Willie Carson’s long journey to stardom started in Scotland, where he was born in 1942. Like a lot of others in the field, he found out soon enough that the best place to get some real experience was in England, and he duly moved. Carson trained under Captain Gerald Armstrong for quite some time, which set him up for better paydays. In 1962, at the age of 20, Willie attained his first victory at Catterick Bridge Racecourse. His lucky horse was Pinker’s Pond. Arguably, one of the Scotsman’s best years financially was 1990, where he proudly put together 187 winners, a feat few have achieved. He is known to be one of a handful of jockeys that managed 6 winners in a single meeting.
In 1983, Willie became an Order of British Empire attainee, a lucratively loyal recognition given only to the best of the brood in what they do. For most of his career, Carson has had a very close relationship with Dick Hern, who helped him keep winning even when the odds were stacked against. He has always been a gifted individual, which put him in high demand, until he decided to quit the day job in 1996. He was 54 at the time. His competitive spirit has always been touted as inspiration to others.
Career path
Between 1990 and 1991, Willie won the 1,000 guineas (2) while working with the mounts Salsabil and Shayadid. Between 1972 and 1989, he won the 2000 guineas (4) while heading out with Don’t Forget Me, Known Fact and High Top. Apart from the numerous accolades won in England, Carson has also participated in events in Ireland, Germany, France and Italy, winning prestigious trophies in each country.
There is no public record of how much Carson made off races over the course if his career, but his winners, 3,828 in total, tell us that he isn’t strapped for cash
