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I am indebted to John who wrote this article for Jockeypedia & also sent in the two photographs.
Kenneth Richard Mullins – known throughout his life as Ken – was from a family of horsemen, his elder brother, Alf, also being a jockey.Kenneth was born on 3rd October 1922.
Ken started out with trainer Jock “Stanger” Langlands in Lewes where he was pals with Bob Butchers, who was also part of racing family and went on to become Newsboy in the Daily Mirror.
But Ken soon moved on to Vic Smyth’s larger operation at Epsom. His first ride was on Smyth’s selling plater Litigation in October 1937 and the following May Ken had his first winner on Truckle in the Old Mill Handicap at Lingfield.
By far the best horse Ken rode on the flat was Growing Confidence, trained by George Beeby. The pair came close to winning the 1944 Two Thousand Guineas, just failing to get up to beat Harry Wragg on Garden Path. They were then made favourites for the war-time Derby at Newmarket but – starting at 9/2 – finished well down the field.
By now Ken was getting too heavy for the flat and in 1947 was concentrating on National Hunt. He quickly established himself as a top hurdles jockey, striking up a formidable partnership with Aston Tirrold trainer John Goldsmith. Many of Goldsmith’s string were acquired from France, where he had developed contacts while operating as a spy in the War (chronicled in Goldsmith’s excellent book ‘Accidental Agent’).
A measure of Ken’s reputation came when Fulke Walwyn turned to him when stable jockey Bryan Marshall was injured and Ken promptly rode half a dozen winners for the great trainer.
After a couple of years riding over hurdles Ken started taking rides over fences. He rode the striking grey Soda II in the 1950 Grand National but was well behind when falling.
By now Ken was based in Lambourn and had married local girl Edie Bowsher. Most of his winners were now being provided by trainers Henry Gordon-Bowsher (no relation to Edie!) and Aldwyn Hammond. But it was for the great Willie Stephenson that Ken rode his only Cheltenham Festival winner on Portalington in the Mildmay of Flete Chase.
Ken continued to ride through the 1950s, with a number of the smaller local trainers taking advantage of his skills. His last ride was on Siamois at Sandown in 1959. Ken was highly regarded right up the end of his riding career and his final outing came in the most prestigious handicap hurdle of the season, the Imperial Hurdle, and was for that supreme trainer Ryan Price.
On retiring Ken was able to focus on his farming business at Bockhampton Farm, which straddles the river Lambourn on the eastern edge of the village.
In all Ken rode 80 winners on the flat and 266 over the jumps. He passed away in 1997 and is fondly remembered.
Because it had so nearly won the Two Thousand Guineas, the Kenneth Mullins-ridden Growing Confidence was made favourite at 9/2 for the 1944 Derby, run at Newmarket on June 17.
Unhappily for Kenneth, the horse ran a stinker, never looking like winning.
His first recorded ride had been on Litigation in an apprentices' Plate back in October, 1937.
In 1950, he became one of only a few jockeys to have ridden in both the Epsom Derby & Grand National when partnering Soda ll at Aintree (fell).
He last appeared on a racecourse on Saturday, March 14, 1959 when riding Stamois in Sandown's Imperial Hurdle.
Ken died on July 3, 1997, aged 74.
Ken Mullins, aged just 16, after winning on Poet’s Bliss for owner/trainer Vic Smyth (in the foreground) – Worcester, 1938.
Ken Mullins on Soda II
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