Hudson, John

When John Hudson died in the summer of 2008, scrapbooks left behind told the story of his 33 winners in thirteen years.

Born on January 8, 1934, his father, Tom, owned a 200 acre dairy farm, Hall Bank, in the village of Mealsgate, a tiny Cumbrian village which had grown up alongside an old Roman road. Tom led a busy life. With over 100 cattle and 200 sheep to tend, he still found time to train eight or so racehorses, among them Lucky Pilgrim & Beamsong.

It is not difficult to see from where John inherited his love of horses.

Tom had taken out a training licence in 1956, the year John had turned professional having ridden five winners as an amateur, the first of which, Union Star, had come at Sedgefield in 1955. 

Union Star's owner, Joe Watson, was also the owner of Turmoil, which he had picked up for 180 guineas at the Stockton Sales.

Len Skelton, a young, neighbouring farmer, had bought a horse - Sundawn lll - for a song, and proceeded to win five point-to-points with it. 

He then asked Tom Hudson to take over its training. This Tom successfully did, winning - on Thursday, December 4, 1958 - the Christmas Dinner Handicap at Liverpool with John, showing considerable dash,  in the saddle.

Now Joe Watson approached Tom, requesting that he take over the training of Turmoil.

It took Tom and John some time to work the horse out. Gradually, after defeats in two mile chases, they came to realise that Turmoil was an out-and-out stayer, one especially good on soft going.

On Saturday, December 15, 1958, the horse was sent up to Newcastle to contest the Chipchase Handicap Steeplechase. Devon Dumpling, the 7/4 favourite, was widely expected to win, but John and Turmoil routed the field, coming home impressively at 5/1.

But it was his win in Newcastle's Eider Chase which attracted attention.

That race had been witnessed by Mr Geoffrey Kohn, the owner of Grand National winner, Sundew. He had earlier arrived at Tom's stable wanting to buy Sundawn, but the owner had refused to sell. Tom suggested that he went to see Turmoil run at Newcastle.

Suitably impressed, Mr Kohn bought the horse but, to Tom's dismay, transferred it to Alec Kilpatrick's Marlborough stables. However, John was retained to ride.

Entered for the National, the team wanted rain but, on the day, the going was described as 'good', too fast for Turmoil.

John kept Turmoil at the back of the field until halfway when he began to edge forward. Then - disaster. Surrounded by loose horses, Turmoil was badly baulked at the Canal Turn and his race was over.

'But for this we may have finished fourth' John said later.

Oxo went on to win from the luckless Wynburgh.

Mild compensation awaited when, three weeks later, John & Turmoil won the Golden Miller Chase at Cheltenham. Incessant rain throughout the morning undoubtedly aided his chance and Turmoil won by an easy 15 lengths.

Thereafter, the horse completely lost its form and was sold on to a Mrs Brackensbury to be trained by her permit-holding husband.

John only had one more ride in the National, the delicate former hunter chaser Nedsmar, who - because of problems with his shoulders - could only run three or four times a year. The National was a tall order for so fragile a horse, and this was reflected in the betting. Starting at 100/1, John's mount got no further than Becher's, where he took a spectacular fall, bringing down three others in the process.

John did eventually win at Aintree when Costa Rica obliged on December 31, 1965.

The following year, again on New Year's Eve, he won his last race when Gilthwaite took a selling chase at Catterick.

John then retired from the saddle and, still a comparatively young man, worked for the next twenty years for a tyre company before his death in 2008.

His father, Tom, died in the Spring of 1984 aged 81. 

The photos below were supplied by Chris Pitt, author of the acclaimed racing books

'A Long Time Gone' and 'Go Down To The Beaten'

John on Turmoil

Nedsmar (John) is led in after winning at Hexham on April 27, 1964

John on Herdlaw