Le Moss


Le Moss was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. A specialist stayer, he excelled at distances of two miles and beyond, winning eleven times from fifteen races between 1977 and 1980. He showed good form as a three-year-old, winning the Queen's Vase and finishing second in the classic St Leger Stakes, but reached his peak as an older horse. In 1979 he completed the "Stayers' Triple Crown" by winning the Ascot Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and Doncaster Cup. He won the same three races as a five-year-old, defeating the future champion Ardross on each occasion, and in doing so becoming the only horse ever to win the "Stayers' Triple Crown" twice. He was then retired to stud where he had some success as a sire of steeplechasers.

Background

Le Moss was a chestnut horse with a narrow white blaze and three white socks bred in Ireland by the Irish-based McGrath Trust Company, a family breeding operation run by Joseph McGrath. His sire was the McGrath-owned Le Levanstell, who won the Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 1961 before a successful stud career. Le Moss's dam, Feemoss came from a strong staying family, being a daughter of the Yorkshire Oaks winner Feevagh and a half-sister of the Queen Alexandra Stakes winner Laurence O. Feemoss had previously produced the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Levmoss and the Prix de Diane winner Sweet Mimosa.
As a yearling, Le Moss was sent to the sales and was bought for 26,000 guineas by representatives of the Italian lawyer Carlo d'Alessio. During his racing career, Le Moss carried d'Alessio's red, white and green racing silks and was trained by Henry Cecil at his Warren Place Stables in Newmarket, Suffolk. He proved a difficult horse to train, being highly temperamental and lazy in his exercise. Joe Mercer, who rode the horse to some of his biggest wins described him as "a cantankerous bugger".

Racing career

1978: three-year-old season

After finishing unplaced on his only race as a two-year-old, Le Moss was a "very impressive" winner of a maiden race at Newmarket Racecourse on his first appearance in 1978. He established himself as one of the leading stayers of his generation at Royal Ascot in June when he was ridden by Geoff Baxter to win the Queen's Vase over two miles at odds of 7/4. The following month, again ridden by Baxter, he defeated the mighty Sea Pigeon in the valuable Tennent Trophy over one mile and seven furlongs at Ayr. Re-united with stable jockey Mercer in August, he was an impressive winner of the March Stakes over one and three-quarter miles at Goodwood, a recognised trial for the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster in September where he finished second of the fourteen runners, one and a half lengths behind the 28/1 outsider Julio Mariner.

1979: four-year-old season

Le Moss began his four-year-old season by beating two opponents in the Lymm Stakes over two miles at Haydock Park in May. He was then sent to Royal Ascot in June, where he was ridden by Lester Piggott in the Ascot Gold Cup over two and a half miles. He started at odds of 7/4 and won by seven lengths from his six-year-old stable companion Buckskin who started favourite. With Mercer back in the saddle, he then won the Goodwood Cup over two miles five furlongs and completed the Stayers' Triple Crown by winning the Doncaster Cup over two and a quarter miles in September.

