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North-country National Hunt jockey Dennis Yeoman was born on May 17, 1932. He came from a racing background, his forbears, the Masterman family, having trained for many years in the North Yorkshire area. His uncle, George Mulcaster, trained the 1886 Grand National winner Old Joe.
Dennis started out with Matt Peacock at Middleham in 1947, then joined Bertie Bullock at Ripon in 1951. He rode his first winner for Bullock on Saltmarshe in division one of the Brough Novices’ Hurdle at Catterick Bridge on Saturday, February 27, 1954.
His second winner was a horse named Grit, trained by William Newton, in the Whitsun Novices’ Hurdle at Wetherby on May 21, 1956. Grit was also his third, and final, winner when landing the Averham Handicap Hurdle at Southwell on September 10, 1956.
In 1958 he took out a jump trainer’s licence, based at Mill Farm Stables, Bishopton, near Ripon, while continuing to hold a jockey’s licence. He had his final ride on selling hurdler Don Giovanni at Sedgefield on March 20, 1965, finishing unplaced. He was listed in the newspapers to ride Don Giovanni at Rothbury’s farewell fixture on April 10 that year, but it was Eric Campbell who took the ride instead, finishing fifth. Nine days later, Eric was also the man on board Dennis’s horse The Treatment when winning the Cannock Hurdle at Uttoxeter on Easter Monday.
In 1966 Dennis moved to Brough Hall Stables at Catterick, the area in which his ancestors had trained. He was granted a Flat race licence at the start of the 1967 season and trained his first winner in that discipline when Golden Goldie won a Teesside Park seller on May 25 of that year.
In 1971 he moved again, this time to Middlethorpe Hall Stables, near York, where he trained until relinquishing his licence in 1975. He re-emerged in 1981, based at Scorton Grange, near Richmond, and trained a string of around a dozen there until 1989.
Dennis Yeoman died on August 25, 2024, aged 92.
Dennis started out with Matt Peacock at Middleham in 1947, then joined Bertie Bullock at Ripon in 1951. He rode his first winner for Bullock on Saltmarshe in division one of the Brough Novices’ Hurdle at Catterick Bridge on Saturday, February 27, 1954.
His second winner was a horse named Grit, trained by William Newton, in the Whitsun Novices’ Hurdle at Wetherby on May 21, 1956. Grit was also his third, and final, winner when landing the Averham Handicap Hurdle at Southwell on September 10, 1956.
In 1958 he took out a jump trainer’s licence, based at Mill Farm Stables, Bishopton, near Ripon, while continuing to hold a jockey’s licence. He had his final ride on selling hurdler Don Giovanni at Sedgefield on March 20, 1965, finishing unplaced. He was listed in the newspapers to ride Don Giovanni at Rothbury’s farewell fixture on April 10 that year, but it was Eric Campbell who took the ride instead, finishing fifth. Nine days later, Eric was also the man on board Dennis’s horse The Treatment when winning the Cannock Hurdle at Uttoxeter on Easter Monday.
In 1966 Dennis moved to Brough Hall Stables at Catterick, the area in which his ancestors had trained. He was granted a Flat race licence at the start of the 1967 season and trained his first winner in that discipline when Golden Goldie won a Teesside Park seller on May 25 of that year.
In 1971 he moved again, this time to Middlethorpe Hall Stables, near York, where he trained until relinquishing his licence in 1975. He re-emerged in 1981, based at Scorton Grange, near Richmond, and trained a string of around a dozen there until 1989.
Dennis Yeoman died on August 25, 2024, aged 92.
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Sad to hear, I remember seeing his name on racecards.
But a couple of things - are you sure George Mulcaster was his uncle? He would have been 107 when Dennis was born. Also, Dennis' name appears on racecards throughout the period 1975 to 1981, so I don't see him having relinquished his licence during that period. |
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Hello Ged: I'll look into that and get back to you. Thanks for pointing them out.
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Sad news and I had almost forgotten about Rothbury.
Thank you for the information. |
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Rothbury was the course where they ran up a hill and down again. Only the chasers though I think. The hurdlers were confined to the lower slopes.
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http://www.greyhoundderby.com/Rothbury.htm
Earliest meeting: April 1759 Final meeting: Saturday 10th April 1965 The Northumbrian town of Rothbury, on the River Coquet, is located 14 miles north west of Morpeth and 26 miles north north west of Newcastle. The earliest record of racing in the vicinity of the town was a three day meeting on Rothbury Haugh in April 1759 sponsored primarily by Lord Northumberland. Just a year later, on Monday 14th April 1760, a meeting was organised but only three horses were present. Races were held intermittently for the next century, seldom more than one day a year and often in conjunction with a town festival or fair. The first occasion racing received wider recognition was in 1869 when results were included in the Racing Calendar. The principal race was the Rothbury Hunt Cup over 2 ½ miles which went to Mr Dale’s Rebecca. The next year the Rothbury Hunt Cup went to Mr T Forster’s Cornustibij. The course, close to the River, was always prone to flooding, which was more of a problem when they only raced once a year and relied on the profit from that meeting. Furthermore, the course lacked basic facilities, including sufficient stabling for the horses. In the early 20th century the meetings were billed as ‘County of Northumberland Hunt meetings’, although this interchanged with ‘Rothbury races’ regulary. Racing ceased between 1915 and 1919 in line with the majority of courses, and again between 1939 and 1945, returning after the war had ended on Saturday 27th April 1946. The situation became dire in the early 1960s when racing was abandoned in consecutive years between 1962 and 1963 due to flooding, so it was no surprise when the course was listed amongst those which the Levy Board stated they would no longer support financially after 1966. In the end the final meeting was staged on Saturday 10th April 1965. |
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WA Stephenson had his first winner under rules there at that 1946 meeting.
Different Class won a maiden hurdle there in 1964. Silver Buck's dam, Archlesse, won a novice hurdle there on their last day's racing in 1965, for Denys Smith/Brian Fletcher. And on the same day, Jack Berry won the selling hcap hurdle for Dennis Yeoman...so back to the beginning. |
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*Choice Archlesse (not Archlesse)
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Thanks ged, did you take a look at that website link as there are some good pictures shown there?
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I hadn't sparrow, but I have now. Some good pictures and stories.
Choice Archlesse had the same sire as Arkle. |
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I frequented the vast majority of those evening meetings at Teesside Park and I have the race card for the meeting on 25th May 1967 when Dennis Yeoman had his first flat winner. Golden Goldie was backed from 10-1 to 11-2 and ridden by stable jockey Larry Major. As I recall his winners were infrequent and usually went off at massive prices.
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Ged is correct about Dennis Yeoman remaining active during 1975 to 1981. I have the 'Trainers Record' books for that period and he had flat runners in every one of those years albeit not many winners.
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An excellent website for those who may not have visited.....
https://www.jockeypedia.co.uk/ |
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Dennis used to be a master of sellers, he pulled some nice gambles one I recall as a lad was a Ripon seller at a evening meeting the owner was a builder
J simpson who liked a bet, forget the horses name but this one was a change of jockey shortly before the race was 33/1 no form and the replacement was a L Piggott lol, the price crashed as the builder raced around the ring taking any price and as we saw the commotion realised what was going on so had a few quid on, it finished 3/1 and just won so we heard of the builder having a pub party near the racecourse so we joined in with free drinks all around, I knew of dennis in later life a good trainer of bad horses |
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Ged was correct about George Mulcaster not being Dennis Yeoman's uncle. Well spotted, Ged.
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