Regards Morston, Eddie Hide was very fortunate to ride him. Budgett`s stable jockey Frankie Durr had rode Mon Fils to win the Guineas for Richard Hannon and Mon Fils was fav or 2nd fav for the Derby and he rode that one in the Derby. Initially Durr had opted to ride Morston but changed his mind on the morning of the race and Eddie Hide got the mount.

onlooker
" Yes - Eddie Hide always considered to be the Top Northern Jockey - although some Joe Sime supporters would put up a case for him."

Billy Nevett (probably had mentions on this thread before) was better than both of then though a bit earlier.
My Granny used to often stay at the Stair Arms Hotel outside Edinburgh where Nevett stayed if riding in Scotland. She once asked Margaret the waitress if he had given her any tips. Yes, she replied but he's no good. He told me to do all of his mounts last Monday and only five of them won.

Terry Lucas - apparently very quick to work how good a horse was.

George McGrath and Sweet Mimosa , Ray, father of Gary his Mother Sally was part of the I.N.S. Johnny Roe and Mick Connolly always got the flat off to a great start on St Patricks day. Buster was English, I brought a Stallion to cover a mare for him one day , not as much as a fiver did he drop me...

I always wonder what happened to Compton Rodriguez who made the angry ant look like the hulk. They used to carry his saddle for him when laden with lead to make up the official weight. Rode for Bruce Hobbs and he rode the huge grey Scallywag one day, which was arguably the biggest horse in training. He was a very good light weight but disappeared off the radar.

Another great apprentice who seemed to disappear was Robert Sidebottom, who was attached to Denys Smith stable, and rode many for Lionel B. Holliday the famous owner. Lester regarded him highly and tipped him to be the next great jockey. I don`t know what happened but it might have been weight problems as he was tall for a jockey.

Ekissen , I heard the same ( from a good source) that Lucas was a very shrewd judge and definitely new the time of day !

Many thanks Mighty Mac -  Sleeping Partner race - so good to see the race again.  And your other bits of knowledge are so accurate and memorable.  Great stuff.  I think me and my mate were only about 12 when we both had a bob each way on at 20/1 as I recall.  What I vivdly remember is that his big brother, who wasn't to be messed with, was raging mad when we shouted it home, as he was on the runner up.  "You two koonts shouldn't be flucking betting anyway" !We scarpered smartish not before he'd kicked my mate a beauty up the rss!  Can't remember for the life of me how we got it on ( or out ) but I do remember it was in the days just before standard betting slips came in ( or pens ) and we wrote the bets in pencil on a torn out page of a school exercise book!  In these days you opened a bookies door and a whole stoor of smoke came belching out.  You could barely see anything above six feet high.
12 years old and I'm loaded, with a £pound and some in my pocket! 

Feltfair I think Duncan had huge weight problems , very good jockey and ended up running a pub somewhere I believe...
Brians, great story, a smiling Lester now there's a thing of beauty..
LoyalHoncho, another wonderful story, bet, pardon the pun you were hooked from there on in!.

In 1966 I was working as a student in Battersea and had the following bet, I Say (Coronatioin Cup) ridden by Duncan Keith, trained by Walter Nightingall and a horse called Lampus as I recall trained by Fred Armstrong but don`t remember the jockey.

Two and sixpence win each and a two and sixpence win double. Both won at 10/1 and 100/8 respectively.Couldn`t believe my luck getting what was a months student wages at the time.

Sorry about the aftertiming.

Thanks for that I would have never got the trainer and jockey.

No problem LH.

Thanks skip for info on Robert Sidebottom.

Cheers workrider.

Cheers workrider.  It did and I was.  In the same year my old man wanted a bit of company on the bus ( I worked out later ) and he took me to the dogs on a Saturday night.  Unbelievable, just by looking at the dogs on the way by/parade ( and I followed them around almost, I picked the first three winners on looks and appearance.  Pure co-incidence, who the flyck knows, but I know I was hugely disappointed when my old man hadn';t backed them!  Then this noise filled the air and I had no idea what was happening.  He told me later he stood and watched me, not having told me, to see my reaction.  Then six dogs, with multi coloured jackets flashed out of the boxes, heads up and down, round the bend, flashed past me ( and hundreds of others! ) on the spectator rail and the rest is history!  Absolutely hooked.  The pie and bovril and having my old man to myself for ten minutes later on was magic too!

More great stories lads thanks, I was engaged at 17 and me and my girlfriend went to bingo in Liberty Hall in Dublin I won the top prize which was the princely sum of £100 in Ireland at the time . The talk was about the engaged couple who won the huge prize . I thought I was a millionaire....

When I was about 9 in 1958 , My Dad used to take holidays in Devon and used to take me and my Uncle Fred to Newton Abbott, Devon and Exeter and the now defunct Buckfastleigh.  Now Uncle Fred was a very dour Yorkshireman and never used two words where one was due. 
I think it was at Buckfastleigh one day that Uncle Fred had backed the favourite on the tote in a 3 mile chase. This horse ran away from the field with ease but it wasn't Fred's nature to cheer it on or even shout as it came to the last fence where we were stood, on its own and well in front.
With an enormous noise of breaking branches The horse ploughed through the fence and the jockey was catapulted into the air , arms and legs flailing like a cartoon character as the horse got up and galloped away. After several impressive somersaults the jockey landed near us .
He staggered to his feet , covered in mud and Fred beckoned him over.
This dishevelled , limping soul  looked over to Uncle Fred who calmly said , “ Tha owes me 4 bob. “.

Can just picture him Brians .....Another jockey from yesteryear was Johnny Murtagh late 60s 70s could do very low weights and rode some nice winners

No Onlooker , he was a lightweight long before the present Johnny, think he could do 7.12.

I will have to delve into my old books - workrider - and try to find some info/confirmation.

"7st 12" - was far from being a proper lightweight in the late 60s   - as the bottom weight was still just 7st dead - with apprentices riding at 6st 7 lb. with their claim 

^ - I think we have taken that as an obvious given    ... as, of course,  did John Roe - other than when he was riding some for Bernard Van Cutsem - from memory

Johnny Roe was one of the best ever Irish jockeys never to ride regularly in Britain , spent most of his riding life in Ireland , a few short trips over for the odd ride in the Camb etc would have been about his limit...Johnny used to visit the pub were my uncle used to drink and would tell him about his rides , usually a winner on St Patricks day for Connolly would get the flat season up and running, Johnny ended up training in Asia before returning to Ireland were he was to be seen racing most days at the Curragh , sadly he died around a year ago..R.I.P.

Apart from ptp amateurs, the first jockeys I saw live were Derek Ancil and Bob Turnell among others at what was called the Beaufort meeting at Sherston which was under NH rules and nothing to do with the Didmarton ptp course. Must have been around 1955 at a guess.