Billy Nevett

The leading rider in the North for much of his career (1924-56), Billy Nevett holds the unenviable record for finishing runner-up most often in the Flat jockeys' table without ever being champion; Gordon Richards thwarted him six times between 1933 and 1944. Three of his four Classic victories came in the Derby - on Owen Tudor (1941), Ocean Swell (1944) and his best mount, Dante (1945). His peak score was 136 in 1947.


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. Grandpappie Punter tells this story, which he swears is true, of a packed Fair Friday night at Hamilton Park.

Down in the three bob ring the punters are going mad with joy as the hot jolly, ridden by top man Willie Nevett, cruises through with a double handful. The bold Willie gives the crowd a wink, a victory sign . . . and proceeds to get gubbed. Turns out it was the other kind of V-sign.

Wouldn't happen if Big Brother was watching, would it?

Re Ron Atkins
I'm sure we have had posts on Ron before....use the search box top right.

This from 2002...

Today: Ron Atkins

Age: 57

Then: Freelance jump jockey and later trainer

Now: Licensee and owner of successful public house and restaurant

High: Going to Dermot Weld's and picking out Oranmore, his first winner as a handler, and riding him to score at Sandown

Low: Falling at the first fence in the Grand National on his first real chance of winning the race

WITH the white letters RA emblazoned on his skull cap, `Ratkins' embodied all the swashbuckling rebelliousness of a generation that dared to question the status quo and the stuffiness of a sport that had dragged its heels through a bog of tradition.

Ron Atkins had the long hair, the King's Road clothes and the cavalier attitude which made his female fans want to pick him up, put him under their arms and take him home.

Racing's equivalent of Cliff Richard crossed with Peter Pan, his attitude has hardly changed as he holds court from behind the bar of The Leathern Bottle at Smithbrook, near Guildford.

He recalls: "I was never that attractive to a major stable because I wouldn't get my hair cut or change my modern clothes.

"But it seemed that when any of the top boys got hurt, I was called up, and I rode for the big names like Fred Winter, Ryan Price and Fred Rimell when their stable jockeys were crocked."

Yet apart from 408 wins in the saddle, Atkins also put a lot back into racing, mixing a devil-may-care approach with the long view of how to make the future safer and more secure for his colleagues.

He was vice-president of the Jockeys' Association for 18 years and one of the association's first course inspectors.

He also instigated the Jockeys' Pension Fund and still sits on its management committee. Before it was set up, jockeys had little to look forward to in later life.

Atkins adds: "I was realistic about my station in the sport. In 1968 I rode Some Slipper to finish 13th in the National and realised I would only get horses that weren't really good enough in the great race.

``So I made a point of being at one of the other meetings on National day where I could pick up a couple of winners instead.

"But the year [1977] Fred Winter's Pengrail was ante-post favourite for Liverpool, Johnny Francome got hurt the day before and I was called up.

"I had waited about 15 years to ride that sort of horse in the big one. What happened? We fell at the first when he tried to jump it like a park fence. Six others went at the fence."

As a trainer-rider, Atkins proved a talented dual package and Rushmere won five hurdle and three Flat races for him. Traite de Paix was another smart type on whom he won.

Atkins has done well in his present role. A natural raconteur, he is the perfect landlord and has racing stories that would make the hairs rise on a gooseberry.

Yet his heart is not completely in it and he is regularly seen at Fontwell, Plumpton and the like.

He says: "I've done my stint in the pub game and I would love to get back into racing as a private or assistant trainer or a racing manager.

"I'm thinking of selling the pub. Racing has been a part of my life that I really adore and I long to be part of it again."


Also 2002


WITH his long hair and trendy wardrode, Ron Atkins looked more like a pop star than a jump jockey during a career in the saddle that produced over 400 winners.

But though he had a considerable female fan club, punters also loved his swashbuckling style that saw him successful for legendary handlers such as Fred Winter, Ryan Price, Fred Rimell, Staff Ingham and Bill Marshall.

