On Thursday, February 23, 1961, Southwell Racecourse welcomed a number of competitors, including Guinea Hunter, who made a notable appearance in the Edwalton Hurdle Division II race. My mum played her role in leading up this horse, expertly handled by jockey Stan Mellor. This maiden race for four-year-olds was over 2 miles and 80 yards, with a prize pot of £170 attracting attention from racing enthusiasts.
October 15, 1962: Another Day at the Races
Fast forward to Monday, October 15, 1962, and we see my dad taking on the responsibility of leading up another contender, Gold Pride. Jockey Ivor Markham took the reins for this race, which was the Upton Selling Handicap Chase, covering a 2-mile distance. This race, with a prize fund of £186, also took place at Southwell Racecourse, showcasing the vibrant atmosphere of local racing.
Training at Roy Whiston’s Yard
Both Guinea Hunter and Gold Pride were prepared at Herne Farm in Hodnet, located near Market Drayton in Shropshire, England. There, renowned trainer Roy Whiston dedicated himself to ensuring that these horses were ready to compete at the local tracks. Reflecting on these events not only brings nostalgia but also emphasizes the joy and dedication of those involved in horse racing.
One of the most significant books from my childhood was ‘The Winter Kings’ by Ivor Herbert. It was the only book in my school bag that truly captivated me. As a young reader, I found it to be a source of inspiration and knowledge, making it stand out amid the sea of textbooks I lugged around each day.
An Unexpected Encounter
Years later, I had the opportunity to speak with Ivor Herbert himself. I was curious about a detail that fascinated me regarding the 1957 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Linwell. I asked Herbert why he was not listed as the trainer when it was, in fact, his head lad, Charlie Mallon, who held the license. He explained that as a journalist, he was unable to obtain a training license due to potential conflicts of interest. This insight not only reinforced Herbert’s journalistic integrity but also deepened my appreciation for the complexities behind horse racing.
Significance of the Book
‘The Winter Kings’ was more than just a book; it was my companion throughout my schooling years. It not only sparked my interest in horse racing but also represented a fleeting connection to the sport. Interestingly, the book cost 30 shillings at its release in 1968, the very year I was born. This connection highlights how literature can influence our lives and inform our passions, even decades later. To this day, I treasure the recollections of ‘The Winter Kings’ and its author.
Ludlow Racecourse
Walmer Sands Result
Finished 4th / 10 ran
3/10/1988
Newark International Antique Fair Handicap Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Rimfire Result
Finished 2nd / 5 ran
8/10/1988
Paymasters Selling Handicap Hurdle
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Walmer Sands Result
Finished 11th / 14 ran
8/10/1988
Staffordshire Yeomanry Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Rimfire Result
Finished 4th / 12 ran
15/10/1988
Cock Bank Novices Hurdle
Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Self Raising Result
PU / 18 ran
15/10/1988
Sotheby’s Chester Handicap Chase
Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Baluchi Result
Finished 2nd / 3 ran
15/10/1988
Willis Wrightson North Handicap Chase
Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Crowecopper Result
Finished 1st / 6 ran
15/10/1988
Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle
Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Arenisco Result
Finished 10th / 16 ran
15/10/1988
Marston Border Breweries Novices Chase
Bangor on Dee Racecourse
Walmer Sands Result
Finished 5th / 7 ran
20/10/1988
Burton Rubber Company Handicap Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Rambling Wild Result
Finished 4th / 6 ran
20/10/1988
EBF Foston Intermediate Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Rimfire Result
Finished 1st / 6 ran
Rimfire was getting on a bit when I rode him, when we won this Uttoxeter together he was 13 years old… Rimfire was a good jumper and stayed 3 miles+ well… my dad bought Rimfire off Lord Shrewsbury for £400… I wish I’d had more horses like Rimfire to ride!
