Marcus Tregoning remembers unforgettable day with ‘phenomenal’ Sir Percy

It has been 20 years since Sir Percy gave Marcus Tregoning the greatest victory of his racing life, a Derby triumph that has not been seen since and remains unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

If Martin Dwyer’s daring dash up the inner to secure the narrowest of triumphs in a thrilling finish for the ages was not enough to ensure Sir Percy’s place in Epsom folklore, then Classic glory for a 16,000 guineas bargain buy is the racing dream rarely seen in the era of the superpower owner.

“I’ve been spoilt with some good horses over the years, but to have bought this horse myself for next to nothing and win a Derby was pretty special,” explained Tregoning.

“Martin Dwyer is a great friend of mine, we talk about it quite a lot and he was a fantastic character and jockey to have on your side. I can’t tell you what fun it was enjoying this horse with Martin.

“He was unbeaten at two and had won the Dewhurst and he’d gone from a 16,000 guineas yearling to a multi-million pound horse who was among the favourites for the Classics the following year.”

Classic ambitions inspired by Sir Percy’s two-year-old career may have helped keep Tregoning warm through the cold winter nights, but it was his 2000 Guineas reversal at the hands of George Washington that convinced him dreams could become reality and Epsom would be the place to do it.

“He was a phenomenal horse and we obviously decided to start off at three in the 2000 Guineas and if that went well he would go on to the Derby,” said Tregoning.

“We thought he’d get a mile and a half eventually but he did have a lot of speed.

“They thought it was going to rain, so the watering was restrained and the ground was as lightning quick that day as you can get at Newmarket. He finished a gallant second to George Washington and any other year he might have been an easy winner of the Guineas if not for bumping into a very good horse.

Tregoning added: “From my experience with Dick Hern, he would always say if you finish first four in the Guineas then go to Epsom, so we immediately said that is what we would do.”

However, the path to the premier Classic would have a real bump in the road and as of a consequence of Sir Percy’s dalliance with a quick surface on the Rowley Mile, the colt was left in a race against time to recover for his quest to enter racing’s history books on the famous Surrey Downs.

“The build-up to the Derby was quite unconventional and tricky, as unfortunately in the Guineas he got quite badly jarred and was lame for quite some time,” continued Tregoning.

“We only had three weeks to get him ready for the Derby, but he was lame and had pulled muscles and we only got him back riding 10 days before Epsom which was extraordinary really.

“It took lots of physio and lots of help and he went to Lingfield a week before the race and worked brilliantly. It was quite remarkable how well he had come back and we thought that day if we could keep him sound for the next week we would have a great chance in the Derby.”

If Sir Percy’s miraculous recovery had rekindled spirits with the Derby fast approaching, the eve of the race would throw another potential spanner in the works, with the son of Mark Of Esteem’s big-race pilot left sprawling on the deck at Bath and his own participation in danger.

But Dwyer would prove fit enough to continue his fine association with his champion in waiting and would soon enjoy his own finest hour in the saddle, producing a Derby-winning ride which would earn both justified acclaim in the immediate aftermath and Flat Ride of the Year at the 2006 Lesters.

“Martin Dwyer was thrown off in the paddock the day before at Bath and was quite sore and we did wonder if he would be able to take the ride in the Derby,” explained Tregoning.

“Martin was such a guy that I knew he wouldn’t ride the horse unless he could do himself justice, but he assured me he had taken all the painkillers he could and would be OK and luckily it came off.

“I’ve never seen a Derby won quite like that and Martin took the shortest way round, the brave man’s route.

“I was never sure he did truly did get the mile and a half, but he had a lot of speed and in that year they went quite fast and he was quite happy to sit where he was in his comfort zone and in the hope they started coming back to him when they met the rising ground.

“It was a brave thing to do, but that’s exactly what happened. There were lots of good horses behind him and it turned out to be a super Derby I thought.”

Sir Percy’s success was just the fourth time – and the most recent – that a Derby has been won by a short head, with no edition of the race in the following two decades seeing big-race glory decided by such a short margin.

In fact such was the blur as Sir Percy, Dragon Dancer, Dylan Thomas and Hala Bek hit the line in virtual unison, Tregoning initially set out on to the track to greet what he assumed was a valiant runner-up, once again finding just one too good on the biggest stage.

“Standing where I was I thought the horse had just got beat and it was the most extraordinary emotion,” the 66-year-old continued.

“My immediate reaction was fantastic he’s finished in the first three in the Derby, but then his number came up and I just froze, I couldn’t believe it, it was a fantastic day, one you’ll never forget.”

Sir Percy may ultimately remain the last Derby winner of his kind, and while memories of that glorious June afternoon remain as clear as ever for his trainer, Tregoning is at pains to stress the importance, magic and allure of a race that no other on the Flat racing calendar possesses.

“We need to keep the Derby where it should be, as the greatest race in the world and the most prestigious there is to win,” said Tregoning, issuing a rallying cry to preserve the Derby’s place at the upper echelons of the global racing landscape.

“We’ve got to do something to save our Classic race. If you look at this year’s Derby the top of the market is dominated by one team and people aren’t breeding these horses. The emphasis is on speed and that isn’t going to give you Derby winners.

“Every trainer I know, even the young ones, want to win the Derby. Yes they might be happy with a Guineas, but they all want that Derby and it’s the ultimate. These are the races we dream about as trainers.”