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Lord Manton had been a racehorse owner and breeder for years and before that a successful amateur jump jockey with 130 winners to his name under his birth name, Rupert Watson.
What a character.
As a young man Lord Manton had served been in the army, the Life Guards and served in Germany and Egypt. Upon retiring from the army after the First World War Lord Manton then went back and rejoined and did another five years service.
In later life he became a senior steward at the Jockey Club, his resume including directorship of the York Race Committee as well as stewardship at Beverley, Doncaster and York. Lord Manton was a keen card player and a man to be avoided at the bridge table. His vast range of abilities and talents made him a remarkable chap and it was a pleasure to train his horses.
As a hardened former soldier Lord Manton had always had ambition to win the Grand Military Gold Cup.
In 1991 Lord Manton sent a grey gelding for me to train. The horse was called Silver Stick and he came to the yard as poor maiden on the flat. However, he was bred to jump and his talents came to the fore over hurdles and fences where he won eleven races. However, it wasn't until 1998, at the age of eleven, that the horse would reach his peak. In doing so, he gave his owner Lord Manton one of his greatest racing moments when he did indeed win the Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown Park.
Highly esteemed amongst the racing fraternity within the military, the Gold Cup is a race where jockeyship is confined to currently serving military personnel and ownership to the past and present military. Lord Manton’s son, Milo Watson, an officer in the Life Guards, was the rider that day.
The horse looked a picture.
As many grey horses do, the years had seen his colour lighten to what could only be described as white. He ran sweetly throughout the race, unfazed by the parades and I thought we had the race in the bag two out when he hit the front. However, it almost went wrong at the last as Silver Stick went down on his nose, before being expertly recovered by Milo before galloping home to win by seven lengths.
I was in shock when Silver Stick won that day. I didn't think Milo Watson was good enough to win a race like that, but his father had insisted he was the rider and Milo proved him to be right.
I'm not a man who cries but that day I did have a tear in my eye and I remember Lord Manton’s winning speech as he glowed with pride after the race.
"I saddled the horse, I bred the horse - and I bred the jockey," were the words said to the Queen Mother by Lord Manton as he collected the Cup.
Lord Manton died on the 8th August 2003 at the age of 79. His passing was a great loss to the racing world, but seeing the old man collect that cup a few years previously was undoubtedly a very proud moment in my training career.
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