10 Rides on Rimfire all over fences
1x 1st
3x 2nd
3x 3rd
2x 4th
1x 6th
Video – Rimfire winning at Uttoxeter Racecourse
EBF Foston Intermediate Chase
1 Rimfire R Bevan
2 Oakgrove B Dowling
3 Rath Wonder S J O’Neill
PU Half A Buck M Sharratt
PU Homepath H Davies
PU Some Do J Bryan
22/10/1988
Ratley Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse
Snooker Table Result
Finished 14th / 19 ran
27/10/1988
Newark Storage Novices Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Rimfire Result
Finished 6th / 13 ran
3/11/1988
Hawkes Bay Trophy Conditional Jockeys Handicap Chase
Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse
Crowecopper Result
UR / 8 ran
3/11/1988
Warrnambool Trophy Handicap Chase
Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse
Rambling Wild Result
UR / 7 ran
18/11/1988
Stour Novices Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Stormguard Result
Finished 2nd / 3 ran
18/11/1988
Radio Trent Handicap Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 3rd / 5 ran
26/11/1988
Market Rasen Novices Hurdle
Market Rasen Racecourse
Chico Valdez Result
Finished 12th / 20 ran
28/11/1988
Bulwell Handicap Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Aldro Result
Finished 5th / 6 ran
28/11/1988
Woodborough Novices Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Stormguard Result
Finished 5th / 6 ran
29/11/1988
Houghton Selling Hurdle
Huntingdon Racecourse
Your Office Result
PU / 18 ran
2/12/1988
Partridge Novices Handicap Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Annie Ra Result
Finished 4th / 15 ran
2/12/1988
Curlew Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle
Southwell Racecourse
Royal Cracker Result
Finished 14 / 20 ran
3/12/1988
Stan Mellor Handicap Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Covent Garden Result
Finished 4th / 5 ran
5/12/1988
Long Haul Handicap Chase
Worcester Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 4th / 9 ran
A mid-race incident with P Scu in this 3 miles 5 furlongs Long Haul Handicap Chase at Worcester
Scu was riding the favourite Ardesee and I was on Ardent Spy
The race was a staying chase, 3 times up the home straight, Scu was out in front but his mount Ardesee kept jumping right handed (each time Scu would track back over to the rails), I was a couple of lengths behind, on the rail (2nd/3rd) and I was thinking “If he keeps jumping right-handed I’m going to jump up Scudamore’s inside” it was just deciding when
Going down the back, approaching the water jump I thought “This is it” and Ardent Spy jumped it like a stag and true to form Ardesee went right handed… for a short time we were in front which must of pissed Scudamore off a bit because he scrubbed Ardesee along, got him back in front and over his left shoulder he shouted back at me “You F?cking Crazy C?nt Richard”
Neither of us won, he was 3rd, I was 4th… nothing was said in the weighing room
At the end of the day Champion Jockey’s don’t pay your wages!
8/12/1988
Norbury Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Spartan Native Result
Finished 5th / 13 ran
10/12/1988
Sheila’s Cottage Handicap Chase
Doncaster Racecourse
Covent Garden Result
FELL / 4 ran
Warwick Racecourse
Golfers Sunrise Result
Finished 5th / 20 ran
14/12/1988
Holly And Ivy Conditional Jockeys Handicap Chase
Worcester Racecourse
Modern Music Result
PU / 11 ran
14/12/1988
Tattersalls Mares Only Novices Chase Qualifier
Worcester Racecourse
Annie Ra Result
Finished 5th / 15 ran
15/12/1988
Christmas Tree Handicap Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Aldro Result
FELL/13
I broke my collar bone in this fall and was also concussed
5/1/1989
Highland Spring/ROA Handicap Chase
Nottingham Racecourse
Covent Garden Result
Finished 5th / 9 ran
7/1/1989
Horncastle Novices Chase
Market Rasen Racecourse
Annie Ra Result
Finished 1st / 10 ran
Annie Ra… I’m glad I won on her because I don’t think she was the easiest to ride… she could start slowly, would always carry her head very high and also pulled quite hard… but at least she jumped
Apart from her being a tricky ride a certain trainers son once said to me that his father thought Annie Ra would be best with me not riding her and that he was looking forward to another jockey riding her in races (a jockey who interestingly enough, also had the Christian name Richard)… It’s something which still sticks in my side but at least I had the satisfaction of this win!
