John Cutts was one of the best of our old-time riders. He won the first two Melbourne Cups on Archer, also the first St. Leger, at Homebush, in 1847; on Whalebone and the Queen’s Plate at Homebush in 1851. He was the mount on Lady Morgan in the Champion Race at Randwick in 1860.
James Ashworth, who was principally connected with the Byron Lodge stables, had a remarkable riding career. Some of his notable wins were on Zoe, Talleyrand, Glencoe, Goldsbrough and The Barb. During the latter period of his life he acted as Clerk of the Course at Randwick.
Contemporary with Ashworth was John Driscoll, who, in 1857, won a race at Parramatta on Blue Bonnett. Ten years later he won the Melbourne Cup on Tim Whiffler. In after years he became landlord of the Blind Beggar Hotel, at the corner of Liverpool and Oxford Streets, Sydney.
Joseph Kean, like Ashworth, finished up his days as Clerk of the Course at Randwick. He was on Javelin when that colt won the A.J.C. Derby, and was the rider of Kingsborough for the late Sir Hercules Robinson when he won the A.J.C. Champagne Stakes, and landed O’Mera home for O’Brien’s Cup at the meeting held by Tattersall’s Club in 1867. He also rode Yattendon in his last two races.
In the ’sixties there were a number of well-known riders—“Bricky” Colley, John Ramsay, P. Piggott, Donald Nicholson, Charley Stanley, Dick Snell, William Yeomans, Thomas and John Brown, Joseph Burton, Michael Bryant, Arthur Battye, and that fine old Englishman—Sam Holmes. W. Yeomans, who only died recently, amongst other events won the V.R.C. Oaks three times with Formosa, Mileta and Petrea; Ascot Vale Stakes on Newminster and First King, also the Australian Cup and V.R.C. St. Leger on the First King, and A.J.C. Derby on Wheatear. Yeomans put up a remarkable riding performance at Wagga on St. Patrick’s Day, 1870, when he rode the winners of six races, and was second and third in two others. The programme consisted of eight events.
Samuel Holmes was an Englishman. A most able rider. After retiring from the saddle he became host of the Cottage Inn at Parramatta. Many an afternoon have I put in with him chatting over old times. His most memorable winning ride was on Tomboy, in a sweepstakes of 25 sovereigns, with 100 sovereigns added, w.f.a. (3 miles), which took place at Flemington on the third day of the Melbourne Jockey Club’s Spring Meeting, 1857, a week after the great match between Veno and Alice Hawthorn. Included in the field of six was the champion Veno, ridden by Higgerson. Sam Holmes, on Tomboy, decided that he would make the field travel all the way. He was the first to show in front, where he remained, winning easily by twenty lengths from Moss Trooper, with Veno two lengths away third. The time, 6 min. 16 sec., tells that Veno had gone off. There was great cheering at the defeat of the Sydney champion, and to commemorate the victory Holmes was presented with an engraved silver watch.
John Ramsay was an able horseman who won, among other events, a Wagga Cup on Janitor, A.J.C. Champagne and St. Leger Stakes on Lecturer and Moselle, respectively. He is still alive, as also is P. Piggott, who landed the double for the Hon. J. White, V.R.C. Derby and Melbourne Cup on Chester in 1877. Donald Nicholson, who was killed in the Caulfield Cup accident in 1885, was undoubtedly the cleverest lightweight rider ever seen in Australia. Piggott, Nicholson and T. Bennett were associated with the late Mr. T. Ivory. Bennett won the first Metropolitan Stakes at Randwick (1866) on Bylong. He now receives a pension from the A.J.C. Dick Snell was another valuable old-timer, who won the Victoria Derby on Tricolor in 1857, and the St. Leger at Homebush in 1855 and 1857. Charles Stanley did most of his riding for the late Mr. John Tait, in whose “yellow and black” livery he won the Champion Race on The Barb, the Melbourne Cup with Glencoe, Victoria Derby with Fireworks and Florence, who also won the Oaks, and the A.J.C. Derby on The Barb, Fireworks and Florence. For years he was an hotelkeeper at Campbelltown. George Donnelly won many good races for the late Mr. de Mestre, among them the A.J.C. Champagne Stakes on Chester. Perhaps his most notable ride was on Dagworth in the Queen’s Plate (3 miles) at Randwick, when he ran a dead heat with Reprieve, and beat him on the run off.
The brothers John and Thomas Brown, of West Maitland, were able horsemen. The latter did best in important events, as he won the Melbourne Cup on Calamia, Victoria and A.J.C. Derbies with Loup Garou, Standish Handicap Duration, and A.J.C. St. Leger on Commodore. Later on he trained principally for the late Hon. William Long. His best horse was the unbeaten Grand Flaneur. Mention of Grand Flaneur reminds me of his rider, Tom Hales, in his day termed the “Grand Horseman.” For the late Hon. J. White, Hales rode in three hundred and two races, of which he won one hundred and thirty-seven, winning in stakes £75,944. In the course of his twenty years in the saddle, Hales had one thousand six hundred and forty-five mounts, winning four hundred and ninety, three hundred and twenty-six seconds, and third in one hundred and ninety. Value of stakes won by him was £166,770.
In later days perhaps the most distinguished of our riders were James Barden, now a leading trainer at Randwick, Matt Harris, who died a few years ago, and James and John Gough. T. Clayton was mostly associated with Poseidon, winner of the double Caulfield and Melbourne Cups in 1906. John Delaney and William Delaney were also much in demand. Perhaps the former was the more able rider. In the lightweight division the late Cecil Parker was at the top of his class. He was a pupil of a famous old rider—Samuel Lovell, who was tutored in his young days by Johnny Higgerson. Unfortunately Parker died at an early age, but Samuel Lovell is still hale and hearty, living at Camden.
Other prominent riders of the old school were Martin Gallagher, admitted to be the most skilful with the whip in the left hand that we ever had; Edward M’Grade, who lost his life in the wreck of the “Ellen Nichol”; L. Kuhn, W. and E. Huxley, T. Nerricker, John Gainsforth, the Brothers John, Frank and Fred Fielder, John Hincks, C. Pearson, F. M’Grath and W. Kelso. Quite a number of these are now leading trainers.