Thanks, Guardamar, most enlightening, Johns Kent won a few races, once at Thirsk 10s into 4s, were you on ?

anyone know were  buster parnell started his career ....i think he came to ireland in the late 6os ...

Bobby Beasley.  This was about 1960-61 went to Woore .a course not many will remember ,it closed not long after. Situated not from Market Drayton ,I remember being there when, Bobby Beasley one of the all time greats coming for one ride "The Private" trained by Paddy Sleator in Ireland, but i think that it might have been down as trained by Arthur Thomas at Guys Cliffe near Warwick who use to house a lot of the Sleator horses at that time. I think that Brough Scott rode his first winner at this course around that time. Also i saw a lad called Ivor Markham (for anyone with a good memory)ride three winners there one afternoon ,i think that Ivor became  a race reader for Raceform or Timeform in later years. Any info regards any of the Three would be appreciated.

Looking at the race returns for Woore for that period, it appears to be nothing more than a 'Beano' for local trainers in the Cheshire/ Shopshire area. The likes of Owen, Whiston etc won the vast majority of races. Was it a bad place to reach by road ?

Guard

Re Bobby Beasley...refreshing my memory on him and comments by racing folk.don't think I've come across as many kind words said about a jockey.

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This from 2001

You can count on the fingers of one hand the number of sports stars who have managed to make comebacks to the highest level-particularly if they watched through the bottom of a glass as their first success dissolved around them.

And how often do recovered alcoholics end up running a pub, before finding enjoyment working in a vineyard?

Former Irish champion jockey Bobby Beasley is just such a rarity.

With his own battle with alcoholism behind him, he is now living in Sandhurst-until last year riding out for local trainer Linda Jewell-and helps out in a vineyard, his day-to-day existence fuelled by nothing more than "living and enjoying life".

According to Beasley, alcoholism is an enemy that creeps up on you and then slowly constricts the body's natural defence mechanisms until you are sick with it-unable and unwilling to fight back.

But he beat the habit, though it cost him his marriage, his job and threatened to end his career as one of the most naturally talented jump jockeys Ireland had produced in the post-war era.

After demonstrating his prowess in the saddle with triumphs on Nicklaus Silver in the Grand National, Another Flash in the Champion Hurdle and Roddy Owen in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Beasley came to England and split the majority of his rides between Fred Rimell at Kinnersley and Paddy Sleator back home.

But after Sleator and Rimell's wife Mercy had a disagreement, Beasley returned to Ireland, and his problems with alcohol accelerated.

He says: "At that time alcohol was starting to creep up on me, but in those early days you didn't know you had the disease.

"Part of the problem was that I'd never had a drink until I was 24. Then, after winning the Galway Plate, I was persuaded into trying it and it spiralled from there.

"I have so much to thank my great friend, hurling legend Nicky Rackard, for.

"At the time I'd taken a very good job with Fred Winter, but became sick from the drink and had to retire. Nicky got me to go to Alcoholics Anonymous and I haven't touched a drop for 30 years.

"I think that in the long run if you believe what the AA is saying, as I did, then it works, but unless you have a hatred of drink you won't stay sober. Just to prove that I was rehabilitated, I ran a pub for eight years."

Beasley is very open about the battle he waged and, when he subsequently returned to the saddle, the significance of Captain Christy's triumph over The Dikler in the 1974 Gold Cup.

He continues: "It was more than just what it meant in terms of a racing achievement. It had so much to do with getting one's pride back for the family.

"I think the Captain was a quite exceptional horse, and if his legs hadn't given way we could have been talking about a modern-day Arkle.

"He should have won the Champion Hurdle, but unfortunately we changed the tactics and held him up. Then, when we went to Ayr for the Scottish Champion and were taking on the same horses as at Cheltenham-he broke the track record by three seconds, made all and beat them pointless.

"He was a very highly strung horse with hardly any shoulder, and therefore was a devil to sit on as he was hyper-sensitive. He'd always sweat very badly when he travelled from Ireland, but nobody could say he wasn't brilliant at his best."

As a young jockey Beasley had naturally harboured an ambition to win the Grand National, and his dream became reality in 1961 when Nicklaus Silver became the only grey to triumph at Aintree in the 20th century.

He says: "I remember Fred Rimell had three in the race, but Nicklaus Silver took a lot of getting ready and a couple of jocks turned him down."

Of his Champion Hurdle winner Another Flash, Beasley adds: "He'd been placed in two previous Champions after having gastro-enteritis and spending a year in his box. He was a great horse who also won good handicaps on the Flat and a point-to-point at the age of 19."

He adds: "They were glory days. It was a different time in the sixties-racing was much more of a sport and there was a cavalier attitude to jump racing.

"I was 39 when I finally quit-ancient by today's standards-but Captain Christy was the one who put the record straight for me. He defied the old saying that they never come back."

