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Article by Chris Pitt
Daniel Hunt Palmer Mellen was born in 1937 and was the son of the late ‘Pussy’ Mellen, an American who stroked the Oxford boat to victory in 1923. Danny gained his first win as an amateur on the Jack O’Donoghue-trained 20-1 shot Silvahall at Fontwell on May 18, 1959.
He then joined Toby Balding, for whom he rode his second winner on the grey chaser Milk Shake (below) at Wincanton on February 16, 1961, the first of two winners that season.
He turned professional at the start of the 1961/62 season but endured a blank campaign with no winners. However, the following season he rode three winners from 26 rides.
In the autumn of 1963, aged 26, he struck up a useful partnership with the Pat
Upton-trained hurdler Tommy the Greek, (right) winning twice in a row at Fontwell and completing the hat-trick at Stratford.There was an interesting story behind Tommy the Greek’s victories. His owner, Mr F Tyrwhitt-Drake, had won him for a £1 ticket in a charity raffle at Fontwell’s Chichester Festival meeting at the start of that season.
That season, 1963/64, was easily Danny’s most successful with nine winners from 68 rides. They included a double at Wincanton on 4 April 1964 on Cool Debate and Yogi Bear.
Danny went on to ride a total of 16 winners during his career, the final one being Will Rogers at Newton Abbot on August 27, 1964. He retired at the end of that season and took over as assistant trainer to Tom Jones at Newmarket.
He was quoted in the Sporting Life in November 1967 that he hoped to set up as a trainer but, sadly, that never materialised.
He died suddenly and peacefully in his sleep on December 23, 1985, aged just 48. He was buried at St Mary's Church, Broxted, near Great Dunmow, Essex.
Danny Mellen’s winners in chronological order were:
1. Silvahall, Fontwell, 18 May 1959
2. Milk Shake, Wincanton, 16 February 1961
3. Will Rogers, Devon & Exeter, 22 May 1961
4. Staggered, Cheltenham, 10 April 1963
5. Sunarise, Newton Abbot, 13 April 1963
6. Longway, Wincanton, 15 April 1963
7. Tommy the Greek, Fontwell, 3 September 1963
8. Tommy the Greek, Fontwell, 17 September 1963
9. Tommy the Greek, Stratford, 12 October 1963
10. Baymoss, Plumpton, 15 February 1964
11. Bucktail, Taunton, 14 March 1964
12. Love’s Garden, Hereford, 30 March 1964
13. Cool Debate, Taunton, 4 April 1964
14. Yogi Bear, Taunton, 4 April 1964
15. Cool Debate, Wincanton, 23 April 1964
16. Will Rogers, Newton Abbot, 27 August 1964
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