Pat Eddery & Willie Carson – Derby & Oaks winning jockeys

Pat Eddery (1952-2015 ), the son of jockey Jimmy Eddery, he was apprenticed to H.C. Nicholson at Cheltenham, and rode his first winner – Alvaro – for trainer Michael Pope at the Epsom Spring Meeting in 1969. Weeks later, he won the Wokingham Stakes for Pope on Sky Rocket (4yr-7st-3lb). He was Leading Jockey at Royal Ascot in 1973, and became Champion Jockey a year later for the first of 11 times (1974-1996). In all, he won 14 Classic races in Britain, including, three winners of the Oaks: Polygamy (1974), Scintillate (1979), Lady Carla (1996), and three winners of the Derby: Grundy (1975), Golden Fleece (1982) and Quest For Fame (1990). He also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe four times, notably on Dancing Brave in 1986. He rode his 4,000th winner in Britain on Silver Patriarch in the 1997 St Leger.

In his continual battle with the scales, he aimed to ride at 8 stone or just over. Fellow jockey, Ray Cochrane, remembered he had “never seen him finish a sandwich”.

Granted a training licence in 2005, Pat Eddery set up at Musk Hill Stud, near Aylesbury, with his brother Paul as assistant trainer. His training career, however, failed to compare with his riding and the victory of Hearts of Fire in the 2009 Gran Criterium at San Siro, Milan, was his only Group 1 success.

His marriage to Carolyn Mercer, the daughter of the jockey Manny Mercer, in 1978, was dissolved in 2009 and he died on 10 November 2015. He is survived by their two daughters, Natasha and Nichola, an equestrian artist, and their son, Harry.

***        ***       ***         ***

William Hunter Carson (1942-), known as “Willie” Carson, was born in Stirling in Scotland, where his father was a warehouse foreman. In 1959, he was apprenticed to Gerald Armstrong at Tupgill, North Yorkshire, on whose retirement, he completed his indenture with his brother, Fred Armstrong at Newmarket. He rode his first winner, Pinkers Pond, at Catterick Bridge in 1962, going on to ride 3,828 winners and be Champion Jockey five times within 1972-1983.

In total, he won 17 British Classic races, including, four winners of the Oaks: Dunfermline (1977), Bireme (1980), Sun Princess (1983) and Salsabil (1990), together with four winners of the Derby: Troy (1979), Henbit (1980), Nashwan (1989) and Erhaab (1994); his first three winners of each Epsom Classic being trained by Dick Hern.

Slight in stature – five feet tall and weighing only 7 st. 10 lb., Carson was in great demand as a jockey up to his retirement in 1996 at the age of 54.

Having taken over the Minster House Stud in 1980, he has the distinction of winning the St Leger in 1988, on Minster Son, a horse that he bred.

 ________________________________________

For more racing history see Michael’s Books for Sale. 

To see Michael’s interviews go to the foot of About Michael