Jockey

The late Terence ‘Terry’ Biddlecombe died, at the age of 72, on January 5, 2014 after a long illness, having suffered a stroke three years earlier. In his latter years, he was best known as one half of an ‘odd couple’ with his wife, Henrietta Knight, alongside whom he enjoyed several notable successes, not least Best Mate, who, in 2004, became the first horse since the legendary Arkle to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup three years running.

However, it should not be forgotten that, despite fighting a lifelong battle with the scales, and with alcoholism, Biddlecombe rode a total of 908 winners and won the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship three times, in 1964/65, 1965/66 and 1968/69, on the latter occasion sharing the title with his future brother-in-law Bob Davies. Born in Gloucester on February 2, 1941, the ‘Blonde Bomber’, as he was affectionately known, rode his first winner, Burnella, in a novices’ hurdle at Wincanton on March 6, 1958.

Biddlecombe enjoyed his highest-profile success on Woodland Venture in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1967, by which time he had become stable jockey to eventual five-time Champion Trainer Fred Rimell and his wife, Mercy. He never won the Grand National, but may have done so on another horse saddled by Rimmell, former winner Gay Trip – on whom he already won the Mackeson Gold Cup twice, in 1969 and 1971 – in 1972, had he not chosen to steer a wide course, in search of better going. As it was, the partnership finished second, beaten just two lengths, behind the winner, Well To Do.

Biddlecombe did, however, win the Welsh Grand National twice, on Norther in 1965 and French Excuse in 1970. Woodland Venture aside, his other Cheltenham Festival successes included Chatham in the Arkle Trophy and Coral Diver in the Triumph Hurdle, both in 1969.

Born in Dunmanway, West Cork on June 23, 1992, Gavin Sheehan graduated from the pony racing circuit to become amateur rider to Co. Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan, with whom he spent 18 months. Thereafter, he joined Co. Cork handler John Joseph Murphy, for whom, as an 18-year-old apprentice, he rode his first winner under Rules, Whatsabillion, in a handicap hurdle at Thurles on February 24, 2011.

Following injury, Sheehan crossed the Irish Sea to join the now-retired Charlie Mann in Upper Lambourn, near Hungerford, Berkshire, whom he later described as ‘the starting point of my career here [in Britain].’ Further success soon followed; in 2013/14 he rode 50 winners on British soil, en route to the apprentices’ title, and has ridden 50 or more winners in every season, bar one, since.

Sheehan has yet to achieve his stated ambitions of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Grand National or riding 100 winners in a season, but enjoyed his most prolific campaign so far in 2023/24, when he rode 91 winners from 544 rides at a strike rate of 17%. His final tally that season include a series of high-profile successes, including Datsalirghtgino, trained by Jamie Snowden, in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, Fugitif, trained by Richard Hobson, in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham, Hewick, trained by John Jospeh Hanlon, in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park and Colonel Harry, also trained by Snowden, in the Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby.

Sheehan has continued in a not dissimilar vein in 2024, so far, riding 13 winners from 106 rides at a strike rate of 12% to lie thirteenth in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship. Whatever the future holds, his career has certainly taken a significant upturn since the darks days of December 2021, when he received a tongue-lashing from trainer Paul Nicholls, and subsequently lost his retainer with owner Andrew Brooks, as a result of a woefully misjudged ride on Saint Calvados in the King George VI Chase.

Born on December 5, 1988 in Bargoed in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, David Probert rode his first winner, Mountain Pass, trained by Bernard Llewellyn, in a selling stakes race on the then Polytrack surface at Wolverhampton on December 3, 2007. A graduate from the British Racing School, he became apprenticed to Andrew Balding at Park Stables in Kingsclere, near Newbury, Berkshire and, in 2008, rode 50 winners from 458 rides at a strike rate of 11%. That was sufficient to give him a share of the apprentices’ title alongside fellow Kingsclere apprentice, and future senior champion, William Buick.

Fast forward to November 22, 2023 and Probert celebrated reaching the mileston of 1,500 career winners on Cadogan Gardens, trained by Charles Hills, in a nursery handicap back at Wolverhampton. He enjoyed his most prolific season, so far, in 2021, when he rode 169 winners, but has, in fact, ridden over 100 winners in all bar one of the last six completed seasons. At the time of writing, in 2024, so far, he has ridden 73 winners from 550 rides at a strike rate of 13%. As far as the Flat Jockeys’ Championship is concerned, 26 of those winners have come during the qualifying period, which began on May 4, 2024, and he currently lies twentieth in the table.

Probert has yet to win a race at the highest Group 1 level, but nonetheless has a hatful of Group race victories to his name at home and abroad. The first of them came aboard Highland Knight, trained by Balding, in the Oettingen-Rennen at Baden-Baden, Germany on August 30, 2012 and he won the same race again on future Sussex Stakes winner Here Comes When, again trained by Balding, on September 3, 2014. On home soil, his recent career highlights include winning the Temple Stakes, Lennox Stakes, Doncaster Cup and Royal Lodge Stakes, all Group 2 contests, all on Balding-trained horses.

Born in Cambridge on December 22, 1964, William ‘Willie’ Ryan is the son of Denis Ryan, who won the Chester Vase on Articulate in 1956 while still an apprenticed. Ryan Jnr. became apprenticed to Reg Hollinshead, renowned for his ‘academy’ for young jockeys, in Upper Longdon, Staffordshire, and rode his first winner, Will George, at Windsor on August 23, 1982. Three years later, in 1985, he followed in the footsteps of fellow Hollinshead alumni Steve Perks and Kevin Darley by becoming champion apprentice, sharing the title with Gary Carter on 37 winners apiece.

Later in his career, Ryan became an integral part of the operation at Warren Place, Newmarket, home of eventual 10-time champion trainer Henry (later Sir Henry) Cecil. In his capacity as second jockey, he officially ‘won’ the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot on Perpendicular on June 16, 1992, but, having been beaten 1½ lengths, the Shirley Heights colt was awarded the race in the stewards’ room, with the first past the post, Kooyonga disqualified and placed third.

Nevertheless, Ryan was promoted to first jockey at Warren Place following the shock retirement of his predecessor, Steve Cauthen, at the end of 1992. He rode his first Group 1 winner for Cecil, King’s Theatre (who would later become a jumps sire of note), in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on October 23, 1993 and his second, Benny The Dip, in the Derby on June 7, 1997.

For outside stables, he achieved further success at the highest level on Court Of Honour, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, in the Gran Premio Del Jockey Club Italiano at San Siro on October 15, 1995 and Iktamal in the Haydock Park Sprint Cup on September 7, 1996. Ryan retired from the saddle at the end of the 2004 season, having previously told the ‘Racing Post, ‘I feel that I’ve had my best days as a jockey and the right thing to do is to be honest with myself and the people I ride for.’