Connors, Paddy

Paddy Connors on Village Fair at Cheltenham, 3 November 1967

Photo, courtesy of Chris Pitt

Born on October 1, 1940, Irishman Paddy Connors, son of jump jockey David Connors, came from Naas, Co Kildare, and served his apprenticeship with the legendary Paddy Prendergast.

Moving across to Compton in Berkshire, he rode for trainer George Beeby for a year before eventually working for Earl Jones at Hazel Slade stables, Staffordshire. Earl moved to Staffordshire in 1964 after beginning his training career at Roel Stables, Guiting Power (the home of jump jockey Sam Twiston-Davies) near Cheltenham.

The Hazel Slade Stables had previously been occupied by the trainer Bob Ward prior to Earl taking over and were, from where, in the distant past, Tom Coulthwaite had sent out three Grand National winners. Tom had trained them all on the stiff up-and-down territory and pine-filled air of nearby Cannock Chase.

Tom's 1930 winner, Grakle, is rumoured to be actually buried at Hazel Slade.

Grakle's Grave at Hazel Slade

Paddy's first winner came on Thursday, April 5, 1962: claiming his seven pound allowance, he won the first race of the day, the Leamington Handicap, on 10/1 shot Hamoun. Six months were to pass before he rode his second (Conor's Choice at Cheltenham).

The first twelve weeks of 1963 will always be remembered by racing folk as the big freeze: all racing (bar a sole day at Ayr in January) was lost and, consequently, all chances of earning money riding winners.

Earl Jones had a local farmer plough a field up each morning to enable his horses to get some work into them. Paddy and other apprentices would help clear snow. However, Jones worked the horses so hard that it counted against them; they were all over the top when racing restarted.

With the resumption of racing, Paddy was given the ride on Good Gracious which, in October 1958, Earl Jones had ridden to victory in a four-year-old hurdle at Cheltenham. Paddy recalled Good Gracious as being a 'small but honest mare'. The race chosen was the Worcester Royal Porcelain. They finished third behind Ayala, and Paddy was booked to ride her in the Grand National.

Dutifully, never having been to Aintree before let alone ridden in a race there, Paddy decided to walk the course early that morning. He was joined by fellow newcomer Taffy Salaman and together, the two young jockeys strolled the course becoming pleasantly surprised at how small the fences seemed to what they'd been told.

It wasn't until they got back to the weighing room that they were informed that they'd walked the Mildmay Course by mistake!

Unhappily, Paddy and Good Gracious (below) came to grief at Becher's first time.

The photo - courtesy of Chris Pitt - shows Paddy lying in the ground as College Don (27) Jumbo Wilkinson, Mr What (11) Tommy Carberry and Moyrath (11) Frankie Carroll try to avoid the prostrate jockey

The mare ran twice more that season, failing to complete on either occasions, and was retired. The hard training during the big freeze had done for her.

In 1964, Paddy was involved in a near-fatal motor bike accident and missed the next few months of the season. He did not ride another winner until Christmas, 1966, at Wolverhampton.

Paddy decided on a change of scene, and found work with farmer Bob Clay at Shareshill, Wolverhampton. Bob also held a trainer's licence but was more interested in the farming side of the business, so Paddy readily took on the training and riding duties.

His greatest success came when Esban won the 1973 Scottish Grand National ridden by Jimmy Bourke. The horse was owned by the flamboyant cabaret star, Dorothy Squires.

Paddy finally retired from the racing game in the early eighties, and worked for a veterinary practice looking after the horses.

He lived in Hazel Slade, near Hednesford, just a stone's throw from Earl Jones's old yard which, sadly, is now long gone.

Paddy Connors’ winners, in chronological order, were:

1. Hamoun, Stratford-on-Avon, April 5, 1962