Champion, Bob

Returning to England, he did just that, keeping an appointment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Fulham Road, Chelsea. Two specialists confirmed that he had a tumour and that they needed to do further tests at once.

For the first time, Bob realised that he had cancer.

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Seven generations  of his family had been professional huntsmen; not unnaturally, Bob took to the saddle barely before he could walk and was tossed, on his very first ride, unceremoniously into a bed of nettles by his recalcitrant pony.

Born on June 4, 1948, Bob decided at an early age that he wanted to be a jockey.

In 1963, then aged 15 and with school behind him, Bob was sent to the 300 acre Wiltshire farm owned by Arthur Corp. Trowbridge Technical College was a few miles and Bob, who had earlier shown an aptitude for anything mechanical, attended.

The greatest attraction on Arthur's farm was the one or two point-to-point horses he always kept in training every season.

The point-to-point season began, as usual, in February: Bob had a dozen rides in its first four months, falling on the very first.

Then, in March, came his first winner, Holmcourt at Larkhill.

Toby Balding's close friend, Peter Calver, who had discovered National winner Highland Wedding, also had a good eye for a promising jockey, and, that August, arranged for Bob to join Balding's team at Fyfield, Andover.

He'd only been there one day when, being legged up on Dozo, the horse reared over backwards, breaking Bob's ankle.

He was given work in Balding's office while the injury healed.

When it had, Bob was given the ride on the near-useless Swiss Knight over fences at Worcester that October. Predictably, they trailed the field before Bob pulled up.

That November, racing came to an abrupt end as foot & mouth swept the country. It wasn't until the middle of January that it resumed.

Impatient for action, Bob willing climbed aboard the dangerous Altercation, marked up at 20/1 for a Plumpton novice chase, his first ride since the resumption of racing. To everyone's amazement, it won.

A fortnight later, Bob & Altercation returned to the track. The horse jumped appallingly throughout and put Bob back in hospital with concussion when coming down at the ninth.

In mid-April, 1968, Bob came to the notice of the licensing stewards. He had ridden eight winners from sixty rides and the stewards were not convinced that he was a genuine amateur as much as Bob tried to convince them otherwise.

Astonishingly, they withdrew his licence, and it took a special trip to Newmarket by Balding, who appealed on Bob's behalf, to get the licence back, albeit now a professional one.

Bob first rode as a pro on 13 May, 1968. He rode Sailor's Collar at Wye, winning in style.

The following February, the stable's Highland Wedding was sent north to contest Newcastle's Eider Chase. With regular jockeys Owen McNally and Eddie Harty  unavailable, Bob came in for the ride and won convincingly.

The horse won the Grand National on it's next run, but Balding put the more experienced Harty in the saddle: Bob watched the race somewhat forlornly on television back at Fyfield.

He finished the season with 15 winners but found the next two or three season unexpectedly tough. Rides, let alone winners, were becoming harder to find and by June 1970, he'd ridden just 10 winners. Then, two days into the new season, he broke his left ankle again.

He did not ride his first winner that season until 12 January, 1971. His final total for that campaign was eight, his lowest total yet.

The following season, 1971-72, he rode just ten and was beginning to have doubts about a future in racing.

He decided, after five years with the genial trainer, to leave Toby Balding and ride as freelance.

One afternoon at the races, Bob ran into Jeffrey Stevens, son of multi-millionaire Monty. Bob arranged with Jeffrey to ride out work for Monty the next morning.

There were 23 horses in the stable: watching Bob work them, Monty realized that he had a natural gift and offered him a retainer.

His first win for the stable, Winden, came on 3 August at Devon & Exeter and was quickly followed by several more.

Outside trainers began using him and his faltering career was firmly resurrected.

He ended the season with 29 winners from 227 rides.

When, in 1973, jockey Doug Barrott was killed in a racefall, trainer Josh Gifford lost not only a good friend but also his stable jockey.

He turned to Bob, who readily accepted.

Together they enjoyed five fruitful years.

