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When, in December, 1963, a six-year-old mare called Lucky Dora ran out at the fifth hurdle at one of Aintree’s minor meetings, the resulting fall – which broke the horse’s neck – gave jockey Tim Brookshaw a spinal injury so severe that he was left to a large degree paralysed with, at the time, no official compensation for such injuries. Just a few months later, again at Aintree,
Paddy Farrell fell headlong while jumping The Chair on Border
Flight. He, too, like Brookshaw, was paralysed for life.
As a direct result of these two accidents, the Injured Jockeys Fund was set up by the eminent John Lawrence, later
to become known as Lord Oaksey.
Tim was born at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on March 25, 1929.
Told by his doctors that he would never walk again, Tim triumphed
over adversity to return to the saddle and to become a successful
trainer. His first winner was Dufton Pike at Wolverhampton in 1967.
Brookshaw, a farmer’s son, had ridden his first winner in 1948,
going on to win the NH jockeys’ title with 83 winners in the
1958/59 season. Long remembered will be his extraordinary
performance when riding Wyndburgh in the same season.
Tim on Wyndburgh parading at Aintree
The stirrup leather broke having jumped Becher's and Brookshaw
was obliged to jump the last eight fences without them. He was
beaten just half a length at the post by Oxo (Saturday 21 March).
Tim rode 550 winners during his career. His major successes
were the 1959 Lancashire Chase on E.S.B., the 1863 Scottish
Grand National on Pappageno's Cottage and, over the Grand
National fences, the 1962 grand Sefton Chase on Eternal and the
Molyneux Chase twice - on Royal Stuart(1951) & Oasis (1958).
Tim returning on Pappageno's Cottage after winning
the 1963 Scottish Grand National at Bogside
Among his hurdle race victories he won the 1963 George Duller
Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Happy Arthur.
Tim on Pippykin jumping the water in the 1958 Grand National
Tim Brookshaw’s 'luck' finally ran out in the last week of October,
1981. He was cantering a horse when, once again, he was thrown.
This time there was to be no reprieve. He died in hospital on November 8, 1981.
Tim was actually christened Stanley James Brookshaw but was
always known as Tim.
Photos courtesy Chris Pitt
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