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Rod Millman recalls Sergeant Cecil’s biggest day in Prix du Cadran
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Sun 27 Sep 2026
The Prix du Cadran has been won by some of best stayers around – but few will have been as popular as Sergeant Cecil, who enjoyed his defining moment under Frankie Dettori in Paris 20 years ago.
Rod Millman’s 53-race veteran amassed the most decorated of long-distance CVs and it was during 2006 that he was at his peak, for after Group Two wins in the Lonsdale and Doncaster Cups, a thrilling hat-trick was sealed via top-tier glory on the Bois de Boulogne.
It is a success that remains long in the memory of his Devon handler, who to this day is still attempting to recreate such lofty feats as he remembers his “horse of a lifetime” and his greatest day on track.
Millman said: “It was an amazing day and I remember flying over which was quite an experience in heavy wind.
“He was a hell of a horse and the horse of a lifetime really. We’ve trained good winners since, but never had one with the same profile as him.
“He had won his previous two races of course and he was on a high. Frankie was buzzing for the ride and told us exactly what he was going to do and his gameplan worked out well. He came motoring in the last furlong and a half and kind of won on the bridle.
“He always had an amazing turn of foot for a stayer and we always thought he was really fast until he ran in the King George and the pace of that race just undid him.”
Sergeant Cecil’s triumph in the French capital signalled unbridled joy from his legion of supporters, who had packed the Eurostar to cheer on one of the most loved stayers of his generation.
And the showman on his back made sure that his willing mount lapped up every ounce of adulation on offer.
“Frankie made the day when parading him in front of the stands as he got a brilliant reception,” continued Millman.
“Being Arc day you probably get more Brits there than French and the reception he got when he returned to the winner’s enclosure was amazing. I’ve been to Cheltenham Festivals and it was like watching one of the big winners coming back after a race there.
“It was an unforgettable day really and we’d had quite a few bottles of champagne by the time we got back on the plane.”
The winner of 10 races from over a half-century of career outings, it is somewhat remarkable that it took Sergeant Cecil 14 attempts to get off the mark, with his first victory coming off the lowly figure of 76.
He would then enjoy a phenomenal rise through the ranks that would yield a Northumberland Plate, Ebor and Cesarewitch hat-trick in 2005 before stepping up to Group level with aplomb a year later.
Sergeant Cecil’s rise was coupled with his union to jockey Alan Munro, someone Millman believes was instrumental in the gelding’s journey to the top before handing over the reins to Dettori.
Millman explained: “We had five seconds with him before we won with him and he had been in training with Seamus Mullins as a two and three-year-old. Seamus had done nothing but look after him and he was unlucky the owner lost patience and I was the beneficiary of it.
“There’s nothing worse than rushing a young horse before he’s ready and he was a slow burner for us as well. He kept going up the handicap and he only won a few races at four and five. I was very lucky that Alan Munro came on the scene and I had a top-class jockey to ride him regularly.
“Alan helped the horse a lot I think and I was lucky that when he had to stop riding, Frankie came along, who wasn’t a bad substitute.
“He was the oldest horse to win the Yorkshire Cup the following year and he was a fantastic horse.”
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