Still having a ball after all these years
DAVID YATES
MANY of the adjectives used to describe Bill Gredley start with ‘un’ or ‘non’ — unconventional, uncompromising, nonconformist.
How else could the son of a docker, born in London’s East End between the wars, own a leading runner in the greatest Flat race of all, the Derby?
The journeys to triumph in the Betfred-sponsored primary Classic, first run in 1780, have been many and varied. But few are the odysseys that take in the scenery encountered by Gredley and hardly any can equal the length.
“I’ve had some nice horses and won some good races,” says Gredley, 91, whose Ambiente Friendly is vying for third favouritism.
“I’ve been to all the top days, and I still get a tingle in my blood when I go to the Derby.”
Among those ‘nice horses’ were User Friendly, winner of the Oaks in 1992 before racking up a Classic double in the St Leger, and Big Orange who bore his owner’s livery – yellow, yellow and black striped sleeves, white cap – to a tenacious verdict in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot seven years ago.
And Environment Friend – the
I always get a tingle in my blood when I go to the Derby
name betrays Gredley’s awareness, decades ahead of his time – an alsoran in the 1991 Derby before bouncing back at the highest level, at 28-1, on his next outing.
“He was tailed off,” remembers the veteran, whose horses now compete under the Gredley Family that includes aspiring Paris Olympics showjumper, Tim. “Nobody wanted to run him in the Eclipse [Stakes at Sandown 31 days later], but I stuck my fingers up, ran him, and he won.”
When he encounters a tide, Gredley can’t resist the impulse to swim against it.
The business grew from a Compulsory Purchase Order served on his grandmother’s house in Essex.
Gredley invested the money in commercial property, making the millions that financed the purchase of the 730–acre Stetchworth Park Stud in Newmarket that is now the base of his Unex group.
It also bankrolled the horses – Gredley was once made to wait at the Royal Ascot gates as the bowler hats pondered the legality of the pony tail flowing beneath the brim of his silk topper – and an art collection where the old masters rub shoulders with the oddball.
To celebrate his 90th birthday last year, Gredley rolled the dice on nine two-year-olds at the Tattersalls Breeze-up Sales in Newmarket.
“People go up there, they have them trotted up, they look at their back teeth, they look up their backside,” he says. “But there’s a lot of luck in it. There are three or four good ones out of the deal, and this is a good one.”
Ambiente Friendly, who went under the hammer for 80,000 guineas, went into training with James Fanshawe (left), who missed out on Gredley’s patronage for 28 years, despite his success with Environment Friend.
The son of Gleneagles could be backed at 100-1 before his victory under Callum Shepherd in the
Lingfield Derby Trial three weeks ago. The once headstrong Ambiente Friendly and Shepherd seemed the perfect pairing, but Gredley exercised his owner’s right to replace the jockey with 50-year-old Rab Havlin, himself so often the understudy to Frankie Dettori.
“I like Callum and we still use him,” he reasons. “But Rab has been around, and the owner shouldn’t be criticised – the horses belong to him, not the public.” At his time of life, Gredley knows the window of opportunity lets in less light than before.
“I’m getting pretty old, but I’m still up for the race and I’ve got a nice horse,” he protests. “He could have broken the track record in the trial – I thought it was remarkable.”
“The Derby is never a walkover – it’s got some good horses in it – but I do believe he will handle the track and I think he’s got the acceleration.
“If he’s thereabouts on the run-in, I don’t think he’ll fall away.”
(3.45) has the need for speed in the Aston Martin ‘Dash’ Handicap.
Epsom’s sprint course is the quickest 5f in the country and that will suit Ian Williams’ (right) speedster.
He is seriously rapid and this is a race that is often won by a horse making the running or sitting close to the pace.
His defeat of another of today’s rivals, Looking For Lynda, over this course and distance in April showed he has the perfect tools for this track.
He’s since run sound races at Chester and Goodwood. His high draw in stall 13 is perfect and he could easily make all the running down the stands’ side rail.
Have 2pts each-way at
Most bookies are paying out on four places.
Sky Bet is stretching to five.
(3.10) looks an ideal type in the three-year-olds’ version of the ‘Dash’.
He’s unbeaten in three runs over this 5f distance. The way he’s travelled over 6f in his last two races suggests the drop in distance on this sharp track should be ideal.
He’s also not been helped by being caught wide from poor stalls in those races at Lingfield and Chester.
The draw has been kinder to him this time.
He’s copped box 13 — just like Night On Earth — so I’m hoping it’s going to be a lucky number in both races. Have 1pt each-way at Several bookies are going six places.
The Betfred Derby is a fascinating race and I’m convinced
(4.30) is going to be very smart over this 1m4f distance.
He’s got a superb pedigree being a son of Derby hero Sea The Stars and a nephew of top-class Kingman.
He will have to improve on his second behind Arabian Crown in Sandown’s Classic Trial but there’s plenty of reasons to think he will.
Ralph Beckett had just one winner from 28 runners in April and his stable has really hit form in recent weeks. The longer trip will also help. Have 1pt each-way at
Beckett and jockey Rossa Ryan also have a decent chance of a winner with (5.15).
He didn’t appear to enjoy the fast ground at Lingfield on his return to action three weeks ago.
That run should have put the edge on him and he’s very interesting on last season’s form. Have 1pt each-way at