On 25 October, 1975, Gifford sent four horse to Huntingdon. Bob won on all four. In 1977, Bob came third in the Hennessey on a horse which Gifford had bought for 3,200 guineas, Aldaniti.

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On Tuesday 24 July, 1979, Bob was subjected to over a dozen tests at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Shortly after, he had an operation to remove a testicle which housed a malignant tumour.

In August, a second operation to remove part of a rib revealed that the cancer had spread into the lymph glands in his chest.

He needed immediate chemotherapy treatment or he would die.

Surprisingly, Bob prevaricated.

'If I'm to die I'd rather it happens while I do something I love rather than wasting away in a hospital bed.' he reasoned  at the time.

In reality, he had little choice, finally agreeing to have treatment.

Details of his next few months in hospital and the tribulations suffered need not be dwelt on here: suffice to say that, on January 31, he was given the news he most wanted to hear. The malignant tumour in his chest had gone and the final two treatments had cleared up any remaining malignant particles; he would not need radiation.

In mid-February, he and fellow jockey Ian Watkinson flew to Miami for complete their convalescence (Watkinson had been recently forced from the saddle with severe head injuries sustained in a race fall.)

Bob started riding out again, for Paul Cole, at the end of that month. Hopelessly unfit, he suffered terribly at night with back pain and, on the advice of a friend, took up jogging.

Fast forward a few months to Friday, May 30, 1980, and Bob - fitter, getting there - was back in America, having a meal and drinks with a few friends, including trainer Jonathan Sheppard.

Then the trainer announced that he was running Double Reefed in a flat race at Fairhill the following day and that he wanted Bob to ride him.

Bob accepted the ride and, incredibly, won.

Fellow jockeys, aware of his fight back against cancer, realized the significance of the win and celebrated by throwing several buckets of cold water over him!

Coming four days before his thirty-second birthday, Double Reefed was the 357th winner of Bob's career and one that would stand out forever in his memory.

Bob's comeback ride in England was pencilled in for Roadhead, entered at Stratford on Saturday August 30.

Because of the circumstances, the press descended en masse on the course hoping for a fairytale ending but Roadhead, lacking a recent race and carrying top weight, faded into fourth on the run-in.

It was at Fontwell on 23 September - some sixteen months after his last winning ride in England - that Bob climbed aboard Gifford's Physicist. Jumping the last with second favourite Bols Saint, Bob drove his mount out to gain a thrilling half-length win to the loudest roar ever heard on the course.

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Having taken Aldaniti for a spin the morning before the 1981 Grand National, Bob reported to Gifford that the horse was spot on. Bob said that he had never known the horse to be in better condition.

Gifford then inspected the first three fences, deciding that Bob should race on the wide outside where the ground was marginally better.

The horse's lad, 19 year old Peter Double, led Aldaniti round the crowded paddock.

Captain Dick Smalley mounted the starter's rostrum as the field sorted themselves out before him. A white flag was raised and Smalley sent the runners on their way.

As arranged, Bob stuck to the wide outside. Aldaniti fluffed his lines at the first two fences, almost coming down at the first, but quickly adapted his jumping to them.

His jumping markedly improved, Aldaniti flew over the Chair and the other fences as well.

Racing towards the third from home leaving Rubstic toiling, Aldaniti led followed by Royal Mai. Across the Melling Road Bob's mount was two lengths clear.

As they jumped the last, Bob saw another horse out of the corner of my eye: it was Spartan Missile being delivered late - too late - by amateur John Thorne. He'd jumped the last in third place some ten lengths behind the leader and was now closing at an alarming rate.

Bob waved his whip at Aldaniti who resolutely galloped all the way to the line amid the most almighty cheering from the stands.

The Grand National is about survival as are most people's lives.

Like Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, it is an allegorical tale, but on that sunlit afternoon, allegory was translated into glorious fact.

Bob Champion is the ultimate survivor and a lesson to one and all.

Biggest wins:

1969:  Eider Chase - Highland Wedding

1978:  Hennessy Gold Cup - Approaching

1980:  S.G.B. Handicap  Henry Bishop

1981:  Grand National - Aldaniti