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| Dick Hern | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Horse trainer |
| Born | 20 January 1921 Holford, Somerset, England |
| Died | 22 May 2002 (aged 81) Oxford, Oxfordshire, England |
| Major racing wins | |
| British Classic Race wins: 2,000 Guineas (2) 1,000 Guineas (2) Epsom Oaks (3) Epsom Derby (3) St. Leger Stakes (6) | |
| Honours | |
| Champion Trainer (1962, 1972, 1980, 1983) | |
| Significant horses | |
| Hethersett, Provoke, Highest Hopes, Brigadier Gerard, Sallust, Highclere, Bustino, Dunfermline, Troy, Ela-Mana-Mou, Henbit, Sun Princess, Petoski, Minster Son, Unfuwain, Nashwan, Alhaarth, Dayjur, Harayir. | |
William Richard Hern CVO CBE (20 January 1921 – 22 May 2002) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions.
Following his early career in the Army (Major), he became a riding instructor, including a spell as instructor to the Olympic gold medal-winning team in 1952. His first training licence was as private trainer to Major Lionel Holliday in 1958, at La Grange Stables in Newmarket, before moving to West Ilsley at the end of the 1962 season to take over from R. J. "Jack" Colling.
Hern became a St. Leger Stakes specialist, winning the event six times. He produced three Epsom Derby winners in Troy (1979), Henbit (1980) and Nashwan (1989), who also won the 2,000 Guineas and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Hern trained Brigadier Gerard who was only beaten once in eighteen races. Other major winners include Sun Princess, Dayjur, Hethersett, Bireme, Bustino, Longboat, Little Wolf, Petoski, Highclere, Provoke, Prince of Dance, Minster Son, Unfuwain, Dunfermline and Cut Above.
In December 1984, Hern was seriously injured in a hunting accident, after which time he used a wheelchair.
In 1988, he was controversially sacked from his position as trainer for Queen Elizabeth II at West Ilsley by her racing manager 7th Earl of Carnarvon – Hern was recovering from heart surgery at the time. Later a compromise was reached whereby Hern shared the stable with the new incumbent – William Hastings-Bass (later Earl of Huntingdon) for a year before moving to Hamdan Al Maktoum's Kingwood House Stables in Lambourn.
Dick Hern died on 22 May 2002 in Oxford, England, aged 81.