Explore the fascinating account of Richard Bevan’s experiences during the 1984/85 National Hunt Racing Season, leading up horses for racehorse trainer David Nicholson from Cotswold House Racing Stables, Condicote near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire.
20/10/1984
Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II)
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
The Shiner
Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II)
Finished 4th / 11 ran
9/11/1984
Philip Cornes Novice Hurdle Qualifier
Cheltenham Racecourse
The Shiner
Philip Cornes Novice Hurdle Qualifier
Finished 8th / 23 ran
23/11/1984
Round Oak Handicap Hurdle
Newbury Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Round Oak Handicap Hurdle
Finished 13th / 15 ran
7/12/1984
Coral Golden Hurdle Handicap (Qualifier)
Cheltenham Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Coral Golden Hurdle Handicap (Qualifier)
Finished 9th / 16 ran
12/12/1984
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle Qualifier
Huntingdon Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle Qualifier
Finished 9th / 22 ran
19/12/1984
Turkey Novices Hurdle (Div 1)
Worcester Racecourse
Golden Raider
Turkey Novices Hurdle (Div 1)
Finished 9th / 20 ran
5/2/1985
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Warwick Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Finished 10th / 16 ran
25/2/1985
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Doncaster Racecourse
Golden Raider
Malden Timber Novices Hurdle (Qualifier)
Finished 8th / 15 ran
1/3/1985
Radcot Handicap Hurdle
Newbury Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Radcot Handicap Hurdle
Pulled Up / 19 ran
1/3/1985 I led up Lawnswood Miss in the Radcot Handicap Hurdle at Newbury Racecourse. Pulled Up / 19 ran.
1984/85 National Hunt Season was my first year in racing. I had been going to David Nicholson’s yard in my school holidays since I was 14 and The Duke’s yard was the only place I was going to when I left education.
I started work at Nicholson’s Cotswold House stables on September 10th 1984 and Lawnswood Miss was one of the first horses I looked after, the other two being The Shiner and Golden Raider.
It was a bad year for Nicholson trained horses as there was a nasty virus going round the yard and all season he only trained 17 winners from 50+ horses.
Lawnswood Miss didn’t run a good race all year and going back to the race mentioned above it was no exception as she pulled up… later found to have mucus in her airways… she still ran twice more in March before being retired to stud for breeding… she went to Lord Northampton’s horse Broadsword (who The Duke had trained)… I went in the horsebox with her the day she went to stud
As for my other two horses
The Shiner, I led him up a couple of times, 4th at Bangor and down the field at Cheltenham before he got moved on to David Murray Smith’s yard… where he won.
In The Shiner’s place I got to look after Jungle Jim but he had bad legs and only ran once that season before he was sold.
Golden Raider I led up several times in novice hurdles, showed some promise but another horse with the virus… in March 1985 the owners moved Golden Raider away from Nicholson’s to Martin Pipe’s… later the same season Golden Raider won for Pipe at Ludlow…the horse was Pipe’s 40th winner of the season… the first time he’d trained 40 winners
In Golden Raider’s place I got Pippahmint Lass, (a chestnut filly by Sunyboy, at the time 3 years old) to look after… I never led her up at the races but I did take her to Doncaster Sales (stopped overnight in Doncaster) where she won her class at the pre sales show before being unsold at 8000 guineas in the auction ring.
I remember as I was going in the sale ring with Pippahmint Lass The Duke said to me “Don’t worry she’s not being sold”
… I thought to myself “she’s just bitten me and I hoped the bugger was going elsewhere!”
Anyhow, we took one horse to Doncaster Sales and brought two back, one was Pippahmint Lass and the other was an unnamed 4 year old also by Sunyboy (who The Duke and his associates paid a lot of money for in the auction), who was a half brother of two time Scottish National winner Androma… and the 4 year old was later named Bigsun, who became a Cheltenham Festival winner.
… and after all of that and much more besides it was getting towards the end of the 1984/85 National Hunt season and by this time The Duke was glad to get his virus ridden horses out into the fields for some “Doctor Green!”
13/3/1985
Coral Golden Hurdle Final (Handicap)
Cheltenham Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Coral Golden Hurdle Final (Handicap)
Finished 21st / 30 ran
23/3/1985
Erbistock Handicap Hurdle
Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse
Jungle Jim
Erbistock Handicap Hurdle
Finished 11 / 18 ran
Jungle Jim on the right in photo running in the orange/white/black colours of Salford Van Hire
28/3/1985
Whitbread Pale Ale Handicap Hurdle
Liverpool Aintree Racecourse
Lawnswood Miss
Whitbread Pale Ale Handicap Hurdle
Finished 19th / 21 ran
6/5/1985
Iron Bridge Handicap Chase
Ludlow Racecourse
Lulav
Iron Bridge Handicap Chase
Finished 2nd / 5 ran
How I started in Horse Racing
In March 1983, aged fourteen and still at school, my parents took me to Ian Balding’s Open Day
The main attraction for me was to see John Francome and Peter Scudamore school Ian Balding’s hunter-chasers (Francome on Ross Poldark … Scu’ on Paintbox) over the trainer’s steeplechase fences.
After the Schooling Session
The two National Hunt Jockeys got off the hunter chasers and came over to talk to the spectators
I informed John Francome of my desire to become a jockey and asked him whose yard I should go and stay at to gain some work experience.
Francome suggested David Nicholson or Josh Gifford and advised me to write to them and see what happens
Ian Balding Open Morning Saturday March 26th 1983
Horses working and schooling …
Shy Rambler, Special Leave, Whisky Talk, Drumalis, Crusader Castle, Diamond Shoal, Mailman, Old Dominion, Broken Habit, Flamenco, Cardigan, Ampersand, Unbridled Pleasure, Dear Emperor, Ballylummin, Careen, Elegant Air, Spey Bridge, King of Clubs, Finians Rainbow, Corinth, Spicy Story, Christendom, Albany Girl, Calypsa, Reflection, Glimmering, Vidalia, Troyanna
John Francome signature is on the back of the gallop sheet
My Letter to The Duke
I sent David Nicholson a letter and it wasn’t very long before I received a postcard in reply asking me to attend an interview at 9am the very next Saturday morning. My parents drove me down to his Cotswold House Racing Stables (in Condicote, Gloucestershire). Somewhat disappointingly, the first thing Nicholson said to me was, ‘ You’ve got big hands … you will struggle with your weight – You won’t make a jockey!’ However, The Duke added. ‘you can come down for a fortnight in the summer and have some work experience. You will live in the lads hostel – when I say a fortnight you will stay a fortnight … No going home early!’
In early August (1983), I returned to the yard and at the end of the two weeks, Nicholson said to me, ‘You can have a job with me. Go home this weekend and come back on Monday morning to start work!’
I then had to explain that I couldn’t.
‘I’ve still got another year at school.’
‘Yes . . . ‘ said the trainer. ‘Start next year – Keep in touch.’
I went back to Nicholson’s yard twice more for work experience … Christmas 1983 and Easter 1984
Meanwhile, determined not to let the grass grow under my feet, I spent some time throughout 1983 learning stable routine’s while going on work experience with Paul Felgate, Jack Berry and the Earl of Shrewsbury (point to pointers).
I started working full-time for The Duke (as Nicholson was familiarly known) on September 10, 1984. The very first horse I rode out for him on that first morning was Broadheath, who two years later won the Hennessy Gold Cup for David Barons.