Factfile:

Age: 65

Then: Irish champion jump jockey

Now: Recovered from alcoholism and living in Kent, where he helps out at a vineyard

High: Having beaten the booze, winning the 1974 Cheltenham Gold Cup on Captain Christy

Low: Drink-enforced retirement, ballooning to 14 stone, and watching the horses he would have been riding for Fred Winter win a number of top prizes .

His Obit. from 2008.


RISH superstition and triumphs on the turf smiled through the ancestry of the lithe jockey, who was to ride a grey in the Grand National.

Only one grey had won the world's most famous steeplechase and that was The Lamb, in 1868 and '71.

But there was Bobby Beasley on Nicolaus Silver, not a greatly fancied horse, but you know racing folk, there was always that romance in their hearts fluttering for the outsider, Besides, young Beasley had a fine pedigree. His great uncle Tommy Beasley had won the race three times - in 1880 on Empress, in 1881 on Woodbrook and in 1889 on Frigate.

And his paternal grandfather, Harry, trained and rode the 1891 winner, Come Away. There was a strange story about how Harry had said he would not convert to Catholicism until the day he shot a white blackbird.

Well, you almost know what's coming. One day, this white dove appeared and Harry pulled the trigger on his gun. The bird fell in the garden, where it was retrieved by his wife. It was an albino blackbird.

Anyway, Beasley was riding Niocolaus Silver at Aintree in 1961, and it won by five lengths ahead of Merryman II.

The year before, Beasley had married Shirley Thompson, daughter of Arthur, winner of the National on Sheila's Cottage in 1948 and on Teal in 1952.

By then, Beasley, born in London despite his Irish background, was a star. He had thrice been champion jockey in Ireland, and had won the 1959 Cheltenham Cup on Roddy Owen and the Champion Hurdle on Another Flash in 1960.

But he had developed an unquenchable thirst for the drink, which would have disastrous consequences, ending his marriage to Shirley, with whom he had a son and two daughters. He lost his job as stable jockey to Fred Rimell and he became puffy and unfit.

At the end of the '60s, he was persuaded to seek help from Alcoholics Anonymous, starting one of the great comebacks in sporting history. In 1974, he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Captain Christy after a memorable tussle with Dikler rode by Ron Barry.

In later years, Beasley, who remarried and had another son, settled in Kent. He continued training horses and ran a vineyard while remaining teetotal himself.

His autobiography was appropriately called Second Chance.

Bobby Beasley, jockey and trainer; born August 26, 1935, died January 9, 2008.
COPYRIGHT 2008 MGN Ltd.

Also found out he was the Nephew of British screen actress Valerie Hobson.

Whitwhitlaw. Regards Bobby Beasley The course was Definitely "Woore" The Horse was 4/7 S.P. I had gone specifically to back it I had 5/4 to a hefty bet. Is there anybody on this forum that could check it out.  " The Private"  winning at Woore     1961 TO 1962 .ridden by Bobby Beasley,would not argue with Whitwhitlaw and his records but my memory is clear he beat a grey horse of Roy Whistons.
Paulbu. Lovely little course, Eight miles from Market Drayton, pretty difficult to get too. Lived in Manchester at the time,remember went by train to  Newcastle-under -lyme and then had to get a bus to the course not easy but was worth it,It was Left-Handed about a mile round it ,pretty tight if my memory has that right. The last meeting was June 1st 1963 If you go on Google" Woore Racecourse" there is pictures of the old course and old racecards.

tambourineman a lovely piece on bobby , he came to the irish national stud to give us lads a talk about racing in general , to my shame i didn't make it easy for him  , yet he was ever the gentleman and spoke to me as if i knew what i was talking about , a true gent may he r.i.p....

A young jockey who came to prominence in the late 60s was John Higgins. He had a very noticable set of front teeth which made him easy to spot at the races and he spent most of his time up north at that time. Apprenticed to Ron Mason he quickly went through his claim and then was attached to Bill Elsey's yard but never seemed to be given any rides in top races. By the mid seventies he was riding mainly for stables who had a winner once in a blue moon and all looked lost until he secured a job with Henry Cecil as a work rider around 1979. Cecil gave him a few rides and John made the most of his chances and for a few seasons he managed to get into double figues for winners. I think that he was stiil with Cecil up to a couple of years ago.

Private won at Woore as guardamar says on sat oct 27 1962,trainer A Thomas, rider H Beasley 4/7, beating Whiston's Royal Dublin, Roy Edwards 1 1/2 lengths.Previous to that won at Manchester oct 13 ridden by Bill Rees for Paddy Sleator. (no The before Private in the results, but shown after in the index, as were all horses called The something in the 60's.

