Joe Mercer (jockey) - Career - 1970-1976

1970-1976

Mercer's loyalty was repaid in 1970, but the year started inauspiciously. Joe had spent the winter riding in India. When it came time to come home he couldn't bring out his money because of exchange control issues and so decided to buy jewels to export. He fell foul of the Indian authorities and was imprisoned for several weeks, so missing the first month of the flat season. He returned at the end of April but Jimmy Lindley retained the ride on the then stable star Highest Hopes in the One Thousand Guineas. He'd also missed the maiden win of the Queen's first really good horse at West Ilsley, Charlton. He did ride this colt to his second win in the Predominate Stakes (now the Cocked Hat Stakes) at Goodwood in May. Due to an injury this colt did not take his chance in that year's Epsom Derby. Mercer may never have won the Epsom Derby but he gave a fine ride on Great Wall in Nijinsky's 1970 Derby. Great Wall had run very wide when he'd run in his Derby Trial and it seemed unwise for Scobie Breasley, his trainer, to declare him for Epsom and expect him to get round Tattenham Corner. Mercer got the ride for the first time and the colt's odds of 80 to 1 seemed ungenerous. Mercer kept his horse at the back of the field and going into Tattenham Corner had only one horse behind him. Entering the corner he set the colt alight on the rails to such effect that he passed the whole field in about a furlong and was leading the field with about two furlongs to go. He was then squeezed up by the giant French colt Gyr and was just run out of third place by Stintino.

At this stage it was impossible to say if the Hern stable had got over the virus of the preceding years, but by the end of June it appeared they had and Brigadier Gerard had made his debut. There is little doubt that the Brigadier provided an enormous boost to the stable winning his 4 races in 1970, including the now Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. In addition, Highest Hopes (Holliday owned) came back strongly after her disappointing Guineas run and won the Prix Eugene Adam and the Prix Vermeille, beating horses such as Caro and Lupe, in the process and proving herself top class. The stable sustained its form to end of the season with Charlton proving to be just off top-class with a 4th in the St Leger, Heavenly Thought (Lord Rotherwick owned: who purchased many of the now dead Lord Astor's horses) winning a handful of good races and Fine Blade who then did not appear that far behind the Brigadier in ability. The end of the season saw a lot of activity as the last named was removed from the stable with the rest of Brook Holliday's horses following a payment disagreement with Hern and Astor. However at the same time was the news that with the retirement from training of Gordon Richards his owner's Sir Michael Sobell and Lady Beaverbrook would be transferring their horses to Dick Hern.

Jakie Astor negotiated to sell West Ilsley to Sobell and his son-in-law Arnold Weinstock on the understanding that both Hern and Mercer were kept in place as trainer and stable jockey respectively. Before the season started most interest was on the Lady Beaverbrook owned pair of Seaepic and Seaswan (both by Sea Bird II). Both slightly disappointed in their trial races and got no better, whilst Brigadier Gerard, without a preparative race, won what many would regard the best Two Thousand Guineas since 1947. A Sobell/Weinstock colt, Homeric, appeared and won the Lingfield Derby Trial ridden by Mercer. Homeric was the stable's first Derby runner since 1967 when he reappeared at Epsom and ran well but was outclassed by Mill Reef, finally finishing fifth. Later in the year he finished a good second in the St. Leger, under a powerful ride from Mercer. Brigadier Gerard finished the year the unbeaten winner of 6 races (5 of them Group 1 today). The new power to appear was in the two-year-old ranks, where 3 smart colts were judged good enough to run at Royal Ascot, all ridden by Mercer. Sun Prince, as a maiden won the Coventry Stakes and later followed up by winning the Prix Robert Papin in France and finishing third in the Middle Park Stakes. Fellow maiden Sallust was made favourite for the Windsor Castle Stakes but slightly disappointed finishing unplaced. However he won his next race before finishing his season with a win in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse. The third colt, Rampage, having won his maiden decisively, was strongly fancied to land the Norfolk Stakes even against such good horses as Deep Diver and Philipp of Spain; challenging at the furlong pole he stumbled and died of a heart attack.

