Geoff Wragg

Geoff Wragg (born 9 January 1930) was a Thoroughbred horse trainer who trained champion horses such as Teenoso and Jeune. He is the son of former jockey and trainer Harry Wragg, from whom he took over the licence at Abington Place, Newmarket in 1983 upon his father's retirement. Wragg retired in 2008 after 25 years of training. Part of Abington Place is currently being used by Jane Chapple-Hyam as a part of her training set up from 2009. Many overseas raiders also make use of the facilities during the summer months (usually around Royal Ascot time), most notably in recent times crack Australian sprinting mare Black Caviar and compatriot Ortensia, both of whom were stabled at the yard during the summer of 2012.

Racing family

Wragg's father, Harry, was an extremely successful jockey and trainer, and the pair would be renowned for being the first to trial electronic timing equipment on the gallops as well as weighing their horses. His riding career was littered with success, winning all five domestic Classics - almost repeating the feat as a trainer with only the Epsom Oaks eluding him (trained the runner-up in 1974, ironically with the future dam of Teenoso, Furioso). Harry retired in 1982, leaving Geoff to train Teenoso to Classic glory at Epsom the following June. Harry's brothers were jockeys Arthur jr and Sam. Geoff had two siblings: brother Peter was a successful bloodstock until his death in February 2004, and sister Susan was married to top jockey Manny Mercer until his untimely and tragic death in September 1959. Geoff's retirement in 2008 brought to an end a long and hugely association with the name Wragg in horse racing.

Classic success

Wragg enjoyed Classic success in his very first season as a trainer when Teenoso won the Epsom Derby under Lester Piggott in 1983. However, the closest Wragg would come to replicating Teenoso's win would be some 23 years later when the unconsidered 66/1 chance Dragon Dancer came within a short head of causing one of the biggest upsets in the race's history in a four-way go to the line, narrowly losing out to Sir Percy. Rather ironically, Wragg actually trained the temperamental dam of the winner and both he and his father also trained several of the extended family, the most notable member being Teenoso. His 2001 contender, Asian Heights, well fancied after his last-to-first win in the Predominate Stakes at Goodwood, was cruelly robbed of his chance of running in the Classic after splitting a pastern with just over a week to go before the big race. He recovered to win at Group 3/Listed level at a later date, but further injuries blighted him during later years and his career somewhat fizzled out.

Away from the Derby, Wragg failed to win another classic in the UK, though his talented filly Marling landed the 1992 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh. Red Glow was made favourite for the 1988 Epsom Derby, but the colt was a notoriously tricky hold up ride and found plenty of trouble in running before finishing well to take fourth behind Kahyasi. He never scaled the heights his impressive win in the Dante Stakes the previous month had promised.

Successes

Other notable horses to have been trained by Wragg include Arcadian Heights, Most Welcome, Owington, First Island, First Trump, Pentire, Island House, Cassandra Go, Asian Heights and 2006 Derby runner up Dragon Dancer. Wragg was noted as targeting meetings like Chester's May Meeting and Glorious Goodwood with a great deal of success, most notably in handicaps with unexposed, improving three-year olds. He also had a great knack of getting the best out of the fillies he trained, most notably the top-class Marling, Coronation Stakes winners Balisada and Rebecca Sharp and also the smart Danceabout.

Pentire

Arguably, the best horse that Wragg trained in his career was the top class middle distance colt Pentire who on the basis of his relatively ordinary two-year-old form was not deemed good enough to be considered for the 1995 Epsom Derby. However, the colt thrived as a three-year-old, winning three Derby trial races at Sandown, Chester, Goodwood, seemingly thriving for the additional winter and also the extra test of stamina in his second season. Unfortunately the owners declined the opportunity to supplement the horse for the 1995 Derby, leaving Wragg without an entry for the Blue Riband event despite Pentire having leading form claims.

Pentire subsequently finished half a length behind Lammtarra, winner of the Epsom Derby the previous, in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in 1995 leading to further speculation that he would have challenged Lammtarra for the Epsom Derby had he turned up himself, particularly as jockey Michael Hills seemed to go too soon at Ascot on his mount who, as was widely recognised, possessed the greater turn of foot of the two colts. Wragg ran Pentire in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, which he won comfortably from future Ascot Gold Cup winner Classic Cliche and the horse was kept in training as a four-year-old, a decision that was justified when Pentire won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1996. He was subsequently sold to stand as a stallion in Japan, but now stands in New Zealand.

Owners

Amongst his main band of owners were Anthony Oppenheimer, Far East businessman John Pearce and also Mollers Racing, formed after the deaths of brothers Eric and Ralph 'Budgie' Moller, who left behind a trust fund to keep their famous chocolate and gold silks in the game beyond their deaths. Moller Racing's horses were purchased by bloodstock agent John Ferguson in the main, following the sale of the Mollers' breeding establishment, White Lodge Stud, to Sheikh Mohammed. Notable purchases included First Island, Pentire and Swallow Flight. The silks were still in use until 2013 despite Wragg's retirement, with near-neighbour and fellow trainer Chris Wall subsequently housing a small number of Moller horses including useful middle distance staying handicapper Snow Hill. With the remaining horses sold in the autumn of 2013, it is highly unlikely the famous chocolate and gold silks will be seen on a racecourse again with the necessary funds unavailable to prove competitive.

Last winner

Wragg's last winner was Convallaria on 19 November 2008 at Kempton, the Cape Cross filly winning a low grade 0-55 handicap for one of Wragg's original owners Claude Lilley. In fact, she would be his penultimate ever runner, with that honour, perhaps fittingly, falling to one of his old stalwarts in latter years, smart all-weather performer Grand Passion, though he could only manage a ninth place finish in the Listed Churchill Stakes at Lingfield. He would go on to be trained by Chris Wall but never recaptured his top form and was retired in October 2009 after a spate of low-key efforts.

Major wins

United Kingdom Great Britain

Canada Canada

France France

Hong Kong Hong Kong

Republic of Ireland Ireland

Italy Italy

References