YESTERDAY’S HERO
Graham Buddry looks at Snow Knight and jockey Brian Taylor
Graham Buddry looks back at 50-1 Derby winner Snow Knight
In the pantheon of great Derby winners there can be few as obscure as Snow Knight and in an era of numerous brilliant jockeys, an equally little known journeyman jockey in Brian Taylor. Together they landed the world’s most famous Flat race but afterwards their fortunes could barely have been more contrasting.
On pedigree the chestnut colt which was foaled in Derbyshire on 28 February 1971 didn’t have much going for him and thus made only £5,200 at auction as a yearling. His new owner was Sharon Phillips who bought the colt primarily because her Canadian lawyer husband had owned his sire, Firestreak.
Trained by the little known Peter Nelson, Snow Knight was the only horse of any real merit he ever had in his care. Five times Snow Knight ran as a two-year-old, his debut coming at Kempton Park on 1 June in a low quality Maiden which he won well enough. In July he was a good second at Newmarket before going to Newbury a fortnight later and being ridden by Taylor for the first time, a jockey who greatly admired and tried to emulate his hero, Lester Piggott. Here they won the Donnington Castle Stakes in fine style by five lengths.
In September Snow Knight contest
ed the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and was just beaten a short head on the line by the odds on favourite, Giacometti. A final run in the Observer Gold Cup on 27 October at the same course saw Snow Knight well beaten and clearly over the top for the season. His end of term report rated him as above average but a long way removed from being a world beater.
Brian Taylor, too, had had a reasonable but unexceptional season, his highlight being a win in the Group 3 Cork and Orrery Stakes. This was one of his biggest wins over the years alongside another Group 3 and the Group 2 (as it was then) July Cup.
Over the winter months neither horse nor jockey stirred the imagination or the ante-post betting markets and in due course the 1974 flat season got under way.
Snow Knight began his campaign at Sandown Park in the Classic Trial and although starting favourite for the 1 ¼ mile contest he had to give five pounds to the more than useful Bustino. The pair had the finish to themselves with Bustino finally collaring the long time leader in the final furlong, both horses having given their all.
They met again in the Lingfield Derby Trial where the tough Bustino won again. Snow Knight may have been feeling the effects of their earlier encounter as he finished third without troubling the front two. It was no surprise then when Snow Knight went off at 50/1 in his next race, the Derby itself, where Bustino was a well supported third favourite behind Nonoalco and Giacometti, the first two home in the Two Thousand Guineas.
A scintillating winner at Newmarket on his first race in England, the French trained Nonoalco did an exceptional workout at Epsom just two days before the Derby. Francois Boutin’s challenger was backed like a sure thing despite doubts he would stay the trip while Ryan Price was confident his Giacometti, a half brother to Rheingold, would surely stay and was thus the one to be on.
Unseen by many, Snow Knight also had a gallop on the course and had worked well, revelling in the eccentricities that Epsom threw up and which often proved the downfall of others.
In the pre-race parade Nonoalco looked every inch the part, already a champion over a mile and with the air of expectation in the sublime way he moved. In contrast Snow Knight was very much on his toes, bucking Brian Taylor off at one stage, leaving plans for the race in doubt if his mount wouldn’t settle down.
With the parade over Snow Knight
did relax and, as the 18 runners were sent on their way, Taylor put his strategy into practice. Hoping the Guineas runners would have too much speed and be found wanting for stamina he raced on the shoulder of the leader for the first six furlongs. As that outsider, having had his moment of glory, started to flag Taylor sent Snow Knight on, never slackening an already strong pace.
Leading round Tattenham Corner he had three lengths on Imperial Prince with another three to the closing Giacometti and the rest nowhere. Up that famous straight they pounded, Snow Knight in a perfect rhythm out in front and neither of the chasers making any inroads. Further wide, having had trouble rounding Tattenham Corner came Bustino, his long, powerful stride eating up the ground at an amazing rate yet he had too much to do in too short a time as up front the winning post loomed large.
In a fast time, with perfect tactics Snow Knight, Brian Taylor and Peter Nelson had each won their first (and only) Classic.
Ascot’s King George was the next step and despite leading until the turn into the home straight Snow Knight had no answer to that exemplary race mare, Dahlia and was unplaced. His last race this side of the Atlantic was another meeting with Dahlia and Imperial Prince in the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup (now the International) at York. Dahlia was at her majestic best and won easily while Snow Knight was a well beaten third, confirming to his many detractors that he was a poor Derby winner.
After York, Snow Knight was sold for a million Canadian dollars to E.P. Taylor who bred Northern Dancer and Nijinsky among others at his Windfields Farm stud in Ontario. Put immediately into training with Jim Bentley, Snow Knight continued his declining form, running worse and worse in each of the three Canadian races he took part in.
In contrast during the next few years and building on his Epsom success, Brian Taylor cemented himself as a more than competent jockey both in England and in Hong Kong where he spent many winters. Although not quite in the elite he was now highly regarded and won many races in both countries.
With one career on the down while the other was on the up, their respective fortunes soon turned completely around.
In desperation Snow Knight was shipped to America for the 1975 season in the care of McKenzie Miller. His previous poor form on that side of the Atlantic was quickly put behind him as he won four races from as many starts including the Grade 2 Manhattan handicap and the prestigious Grade 1 Man O’War. Snow Knight then returned to Woodbine for the Canadian International, a race won in the past two seasons by Secretariat and Dahlia. With a prize of $188,700 he faced stiff opposition including the recent Arc de Triomphe second, Comtesse de Loir and top turf performers from both Canada and America.
Secretariat had won by a record distance and Dahlia in a record time, both of which still stand today and Snow Knight was equally impressive as he
maintained his unbeaten run for the season, winning in great style.
A niggling injury unfortunately put paid to an intended clash with Dahlia, Allez France and Arc winner, Star Appeal in the Washington International but Snow Knight had done enough to be accorded the title American Champion Male Turf Horse and was soon to be elected to the American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame. The Windfields Farm ugly duckling had turned into a swan!
Brian Taylor had continued his rise over the years, winning races such as the Ormonde Stakes and Craven Stakes in the early Eighties before a first French Group race success in 1984.
In the winter of that year Taylor went to ride in Hong Kong as usual, notching up many winners for various trainers along the way. On 8 December 1984 Sha Tin was staging the last of five celebratory meetings to commemorate the centenary of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Because of illness Taylor had missed the previous four days but returned with a win on All Able earlier in the afternoon. For the eighth race of the day he was booked to ride the grey gelding, Silver Star.
Ten months previously Silver Star had stumbled doing track work, pitching his jockey, Philippe Paquet, (the jockey whose barging tactics got Nureyev disqualified from the 1980 Two Thousand Guineas) into the ground. Paquet underwent brain surgery for a fractured skull and was in a coma for three months, all of which finished his career.
In a strange twist of fate Taylor had also been riding work at the track that day and was called to give evidence at the enquiry, stating: “Silver Star’s legs seemed to go from under him for no apparent reason.”
Perhaps with trepidation he took the ride in a race in which they were well beaten. Easing right down a long way behind the winner and placed horses, Silver Star cantered slowly past the winning post and then, again for no apparent reason, the horse suddenly pitched forward and fell, slamming Taylor head first into the ground.
Taylor was quickly taken to hospital with severe head and neck injuries. He died two days later.
The ups and downs of both Snow Knight and Brian Taylor, both meteorically rising from obscurity before differing paths took them alternately to even greater heights and depths before being virtually forgotten over the years.
No matter what, the record books will always show that at Epsom in 1974 they were truly on top of the world for they achieved what many others tried and failed to do. Together, they had won The Derby.