Never Say Die (1951–1975) was an American-bred, British-trained
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse. After winning only once from his first nine races, he demonstrated much improved form in the summer of 1954 to win
the Derby, becoming the first American-bred colt to win the race in 73 years. Later that year he added a second
British Classic, when winning the
St. Leger Stakes
The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...
by a record margin of twelve
lengths
Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Intern ...
. He was later retired to a successful stud career.
Background
Never Say Die was a chestnut colt with a white
blaze and three white feet, bred and raced by the American philanthropist and art collector
Robert Sterling Clark
Robert Sterling Clark (June 25, 1877 – December 29, 1956), an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, was an American art collector, horse breeder, and philanthropist.
Biography
Known by his middle name, Sterling Clark served in the United S ...
. At the time of his Derby win, the horse stood 15.3
hands
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...
high. He was conceived in Ireland but foaled at
Jonabell Farm
Jonabell Farm is an 800-acre Thoroughbred breeding farm located in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1954 by John A. Bell and his wife Jessica and sold in 2001 to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his Darley Stud American division.
History ...
(which was leased at the time from the famed
Hamburg Place
John Edward Madden (December 28, 1856 – November 3, 1929) was a prominent American Thoroughbred and Standardbred owner, breeder and trainer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He owned Hamburg Place Stud in Lexington, Kentucky ...
) in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
. His sire, Nasrullah had been a talented but temperamental racehorse who was beginning to have an impact as a stallion.
Never Say Die's dam, Singing Grass won seven unimportant races in England. Clark sent the colt to England as a yearling to be trained by
Joseph Lawson, who had already won nine
Classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
Clark's other British trainer, Harry Peacock had been given first choice of the owner's yearlings but had rejected Never Say Die because of his low opinion of Nasrullah's stock.
Racing career
1953:two-year-old season
In six races as a two-year-old, Never Say Die showed some good form but appeared to be somewhat below the best of his generation. He won the six
furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...
Rosslyn Stakes at
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...
in July and finished third in both the
Richmond Stakes
The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...
and
Dewhurst Stakes
The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres ...
. In the Free Handicap, a rating of the year's best British juveniles, Never Say Die was allotted a weight of 115
pounds, eighteen pounds below the top-rated The Pie King.
1954:three-year-old season
Never Say Die made good physical progress over the winter, but showed little improvement in his first two starts. He finished second in the Union Jack Stakes at
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, whi ...
and then finished unplaced in the
Free Handicap at
Newmarket in April. On his final trial race for
The Derby, Never Say Die returned to Newmarket and was moved up in distance for the
Newmarket Stakes
The Newmarket Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) on t ...
over ten furlongs. Ridden by
Manny Mercer, he took the lead a furlong out but was overtaken in the closing stages and finished third to Elopement and Golden God.
On a dull, chilly day
at
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
, Never Say Die started a 33/1 outsider in a field of twenty-two runners for the Derby. According to some accounts, he would have started at even longer odds if his memorable name and the publicity attracted by his eighteen-year-old jockey
Lester Piggott
Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest f ...
had not made him a popular choice with many members of the public.
The colt was always well-placed and was sent into the lead early in the straight by Piggott. He won comfortably by two lengths from Arabian Night and
Darius. Clark was ill in
New York hospital and unable to attend the race, which saw Never Say Die becoming the first American-bred Derby winner since
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
in 1881. Never Say Die next contested the
King Edward VII Stakes
The King Edward VII Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 met ...
at
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...
. In an extremely rough and unsatisfactory race he finished fourth behind Rashleigh. Piggott was immediately suspended by the racecourse stewards for his riding of Never Say Die and was reported to the Jockey Club who extended the riding ban to six months.
The suspended Piggott was replaced by
Charlie Smirke
Charles James William Smirke (1906–1993), was a British flat-race jockey. In a career that lasted from 1920 until 1959, he rode the winners of eleven British Classic Races. As a rider, he was known for his skill, strength and tactical intel ...
for Never Say Die's run in the St Leger at
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
in September. The colt started 100/30 favourite in a field of sixteen. He won very easily by twelve lengths, the biggest winning margin officially recorded in the race's history.
He was retired to stud shortly after his win at Doncaster.
Assessment
Timeform
Timeform is a sports data and content provider located in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1948, it provides systematic information on form to punters and others involved in the horse racing industry. The company was purchased by t ...
awarded Never Say Die a rating of 137, the highest for any horse in 1954.
A rating of 130 is considered the mark of an above average European
Group One
Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...
winner.
In their book ''A Century of Champions'', John Randall and Tony Morris rated Never Say Die a “superior” Derby winner and the fifty-third best British racehorse of the 20th Century .
Stud record
On retirement, Clark, gave him to the British
National Stud
The National Stud is a United Kingdom Thoroughbred horse breeding farm located two miles from Newmarket. The Stud originated in 1916 as a result of a gift by William Hall Walker (later Lord Wavertree) of the entire bloodstock of his stud farm ...
. He was
champion sire in 1962, thanks to
Larkspur's Derby victory. He also sired
The Oaks and
1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
winner
Never Too Late and other good winners in
Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Ale ...
and
Sostenuto
Piano pedals are foot-operated levers at the base of a piano that change the instrument's sound in various ways. Modern pianos usually have three pedals, from left to right, the soft pedal (or una corda), the sostenuto pedal, and the sustainin ...
, stayers who both won the
Ebor Handicap
The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards (2,787 metres). It is ...
.
Never say Die was put down in 1975, by when his stock had won 309 races worth more than £400,000 in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
. He is buried in The National Stud's horse cemetery.
Pedigree
References
* The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing - written by Bill Mooney and George Ennor
{{Authority control
1951 racehorse births
1975 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in the United Kingdom
Thoroughbred family 1-n
Chefs-de-Race
Epsom Derby winners
St Leger winners