Readers of a certain age, by which I mean those who remember the days when the BBC still held at least some of the terrestrial TV rights to horse racing, may remember Jimmy Lindley as a paddock commentator. Indeed, he succeeded Clive Graham shortly after his retirement from the saddle, on medical advice, in 1974, and continued in the role for the better part of three decades.

However, it should not be forgotten that, despite fighting a battle with the scales for most of his career, Lindley was, in fact, one of the best jockeys of his generation. Weight problems meant that he never received the recognition he deserved, finishing a best-ever ninth in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship, with 71 winners, in 1963. Nevertheless, he rode a total of 907 winners in Britain, including 25 under National Hunt rules during two seasons with his future father-in-law, Matthew Feakes, at Rhonehurst Stables in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire, in 1956/57 and 1957/58.

Born in Wembley, North London on May 16, 1935, Lindley rode his first winner, Sweet Phoenix, in an apprentices’ handicap at Brighton, on June 11, 1952 and his last, Rouser, in a handicap at Newbury on September 20, 1974. In between times, he recorded numerous high-profile victories at home and abroad. He won the 2,000 Guineas twice, on Only For Life, trained by Jeremy Tree, in 1963 and Kashmir, trained by Mick Bartholomew, in 1966, and the St. Leger on Indiana, trained by Jack Watts, in 1964.

Lindley never won the Derby, but may have done, on Royal Palace in 1967, if he had chosen to succeed Lester Piggott as stable jockey to Noel Murless, rather than remaining with Jeremy Tree. As it was, the closest he came to winning the Epsom Classic was on Indiana, who finished second, beaten just a length, behind Santa Clause in 1964.

Born in Chadderton, near Oldham, Greater Manchester on September 6, 1949, Mark Birch left school at 15 to become apprenticed to Geoffrey Brooke in Newmarket and rode his first winner, Bollin Charlotte, at Chester on July 26, 1968. He subsequently joined Miles Henry ‘Peter’ Easterby

at Habton Grange Stables, near Malton, North Yorkshire, with whom he would enjoy a 30-year association until his retirement from race-riding in 1998.

Of course, Birch won many big races in the North, including the Lincoln Handicap on Bronze Hill in 1973, the Great St. Wilfrid Handicap twice, on Day Two in 1973 and Golden Ancona in 1978, the Northumberland Plate on Dawn Johnny in 1981, the Ayr Gold Cup on Able Albert in 1984 and the November Handicap twice on Swingit Gunner in 1987 and Young Benz in 1988.

However, he is best remembered for his association with the prolific, and versatile, Sea Pigeon, on whom he won back-to-back renewals of the Chester Cup in 1977 and 1978. Of course, the following year, Sea Pigeon would carry a record 10st 0lb to victory in the Ebor Handicap at York, but under his regular hurdles jockey, Jonjo O’Neill, rather than Birch. Nevertheless, in 1981, deputising for Brian Taylor, who could not make the required weight of 8st 1lb, Birch, too, would win the Ebor Handicap on Protection Racket, trained by Jeremy Hindley.

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Archie’, Birch was one of one of the most successful and popular Flat jockeys of his generation in the North of England, with 1,339 winners and seven the traditional ‘Cock O’ The North’ titles to his name. He enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 1979, when he rode 77 winners. Six of those victories, including the Gimcrack Stakes at York, were contributed by the champion Northern two-year-old, Sonnen Gold, trained by Easterby. After hanging up his boots, he became assistant trainer to Kevin Ryan at Hambleton Lodge, near Thirsk. He died of lung cancer, aged 67, on October 19, 2016.

A controversial, but nonethless popular, figure during his riding career, Graham Bradley retired from the saddle on a high when, on November 13, 1999, he steered Ontheboil, trained by Don Eddy, to a five-length victory in a novices’ handicap chase at Haydock Park. However, the racing authorities were by no means finished with him and, in December 2002, he was found guilty of passing what he described in court as ‘very privileged’ information to subsequently convicted drug smuggler Brian Wright. Following a three-day inquiry, Bradley was ‘warned off’ for eight years, reduced to five on appeal, by the Jockey Club.

Born in Wetherby, Yorkshire on September 8, 1960, Bradley had his first, unsuccessful, ride in public, as a 16-year-old schoolboy, in an amateur riders’ race on the Flat at Redcar on June 18, 1977. However, he would not ride his first winner, Talon, trained by Tony Dickinson, in a novices’ hurdle at Sedgefield until nearly three years later, on March 3, 1980. Prior to joining the Dickinsons, Bradley spent two years with Arthur Stephenson, but was limited to a handful of moderate rides and it wasn’t until he arrived at Poplar House in Harewood, West Yorkshire that his career began to blossom.

Notable horses during his career included Bregawn, on whom he won the Hennessy Gold Cup (now the Coral Gold Cup) in 1982 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1983, Righthand Man, on whom he won the Charlie Hall Chase in 1982 and the Welsh Grand National in 1984 and Wayward Lad, on whom he won both the Charlie Hall Chase and the King George VI Chase in 1985. Later in his career, Bradley became stable to jockey to Charlie Brooks at the historic Upland Stables in Upper Lambourn, Berkshire. He won the 1996 Champion Hurdle on Collier Bay, trained by Jim Old, and the 1997 Hennessy Gold Cup on Suny Bay, trained by Brooks. In 1993/94 and 1995/96 he rode a total of 52 winners, just one shy of his best-ever seasonl total, 53, which he achievd in 1986/87.

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.