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Article by the Daily Mirror's Dave Mitchell
Photo supplied by John Turley
THERE were too many Jim's to go round when 15-year-old Jim Hamey arrived in Cheltenham to become an apprentice jockey - so they called him Tim.
Born in pre-Mrs Thatcher era Grantham on December 17, 1905, he attended the Boys’ Central School until heading south west.
Already a success by the age of 20, it was in 1926 that he rode in his first Grand National on his Cheltenham Gold Cup winner of the same year Koko, trained by Alfred Bickley.
An expensive buy, the horse ran in the colours of Lancastrian businessman Frank Barbour, but only got as far as the first Becher's Brook, where he was brought down.
But that was the beginning of a fine Aintree career for Tim, who was to ride in 12 successive Grand Nationals - not bad for a man in a era when injury - or even death - on the race course was commonplace.
He again hit the deck in the first Grand National to be broadcast on BBC radio in 1927 and didn't last long in the amazing race which saw Tipperary Tim as the only horse out of 42 starters to complete the course without mishap a year later.
1929 saw a record field of 66 face the starter. Ten finished including Tim on future winner Grakle.
100-1 shot Harewood saw him on the deck again a year later and 1931 produced a similar result from Dorothy Paget's Solanum.
But neither the eccentric Paget or Tim had long to wait for Grand National success.
Paget owned the probably the best class National winner of all-time, Golden Miller who won in 1934 but Tim's day was to come in 1932.
Forbra was the horse ’who couldn’t fall’ according to the press and proved his point on Friday March 18 of that year – the National tended to be run earlier in the calendar in those days.
A 50-1 shot, Forbra was trained by Fred Rimell's father Tom and owned by retired Ludlow bookmaker William Parsonage who, reputedly, kept the horse on the right side of the business he still controlled.
In a race full of carnage, top amateur Fred Thackray was knocked out for three weeks by the fall of 1929 winner Gregalach. On the second circuit the race became a dual between Forbra and 33-1 shot Egremont, ridden by stockbroker Edward Paget who had included this horse with 40-1 Lincoln winner Jerome Fandor in a £1 spring double.
In the end Paget's dream of a £4,000 pay out came to nowt as Forbra ran out a three length winner with 1930 winner Shaun Goilin a bad third.
It's said that Tim was swamped by autograph hunters soon after the race when he returned to Grantham to visit his parents.
By a stroke of bad luck, Tim’s father watched him in each Grand National he rode in apart from the one he won.
Sadly, Forbra aside the following year, Tim never completed the course in another National but continued to be successful – at the January meeting at Gatwick in 1935 he won three successive races.
During the war Tim was in the Army and served in north Africa and Egypt.
When he returned to Britain he took out a licence at Moat Farm Stables in Prestbury where he sent out three runners in the greatest race of all.
He had two sons. One, Rex, also rode in Grand Nationals in the 1950s & 60s before enjoying a successful career in the horse racing industry in Dubai.
Tim retired from training when Moat Farm was compulsory purchased by the government for road building - but boy, did the old man continue to have fun with his well earned money.
He continued in the public eye and made several famous appearance on the BBC1 lunchtime show Pebble Mill At One prior to Nationals in the mid-1970s.
A regular at his local track, Cheltenham, Tim loved his trips to Newton Abbot, especially where he was always found trying to nick a few quid out of the local bookies and a few bottles of lager from friends and acquaintances who loved listening to his stories of race meetings long gone.
It's vividly remembered by those who were there the pleasure he got from backing Skipping Tim to win for Philip Hobbs one day – and yes, he did give a little skip when the horse passed the post.
Tim Hamey - a diamond of a man - died at Cheltenham on April 15, 1990, aged 84.
He rode a total of some 330 winners.
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