Queally: Cecil was pure class
“Everybody in racing will be saddened to hear of his passing away,” said Waterford man Queally. “This is going to affect an awful lot of people. I’m gutted to hear it. His illness got the better of him — it’s a dreadful shame.
“He was very easy to ride for. He was a great trainer and an even greater person. Everything he did was class — he was just class, everything about him. Every other trainer aspires to be like him and no other trainer will come close. He had a great empathy with horses and was a people person as well.
“He made a serious business feel like fun — I’m sure any member of his staff will tell you the same.
“Simplicity wins, and he kept things simple. They don’t make people like him anymore. He was a brilliant, brilliant trainer and a great man. We’ll never see another trainer like him again.”
Six-times champion Kieren Fallon, another of the elite band of Cecil stable jockeys, described him as a “legend”.
“My first year with him, I was champion jockey. We had a great rapport and he will be sadly missed.
“I think Frankel will be on everybody’s mind, the way he trained that horse, one of the greatest horses we’ve ever seen — we’ll not see another one like him.”