In addition, Mercer rode the Queen's first good filly at West Ilsley, Albany, to two victories. She started the season by winning Sandleford Priory Stakes at Newbury Racecourse in May and having failed to stay the distance of the Epsom Oaks trip ran out a good winner of the Prix de la Psyche in France. Mercer rode the Brigadier in all his six wins but he also rode Lady Beaverbrook's Relko colt, Royalty, who set up an unbeaten run of six wins in the UK. He was felt to have improved enough to take his chance in Mill Reef's Arc de Triomphe triumph when he finished a creditable sixth. Another horse to feature in 1971 was Lord Rotherwick's Colum who won a handful of races including the Dee Stakes and kept running and winning in England and France through to 1973. One milestone of note in 1971 was his first winner for trainer Henry Cecil: Pert Lassie was the first leg of a Mercer treble at the inaugural Timeform Cancer Charity Day at Doncaster (Charlton was another leg of this treble).

If 1971 was a good year for Mercer and his stable, 1972 was even better in the quantity of money won and Hern ended up Champion Trainer. Brigadier Gerard was of course the main money winner, winning seven of his eight races (six of which would today be considered group one races) with Mercer in the saddle on all occasions. The Sunday prior to the Brigadier's third race of the season (at Royal Ascot) Mercer flew to France in a small plane with three others. Soon after take-off the plane crashed and luckily Mercer was thrown clear. He rushed back to the plane and pulled out the trainer Bill Marshall. He could not get the pilot out of the wreckage and gave up trying just before the plane exploded. Unsurprisingly Mercer was shaken up and there was talk that he would not take the ride on the Brigadier on the first day of Royal Ascot. After taking a day off Mercer declared himself fit to ride on the Tuesday of Royal Ascot and he lined up on Brigadier Gerard for the Prince of Wales's Stakes. As it was the Brigadier gave one of his most stunning displays beating a field which included the future Irish Derby winner, Steel Pulse, effortlessly. Unlike other runs Mercer reported that the horse did not pull as much as usual. However Mercer felt unwell after the race and did not ride again at the meeting or for the next week. That same Tuesday, Sun Prince won the St. James's Palace Stakes under Mercer's friend Jimmy Lindley, who replaced the sidelined Mercer. Sun Prince had been ridden into third place in the 2000 Guineas by Mercer, running behind High Top and the eventual Derby winner Roberto.

By this stage Mercer appeared to have three of the best milers in the country to ride as apart from Sun Prince and Brigadier, Sallust had revealed himself as top class. This colt announced his return to the top with a fine display at Epsom to win the Diomed Stakes. Ridden again by Mercer in a virtual match at Goodwood he wore down the 2000 Guineas winner High Top in a thrilling Sussex Stakes. In late August he returned to Goodwood to win the Goodwood Mile and by then was regarded the best 3yo miler in England. In October he finished his career with a scintillating defeat of Lyphard in Mercer's hands at Longchamp to prove himself European's top 3yo miler.

Of the older horses Royalty was injured without running but Homeric stood out: even if a little frustrating. In his second race of 1972 he took on Mill Reef in the Coronation Cup. Mercer took over the lead from Mill Reef's pacemaker and Homeric, kept beautifully balanced, was driven for the line. Joined by Mill Reef at the furlong pole everyone expected the latter to stride away but Geoff Lewis had to ride his Derby winner for all he was worth. He just hung on and won by a neck from Homeric. Mercer missed Homeric’s run at Royal Ascot but next rode this colt to win the Prix Maurice de Nieuil, whereupon Homeric was transferred to Jack Cunnington in France.

1973 was a quieter year for Mercer after ’72. Boldboy announced his arrival on the racing scene by winning the Greenham Stakes as a maiden gelding and the Astor colt, Sharp Edge, who had won three races when ridden by Mercer as a 2yo in 1972, won him his first Irish 2000 Guineas after finishing third in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Sharp Edge then went on to win the Prix Jean Prat in France. A new staying 3yo emerged in the shape of Buoy, whose owner Dick Hollingsworth had moved his horses to Dick Hern in 1972 (although they didn’t run that season). Buoy picked up a good maiden at Newmarket before taking the Predominate Stakes Derby Trial at Goodwood. Sidestepping the Derby, he next appeared in the Irish Derby, running 3rd, before going to York and winning the Great Voltigeur Stakes. Buoy rounded of his first season when narrowly beaten in the St Leger. The stable jockey also rode Hollingsworth’s other 3yo, Tepukei, to two wins, including the White Rose Stakes at Ascot. Mercer rode Sun Prince to win that colt’s third consecutive Royal Ascot victory in the Queen Anne Stakes. Boldboy finished off his season with victories in the Prix de la Porte Maillot at Deauville, Diadem Stakes at Ascot and the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket.

Mercer had another fine year in 1974 and the season really started with an Ascot 3yo maiden double on Pop Song and Gaily; the latter fulfilling the promise of her good runs as a 2yo. (She later went on to win the Irish 1000 Guineas (but ridden by Ron Hutchinson) and was then 3rd in the Irish Oaks when Mercer ridden). Newbury's Spring meeting saw Mercer picking up three winners, including a useful win on Tom Egerton's Final Chord, who went on to complete a hat-trick of wins at Chepstow and Royal Ascot (Britannia Stakes). In addition Appleby Fair, the stable’s Derby hope, finished a good second in the Greenham Stakes. This was soon followed by the highly promising victory of the maiden Bustino in the Sandown Classic Trial. The 1,000 Guineas Stakes saw Mercer achieve every jockey's ambition when winning a classic for the reigning monarch. He rode the archetypal Mercer race hitting the front at the distance and trusting the speed, class or momentum of the horse kept him there. In this instance the horse was the Queen's own bred filly Highclere. Not particularly fancied she had form very near the best when placed as a 2yo. On her 2yo debut she had gone down narrowly to Polygamy. A few weeks later she was second again, this time to Celestial Dawn after getting a little lost in the early part of the race. Significantly in that race, receiving 4 pounds, she turned the tables on Polygamy and beat her 2 lengths. She did win her third race, a maiden at Newbury, but made such hard work of it that by the time of her lining up for 1000 she was relatively forgotten. Mercer came with his well-timed run and led going into the dip. Highclere’s main pursuer, and old adversary, Polygamy was baulked in her run and struggled up the hill to catch Highclere. Fifty yards out Polygamy looked the likely winner but Mercer kept Highclere going to the line and the two fillies flashed by the post together. After some delay Highclere was named the short-head winner. Peter Willett in his biography of Dick Hern quotes the Bloodstock Breeders Review of that year:- "A dead heat might have done more justice to this epic struggle, but nothing could detract from Highclere's superb rugged performance, from Mercer's immaculate jockeyship, or from Dick Hern's magnificent training technique." Six weeks later Mercer won his second classic on her when she won the Prix de Diane at Chantilly from a top class field of fillies. Highclere didn't win again but she did run a fine race against Dahlia when second in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Appleby Fair failed to make up into a Derby colt and his place was taken at Epsom by what the stable had been considering their St Leger colt, namely Lady Beaverbrook’s Bustino. He had won a second classic trial when comfortably winning the Lingfield Derby Trial. He lined up for the Epsom classic with what seemed like a real chance, but was horribly baulked at the top of the hill. He ran on very strongly but could only finish fourth to Snow Knight, a colt Bustino had already comfortably beaten twice in 1974. This was probably Mercer’s best chance of winning the Derby. Afterwards Bustino proved his quality by giving Sagaro a good race when second to that good colt in the Grand Prix de Paris on softer going than suited him. He then thrashed the Irish Derby winner English Prince in the Great Voltigeur Stakes by 4 lengths. His season finished at Doncaster when Mercer and Jimmy Lindley, riding the same owner's Riboson, dominated the St. Leger. Mercer guided Bustino to victory with his pacemaker coming in third.

Of the older horses Mercer rode Boldboy to a Lockinge Stakes victory, that gelding having already carried him to an Abernant Stakes victory. Buoy improved on his first season and as a 4yo blossomed into being a top middle distance colt with Mercer riding him in all his victories. After a second in the Jockey Club Stakes, he won the Yorkshire Cup and three weeks later followed this with the Coronation Cup at Epsom. Dahlia was odds-on to win this race but all 5 jockeys riding had instructions to come with a late run. After a ludicrous first furlong with the whole field dawdling along, Mercer took the lead but only at a moderate gallop. However going down towards Tattenham Corner he set Buoy alight such that entering the straight he was 10 lengths clear. By the final furlong he was dead beat but Mercer kept him going to the line to record a one and a half length victory over Tennyson. Buoy’s final victory was in the Princess of Wales's Stakes at Newmarket when he beat Jupiter Pluvius in a workmanlike fashion. As regards 2yos two Sobell youngsters came to the fore. The first, Auction Ring, was ridden by Mercer to win a Newbury maiden, before appearing a month later to follow up in the July Stakes at Newmarket. Unfortunately he didn't win again in '74, but ran well to be placed in both the Gimcrack Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes. The second youngster was Bold Pirate and he again won two races, in his case his first and last, the latter being the Prix Roman at Longchamp. But he also was placed in both the Richmond Stakes and Champagne Stakes.

1975 started slowly for Mercer and at the end of April he had ridden only 5 winners, 3 of them for Peter Cundell plus a victory in the Earl of Sefton Stakes for Herbert Jones on Jimsun. Hern's stable was running plenty of horses (including Baronet (Craven Stakes), Harmonise (Free Handicap), Light Duty (Nell Gwyn Stakes) and School Bell (Princess Elizabeth Stakes) all ridden by Mercer) but not winning any and even Boldboy was only second in his opening race of the season. Mercer did not ride Hern’s contender for the Fred Darling Stakes (Garden Party) and instead rode the Queen’s filly Joking Apart for Ian Balding into 4th place. Bill Curling reports in his book ‘All the Queen's Horses’ that Irish trainer Stuart Murless (a great fan of Mercer’s skills) was seeking Joe to ride his filly Nocturnal Spree in the season’s first classic the 1000 Guineas. However Mercer stayed with Joking Apart and rode another finely judged race. He delivered his filly at the distance (just as the previous year on Highclere) and leading up the Rowley Mile hill was run out of it in the final 100 yards by the winner Nocturnal Spree, finally finishing third. On such a tough course Joking Apart probably did not stay the full 8 furlongs and she was confidently expected to return to her 2yo winning form in Royal Ascot's Jersey Stakes. Mercer had no luck in running but blamed himself for his filly’s second place. Soon after he made amends when winning the Duchess of Montrose Handicap at Newmarket, and he rounded off her season when she won the 8 furlong Strensall Stakes over the easier York course.

1975 saw Mercer having an increased number of winners and rides for the stable of Ian Balding. The winners included the very useful 2yo filly Outer Circle, Mill Reef's sister Memory Lane and the useful handicapper Idiot's Delight. However after the Guineas weekend (where Auction Ring failed in the 2000 Guineas) the Hern stable hit form and winners flowed for Mercer.

A feature of the season was the two very good colts owned by Dick Hollingsworth. The first, Zimbalon, got off the mark in a Chester maiden in Mercer’s hands. He won his next two races but (in these handicaps) was ridden by other jockeys. Mercer was reunited with him for his fourth victory on the trot. This was Royal Ascot's King George V Handicap and this victory rounded off a treble, all on the Thursday of the meeting. The second winner was Hollingsworth’s Alcide colt Sea Anchor. This colt had got off the mark at Sandown when ridden by Mercer to win his maiden impressively. His next race, the King Edward VII Stakes, was a big step up in class but Sea Anchor was a commanding winner. The colt promised much and ran well in both the Irish Derby (4th to Grundy) and Great Voltigeur Stakes (2nd to Patch): however he didn’t win again that year.

The third winner of Mercer’s Royal Ascot treble was Lord Porchester's hitherto unraced colt Smuggler. Despite being stoutly bred this Exbury colt romped away with the 6 furlong Chesham Stakes. This promising 2yo followed up with a comfortable victory in Newbury's 7 furlong Donnington Castle Stakes and was expected to complete a hat-trick in the Prix de la Salamandre. He ran unaccountably badly and was retired for the season. Hern was blessed with a number of stoutly bred 2yos. Right up with Smuggler was Lady Beaverbrook's Riboboy who Mercer rode to win his debut, the Plantation Maiden stakes, then Goodwood’s Lanson Champagne Stakes before missing out at the third time of asking when 7th in the Laurent Perrier Champagne Stakes at Doncaster behind Wollow. Similarly useful was Sir Michael Sobell’s colt Over to You who ridden both times by Mercer won the Yattendon Maiden at Newbury first time out and followed this up with a workmanlike victory in the Solario Stakes at Sandown. All useful colts they did not create the same stir that Lady Beaverbrook's Relkino did when he won his first race, the Echinswall Maiden Stakes, most impressively, Mercer ridden. His total eclipse when last in the Washington Singer Stakes was believed to be due to a slight virus going through the stable.

The most remembered race of the year was the so-called 'Race of the Century' held at Ascot in July when Bustino was beaten half a length by the Derby winner Grundy in what many people consider to be one of the greatest races ever run. Bustino had been expected to start his season in the Yorkshire Cup in May. Declared for the race, Dick Hern was forced to withdraw the colt on the morning of the race because his owner, Lady Beaverbrook, did not want him to run in any thing but Group 1 races. Mercer took over the ride on what was to have been Bustino's pacemaker Riboson. Despite being on the effective second string Mercer scored a satisfying victory. Bustino appeared a few weeks later and again, with Riboson as his pacemaker, scored one of his finest victories when winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom in record time. This turned out to be Mercer's only Group 1 winner of the year. The follow-up was the Race of the Century (the 1975 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes: covered under Bustino) in which Bustino ran with two pacemakers but not his classy, usual pacemaker Riboson, who was injured. Taking up the running earlier than usual, he entered the Ascot straight 4 lengths clear of that year's Derby winner Grundy, who in a thrilling finish beat Bustino by a half-length.

To the outside world Mercer had much to look forward to with a promising group of horses for the 1976 classics. What was not known was that the stable owners, Sir Michael Sobell and Lord Arnold Weinstock, had informed Mercer that 1976 was to be his last as stable jockey and that he was to be replaced by Willie Carson. Both jockeys were sworn to secrecy and, apart from Hern, few others, including the bulk of the owners, knew of this arrangement. All came to the surface in early June 1976.

Against this backdrop 1976 started well for Mercer and important early winners were Relkino in the Ascot 2000 Guineas Trial, Smuggler (Epsom's Warren Stakes), Memory Lane (Epsom's Princess Elizabeth Stakes) and Riboboy (Sandown’s Classic Trial Stakes). Relkino then finished 6th in Wollow’s 2000 Guineas victory, Smuggler followed up with a 3rd in the Chester Vase but Riboboy finished unplaced in the Lingfield Derby Trial. Mercer elected to ride Relkino in the Derby.

Mercer was picking up several winners in May including twice on Zimbalon (Rosebery Handicap, Ormonde Stakes), Boldboy (Abernant Stakes) and two useful two-year-olds of Dick Hern’s Town and Country and Sky Ship.On Derby Day Mercer had his fourth victory of the year on trainer John Nelson’s Creetown. He also rode a fine race on Relkino in the Derby. He came with a perfectly timed run to win the race but was then easily brushed aside by the Lester Pigott ridden Empery, and left to finish second. As Relkino never won over further than ten furlongs (as a four year old he won the Lockinge Stakes and the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup), it is likely he didn’t stay the distance of the Derby.

The next day before racing, Mercer accompanied by Dick Hern and the Queen’s racing manager, Lord Porchester, entered the Epsom Press Office. Porchester then read a prepared statement. It said that Mercer would be removed as stable jockey at the end of the season to be replaced by Willie Carson. The announcement created almost universal outcry from the press, Hern’s other owners and others in racing. An almost immediate response from John Oaksey on ITV was, ‘The mind boggles if you are not satisfied with Joe Mercer’.

There is little doubt that this announcement did harm to nearly everyone involved. Many felt Hern could have reacted differently, but Hern was just a salaried employer of the stable owners. However it did cause a chill between Hern and the Press that only thawed properly when he himself suffered a similar removal. Willie Carson was retained by Clive Brittain and to him it was a huge shock and his principal owner, Captain Marcos Lemos, said ‘ It was the way the whole wretched business was announced. I first heard the news on television. I still maintain I should have been told first’. Even three years later Weinstock said ‘…But I will admit that it was a painful thing, and in some quarters we have never been quite forgiven’.

Within a week Mercer had bounced back and rode five winners at the Newbury Summer meeting, including two for Sobell and Weinstock (Adagio and Sunbelt). However at the same meeting he was found guilty of dangerous riding and received a weeks ban. At the same time he announced that he’d been approached by Ian Balding to become his stable jockey, and that he’d had similar offers that he was considering. Soon after this Mercer announced that he was to join Henry Cecil as stable jockey in 1977.

At Royal Ascot Mercer managed only one winner in the shape of the Queen Mary Stakes winner Cramond for Ron Boss. Smuggler was Mercer’s next best effort when he finished second in the King Edward VII Stakes. Six weeks later he rode this colt to win the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood. Sea Anchor could finish only third to the outstanding Sagaro in the Ascot Gold Cup. Sea Anchor had earlier won the Henry II Stakes at Sandown and had been fancied for the Ascot big staying race. This colt then went on to win the Goodwood Stakes, Mercer ridden, under the welter burden of 10 stone. Mercer later rode him to win the Doncaster Cup in September.

Returning from his suspension of 7 days Mercer had a treble at the Newmarket July Meeting, of which the most significant winner was the July Stakes winner Sky Ship. This colt had already been ridden by Mercer to win a maiden at Salisbury and he followed this second win up with a win at Goodwood in the Lanson Champagne Stakes, during a fine meeting where he rode 5 winners.

Other significant winners ridden for Hern were Bold Pirate, who won the John Smith’s Magnet Cup; Boldboy, who as well as winning the Abernant Stakes, won the Sanyo Stakes at Doncaster; and the Queen’s two year olds Fife and Drum and Circlet. For other trainers Mercer rode Gunner B (trained by George Toft) to win both the Cecil Frail Handicap and the Doonside Cup and John Cherry to win the Newbury Autumn Cup.

Hern’s best two year old was the maiden filly Dunfermline, who Mercer rode to be second to the Lester Piggott ridden Miss Pinkie in the Ascot Fillies Mile. It is instructive that while Piggott felt Dunfermline to be ingenuine and the to-be stable jockey Willie Carson considered other fillies in the stable to be more promising, Mercer felt the filly was just green and would improve as a 3yo. Mercer turned out to be right and Her Majesty’s filly won three races the next year, including two classics.

Mercer finished the season on 98 winners, his best total since 1965. Appropriately his last winner for Hern as stable jockey was the two year old filly Amity. Hern and Mercer remained friends for the rest of Hern’s life. A group of Hern’s owners presented him with a painting of his portrait surrounded by his classic winners as a leaving present.