Of Kings, Crowns, Knights, Heroes and Camelot

King Arthur wearing his Triple Crown

Don't let it be forgot

 

That once there was a spot

 

For one brief shining moment

 

That was known as Camelot!

 

Tomorrow something unbelievable is happening at Doncaster in the oldest almost forgotten Classic race, the St Leger. It is something that we had dreamed of, and even hoped for, but never dared to believe in. The winner of The Derby and The Guineas will be laying his reputation on the line, literally, as participation in this race has come to mean the ruin of champions on the track and at stud.

We got our hopes up last season that Sea The Stars might throw caution to the winds and take part. Those hopes were dashed, like so many before them, when he went to Paris and the Arc instead. No one could blame them, it made financial sense, both on the track and at stud. And it's not just the problem of champions not running in the St Leger which scuppers anything winning a Triple Crown. Before they can they must have taken the 2000 Guineas and the Derby. Since Nijinsky in 1970 only two horses have done that, Nashwan in 1989 and Sea the Stars in 2009. With a very heavy sigh we put away our hopes and dreams of a Triple Crown and sadly resolved that it would never be.

But then there was that young colt at Ballydoyle. Ah yes .... Ballydoyle and Coolmore, fabled places, the stuff of legends. More than a few Kings had come from there and conquered. They didn't just have a way with horses they were word smiths too. The naming of their horses was a mystical process carried out with consumate skill. Words have the ability to transport us, to thrill and to inspire. The well named often rise to their legacy.

Camelot is the horse we've been waiting for. 

To dream a Triple Crown has been the impossible dream. No one even DARED.

The legend of Camelot

It sounds too simple, and perhaps it will prove to be so, but as soon as we saw the name and the breeding our hearts skipped a beat and we began to dream. How poignant has his success been when his magnificent sire Montjeu has left us? This was a horse who lured us to attend the King George just to see him in the flesh. It was so crowded it was nearly impossible to do so, and yet it remains one of our most treasured racing moments ever. 



Horse racing is the most romantic of sports. The silks worn by the jockey are so named after the pennants which Knights carried to battle to represent for whom they fought and honoured. Camelot and young Joseph carry the colours of Derrick Smith whose fondest wish was to win the Epsom Derby and who had been second in the race 4 times before Camelot gave him the prize. 

It can often seem that racing is made up of those who bet, and little else. Thanksfully there is more to it than that. It's history is a richly woven tapestry, embroidered with the names of heroes, foot soldiers, warriors and Kings. Some in racing are bored with the large yards and owners winning the big prizes. And yet were it not for them we would never have these horses to thrill us. It's nice for little owners to have their day as well, (and we have personally been there cheering ours on) but not for nothing is horseracing called, 'The Sport of Kings'. Ballydoyle, Derek Smith, Coolmore and the Magnier partnerships must seem to have it all and so why would they deserve to win The Triple Crown?

For us it is again, so simple. Because they dared to try! With all they stand to lose, they still tried. But win or lose, whatever happens nothing can ever take away the dream which they have kept alive and which they had the courage to follow.
 

Just to try has meant the world to those of us who love the history of horseracing, the St Leger, and the legend of Camelot.

We wish them victory.  

Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

Sir Galahad finds the Grail

What they said: John Magnier to the press

“He must be right there among the best,” said Magnier, the brains behind the operation which also won last year’s Derby with the French trained Pour Moi. “His win is very important coming in the year that his sire, Montjeu, died. We’ll take it race by race and give it a lot of thought. Wouldn’t anybody want to win the Triple Crown though? We’re so old these things mean more now – had you asked me 30 years ago I might have turned away.”

 

The St Leger trophy 2007 created by Chris Knight,
Owen Waterhouse and Sarah Denny

There is no trophy for The Triple Crown, of course those who do win it will have their mantle a little crowded with a Guineas, Derby and St Leger trophy. But should there not be something to commemorate The Triple Crown?

Maybe not, perhaps it's best as it is, a kind of Holy Grail. Dreamed of, seldom seen. Not tangible.

The Holy Grail by Arthur Rackham

In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, cup or vessel that caught Jesus’ blood during his crucifixion. It was said to have the power to heal all wounds. A theme joined to the Christianised Arthurian myths relates to the quest for the Holy Grail. Christian revisionists insist that the Holy Grail is not to be confused with the Holy Chalice, the vessel which Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve the wine; various vessels have been put forward as the Last Supper chalice. Other legends featured magical platters or dishes that symbolize super power or test the hero’s worth. Sometimes the items generate a never-ending supply of food, sometimes they can raise the dead. Sometimes they decide who the next king should be, as only the true sovereign could hold them.Old French, san grial means “Holy Grail” and sang rial means “royal blood”. Since then, Sangreal is sometimes employed to lend a medieval air in referring to the Holy Grail.
 

 

 

Camelot on wikipedia

 Coolmore Stud Ireland

Doncaster Racecourse