Henry Seymour “Atty” Persse (1869-1960) was a member of a wealthy Galway family. After getting his MA at Oxford he honed his riding skills in the USA before going home to win numerous races for amateur jockeys on both sides of the Irish Sea. He was champion amateur in Ireland in 1902, the year he also won the National Hunt Chase at Warwick, when the race was still peripatetic.
Persse began training in Ireland in 1902. He came over to Epsom for a couple of years before moving on to Chattis Hill near Stockbridge. He won the 2,000 Guineas three times, the 1,000 Guineas, the Irish Derby and was champion trainer in 1930. That took some doing as the Aga Khan or Lord Derby normally occupied top spot in that era. He retired in 1954, at 84 the oldest living trainer at the time. Persse was a stern disciplinarian, both with men and horses, but he undoubtedly knew what he was doing and so did they by the time he’d finished with them.
He will be most remembered for the flying grey The Tetrarch, which he bought as a yearling for 1,300 guineas at Doncaster Sales. Derided by most for his blotchy appearance, reminiscent of a rocking horse, he was sensational on the track. “The Spotted Wonder” was unbeaten in seven races as a two-year-old, all over five furlongs. The manner of his victories – and their descriptions – suggestive that he was the best of his kind in the 20th century. Regardless of those sprint victories, he was trained for the Derby with confidence; his breeding and a mile and a half trial at home suggested stamina would not be a problem. Unfortunately he never made it to the racecourse as a three-year-old, as he was prone to strike into himself and damage a tendon.
Towards the end of Persse’s training career his best horse was Durante, a chestnut descendant of The Tetrarch on whom there were a few grey spots. He won the Kempton Jubilee in 1952 and 1953. The H S Persse Memorial Handicap over 1m2f was introduced there on 5 May 1961, the year after his death, replacing the Duke of York Stakes (qv). It was described as “a tribute to a trainer who was a household name for more than 50 years” according to the Glasgow Herald. The race was last run in 1989.