Master Willie (12 April 1977 – October 2001) was a British racehorse and sire. As a three-year-old in 1980 he finished second in The Derby and won the Group One

Benson and Hedges Gold Cup Benson may refer to: Animals * Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom *Benson, Oxfordshire ...

. In the following year he added victories in the

Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

and Eclipse Stakes before being retired to stud. He stood as a breeding stallion in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany with mixed results before his death in 2001.

Background

Master Willie was a chestnut horse with a white blaze and four white

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

bred by William and Robert Barnett. He was sired by High Line, a stayer who won three consecutive runnings of the

Jockey Club Cup A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. His dam, Fair Winter, was a top class racemare whose wins included the

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong ...

. Like all the Barnett's horses, the colt was trained by Henry Candy at Kingstone Warren in Oxfordshire. He was ridden in most of his races by Candy's stable jockey Philip Waldron.

Racing career

1979: two-year-old season

Master Willie ran four times as a two-year-old in 1979, winning two races. He also finished first in the

Acomb Stakes The Acomb Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at York over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each yea ...

but was disqualified and relegated to second place.

1980: three-year-old season

Master Willie began his three-year-old season by winning the

Easter Stakes The Easter Stakes was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It was run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Kempton Park on Easter Saturday. It was run for the last t ...

Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has ...

before finishing fourth in his next race. At York in May, Master Willie finished second to the

Henry Cecil Sir Henry Richard Amherst Cecil (11 January 1943 – 11 June 2013) was a British flat racing horse trainer. Cecil was very successful, becoming Champion Trainer ten times and training 25 domestic Classic winners. These comprised four winners ...

-trained Hello Gorgeous in the

Dante Stakes The Dante Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 56 yards () at ...

, a major trial race for the Epsom Derby. At Epsom Downs Racecourse in June, Master Willie was one of twenty-four colts to contest the 201st running of the Epsom Derby. Starting as a 22/1 outsider he was settled in mid-division before producing a strong late run to finish second, three quarters of a length behind the winner Henbit. Master Willie started favourite for the

Irish Derby The Irish Derby ( Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance ...

at the end of June but was unsuited by the very soft ("gluepot") ground and finished fifth behind Tyrnavos. At York in August Master Willie was matched against fillies and older horses in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup and started at odds of 13/2. He appeared to be under pressure two furlongs from home but finished strongly to take the lead in the last strides to win by half a length from the Irish filly Cairn Rouge. He started favourite for the Valdoe Stakes at

Goodwood Racecourse Goodwood Racecourse is a horse-racing track five miles north of Chichester, West Sussex, in England controlled by the family of the Duke of Richmond, whose seat is nearby Goodwood House. It hosts the annual Glorious Goodwood meeting in la ...

but was beaten one and a half lengths by the four-year-old Welsh Chanter. On his final appearance of the season, Master Willie finished second to Cairn Rouge in the Champion Stakes at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horserac ...

on 18 October.

1981: four-year-old season

Master Willie returned as a four-year-old in the

Jockey Club Stakes The Jockey Club Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres) on ...

at Newmarket in April. Starting at odds of 2/1 he took an early lead and was never challenged, winning by ten lengths from King's Ride, with Henbit unplaced. Master Willie returned to Epsom for the Coronation Cup in June and was made the 1/2 favourite. On a course covered with litter left behind after the previous day's Derby, he led from the start and won easily from Prince Bee with the filly Vielle in third place. In July the colt was moved back in distance for the Eclipse Stakes over ten furlongs at

Sandown Park Racecourse Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt races and one Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse rac ...

. He started the 6/4 favourite and again made all the running to win by three quarters of a length from Hard Fought (subsequently disqualified) and Vielle. In July he contested the 31st running of the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

at Ascot. He led for most of the race but faded in the straight and finished fourth behind

Shergar Shergar (3 March 1978 – ) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After a very successful season in 1981 he was retired to the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. In 1983 he was stolen from the stud, and a ransom of ...

. In August Master Willie attempted to win the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup for the second time, but finished third behind Beldale Flutter. Master Willie was rested until October when he finished unplaced behind Vayrann in the Champion Stakes.

Stud record

At the end of his racing career, Master Willie was sold to the

Windfields Farm Windfields Farm was a six square kilometre (1,500 acre) Thoroughbred horse breeding farm that was founded by businessman E. P. Taylor in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Origin The first stable and breeding operation of E. P. Taylor originated w ...

and exported to stand as a breeding stallion in the United States. His sale valued him at $10 million, with Windfields owner

E. P. Taylor Edward Plunket Taylor, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, CMG (January 29, 1901 – May 14, 1989) was a Canadians, Canadian business tycoon, investor and philanthropist. He was a famous breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing, race ...

regarding him as providing an

outcross Out-crossing or out-breeding is the technique of crossing between different breeds. This is the practice of introducing distantly related genetic material into a breeding line, thereby increasing genetic diversity. Outcrossing can be a usefu ...

Northern Dancer Northern Dancer (May 27, 1961 – November 16, 1990) was a Thoroughbred who, in 1964, became the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He then became one of the most successful sires of the 20th century. He is considered a Canad ...

. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1988 and also stood in Germany. Master Willie suffered from an

arthritic Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In s ...

knee in later life and was

euthanised Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

at Conduit Farm in Oxfordshire in October 2001. After the horse's death Candy described him as "the most laid-back horse I've had. If you looked at the string from a mile away and there was a big gap in it, it would always be in front of Master Willie". His best winners included Make A Stand, Chilly Billy (

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

), Deputy Governor ( Eddie Read Handicap), Hollywood Dream ( Premio Presidente della Repubblica, Deutschland-Preis) and Master Speaker (

Ben Ali Stakes The Ben Ali Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run in the Spring of each year at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. For 4-year-olds and up, it is a Grade III event set at a distance of one mile and one eighth mile on t ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist 1977 racehorse births 2001 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 4-j Racehorses bred in the United Kingdom Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom