Hindley, Gerry

Gerald Hindley

Article by Chris Pitt

Gerry Hindley held a jump jockey’s licence between the 1951/52 and 68/69 seasons and rode a total of 19 winners.

He rode his first winner on Provident, owned and trained by Guy Cunard, in a novice riders’ handicap chase at Kempton Park on Wednesday, November 23, 1955. However, he had to wait almost two years before the second came along, Abershaw for Bridlington owner-trainer Clifford Watts in a Market Rasen novices’ chase on October 19, 1958.

But it was another owner-trainer, Fred Cliffe, whose stables were at Messingham in Lincolnshire, who provided Gerry with the majority of his career highlights courtesy of a good steeplechaser named Solray, certainly the best horse Gerry ever rode.

Solray gave Gerry his fourth career victory when dead-heating with Owen Brennan’s mount Chocolate House in a Market Rasen novices’ chase on Boxing Day 1958. Solray won again at Market Rasen in March and then followed up at Stratford two weeks later.

Gerry and Solray began the 1959/60 season by winning a two-horse chase at Wetherby, beating Jimmy Fitzgerald’s mount Bollinger by two lengths. Gerry then won twice more on Solway at Market Rasen and Haydock. Four days after that Haydock victory, the horse gave his owner-trainer his biggest moment when winning the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at Cheltenham, ridden by Mr Nick Upton.

Later that month, Gerry had his only ride over the Grand National fences, his mount being Bollinger – who Solray had beaten in the match race at Wetherby – in the 1960 Topham Trophy. Unfortunately they failed to complete the course, falling when out of contention.

Anita’s Hope, trained by Gordon Fleming at Brigg, Lincolnshire, won at Southwell in May to give Gerry his fourth winner of the 1959/60 campaign, but he drew a blank in 1960/61 and had to wait until March 1962 before Fred Cliffe’s horse King Mackie gave him his next winner. He then won on Cliffe’s Intermittent at Manchester and rounded off the season by winning on Home Chief at Cartmel.