Sir Michael Sobell was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 businessman, a major philanthropist

Philanthropist

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...

, and a prominent owner/breeder of thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorses

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

.

Sobell made a fortune as a pioneer in electronics through his Radio & Allied Industries Ltd., a manufacturer of radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 receivers that grew to become one of Britain's largest and most successful manufacturers of television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 sets. His daughter Netta married Arnold Weinstock

Arnold Weinstock

Arnold Weinstock, Baron Weinstock was an English businessman whom The Guardian newspaper called "Britain's premier post-second-world-war industrialist."...

 who joined the company in 1954. In 1961, Sobell's company merged with The General Electric Company plc

The General Electric Company plc

The General Electric Company or GEC was a major British-based industrial conglomerate, involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications and engineering. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was renamed Marconi Corporation plc in 1999 after its defence arm,...

 (GEC) making the family GEC's largest shareholder.

Thoroughbred horse racing

An owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses, Michael Sobell's first major racing winner was London Cry in the 1958 Cambridgeshire Handicap

Cambridgeshire Handicap

The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlong , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late September or early October.The event...

. He hired Gordon Richards

Gordon Richards

Sir Gordon Richards was an English jockey, and is often considered the world's greatest ever jockey. He remains the only jockey to have been knighted....

 as his racing manager and in 1960, Sobell purchased Ballymacoll Stud

Ballymacoll Stud

Ballymacoll Stud is a Thoroughbred stud farm of 300 acres in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballymacoll, approximately two miles from the village of Dunboyne and four miles from the town of Maynooth...

, a breeding farm owned by Dorothy Paget

Dorothy Paget

Dorothy Wyndham Paget was a British racehorse owner.She was the daughter of Lord Queenborough and Pauline Payne Whitney of the United States Whitney family. She was a cousin of Jock Whitney, owner of the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Easter Hero and latterly American Ambassador in London. She...

 in County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. Among his racing stable's successes, Admetus won the 1974 Washington, D.C. International Stakes at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland

Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...

, at the time the most important international race in America. At home, Admetus won the Prince of Wales's Stakes

Prince of Wales's Stakes

The Prince of Wales's Stakes 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 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....

 and several races in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 including the Grand Prix d'Évry

Grand Prix de Chantilly

The Grand Prix de Chantilly is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June....

 and Prix Maurice de Nieuil

Prix Maurice de Nieuil

The Prix Maurice de Nieuil is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,800 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...

. He also owned Lancastrian, winner of the Prix Ganay

Prix Ganay

The Prix Ganay is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May....

, Reform whose eleven wins included the Champion Stakes

Champion Stakes

The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October...

 and Sallust, winner of the Sussex Stakes

Sussex Stakes

The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late July or early August.-History:...

.

In 1979, in partnership with son-in-law Arnold Weinstock, Michael Sobell met with his greatest success with the champion colt Troy

Troy (horse)

Troy was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by industrialist Sir Michael Sobell and his son-in-law Lord Weinstock, under trainer Dick Hern the colt notably won the 1979 Epsom and Irish Derbys en route to earning 3-Year-Old Champion honors as well as the British flat racing Champion Owner...

 whose performances made him 1979's British flat racing Champion Owner

British flat racing Champion Owner

The Champion Owner of flat racing in Great Britain is the owner whose horses have won the most prizemoney during a season. The list below shows the Champion Owner for each year since 1894.-----See also:* British flat racing Champion Jockey...

. Among Troy's wins were England and Ireland's most prestigious races, the Epsom

Epsom Derby

The Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...

 and Irish Derbys, as well as the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup

International Stakes

The International Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 88 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in August....

, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In 1983, Sobell's filly

Filly

A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....

 Sun Princess won the Epsom Oaks

Epsom Oaks

The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. 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 early June....

 and the St. Leger Stakes

St. Leger Stakes

The St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...

. Prince Of Dance dead-heated for the 1988 Dewhurst Stakes

Dewhurst Stakes

The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.The event was established in 1875, and it...

.

After Gordon Richards retired, Sobell's horses were principally trained by Dick Hern

Dick Hern

William Richard "Dick" Hern, CVO, was an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and winner of sixteen British Classic Races between 1962 and 1995, and was Champion Trainer on four occasions....

 at West Ilsley

West Ilsley

West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England.-Location and amenities:It is situated in the West Berkshire district north of the town of Newbury on the Berkshire Downs. There is also an East Ilsley approximately a mile southeast of the village.West Ilsley has a public house, The...

 stables in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

, which Sobell owned. In 1982 he sold the stables to Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

 and thereafter his English-based horses were trained by Ian Balding

Ian Balding

Ian Balding emigrated with his family to England in 1945. He is the son of the polo player and racehorse trainer Gerald Barnard Balding, Sr. and the younger brother of trainer Toby Balding. Kingsclere became his home at the age of 26 and it is here that earned his reputation as an internationally...

 at Kingsclere

Kingsclere

Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...

 and also by Barry Hills

Barry Hills

Barry Hills is a British thoroughbred horse trainer. He lives in Lambourn, England.-Biography:Barry Hills had three sons in his first marriage: John, Michael, and Richard. John is a horse trainer, and both Michael and Richard are jockeys. After his divorce, he married Penny Hills, and had two more...

. His racing colours were pale blue with a yellow and white checked cap. these colours were also carried by the horses owned by Arnold Weinstock after Sobell's death.

Philanthropy

The nature of Michael Sobell's business led him to become involved in educational and other institutions which advanced science and he served as Chairman of the British Technion Committee. In addition, he used his great wealth to set up the Sobell Fund in 1977 which provided financial support to a variety of benevolent causes including medical, educational, and fitness endeavors. Sobell's foundation supported and raised funds for facilities such as Sobell House Hospice

Sobell House Hospice

The Sir Michael Sobell House Hospice is an Oxford based Hospice serving the residents of Oxfordshire affected by life-limiting illness.In 1976, Sir Michael Sobell and the friends of Sobell House donated the funds to help build the original hospice...

, Michael Sobell Sinai School

Sinai school

The Michael Sobell Sinai school is a Jewish primary school in Kenton, London. It is the largest Jewish primary school in Europe, and has always been regarded as a successful co-educational school for children aged 3-11....

, the Brain Research Trust

Brain Research Trust

The Brain Research Trust is a British medical research charity dedicated to the research of neurological diseases and conditions.Registered charity no...

 and the Michael Sobell Sports Centre at Finsbury Park

Finsbury Park, London

Finsbury Park is an area in north London, England which grew up around an important railway interchange at the junction of the London Boroughs of Islington, Haringey and Hackney...

, Islington

Islington

Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

. The Michael Sobell Leisure Center in Aberdare

Aberdare

Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...

, South Wales

South Wales

South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...

also carries his name.

Sir Michael Sobel died in 1993 at age 100. He bequeathed most of his fortune to his charitable foundation.

External links