'Julie was something special' - former Newmarket trainer Brittain pays tribute

Clive Brittain is among a host of Newmarket trainers past and present to pay warm tribute in recent days to Julie Cecil, former wife of the late Sir Henry Cecil and trainer in her own right in the 1980s, following news of her death on Wednesday.

The 88-year-old former trainer, who still lives in his house at Carlburg Stables on the Bury Road, recalled the days he spent with Julie Cecil when he worked for her father, Sir Noel Murless, at Beckhampton Stables in Wiltshire in the 1950s.

He said: "I'll miss Julie terribly as she was a great friend. I knew her first when I used to take her out on her pony at Beckhampton and we were good friends ever since.

"She could make a joke out of anything, including when I had to back her out of the box on her pony, which caused much amusement, and I used to get a clout round the ear if she fell off.

"I remember we used to have to twist the straws in at the stable doors at Beckhampton and one day whilst I was bent down she came from nowhere and kicked me up the backside. She laughed her head off and we were friends ever after."

They made their separate ways to Newmarket and kept in touch for over 50 years. He added: "I've heard it said she was the Queen of Newmarket and nothing could be more apt. She was something special."

Former trainer Dave Morris was a work-rider at Warren Place in the late 70s and 80s and said he could not speak highly enough of Julie.

During the time he was there he was struck down by leukaemia and always remembers the support he was shown by both Henry and Julie Cecil during a worrying time.

He said: "I know Julie had been through quite a bit but it’s sad to hear that she’s passed away. There’s quite a lot I could say about her but when I was ill, both Julie and Henry were brilliant with me. It’s one of those situations that wasn’t to do with money or who they were, it was to do with people.

"I had leukaemia and they couldn’t have been nicer about it. She used to come and see me in hospital and the pair of them trained me to come through it – no doubt about it.”

Cecil, or ‘Madam’ as she was known at Warren Place, had a fun sense of humour, even in later years.

Morris added: “Julie was funny and was always joking, which is why I gelled with her. The whole yard at Warren Place was funny and it was alive at that time and she was the one as much as anybody that made it so. She was one of the nicest women I’ve met and she will be sorely missed.”

Cecil used to ride many of the top lead horses at Warren Place and the story goes that if anyone could get past her, or even to her girths, they knew they were on a good one.

Morris added: “As far as earning money betting, I earned more money out of riding work with Julie than I ever did from riding upsides two thirds of the so-called good work riders up at Warren Place.

"You can’t have better than that and I’m a big believer in people, especially if they know what they’re talking about – and Julie did.”

David Goodwin looked after Derby winners Slip Anchor and Commander In Chief during his spell at Warren Place, and was full of praise for Cecil.

Dave Goodwin at Warren Place

He said: “Julie was a huge influence on Henry and the success at Warren Place in the great days. Only the people who worked there at the time really know how important she was. She was loved by all the lads and everyone else who ever knew her. She was a very special person.

“One of the things I always remember is she always liked to be in the thick of action at the front of the string and she always used to ask if there were any good jokes going around town. She just led the pack and everyone else just followed.

"She was a lovely person and I don’t know how many people realised how important she was to Henry. People may think that he was the big trainer and she was just the wife, but he would have never have been the person he became if it hadn’t been for her."

Arthur Boyd-Rochfort: 'Julie was like a sister to me'Credit: Liviu_prisecaru

Arthur Boyd-Rochfort was Julie Cecil's brother-in-law and spent many happy times during the glory years at Warren Place. More recently he was at her 80th birthday party at her home near Newmarket on February 14.

He said: "Julie was my sister-in-law as I'm Henry's half-brother. Julie was Noel Murless's daughter and when we were teenagers, myself Henry, his brother David and Julie together with Tote Cherry-Downes, were all brought up together. Julie was like a sister to me.

"It's very sad as she was a lovely person. She had an 80th birthday party on Valentine's Day which I went to and her daughter Katie came over from South Africa as a surprise to attend and also her nephew Charlie Murless came over from Ireland.

"Luckily, Katie came over again to see her only last Sunday as we knew Julie was in a bad way."

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'She was a wonderful lady' - Newmarket mourns death of Julie Cecil aged 80

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