Farewell to owner of horses who ‘captured the imagination of fans young and old’
Clive Smith, the owner of racing greats Kauto Star and Master Minded has died following a short illness, aged 82.
Mr Smith studied accounting and gained a business degree, then became an entrepreneur, first involved with golf and building golf courses.
His first racehorse, the Jenny Pitman-trained Hawthorn Hill Lad, was the first to run in Mr Smith’s yellow, green and purple silks in 1987. He had horses with trainers Martin Pipe and David Elsworth, and his first major win was with the Martin Pipe-trained Rainbow Frontier in the Grade Three Swinton Handicap Hurdle.
In 2003, Mr Smith joined forces with Paul Nicholls and the following year, Mr Smith bought Kauto Star from France. The gelding became one of the most successful staying chasers of all time. Trained by Paul and ridden by Ruby Walsh, Kauto Star won 16 Grade Ones from 2005 to 2011. He won more than £2m, taking the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice and the King George VI Chase five times, before his retirement in 2012.
Another of Mr Smith’s notable horses was the Paul Nicholls-trained Master Minded, who won eight Grade Ones between 2008 and 2011, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2008 and 2009 with Ruby Walsh.
A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) spokesperson said that Mr Smith owned horses “that captured the imagination of racing fans young and old”.
“They lit up some of our biggest days and will live forever in the memories of all who love our sport,” he said.
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“The thoughts of everyone at the BHA are with Clive’s family and friends”.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.