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Douglas Fisher
Article by Chris Pitt
Doug Fisher was born on May 26, 1925 and rode over jumps from the just after the war until the end of 1964/65 season. He rode a total of 23 winners during that time.
The start of his career was delayed by World War II, during which he served in the Royal Veterinary Corps. He later worked as a lorry driver.
His highest score in a season was five in 1951/52, all over fences, three coming on Almond Joy at Wincanton (twice) and Newton Abbot, the other two courtesy of Paul’s Hill at Sandown and Newton Abbot.
Doug made a bright start to the next season by winning on Almond Joy at Devon & Exeter on August 21, 1952 but that was as good as it got, because a bad fall from Ballyunan at Worcester on the first day of October sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign.
Afterwards, although he had plenty of rides, winners were few and far between. He rode just one in the 1953/54 season, two in 1954/55, four in 1955/56, three in 1956/57, then none at all for the next two seasons.
He finally broke his long drought when scoring on Solid Fuel at Nottingham on October 28, 1959 for Guilsborough owner-trainer Ron Mason. But that was to be his only success from just 20 rides.
It was a similar story the following season, one winner from 19 rides, that coming on Irish Paddy at Warwick on January 2, 1961.
The 1961/62 campaign was brighter with three winners coming from 37 rides, including an Easter Monday double at Huntingdon, beginning with a dead-heat on the Cliff Beechener-trained Piper’s Myth (left) in the novices’ handicap chase and concluding with owner-trainer David Griffiths’ Hickory Dickory Dock (below) who survived an objection by the rider of the runner-up on grounds crossing to land the Brampton Hurdle.Hickory Dickory Dock won again at Market Rasen on May 12, 1962 to give Doug what would be the final winner of his career. He continued to
ride for the next three seasons and finished in the frame a few times but failed to add to his tally. He had his final ride on Golden Shah (below), pulling up in the Bullard’s Beer Handicap Chase at Fakenham on Easter Monday 1965.Doug Fisher died in October 2008, aged 83 and was buried at All Saints Church, Scunthorpe.
It was mentioned in his obituary that he had been due to ride Nickel Coin in the 1951 Grand National (which she won) but had been forced to give up the mount after suffering a broken collarbone during the run-up to the race. This is perhaps questionable in that he had only ridden a couple of winners by that time, he was not attached to Nickel Coin’s trainer Jack O’Donoghue’s stable, and Johnny Bullock had ridden Nickel Coin in her previous two races, including when winning the Manifesto Chase at Lingfield, hence there appears no logical reason why Doug Fisher should have come in for the ride in the Grand National.He did, though, have one ride over the Grand National fences, that being on Commando Assault in the 1957 Topham Trophy. Unfortunately they were badly baulked and failed to complete the course.
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