Trainer, writer, legend of the turf: The enduring legacy of Ivor Herbert

By Harsh Thakor* 

Ivor Herbert was one of the most iconic and charismatic figures in the world of horse racing. A Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer and one of the sport’s most distinguished writers, he completed his birth centenary in August 1925, leaving behind a legacy that carved him a permanent niche among the legends of equestrian sport. His stature was such that he was voted among the fifty icons in the history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup during the race’s centenary celebrations.  

A powerhouse of talent and versatility, Herbert trained Linwell to win the Gold Cup in 1957 before turning his pen to chronicle the sport’s greatest icons, including Arkle, Red Rum, and Vincent O’Brien. His writing combined deep knowledge with a free-flowing style that gave his subjects a near-human dimension, painting them as vividly as characters in a novel. He collaborated with the Princess Royal on her equestrian autobiography and was widely regarded as one of the three finest horse racing writers of his generation, alongside John Oaksey and Hugh McIlvanney.  

Herbert’s career was as varied as it was distinguished. He worked for the Sunday Express before joining the Mail on Sunday in 1980, where he became lead travel writer and racing editor. He produced racing documentaries with Yorkshire TV and co-wrote Princess Anne’s 1991 book “Riding Through My Life.” His son Nick recalled him as “horse mad” from a young age, a passion he pursued even while working full-time in finance and journalism. Because racing authorities frowned upon journalists holding training licences, his head lad Charlie Mallon was officially credited with Linwell’s Gold Cup triumph, though Herbert’s hand was everywhere in the horse’s preparation.  

Born Edward Ivor Montgomery Herbert on August 20, 1925, in South Africa, he was educated at Eton and served with the Coldstream Guards from 1944 to 1947, reaching the rank of captain after being seconded to Intelligence. He later studied economics and English literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. His early successes in point-to-point races led him to fuse careers as a trainer and journalist, a dual path that defined his life. He trained privately for industrialist David Brown, the Aston Martin boss whose initials graced the DB sports cars made famous in James Bond films. Linwell, one of Herbert’s purchases for Brown, became the horse that carried him into racing history.  

Herbert’s training career brought further Cheltenham Festival winners, including Flame Gun in 1959 and Gallery Goddess in the Cathcart Chase the same year. He later trained at Binfield in Berkshire and Bradenham in Buckinghamshire, producing horses such as Perhapsburg, sire of Grand National winner Lucius. His string included Maigret, who finished just behind Arkle in the 1966 King George VI Chase before winning the Coventry Chase at Kempton. Herbert’s life extended beyond the turf: he co-wrote the screenplay for “The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery” and authored the spy novel “Eastern Windows,” drawing on his intelligence background.  

His literary achievements remain towering. “Arkle: The Story of a Champion” (1966) was a bestseller and is still regarded as the definitive account of the great horse. His biography of Red Rum, “Red Rum: Full and Extraordinary Story of a Horse of Courage” (1974), updated until the horse’s death in 1995, captured the fairytale rise of the Grand National legend. His collaboration with Jacqueline O’Brien on “Vincent O’Brien: The Official Biography” offered a masterful exploration of one of racing’s greatest trainers and his equine stars, from Ballymoss to Nijinsky. Herbert also authored “Horse Racing: The Complete Guide to the Turf” in 1981, a comprehensive study of the sport’s many facets. In total, he wrote more than twenty books, covering subjects as diverse as the Queen Mother, Fred Winter, and Mercy Rimell.  

Tributes to Herbert underline the breadth of his achievements. Peter Scudamore, eight-time champion jump jockey, described his career as “an extract from a Boy’s Own Annual,” noting that such varied lives no longer exist. Laurie Brannan, who worked with him at The Mail on Sunday, called him “the most natural of writers,” able to find words effortlessly where others struggled. Herbert’s contacts and friendships across racing were unparalleled, and his writing was trusted by readers and revered by peers.  

Ivor Herbert died peacefully at home on January 5. He is survived by his son Nick, daughter Kate, and grandson Joe. His daughter Jane predeceased him in 2019. His life was a tapestry of racing triumphs, literary brilliance, and journalistic integrity, a career that spanned the turf, the newsroom, and the world of books and film. Few men achieve so much in one lifetime; fewer still leave behind a legacy so enduring.  

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*Freelance journalist