16 rides on Annie Ra over hurdles and fences
1x 1st
1x 3rd
5x 4th
4x 5th
1x 6th
1x 7th
1x 8th
1x SU
1x UR
Annie Ra winning at Market Rasen Racecourse
Horncastle Novices Chase
1 Annie Ra R Bevan
2 Barn Brae Mr J Barton
3 Ringmore Derek Byrne
4 Oxford Place M Pepper
5 Super Sue P A Farrell
6 Boreham Down G ‘Old’ Martin
F Ballyshannon Run J Bryan
PU Vagabundo J McLaughlin
PU Sagart Aroon M Brennan
PU Picadilly Prince S Turner
9/1/1989
Bridgnorth Novices Hurdle (Div I)
Wolverhampton Racecourse
Golfers Sunrise Result
Finished 8th / 16 ran
9/1/1989
Cement City Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
Wolverhampton Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 2nd / 7 ran
Ardent Spy finishing 2nd at Wolverhampton Racecourse
Cement City Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
1 Travel Over R J Beggan
2 Ardent Spy R Bevan
3 Crowecopper Peter Scudamore
4 Scale Model J Bryan
5 Way Under M Perrett
6 Foxbury Gee Armytage
7 Funchen View J D Doyle
12/1/1989
South Muskham Novices Hurdle
Southwell Racecourse
Prince Celtic Result
Finished 3rd / 14 ran
17/1/1989
Bransford Novices Hurdle (Div II)
Worcester Racecourse
The Berwick Result
PU / 24 ran
17/1/1989
Sale Green Novices Handicap Chase
Worcester Racecourse
Annie Ra Result
Finished 5th / 16 ran
Katabatic (1991 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner) won this race
18/1/1989
Church Stretton Conditional Jockeys Selling Hurdle
Ludlow Racecourse
Resha Result
Finished 17th / 19 ran
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Roy Prince Result
Finished 2nd / 4 ran
28/3/1989
Levy Board National Hunt Flat
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Amdaja Result
Finished 9th / 12 ran
A spare ride for Herefordshire trainer Paul James. The owner was Jerry Wright who later owned a horse called Now Your Talkin who David Nicholson trained to win a few races. The interesting runner in this race was Miinnehoma trained by Owen Brennan and owned by comedian Freddie Starr. Miinnehoma was having its first race but won quite easily at 25/1. Miinnehoma went on to win the `Sun Alliance’ Chase at the 1992 Cheltenham Festival and also the 1994 Martell Grand National Chase at Aintree.
Freddie Starr was at the races and I remember seeing him before the race having a joke with some racegoers
Starr had got a Hawaiian type shirt on that was unbuttoned well down from the collar (and his chest hair was showing) and over the top of that he’d got a leather jacket with a zip
The joke was he pretended he was so cold he’d got to do his jacket up and then to play the fool he made out he’d caught his chest hair in the zip which was making several people laugh
A typical Freddie Starr trick and something I saw before getting legged up to ride Amdaja in the race
29/3/1989
Newland Handicap Chase
Worcester Racecourse
Aldro 20/1 Result
Finished 5th / 5 ran
Aldro… by the time I get on him he was an old timer who’s engine had gone
I wouldn’t have minded riding him 7 years earlier but I would have needed time off school to do that!
