the already hugely popular Irish chaser
was made the warm favourite on the day, starting the race at a price
of 5/2. Taking the mount, as he did throughout most of Prince
Regent's career, was Timmy Hyde. A former showjumper, Hyde had
already tasted victory in the Fairyhouse race when winning aboard
Clare County in 1938, while he had also won the Aintree Grand
National on Workman in 1939.
In a field of ten, those expected to give Prince Regent most
to think about were Durbar, St Martin and Golden Jack. Receiving 2
stone from Prince Regent, the six-year-old Durbar had beaten the
favourite at Leopardstown earlier in the season, but only after
Prince Regent had suffered a rare fall. Second in the handicap, St
Martin was a talented if error-prone chaser that had won a Galway
Plate in his time, while the Dan Moore-ridden Golden Jack was owned
by Miss Dorothy Paget, the lady who had owned the great chaser of the
1930s, Golden Miller, a horse that won five Cheltenham Gold Cups and
an Aintree Grand National.
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| 1942 Irish Grand National | | Fate | Horse | Age/Wt. | Jockey |
| 1 | Prince Regent | 7.12.7 | T. Hyde |
| 2 | Golden Jack | 7.11.9 | D.L. Moore |
| 3 | St. Martin | 9.12.0 | A. Brabazon |
| 4 | Bel Et Bon | a.11.7 | J. Lenehan |
| 5 | Knight of Killala | 6. 9.11 | H. Harty |
| 6 | General Chiang | a.10.8 | R.J. O'Ryan |
| 7 | Waving Star | a.10.10 | M.C. Prendergast |
| 8 | Durbar | 6.10.7 | W.T. O'Grady |
| 9 | British Raid | 6.9.13 | T. McNeill |
| 10 | Dalmation | a.9.7 | M. Gordon |
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Weight is in stones and pounds
(a) = Aged
6th April 1942
Winner - £740
Race Distance - 3 m. 4 f.
Time - 8 mins.
10 Ran
Winner trained by T.W. Dreaper
Winner owned by Mr. J.V. Rank
Prince Regent, bay gelding by Mr Prince - Nemaea
Betting - 5/2 PRINCE REGENT, 4/1 Durbar, 5/1 St. Martin, 7/1 Golden Jack, 10/1 Bel Et Bon & British Raid, 100/8 Knight of Killala & Waving Star, 100/6 General Chiang, 20/1 Dalmation
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Indeed, it was to be Golden Jack that disputed the lead for
much of the way, cutting out the running with the six-year-old
British Raid on the first circuit. One of the striking features of
the 1942 Irish National was the state of the ground. Conditions were
atrocious and the course had turned in to a virtual quagmire. It was
clear that the race would develop in to a brutal examination of
stamina, offering an even greater challenge to the heavily burdened
Prince Regent.
As it was, Prince Regent was held up in the early stages by
Hyde until being sent forward at the halfway stage. It was then that
the favourite began to display his class; regularly outjumping his
rivals in a show of authority. Making his move, Prince Regent took
the measure of most of the early leaders with only Golden Jack able
to stay with the powerful top weight.
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The closing stages turned in to a dour battle as Prince
Regent fought hard to shake off the persistent challenge of Golden
Jack. Hard ridden by Hyde but untouched with the whip, Prince Regent
brought the crowd to their feet after jumping the last with the
advantage. Churning resolutely towards the line with the conviction
of a champion, Prince Regent shrugged off Golden Jack and drew a roar
of approval as he crossed the line a brave and deserved winner,
carrying the the royal blue and primrose-quartered colours to his
owner's biggest win to that point. Back in third came St Martin,
ridden by Aubrey Brabazon.
Prince Regent had passed another stern weight-carrying test,
this time in searching conditions. The fact that he possessed the
required stamina for such a challenge came as little surprise with a
brief study of his family. Prince Regent was by the excellent sire of
chasers, My Prince, a sire also responsible for Aintree Grand
National winners Gregalach, Reynoldstown and Royal Mail, as well as
dual-Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Easter Hero.
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Tom Dreaper when training Arkle
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It was a first Irish National success for Dreaper, but by no
means the last, as he set about compiling a most enviable record in
the race. A second victory in the race for Hyde also illustrated his
fine relationship with Prince Regent, a horse he won on twelve times
in total. Sadly, Hyde was paralysed in a fall in 1951 and was
confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Having won the
1942 Irish Grand National, Prince Regent continued to take on all
before him in his homeland with great success, a fact all the more
resounding considering the lack of racing in England in the early
forties meant many top horses that normally would have been sold
overseas stayed in Ireland to race. |
It was a crying shame that by the time racing reconvened in
earnest in England, Prince Regent was past his best, as age and years
of excessive weight-carrying performances began to take their toll.
Had he been able to contest Cheltenham Gold Cups or Aintree Grand
Nationals as a younger horse, there is no telling where the horse may
rank in the history of the great chasers. Although no longer able to
dominate like he did as a younger horse, Prince Regent was still,
however, a force to be reckoned with, and he captured the Cheltenham
Gold Cup in 1946, albeit opposed by a mediocre bunch.
In his later years, Prince Regent was asked to compete in the
Aintree Grand National, a race traditionally not kind to those at the
top of the handicap. In both 1946 and 1947, Prince Regent was
favourite for the race but had to carry 12st 5lbs or more both times,
and although acquitting himself bravely, he simply could not find the
necessary reserves to come home in front, finishing third and fourth
respectively. Prince Regent also ran at Aintree in 1948 aged
thirteen, but that time he was carried out.
Prince Regent enjoyed a long career with tremendous success.
He is considered one of the finest weight-carrying performers of all
time and his efforts earned him widespread praise for his courage and
class. He was the finest steeplechaser in Ireland during the period
he raced and his place on the Irish Grand National roll of honour
lends much credit and authority to the history of the race.
--Stewart Peters
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