Gilles de Retz (horse)
| Gilles de Retz | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Royal Charger |
| Grandsire | Nearco |
| Dam | Ma Soeur Anne |
| Damsire | Majano |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1953 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Eveton Stud |
| Owner | Anthony Samuel |
| Trainer |
Helen Johnson Houghton officially Charles Jerdein officially Peter Walwyn |
| Record | 14:4-1-2 |
| Major wins | |
|
2000 Guineas (1956) Coronation Stakes (1957) |
|
| Awards | |
| Timeform rating 132 | |
Gilles de Retz (1953–1969) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1956. After winning twice from five starts as a two-year-old, the colt disappointed on his three-year-old debut before recording a 50/1 upset victory in the Guineas. Although the feat was not officially recognised at the time, Gilles de Retz's success made Helen Johnson Houghton the first woman to train the winner of a British classic. The colt failed to reproduce his best form in three subsequent efforts in 1956 and won once from four attempts as a four-year-old. He was retired to stud where he had little success as a sire of winners.
Gilles de Retz was a dark-coated bay horse with no white markings bred by his owner, Anthony Samuel at his Eveton Stud. His sire, Royal Charger was a successful sprinter and miler who was trained by Jack Jarvis to win the Queen Anne Stakes and the Ayr Gold Cup in 1946. He made a promising start to his stud career in Ireland and went on to greater success after being exported to the United States in 1953. Gilles de Retz was the first foal of Ma Soeur Anne, a French-bred mare who was a half sister to Bagheera, the winner of the Prix de Diane and the Grand Prix de Paris.
During his racing career, Gilles de Retz was officially trained by Charles Jerdein and then by Peter Walwyn at the Woodway stable near Blewbury in Berkshire but the truth was rather different. When Gordon Johnson Houghton died in 1952, the running of the Woodway stable was taken over by his widow Helen Johnson Houghton (the twin sister of the National Hunt trainer Fulke Walwyn). The Jockey Club, however, refused to issue training licences to women until 1966, and Helen Johnson Houghton was obliged to use a series of male assistants to hold the licence, while she continued to train the horses. Mrs Johnson Houghton's achievements were belatedly recognised by the Jockey Club when she was one of the first women to be elected as a member in 1977.
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