Although the feat was not officially recognised at the time, Gilles de Retz's success made Helen Johnson Houghton the first woman to train the winner of a British classic.
Gilles de Retz was a dark-coated bay horse with no white markings[1] bred by his owner, Anthony Samuel at his Eveton Stud.
His sire, Royal Charger was a successful sprinter and miler who was trained by Jack Jarvis to win the Queen Anne Stakes and the Ayr Gold Cup in 1946.
[2] During his racing career, Gilles de Retz was officially trained by Charles Jerdein and then by Peter Walwyn at the Woodway stable near Blewbury in Berkshire but the truth was rather different.
[3] Gilles de Retz was given little chance in the Guineas over Newmarket's Rowley Mile course and started at odds of 50/1 in a field of nineteen runners which appeared to be dominated by French and Irish challengers.
[7] Ridden by Frank Barlow, he raced down the centre of the wide track, overtaking Drum Beat two furlongs from the finish and winning the classic by a length from Chantelsey, with Buisson Ardent in third place.
Later in the month he returned to the one mile distance for the St. James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but again ran poorly, finishing last of the six runners on his last appearance of the season.