National Hunt Rides 1990/91
40 rides… Average Starting Price Odds 19.782 to 1
Owners Prize Money £8080
Completed 35 = 87.5%
23 rides in the first 4 places = 57.5%
0x 1st 0% winners
12x 2nd 30% placed second
4x 3rd 10% placed third
7x 4th 17.5% placed fourth
fell 0 = 0% / ur 2 = 5% / bd 0 = 0% / co 0 = 0% / ro 0 = 0% / pu 3 = 7.5%
1990/1991 National Hunt Season
3/8/1990
BBC Radio Wales Novices Hurdle
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
Royal Hunt
Finished 2nd / 11 ran Result
3/8/1990
Bpa Exhibitions Novices Chase
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
Hill Beagle
Finished 2nd / 5 ran Result
9/8/1990
Radford Bavarian Novices Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Hill Beagle
Finished 2nd / 2 ran Result
9/8/1990
Queensway China Novices Hurdle
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Royal Hunt
UR / 11 RAN Result
(I needed stitches in my mouth after this)
18/8/1990
Fred Archer Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
Hill Beagle
Fnished 2nd / 8 ran Result
27/8/1990
Rose County Handicap Hurdle
Southwell Racecourse
Hill Beagle
Finished 2nd / 7 ran Result
27/8/1990
Hopeful Novices Hurdle
Southwell Racecourse
Royal Hunt
Finished 2nd / 10 ran Result
29/8/1990
Cooper Callas Bathroom Distributors Handicap Chase
Newton Abbot Racecourse
Ardent Spy
PU / 4 ran Result
29/8/1990
Armitage Shanks Forum Shower Enclosure Novices Chase
Newton Abbot Racecourse
Prince Celtic
UR / 7 ran Result
1/9/1990
Hole In Wall Novices Chase
Hereford Racecourse
Hill Beagle
Finished 2nd / 4 ran Result
Remembering Hill Beagle: A Unique Racing Journey
Introduction to Hill Beagle
Hill Beagle was a funny little horse, whose distinctive personality set him apart from others at the stables. Although his ride at home could be quite challenging, especially with his tendency to hang to the left, he was ultimately a talented racehorse. His unique gait aside, he showcased impressive skills over hurdles and fences, becoming a cherished partner of mine for many rides.
Success on the Track
During our time together, Hill Beagle and I celebrated a series of victories, particularly at Southwell. With four wins in handicap hurdles, he proved his capability on all-weather surfaces. Despite his smaller stature, likely under 16 hands, Hill Beagle’s strong build allowed him to excel in competitions. These wins were not just milestones; they represented teamwork and the joy of racing.
A Fond Farewell
Regrettably, not every moment in racing is filled with triumph. Hill Beagle’s progress took a sombre turn when he suffered a breakdown during a novice chase at Hereford while running a promising second. It was a critical moment, and potentially, he should have clinched victory. This race marked the final time I rode him on the course, a bittersweet reminder of our journey together. Hill Beagle may not have been the easiest ride, but his spirit and courage will always be remembered.
24 rides on Hill Beagle over hurdles and fences
4x 1st
5x 2nd
5x 3rd
1x 4th
1x 5th
2x 6th
3x 7th
1x 8th
1x 10th
1x UR
15/9/1990
Redbrook Novices Handicap Hurdle
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
Royal Hunt Result
Finished 4th / 9 ran
1/10/1990
Royal Welsh Showground In May Cond. Jockeys Novices Hurdle
Southwell Racecourse
Royal Hunt Result
Finished 2nd / 9 ran
6/10/1990
Staffordshire Yeomanry Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
Uttoxeter Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 4th / 7 ran
13/10/1990
Farnsfield Handicap Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 3rd / 4 ran
20/10/1990
Ratley Conditional Jockeys Claiming Hurdle
Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse
Royal Hunt Result
Finished 2nd / 10 ran
25/10/1990
Colonel R. Thompson Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase
Southwell Racecourse
Ardent Spy Result
Finished 2nd / 7 ran
Ardent Spy 2nd at Southwell Racecourse
Colonel R. Thompson Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase
1 Tartan Tempest N Doughty
2 Ardent Spy R Bevan
3 Wild Argosy J Railton
4 Border Tinker Graham Bradley
5 Oisins Castle K A Ryan
F Confident Vote Peter Niven
PU Bonnie Artist C Grant