He even had a spell with record-breaking Martin Pipe between 1976 and 1981 before he made his name as a useful trainer/rider of his own horses which made him something of a rarity in those days.

Aikins, now 58, and a pub landlord in the Home Counties, said: "Because I wouldn't cut my hair or wear different clothes none of the bigger yards would touch me, so I only really got rides from them when the likes of John Francome was injured. But they still used me in those cases so I must have been doing something right.

"I was quite realistic and after I finished unplaced in the 1968 Grand National, I started looking for rides at the minor meetings instead of Aintree as I would have have a better chance of riding a couple of winners.

"Then one year I thought my luck had changed as I got called up to ride Fred Winter's ante-post favourite Pengrail after John Francome got crocked the day before. Despite waiting most of my career for that sort of chance, I was soon brought back to earth however as we were one of seven to fall at the very first fence."

Other good horses partnered by Atkins included Moyne Royal, Mon Plaisir, Traite de Paix, Ruddy Drake and William Pitt but few gave him greater pleasure than the ones he trained himself.

Oranmore, the first winner he trained, was selected personally on a buying trip to Dermot Weld's yard while Rushmere won five times over hurdles and three Flat races for Atkins.

Atkins, a part-time race-reader with the Press Association when time allows, still loves the racing game and is often seen on the southern jumps circuit.

A former vice-president of the Jockeys Association, he was one of the men responsible for conceiving the Jockeys Pension Fund.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday

thanks PAULBU,found it now friday evening May 4th, the day before Tap On Wood won the 2,000 Guineas.

Talking of lightweight jockeys ,in 1958 , I worked at Epsom and brought a horse to Manchester for the November Handicap Meeting. Boggy Whelan was good friends with Capt. Ryan Price ,as the Capt. had gone to a meeting in the south, he asked our travelling head lad and myself to saddle his runner in The November Handicap. I know it finished second, not sure of its name but the jockey was so small couldnt have weighed more than 6stone, cannot remember Horse or jockey.  Whitwhitlaw maybe you have the answer.

Cracking read lads.
A northern jump jockey no ones mentioned is Swanee Haldane.A character if there ever was one.

Guard

Polar jest was trained by H Smyth in '56 Formbook...only one I have for that decade.
Think thats one for the Whitmeister.

Guaradmar, WHIT,

According to the Glasgow Herald, Chief Barker was ridden by DW Walker, and I found this on the net, though I don't know the original source, but it sounds authoritative...

"The 1957 renewal was the richest ever run at that time, sponsored by William Hill it was worth £6,352. The winner was Chief Barker trained by Ryan Price and ridden by 18 year old apprentice Dennis Walker who weighed 4 stone 9."

The owner of Chief Barker was Mr N Cohen. I presume that was Nat Cohen, the film producer (given that 'Chief Barker' is a title used in showbiz).

...and I've misread too. Chief Barker won the 1957 race. I think he was unplaced (under Bobby Elliott) in 1958. Donna Lollo was 2nd (Gosden/R Singer), Brancusi 3rd (W Carr/J Sime).

re Swanee Haldane..

There's an article here from July 2011 from the Southern Reporter, of Swanee selling off his stuff, including a pic of him receiving the Berwick Advertiser Cup:-

http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/local-headlines/swanee-s-equine-collection-is-going-going-soon-to-be-gone-1-1743126

Allpoints, the Vickers that I was on about was trainer John Vickers who had a small string on the outskirts of Darlington.
I don't think that the USA would have been his scene, somehow. Anyway, thanks for the info on Ian Vickers.

Allpoints, Ian was John's son. John retired in 1979 and Ian took over the reins. John was more my era although he never had more than a few horses. More of a hobby than a profession.

Guardamar, Walker was apprenticed to Harry Woodroffe at Dringhouses, near to York. He was 6st in 1959.

Just to make a few connections with the horses in those Nov hcaps...