1980: five-year-old season

In early 1980, Le Moss sustained an injury and could not be galloped, being instead brought back to fitness by a programme of swimming. Le Moss did not appear until Royal Ascot where he started the 3/1 favourite to retain the Gold Cup. Ridden by Joe Mercer, he led from the start and repelled the persistent challenge of the Irish-trained four-year-old Ardross to win by three-quarters of a length. In the Goodwood Cup, Le Moss started 4/7 favourite, despite being required to concede two pounds to Ardross. In a repeat of their Ascot clash, Le Moss and Ardross dominated the closing stages of the race, with the older horse winning by a neck. The pair met for a third time in the Doncaster Cup. Le Moss led from the start and completed his second Cup hat-trick, again beating his rival by a neck.
On his final appearance he was sent to France to contest the Prix Gladiateur over 4000 metres. He failed to reproduce his best form when finishing a half-a-length second to the filly Anifa who was in receipt of 10lbs. Mercer blamed himself for the defeat, admitting afterwards that he did not set a strong enough gallop and thereby placing more of an emphasis on stamina, his mount's greatest attribute.
Le Moss's full race record is listed below.
DateRacecourseDistanceRaceJockeyWeightGoingOddsFieldResultMargin
19 Oct 77Sandown1 mile2-y-o MaidenJ Mercer9-0Good8/1247th6 lengths
20 May 78Newmarket1¾ miles3-y-o MaidenJ Mercer9-0Good5/2jf131st7 lengths
21 Jun 78Royal Ascot2 milesQueen's Vase G Baxter8-0Firm7/4f121stHead
17 Jul 78Ayr1 mile 7fTennent Trophy G Baxter8-2Firm7/4f71stNeck
26 Aug 78Goodwood1¾ milesMarch StakesJ Mercer9-5Firm5/251st2 lengths
16 Sep 78Doncaster1 mile 6½fSt. Leger Stakes J Mercer9-0Good9/1142nd1½ lengths
26 May 79Haydock2 milesLymm StakesJ Mercer9-5Soft1/2f31st2½ lengths
21 Jun 79Royal Ascot2½ milesAscot Gold Cup L Piggott9-0Good-Firm7/461st7 lengths
02 Aug 79Goodwood2 miles 5fGoodwood Cup J Mercer9-2Good4/9f51st7 lengths
13 Sep 79Doncaster2¼ milesDoncaster Cup J Mercer9-2Good-Firm4/11f51st¾ length
06 Oct 79Newmarket2 milesJockey Club Cup J Mercer9-0Firm5/4f85th3¾ lengths
19 Jun 80Royal Ascot2½ milesAscot Gold Cup J Mercer9-0Good3/1f81st¾ length
31 Jul 80Goodwood2 miles 5fGoodwood Cup J Mercer9-2Good4/7f51stNeck
11 Sep 80Doncaster2¼ milesDoncaster Cup J Mercer9-2Good4/6f51stNeck
28 Sep 80Longchamp2½ milesPrix Gladiateur J Mercer9-4Good4/5f72nd½ length

Assessment

In 1980 he was officially Europe's second best older horse, and the fourth best overall with a rating of 129, placing him behind the three-year-olds Moorestyle and Argument as well as the four-year-old Ela-Mana-Mou. Following a "recalibration" of historic ratings in 2013, the ratings of all horses in the 1985 classification were moved down by four pounds, giving him a new official rating of 125.
The independent Timeform awarded Le Moss a peak rating of 135 in 1980, making him their highest-rated older horse and the second best horse of any age behind Moorestyle. They described him in their annual as "a powerful, relentless galloper......a phenomenon among racehorses: he's not the best long-distance horse we've ever seen, but if there is such a thing as a top-class racehorse that stays forever, Le Moss is probably the closest to him we have encountered since that great out-and-out stayer of the mid-forties Marsyas II, and on the score of determination and courage, precious few stayers of the post-war era rank with Le Moss......His performance in winning his second Gold Cup was one of the most stirring seen on a racecourse in many a year; it was an unforgettable display of endurance and courage......When he took the so-called stayers triple crown as a four-year-old he became the first horse to do so for over twenty-five years, and no other horse has completed that notable treble two years in a row. And he achieved his second treble the hard way, making virtually every yard of the running in almost seven and a half miles of competition......In terms of merit, we rate Le Moss higher than his famous brother ".
In their book A Century of Champions, based on a modified version of the Timeform system, John Randall and Tony Morris rated Le Moss a "superior" Ascot Gold Cup winner and the second best British or Irish trained horse foaled in 1975 behind Ile de Bourbon.

Stud record

Le Moss was retired to Brownstown Stud in Ireland. Although he had raced throughout 1980 in the colours of Carlo d'Alessio, he was bought after the Ascot Gold Cup by Paddy McGrath for a reported £250,000 and leased back to d'Alessio for the remainder of his racing career before taking up stallion duties in 1981 at Brownstown Stud, the place of his birth.
He made no impact as a sire of flat runners, but his progeny had some success in National Hunt racing. The best of his offspring was the steeplechaser Scotton Banks, who won the Peter Marsh Chase and the Martell Cup in 1996. He was also the damsire of the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander. Le Moss died at the age of twenty-five at Waterhouse Farm near Minehead in Somerset on 17 August 2000. On learning of his passing, Joe Mercer, who rode him to 8 of his 11 victories, said: "Le Moss was difficult to train and would never go on the gallops unless he felt like it. But he always woke up once we got him to a racecourse. He was as tough as old boots and tremendously difficult to pass. So my orders were invariably to lead from the start and just keep punching all the way to the line. That was the way I rode him in those great Cup races in 1980 and I shall always remember the old rascal with great affection. He was an outstanding stayer."

Pedigree