Cyril backtracks to his training ground

The present cold snap is the opposite to the weather Cyril and his wife Roberta experienced at their former home on the northeast coast of Majorca. Now they are living at nearby Tadworth, amid the several grandchildren supplied by Philip and their daughter, Lindy.

Cyril is inextricably linked with 'the Voice of Racing' Peter O'Sullevan, as both Be Friendly and Attivo were owned by the broadcaster. Attivo won the Chester Cup, the Northumberland Plate (Pitmen's Derby) and the 1974 Triumph Hurdle.

Cyril recalls: "When Attivo arrived he looked like he had been in a fight with Muhammad Ali. There was nothing of him but his poor lad, Derek Wilmot, really went through it. Attivo, who was christened "Percy", would bite him, kick him and throw him off at every opportunity. At that time Philip had a little two-horse box to earn a few shillings and if he was picking up a single animal he would put Percy in too which made him more amenable.

"I'll never forget the first time we schooled Percy over hurdles, he went like an arrow and we knew we had something special."

Be Friendly was the top sprinter of his day and won the Vernon Sprint twice plus the Ayr Gold Cup. "He was a one-man horse," Cyril remembers. "He was devoted to his lad Tony Boyle."

Yet the horse he most fondly recalls is Boysie Boy. "He won at Newmarket with seven stone four pounds and Tommy Carter on his back. At the end of the season he was carrying nine stone something, having beaten the great Lorenzaccio. Boysie went to France and was second in the Prix Moulin, beating our Guineas winner Habitat in the process."

The Royal Military Gold Cup still holds pride of place in Downs House. Cyril landed the Sandown highlight three times with Atom Bomb, Skatealong and Golden Drop. Yet none of these three compared with Creditable who was trained by Ryan Jarvis and on whom Philip rode his first winner at Haydock. "The late Bill Williamson, a good judge of a jockey, told me 'you've got a real star there with that boy'."

The wicked humour still sparkles in Cyril's eyes as he recounts his bete noires of racing. "The three F's - Fontwell, Fakenham and Effing Plumpton! I never had any luck at any of them. Ironically, Philip has gone on to be leading trainer at Fakenham.

"I'll tell you another pet hate of mine - owners who can read!"

Other twilight reminiscences include the day that Geoff Lewis rode a horse for Cyril at Lewes called Hard Match. "He was well named because he pulled extremely hard. Geoff won very easily but could not pull him up, disappearing to arrive in front of Lewes Prison.

"Looking back I suppose I was lucky not to end up there too!"