Popularly referred to as “Willie”, Willy Carson was born in Stirling in Scotland in 1942. A young man with a keen interest in racing, the Scottish rider embarked on a successful apprenticeship at Tupgill – North Yorkshire. Here at Captain Gerald Armstrong’s stables, Carson honed his superlative riding skills to a pencil-point. Owing to his natural talent he soon registered a win at just the age of 20.
This morale-boosting triumph in mid 1962 at Catterick Bridge Racecourse in a seven-furlong handicap for apprentices greatly catapulted Carson’s racing profile. According to the award-winning racer, the 1962 feat was a profoundly inspiring breakthrough that strengthened his passion and enthusiasm for the sport. He has stated many times that he wouldn’t have made history as a widely celebrated jockey without this career-enhancing handicap success.
As his successes continued the gifted rider was pronounced the British Champion Jockey five times, an elusive achievement clinched by very few other jockeys. Carson has also passed a whopping 100 winners within a single season.
The unmatched Scottish racer attained 3,328 wins within a relatively short but marvelously prosperous career. This overwhelming success makes Willy Carson one of the most successful jockeys, and indeed sporting celebrities in Great Britain. No wonder Carson did well in the 11th series of ITV1’s reality show – “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!”
For his exemplary participation and matchless contribution to the British horse racing fraternity, Carson was honored with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester in 2010.
