Explore the fascinating account of Richard Bevan’s experiences during the 1984/85 National Hunt Racing Season, leading up horses for racehorse trainer David Nicholson from Cotswold House Racing Stables, Condicote near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire. 20/10/1984 Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II) Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse The Shiner Fenns Bank Novices Hurdle (Div II) Finished 4th / 11 ran 9/11/1984…
Lawnswood Miss I led her up 5 times 4x unplaced and 1x pulled up 2x Cheltenham UNPL 2x Newbury UNPL and PU 1x Liverpool UNPL The only season I looked after her she was riddled with a virus as were most of The Duke’s horses… besides, Lawnswood Miss was not well handicapped. The photo is…
23/3/1985 I led up Jungle Jim Erbistock Handicap Hurdle Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse Finished 11 / 18 ran Willie Hayes rode not Gerry
Jungle Jim on the right in the photo carrying the orange/white/black colours of Salford Van Hire… being led back in from the course after the race
Monday September 10th 1984 was the day I started working for David Nicholson “The Duke” at Cotswold House Racing Stables, Condicote… my mum and dad got me down there for 6.30am and the horse I rode out first lot was Broadheath (moved to David Barons later in the season) and we did roadwork around a…
How I started in Horse Racing In March 1983, aged fourteen and still at school, my parents took me to Ian Balding’s Open Day The main attraction for me was to see John Francome and Peter Scudamore school Ian Balding’s hunter-chasers (Francome on Ross Poldark … Scu’ on Paintbox) over the trainer’s steeplechase fences. After…
I was going to The Dukes the week before Christmas for some “work experience” It was all arranged… except it wasn’t because my mum and myself had not told school I was going. I’d been to Nicholson’s for a fortnight the previous August and didn’t expect any problems, The Duke had already offered me a…
Careers class at Adams School, I think were maybe added in 3rd/4th year and the teacher(s) that did them sort of doubled up… they taught normal stuff too We were maybe kept in our forms not streamed classes ONLY one day in careers stands out in my memory and that was the day the teacher…
1981 Cheltenham Gold Cup Little Owl Night Nurse Silver Buck As I remember the maths lesson at school was non-existent that afternoon… I blame it on Mr Rowley (by the way, he never asked me what would win). Look at the concrete uprights of the running rail I once had a ride for Jim Wilson…
At school I wasn’t much use in English lessons, although in my first year at Thomas Adams School the end of term essay I wrote was picked second best of the First Year pupil’s (of about 200) As I remember a girl beat me to first spot and both our essays were read out one…