Jones, Earl

Good horses passed through his hands: Forty Secrets, winner of the 1962 Welsh Grand National under Josh Gifford; Jolly Signal, who landed a massive gamble in Cheltenham's County Hurdle; The Hustler, who won the Cotswold Chase (later renamed the Arkle) and Pattered, who, under Ken White, won a second Welsh Grand National for the stable.

Earl was once involved in a bizarre shooting incident.

Returning from a horse sale at Ascot on Tuesday, 4 July 1978, to his stables at Hazel Slade, Hednesford, he was attacked at 11.30 at night, his assailant shooting him in the left knee.

He was rushed to Staffordshire General Infirmary where he underwent an operation.

Later that year, Earl suffered a stroke. It was the beginning of the end: the unfortunate trainer endured a long and painful recovery before briefly resuming his career.

Earl sent out his last winner - Roy's House - at Wolverhampton in November, 1986.

He had trained some 500 winners in a forty year career.

He lost his wife, Bridie, in 1988 and, having handed in his licence and with nothing to keep him any longer in England, he returned to Ireland and lived in Waterford.

It was here that Earl Jones died in June 2003, aged 83.