It was called The Private as was The Laird or The Fossa more well known names from the 60's, but in the form books they appeared without the prefix.

guardamar, sorry can't help with that one, I have the form book for 1962/63 season and then every other since 1967. The only person I know that can definitley find the answer for you posts on here as Wizardofoz. Any other memories from your times at Hodnet in the French Fox era, were you there when he ran in the Champion and Schweppes Hurdles?

tommysmum. No i had moved on by that time. It was a great time to be in racing in those years,nothing was as clinical as it is today, no camera patrols ,lots more skulduggery, an exciting time to be in racing. had some right old fashioned touches,things never seemed to reach the press ,unlike today when every race is anaylysed  and the bones picked out of it. At the time i was at Whistons,got to look ater a horse called Blackfellow (Not sure if they would allow that name in todays politically correct society) it had been trained by Derrick Candy, father of Henry. We had run it at Birmingham (great course like Manchester ) sadly closed in the 1960s. it had finished 8th of 20 .
jockey told me that it could have won ten minutes if it had a crack. Today there would have had a army waiting to back it as it was pretty obvious it was only "sightseeing". but not those days took it to Hereford for a maiden hurdle a few weeks after. Roy Edwards rode it . my best friend at that time wandered up and down the lines having a bit of 33s and 25s no problem . Won well beating a horse of Fred Rimmells called Bobby Belcher ,always remembered that name, breeding was Constable --Burp thought it was a good name. Horses like Chain Link was in the yard and Mount Taurus ,not great horses but remember leading Chain Link round he must have been close on 20 years of age. We also had  an old chaser some may recall Pippykin  think that may have run in the Grand National. I lived at Woolerton Hall Roy Whistons home ,best digs i ever had . Regular visitor most weekends at that time was Stan Mellor.

tommysmum. Yes remember them all ,Jimmy Morrisey knew him well ,good pilot was connected to a guy called Colin Laidlaw (not sure of that spelling)who trained at Whitchurch.Last saw Ron and Val ,on my way back from Ludlow about Seven years ago before i went to live abroad.,called to see them at the Farm at Hodnet. Remember their dad in 1960, He used to have a farm at Hazel Grove near Manchester prior to them selling and moving to Shropshire. At the time i was there the stable claimer was a lad called   M.J.(Mick)Langford .,rode lots of winners in the early days . Remember going to Manchester 1960 with a horse called "The Dell" previously it was owned and bred by Herbert Blagrave ,a big owner breeder and trainer around that time,think he trained at Blewbury but not sure of that. I really fancied it i was only seventeen at the time,earning around 6pounds a week,remembering letting horse go and walking down the bookmakers and having
1,000 TO 100 Pounds with Gus Demmy ,never batted an eye and kept it at tens  one of the all time great bookmakers. Was beaten in a close finish . It was won by "Clasping" trained by Charlie Hall at Tadcaster ridden by Paddy Farrell,she was a good mare that we bumped into that day at Manchester.

Master Mason ran 12 times in 1960 Haydock,Wolverhampton,Warwick, Birmingham,Woore,Straford,Worcester and Hereford and was ridden by R Peacock, E.Marr,J.Langford and Roy Edwards. D.Nicholson was down to ride it in the morning papers Nov 22 (Wolverhampton) but for whatever reason, Roy Edwards rode it. Master Mason lost all 12 races. It ran and lost twice more in 1961 Jan 24 Wolverhampton and Feb 20 Birmingham. Those were its last races.

guardamar...........I don't know who rode Master Mason on that date. There was no jockey booked for it in the morning paper and because it ran unplaced, it was only mentioned in the 'also ran' paragraph, i.e. with no jockey named. Exactly the same thing happened next time out - no jockey declared and ran unplaced.

guardamar.......I don't have any form books so I can't check it out further. Incidentally, that bet you had with Gus Demmy...Clasping and The Dell never raced against each other, although they once both ran on the same day but at different meetings. The nearest they got was when they were both entered to run in the 1960 Birmingham Midlands Derby. The Dell was allotted 7-11, Clasping was given 7-0. In the event, neither one ran. There is a race which might have been your bet. The Dell, ridden by M Langford, did come second at 10-1 as you say, but that was at Wolverhampton, April 30th 1960 (Monday). The winner was Brookland Girl ridden by P. Morrissey and trained by S Murby at Landon. I wonder if that was it?

guardamar........Found it! December 2nd 1960 Manchester - 2.45 The Jupiter H'Cap Hurdle. Clasping won at 5/4. The Dell 13/2 unplaced.

guardamar.....here's the link to the race. I just had it in my head you were talking about a flat race. As soon as you said hurdles, I went straight to it.

http://community.cdnbf.net/community.betfair.com/user/whitwhitlaw/da40b89b637bb36bf66174bb7e0af65b.png?v=100734

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