Donna Lollo, who finished 2nd to Paul Jones in the fog of the 1958 race (3 races on the card were abandoned), was a 3yo filly owned by Mr A Bird (Alec, I presume), trained by Towser Gosden. She had won at the same meeting in 1957, on the Friday over 6f, as a 2yo. One can imagine a few quid were lost on her in the '58 race.

Paul Jones was trained by Arthur Budgett, and owned by Colonel Wright (who called most of his horses names beginning with 'P', and I think later on had Prominent and Petty Officer. In '58, he had just 2 mares (Palais Glide and Petticoat Lane), whose offspring won 13 races that year. Amongst others, Palais Glide produced Paul Jones, and Polar Dance; and Petticoat Lane produced Polar Way. So it would seem quite likely that Polar Judge (who became Chief Barker) was also bred by Colonel Wright. I can't find a breeding record for him, which is perhaps not surprising if his name was changed.

Thanks ged
I didn't know he'd packed in & I still thought he lived at Mindrum.
Swanee is one of those larger than life characters that everyone loves.As one of his former owners said"We may not have many winners but we always have a laugh".Having a good time was more important to Swanee than training winners.

allpoints - I remember seeing his Snooty Eskimo run a couple of times at Kelso. I think I talked myself into backing it for a place once, up against something half-decent. It did manage to place a time or 2 at a big price, but I don't remember drawing on it.

That sounds good enough!

He must be good as you must surely have come across a few in your travels.

Jimmy rode the 2nd in the 1955 Derby. I wasn't sure whether he was Pat's father or uncle. There must be plenty of those Edderys around. I think Pat was one of about 12.

a little story re the edderys , my first night in kildare and we headed off to a dance in a place called milltown , not far from the curragh , pat dad owned the railway hotel in kildare at the time , anyway i'm dancing away with this cracking little bird  , i get a tap on the shoulder , a guy called hopper  says , leave her alone shes with one of the edderys , now fook off , needless to say i politely told him were to go as i stepped over his prostrated body ..welcome to kildare i thought to myself...

Paulbu .i thought that there was one story about Frank Carr that might interest you and few of the others on here. Back in 1962 i think it was I was giving Frank a lift to Manchesters Ringway Airport for a connecting flight for Dublin.
It was a shocking November night ,Fog blanked the airport, Flight was put back five hours to very late at night. I took Frank back to my folks house near Heaton Park in North Manchester. Those days we didnt have much (plenty of people in same boat those days) all we had in was a chicken ,so "chicken" it was. Later that night i took him to the Airport and the plane managed to take off. The purpose of the flight was Frank had heard about a yearling that was up for sale in Southern Ireland. It was by Royal Challanger a horse Frank knew well from when Rufus Beasley had trained it at Malton. The only problem for Frank was that his old rival Pat Rohan also knew about it and Frank didnt know where Pat was ,only that he was in Ireland. The story goes that Frank after  a further train journey and long taxi ride finds this breeder on a remote farm miles from anywhere, His name was John Kent. He see the Royal Challanger bay yearling ,does the deal ,buys it for 1500 guineas ,pays the man with a cheque  ,a handshake and he's on his way. The taxi on its way back  makes its way down the narrowest  darkest country lane you could imagine when the headlights of another car coming the opposite way forces the taxi driver over as the two taxis pass Frank with his face pressed up against the windows ,sees someone in the taxi doing the same, like ships that passed in the night Pat Rohan had arrived a little too  late. When Frank got back to Malton,he told me he hoped That the Quarry owner from Hummanby Gap near Bridlington would have the horse,1500 guineas was somewhere near 30,000 in todays money. Artur Smith the Quarry owner gave Frank the 1500 guines. Later Frank told me he had only got forty three pounds 15 shillings and sixpence in the bank when he wrote the cheque that night in Southern Ireland. They called the horse after the breeder Johns Kent, it got Frank going . 25Years later i was at the races with my dad ,by now an old man. Frank was talking with some pretty big owners at the time ,caught sight of me and my dad ,stopped what he was doing rushed over shook my old mans hand and said Mr -------   "Just like to say that was the best chicken supper that i ever had" ,