| Etienne L. de Mestre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full name | Etienne Livingstone El Mestre |
| Occupation | Thoroughbred racehorse trainer & breeder racing identity |
| Born | 9 April 1832 George Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 22 October 1916 (aged 84) "Mount Valdemar", Moss Vale, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse | Clara Eliza Rowe (1852-1934) |
| Children | 1 (illegitimate) child with Sarah Lamb: Helen Ahoy de Mestre (1897-1981) |
Etienne Livingston de Mestre (9 April 1832 – 22 October 1916), was a 19th-century Australian breeder and jockey of Thoroughbred racehorses. He was Australia's first outstanding racehorse trainer and racing identity. In his 30-year career, he experienced all the highs and the lows of the turf in a career which ended with him dependent on donations from racing friends.
With the five wins de Mestre achieved in the Cup's first 18 years, he held the record for training the most Melbourne Cup winners for nearly 100 years. De Mestre won the first two Melbourne Cups with Archer in 1861 and 1862, and later trained a further three winners: Tim Whiffler (1867); Chester (1877); and Calamia (1878). He set a training record for Melbourne Cup winners which was finally broken by Bart Cummings in 1977. De Mestre also trained many other feature race winners including two AJC and two VRC Derbies and an Epsom Handicap. In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Etienne de Mestre was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame part of the Australian Racing Museum on 12 September 1992. In the racing industry one could best describe Etienne de Mestre as the "Bart Cummings" (the greatest of all Australian Racehorse trainers) of the 19th century.[1]