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In 1979 Robert Sangster sent me a crock of a horse called Mizzenhead.
Mizzenhead was by the famous Mill Reef out of an Irish 1000 Guineas winner and had a fantastic pedigree. He'd been bred as a classic prospect but after a series of problems had been hobdayed and pin-fired and was as unsound a horse as you could find. Mizzenhead was by now four years old and the classic boat had long since sailed. Robert couldn't give him away and, with little prospect of finding a buyer, he sent Mizzenhead to me with the instruction to win a small race.
I had established a reputation for winning races with horses who had problems and I was getting a lot of calls to train horses who were in the proverbial last chance saloon. Some who turned up were broken down beyond any sort of hope but I was prepared to judge every horse on it's own merits and where possible give them a chance.
Mizzenhead arrived at the yard and I set about getting him fit. He was an impressive stamp of a horse, but beneath his good looks he concealed a spectacular array of faults. I knew exactly what to do with him but I'll maybe save that for another time, as this isn't the place for giving up secrets.
Mizzenhead made his debut over hurdles at Stockton in January 1980 where he gave a suggestion of ability by finishing 6th of 16 runners but he didn't see the two miles out properly. I decided to drop him back in trip on the flat and found a little race, again at Stockton, where he came in fifth. A few weeks later he showed a great deal of improvement and finished runner up at Hamilton Park under my marvellous stable jockey Terry Lucas. He was second favourite that day but was outpointed by a 28/1 outsider trained by Gordon Richards.
I knew that Mizzenhead had a race in him if we could find the right conditions. I made half a dozen entries for him in the space of about ten days in an attempt to find a bad race in bad ground. He was much fitter now and I really fancied him over hurdles and the 3.30 Charnwood Handicap Hurdle at Leicester on 3rd February 1981 was the best chance that this six-year-old maiden would ever have to win. A dire contest over two miles worth just £700, it was touch and go whether the eighteen runners would make it home before it got dark.
We backed him from 7/2 into 2/1 and he landed the odds, winning eased down by eight lengths under Phil Tuck. He was the only horse in the field who could stay the trip.
The win at Leicester was a fine way to celebrate David's fourth birthday and Mizzenhead would become another birthday winner the following month.
It turned out that the horse wasn't as bad as we'd thought and he won again on 30th March at Hexham, this time at odds-on. Mizzenhead's win completed the second leg of a double as Bally-Go had won the first division of the race an hour previous. It was my 50th birthday that day and we did some celebrating!
And there was more to come.
Mizzenhead won for the third time a few weeks later on the flat at Beverley this time with Terry in the saddle, taking a very poor twelve furlong maiden race by a neck after slogging up the hill in tacky ground. He was favourite that day but it would be our final pay day and he wouldn't trouble the judge again.
I'd promised Robert that I'd win a little race with Mizzenhead and he'd won three in the space of as many months.
I love winning races with horses that others have written off.
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