Ernest Marr
Article by Chris Pitt
Ernie Marr began his racing career as an apprentice with Jack Fawcus at Middleham and rode his first winner on the Fawcus-trained Common Sense at Bogside on June 3, 1950. He rode another at Newcastle later that month. Later that season he enjoyed a high profile victory on Common Sense in the valuable Haydock Park Stayers’ Handicap.
He rode no more winners on the Flat but turned his attention to jumping, taking out a National Hunt jockey’s licence in 1955 and achieving his first success over hurdles on King’s Acre for Tamworth trainer Syd Mercer at Stratford on May 21.
He rode three winners from 21 rides during the 1955/56 season, all on Mercer’s hurdler Clover. There were two more from 17 rides the following season, both trained by Mercer.
He drew a blank for 1957/58 and achieved a solitary success in 1958/59 on Master Mason at Wolverhampton, trained by Jack Peacock at Whitchurch, Shropshire. That was Ernie’s tenth winner, resulting in his claim being reduced from 7lb to 5lb.
Having endured a couple of fruitless campaigns, he took out a trainer’s licence in 1961, based at Manor Stables, Grinshill, near Shrewsbury, with a string of around a dozen. He continued to ride and notched two wins within 48 hours on his selling hurdler Rectitude in the final week of the 1962/63 season. They turned out to be the last two winners in the saddle.
The best horse he trained was Andy Capp, who won a few chases, but the remainder of his horses were only moderate and the training venture was not a success. He relinquished his jockey’s licence at the end of the 1963/64 season and gave up training soon afterwards.
Ernie Marr’s winners were in chronological order
1. Common Sense, Bogside, June 3, 1950.
2. Yellow Idol, Newcastle, June 21, 1950
3. Common Sense, Haydock, October 7, 1950
4. King’s Acre, Stratford-on-Avon, May 21, 1955
5. Clover, Warwick, November 19, 1955
6. Clover, Wolverhampton, November 22, 1955
7. Clover, Warwick, March 12, 1956
8. Boulto, Southwell, October 15, 1956
9. Approval, Manchester, January 1, 1957
10. Master Mason, Wolverhampton, December 27, 1958
11. Rectitude, Market Rasen, June 1, 1963
12. Rectitude, Uttoxeter, June 3, 1963