Last Updated on October 12, 2026
On 30 September 1994, one of Britain’s most promising young racehorse trainers was shot dead at his stud near Newmarket following an argument with a member of staff.
Alex Scott was just 34 years old. In six seasons as a trainer, he had produced 164 winners, enjoyed success at Royal Ascot and become one of the few British trainers to win at the Breeders’ Cup in America.
Among the horses in his care was an unbeaten two-year-old called Lammtarra, a colt Scott believed had the ability to win the Derby. Less than nine months after his death, that prediction would prove correct.
The circumstances of Scott’s murder at Glebe House Stud, and what happened to his horses afterwards, remain one of the saddest stories in modern British racing.
Alex Scott’s Rise Through the Training Ranks
Born in February 1960, Alexander Archibald Scott came from a well-connected family and was educated at Cambridge University. His early experience in racing included working with Dick Hern, one of Britain’s leading trainers, before Scott began training under his own licence in 1989.
He quickly attracted attention, both for his results and his approach to training. Scott was known for running a disciplined yard, paying close attention to feeding, fitness and the daily routines of his horses.
His owners included members of Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family, who were investing heavily in British racing.
Scott’s early winners included the outstanding sprinter Cadeaux Genereux, who landed the July Cup and Nunthorpe Stakes in 1989, and Possessive Dancer, winner of the Irish Oaks and Italian Oaks in 1991.
By the early 1990s, he was already regarded as one of the most talented trainers of his generation, although his greatest international success was still to come.
Sheikh Albadou and the Breeders’ Cup Breakthrough
In November 1991, Scott travelled to Churchill Downs in Kentucky with Sheikh Albadou, a sprinter who had already won the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.
British-trained horses had a poor record in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, largely because of the demands of racing at high speed on American dirt rather than European turf.
Scott had prepared Sheikh Albadou for the different conditions, using sand-fibre training surfaces alongside his usual gallops.
Ridden by Pat Eddery, Sheikh Albadou won the six-furlong contest by three lengths at odds of 26/1, becoming the first European-trained winner of the race. It was a major achievement for a trainer who had held his licence for less than three years.
The following season, Sheikh Albadou returned to Royal Ascot and won the King’s Stand Stakes under Walter Swinburn. He also added the Haydock Sprint Cup to his record.
Scott had shown he could prepare horses for the biggest races in Britain and abroad, and his growing reputation brought further opportunities.
The Move to Glebe House Stud
In December 1992, Scott purchased Glebe House and its stud farm at Cheveley, near Newmarket.
The property gave him the chance to build his own operation, combining training with an interest in breeding. By the time of his death, Scott had around 90 horses in his care, many belonging to Sheikh Maktoum.
He introduced changes to the way the stud was run, with stricter routines and greater control over the work carried out by staff.
Not everyone welcomed those changes.
One of the employees was William “Clem” O’Brien, an experienced stud groom who had worked at the property before Scott’s arrival. O’Brien, then in his fifties, became increasingly unhappy with the new arrangements.
Their disagreements would later form an important part of the evidence presented at O’Brien’s murder trial.
Lammtarra: The Derby Prospect
One of the most important horses to pass through Scott’s hands was Lammtarra, a chestnut colt by Nijinsky out of the Oaks-winning mare Snow Bride.
Scott had selected the colt as a yearling from Sheikh Maktoum’s Gainsborough Farm in Kentucky. He was given first choice ahead of other leading trainers, including Sir Michael Stoute and Criquette Head.
Lammtarra was not the most forward two-year-old, but Scott liked what he saw and took a patient approach with him.
The colt made his racecourse debut in the Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury in August 1994, winning over seven furlongs in the hands of Walter Swinburn.
It would be his only appearance that season.
Scott was sufficiently impressed with Lammtarra’s ability to back him for the following year’s Derby, placing a £1,000 ante-post bet at odds of 33/1.
It was a considerable show of confidence in a horse who had only run once, but Scott would never get the chance to prepare him for Epsom.
The Murder of Alex Scott
On Friday, 30 September 1994, Scott went to speak to Clem O’Brien at Glebe House Stud following a dispute over working arrangements.
The relationship between the two men had become increasingly difficult. Earlier that week, O’Brien had told Scott that he could “stuff his job”, prompting the trainer to write to him asking for confirmation of his resignation.
When Scott received no reply, he went to the stud to arrange O’Brien’s departure and the removal of his belongings.
The confrontation took place in a barn used to house mares. Scott was accompanied by gardener Christopher Forster, who later gave evidence about what happened.
During the argument, O’Brien produced a single-barrelled shotgun and shot Scott in the chest. The trainer suffered fatal injuries.
Forster witnessed the shooting and fled after O’Brien turned the weapon towards him.
Scott’s wife Julia was at the property with their three young children when the incident happened.
News of the murder spread quickly through Newmarket and the wider racing community. The following day, a minute’s silence was held at Newmarket racecourse.
O’Brien was arrested after a police search and subsequently charged with murder.
The Trial of Clem O’Brien
The case came before Norwich Crown Court in July 1995, almost ten months after Scott’s death.
The court heard evidence about the disagreements between the two men, including O’Brien’s objections to the working practices Scott had introduced after buying the stud.
The defence argued that O’Brien had been provoked and should be found guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
The jury rejected that argument.
William O’Brien was convicted of murdering Alex Scott and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The trial attracted considerable national attention, not least because Scott had been widely expected to become one of Britain’s leading trainers for many years to come.
What Happened to Glebe House Stud?
Following Scott’s death, the training operation came to an end and his horses were moved to other yards.
Julia Scott, however, continued the breeding side of the business at Glebe House, maintaining a smaller group of broodmares.
Among them was Palace Street, who later produced Sakhee’s Secret, winner of the 2007 July Cup at Newmarket.
Another important mare was Corndavon, whom Scott had bred in partnership with American bloodstock agent Craig Bandoroff.
The stud therefore continued to produce successful racehorses long after Scott’s death, although the training career he had been building was lost.
His name also lived on through the Alex Scott Memorial Fund, which established a scholarship in 1996 to give promising assistant trainers the opportunity to gain experience working abroad.
Lammtarra Wins the 1995 Derby
On 10 June 1995, Lammtarra lined up for the Derby at Epsom, having not raced since his debut victory at Newbury the previous August.
The colt was now trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Walter Swinburn, who had partnered him on his first start for Scott.
Despite his lack of recent racing experience, Lammtarra produced a remarkable performance to win the Derby in a then-record time.
He followed that victory with wins in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, completing a rare treble.
Lammtarra retired unbeaten after just four races, having established himself as one of the finest three-year-olds of his generation.
For those who had known Alex Scott, his Derby victory was particularly moving. The trainer had recognised Lammtarra’s ability long before the colt became a Classic winner and had been confident enough to put his own money on the result.
The £1,000 Bet That Paid Out After His Death
There was one final connection between Scott and Lammtarra’s Derby victory.
While the colt was still in his care, Scott had placed a £1,000 bet with Ladbrokes at odds of 33/1 that Lammtarra would win the 1995 Derby.
When Lammtarra crossed the line at Epsom, the bookmaker honoured the bet and paid the winnings to Scott’s widow, Julia.
The bet returned £33,000 in winnings, plus the original £1,000 stake.
Scott had been right about Lammtarra all along. Sadly, he was not there to see him win.
