The late Greville Starkey, who died of cancer, aged 70, on April 14, 2010, was described in his obituary as ‘possibly the most talented jockey in the past 50 years never to become champion jockey.’ It is also unfairly prejudicial that man who rode 1,989 winners, including five British Classic winners, on the Flat in a 33-year career should be best remembered for one losing ride, on Dancing Brave, in the 1986 Derby. Of course, Starkey was not entirely blameless, but the idiosyncrasies of Epsom also contributed to the 2/1 favourite lying too far out of his ground in a steadily-run race and he was still an ever-decreasing half a length behind the eventual winner, Shahrastani, ridden by Walter Swinburn.

Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire on December 21, 1939, Starkey became apprenticed to Harry Thompson Jones in Newmarket straight from school. He rode his first winner, Russian Gold, at Pontefract on 8 June, 1956 and the following season won the apprentices’ title. He subsequently became stable jockey to John Oxley, for whom he won the 1964 Oaks on Homeward Bound, and Henry Cecil, both in Newmarket, and finally to Guy Harwood, in Pulborough, West Sussex.

In 1978, having already won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Star Appeal, trained in Germany by Theo Grieper, three years earlier, Starkey enjoyed an annus mirabilis, during which he rode four Classic winners, on either side of the Irish Sea, and nine Group 1 winners in all. He won the Derby and the Irish Derby on Shirley Heights, trained by John Dunlop, and the Oaks and Irish Oaks on Fair Salinia, trained by Michael Stoute. Later in his career, Starkey also won the 2,000 Guineas twice, on To-Agori-Mou in 1981 and Dancing Brave in 1986, both for Guy Harwood. Another notable horse during his time at Coombelands was Kalaglow, on whom he won both the Eclipse Stakes and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1982.

Nowadays, Daniel Tudhope is stable jockey to David O’Meara, who, since 2016, has been based at Willow Farm, on the outskirts of York, near Upper Helmsley. Born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland on December 1, 1985, Tudhope enrolled at the National Horseracing College (or the Northern Racing College, as it was known at the time) in Doncaster as a 16-year-old, despite having never previously sat on a horse and, by his own admission, having ‘no interest at all’ in horse racing. He graduated, nevertheless, and went on to become apprenticed to Declan Carroll in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Tudhope rode his first winner on British soil, Rust En Vrede, trained by Carroll, in a lowly Class 7 banded stakes race at Southwell, on the original Fibresand surface, on February 29, 2004. He rode 28 winners in 2004, 33 in 2005 and 53 in 2006, such that by halfway through the latter season he had exceeded the 95 winners required to ride out his claim. His riding career reached its nadir in 2010, when he partnered just six winners, but, in 2012, Silvestre de Sousa, who had effectively been riding as first jockey to O’Meara, was offered a retainer by Godolphin, presenting Tudhope with new opportunities.

As stable jockey at Willow Farm, Tudhope enjoyed is most successful season, numerically and fiscally, in 2019, when he rode 159 winners from 792 rides, at a strike rate of 20%, and amassed nearly £2.9 million in total prize money. In the most recently completed season, 2023, he rode 85 winners, including 65 during the ‘window’ on which the Flat Jockeys’ Championship is decided, to finish in ninth place.

Tudhope reached the landmark of 1,000 career winners on Ingleby Hollow, trained by O’Meara, at Thirsk on June 3, 2019. Thus far, he has a total of nine Group 1 wins to his name, the most recent of which came aboard Fallen Angel, trained by Karl Burke, in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on May 26, 2024.

Born on April 12, 1937 in the village of Stanton Lacy, near Ludlow, Shropshire, Edward Hide was just 13 years old when he had his first ride in public, Copper Wire, trained by his father, Bill, at Birmingham on August 29, 1950. He rode his first winner, Ritornello, also owned and trained by his father, at Chepstow on September 22, 1951 and went on to become champion apprentice three times, in 1954, 1956 and 1957.

By the time he won his first apprentices’ title, Hide had forged an association with Captain Charles Elsey, who was based at Highfield Stables in Malton, North Yorkshire. Indeed, it was for Elsey that he rode his first Classic winnner, Cantelo, in the 1959 St. Leger. In a career spanning 36 years, Hide would add five more to his tally, namely Pia in the 1967 Oaks, Waterloo and Mrs. McArdy in the 1972 and 1977 1,000 Guineas, respectively, Morston in the 1973 Derby and Julio Mariner in the 1978 St. Leger.

Considered one of the most tactically astute jockeys of his generation, Hide went on to ride a total of 2,593 winners and, at the time of his retirement, aged 49, was the sixth most successful jockey in the history of British Flat racing. He never managed to add a senior jockeys’ title to his apprentices’ titles – runner-up behind Arthur ‘Scobie’ Breasley in 1957 was his highest placing in the senior jockeys’ championship – but he did win the prestigious ‘ Cock O’ The North’ title no fewer than 16 times.

Redcar, where Hide won three Zetland Gold Cups, on Henry VII (1962), Move Off (1977), and Say Primula (1987), proved a particularly happy hunting ground. At the first meeting after his death, the
‘Celebrating The Life of Edward Hide Restricted Novice Stakes’ was run at the North Yorskshire course in his memory.

Since his retirement from the saddle in 1983, Robert ‘Bob’ Champion has probably been best known to the general public as the founder of the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, which was established that same year and has since raised over £15 million for cancer research. Indeed, Champion was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for charitable services in that sphere.

Of course, as a National Hunt jockey, Champion was no slouch; in fact, far from it. He rode his first winner, Altercation, in a novices’ chase at Plumpton on January 17, 1968, as a 19-year-old amateur, and turned professional the following season. In his career as a whole, Champion went on to ride 500 or so winners, with notable successes including Highland Wedding in the Eider Chase at Newcastle, Approaching in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury and Henry Bishop in the SGB Chase at Ascot. In 1977/78, he reached his highest finishing position, in the National Hunt Jockeys’ Championship, third behind Jonjo O’Neill, with 56 winners.

However, Champion will always be best remembered for just one ride, that on Aldaniti, trained by Josh Gifford, in the 1981 Grand National. Indeed, their fairytale-like story was immortalised in the 1984 film, ‘Champions’, starring John Hurt as Champion. In July 1979, aged 31 and at the peak of his powers, Champion was diagnosed with testicular cancer, requiring surgery, followed by a gruelling course of chemotherapy, if he was to have any hope of survival. Thankfully, the treatment proved successful, eventually, and Champion returned to racing. So, too, did Aldaniti, having recovered fron life-threatening leg injuries to take his place in the Aintree lineup. ‘Porcelain’ legs or not, Aldaniti led over the final fence and held on to win by four lengths, on what was just his second start in the best part of 18 months.