Bert S. Michell
Encyclopedia
Bernard S. "Bert" Michell (c.1882 - October 21, 1938) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing
trainer
best known for winning the 1928 Kentucky Derby
with American Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame
inductee, Reigh Count
.
In 1927, Michell was the trainer for Green Briar Stable when owner by Frank D. Shea of Winnipeg, Manitoba liquidated his racing operations. Michell was then hired by Chicago
businessman John D. Hertz
and his wife Fannie, owners of Leona Farm, near Cary, Illinois
. That year he trained the Hertz's filly Anita Peabody
, retrospectively voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors and whose wins included the Belmont Futurity Stakes and the Churchill Downs Debutante Stakes
. However, it would be future Hall of Fame inductee Reigh Count
who would bring Michell his greatest success. Reigh Count not only earned American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors, but at age three won several prestigious races including the Kentucky Derby
and was voted American Horse of the Year. In 1929, Mr. & Mrs. Hertz brought Michell and Reigh Count to race in England
where he raced on turf
, winning the Coronation Cup
at Epsom Downs Racecourse
then finished second in the Ascot Gold Cup
at Ascot Racecourse
.
In the fall of 1929 Michell left the Hertz stable to take over as trainer for the racing operations of Emil and Jennie Denemark of Chicago
. Bert Michell raced at various tracks on the East Coast of the United States
. He made his home in Miami, Florida
where he met with considerable success with the Denemark's runners at Hialeah Park
and Tropical Park
racetracks.
Bert Michell died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1938 at age fifty-six.
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
best known for winning the 1928 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
with American Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...
inductee, Reigh Count
Reigh Count
Reigh Count was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England....
.
In 1927, Michell was the trainer for Green Briar Stable when owner by Frank D. Shea of Winnipeg, Manitoba liquidated his racing operations. Michell was then hired by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
businessman John D. Hertz
John D. Hertz
John Daniel Hertz, Sr. was an American businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and philanthropist.-Biography:...
and his wife Fannie, owners of Leona Farm, near Cary, Illinois
Cary, Illinois
Cary is a village located in Algonquin Township, McHenry County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,531 at the 2000 census. A 2003 special census put the village's population at 17,827.-Geography:Cary is located at ....
. That year he trained the Hertz's filly Anita Peabody
Anita Peabody
Anita Peabody was an American Champion Thoroughbred filly racehorse. Bred and raced by John and Fannie Hertz, she was born at their Leona Farm near Cary, Illinois. She was named after the wife of Stuyvesant Peabody, then president of the Illinois Turf Association...
, retrospectively voted American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors and whose wins included the Belmont Futurity Stakes and the Churchill Downs Debutante Stakes
Churchill Downs Debutante Stakes
The Debutante Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of June at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. A Grade III event open to two-year-old fillies, it is contested on dirt over a distance of six furlongs....
. However, it would be future Hall of Fame inductee Reigh Count
Reigh Count
Reigh Count was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1928 Kentucky Derby and the 1929 Coronation Cup in England....
who would bring Michell his greatest success. Reigh Count not only earned American Co-Champion Two-Year-Old Colt honors, but at age three won several prestigious races including the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and was voted American Horse of the Year. In 1929, Mr. & Mrs. Hertz brought Michell and Reigh Count to race in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he raced on turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
, winning the Coronation Cup
Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs Racecourse
Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half...
then finished second in the Ascot Gold Cup
Ascot Gold Cup
The Gold Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 2 miles and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....
at Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse
Ascot Racecourse is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races...
.
In the fall of 1929 Michell left the Hertz stable to take over as trainer for the racing operations of Emil and Jennie Denemark of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Bert Michell raced at various tracks on the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. He made his home in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
where he met with considerable success with the Denemark's runners at Hialeah Park
Hialeah Park Race Track
The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic site in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S...
and Tropical Park
Tropical Park Race Track
Tropical Park Race Track was a horse racing facility built on at the current intersection of Bird Road and the Palmetto Expressway in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in what is now the neighborhood of Olympia Heights. The race track was built by Bill Dwyer, a prohibition era bootlegger, and Frank...
racetracks.
Bert Michell died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1938 at age fifty-six.