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William James Parvin was born in Caldecott, Rutland, on 2 June, 1904, and his tally of around 470 winners marks him as one of the most successful National Hunt jockeys of the inter-war years.
He was known by the racing world as Billy, although family and close friends preferred Bill. His family was originally from Hampshire and Billy’s father Alf was a jockey but had limited success. Alf lived for a period in Rutland, where he met his wife Nellie and where Billy and four of his younger sisters were born.
By 1911 Alf had moved to Lambourn and the family were living in Blind Lane in the heart of the village. Billy followed his father into racing and was nineteen when he had his first rides over the jumps for Captain Bay Powell, who was based at nearby Aldbourne.
Billy’s first win came on 1-3 shot Plumado at the now defunct Isle of Wight course at Ashey, on 26th September 1923. His first season tally of 14 winners had some good fortune as a double at Cardiff included a race where Billy was promoted from third place to first following a double-disqualification. Then came two walkovers on consecutive days on Powell’s Waving Pin.
The Powell/Parvin team (left) became a prolific partnership over the next few years and in all had 191 successes together. In the 1924/25 season Billy won nine races on the yard’s Ormada and his biggest successes for Powell came in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham National Hunt meeting with Truthful James and the Stanley Chase, over the Grand National obstacles, with Relation.By now Billy was riding for more trainers. The first outside yard to give Billy a significant number of winners was that of Cambourne trainer John Pendarves. Sadly Pendarves was subsequently taken ill on a skiing trip and died after being brought back to England, aged just 43.
In December 1930 Billy shared the first of many successes with Sir Hugh Nugent, who trained at the historic Windsor House stables in Lambourn. These included winning the Berkshire Hurdle at Newbury on the highly talented Song of Essex. In all Billy won ten races on Song of Essex and for a while they were fierce rivals of dual Champion Hurdle winner Insurance. The latter was owned and trained by the Dorothy Paget/Basil Briscoe partnership who were at the time enjoying unprecedented success with Golden Miller. Song of Essex beat Insurance twice, each time in receipt of only a few pounds, but never won where it mattered on the big stage at Cheltenham. Billy rode many winners for Sir Ernest Wills, of the famous tobacco and cigarettes family, while he was with Sir Hugh.
Billy’s next significant association was with owner/trainer Lady Lindsay, who was based in Leicestershire. Their best horse was undoubtedly Blue Prince, which Billy rode in the 1935 Grand National. By then Billy had already ridden in 10 consecutive Nationals, his best result thus far being seventh. He was to go on to compete in five more Nationals without a break, setting a record for the time. Blue Prince and Billy almost pulled it off in the 1935 National and may well have caught winner Reynoldstown had their saddle not slipped on the long run-in.
Lambourn trainer Captain Kenyon Goode is known for his entertaining memoirs ‘How Very English’. This wonderful book describes some of the successes that Goode and Billy shared in the last few years of the jockey’s career. In all Billy rode 32 winners for Goode. Their best horse was probably the outstanding juvenile Silver Lance but sadly the horse was sent abroad to race in America while still a four year old.
Billy rode right up to the outbreak of the Second World War and his last success before National Hunt was temporarily halted came on Reg Hobbs’ Fashion at Fontwell, on 24th April 1940.
But Billy had not quite finished there as he popped up again in February and March 1945, during the period when NH racing resumed for three months. His four wins in that spell were at Catterick and Wetherby, suggesting that he had been sent to that area to perform wartime duties (possible to Catterick Camp). His very last winner was on a horse called Unofficial at Wetherby, on 31st March 1945 – the final race of the resumption.
On returning to Lambourn Billy set himself up as a trainer at South Bank stables. Sadly this venture did not meet with much success and Billy left racing to move up to Oxfordshire, where he enjoyed a long life before passing away on 14th January 1991, aged 86.
Billy's Grand National Record
1925: Gracious Gift (fell)
1926: Misconduct (11th)
1927: Misconduct (fell)
1928: Ruddyman (pulled up)
1929: Ruddyman (fell)
1930: The Monk (pulled up)
1931: Aspirant (fell)
1932: Apostasy (fell)
1933: Gregalach (pulled up
1934: Gregalach (broke down - pulled up)
1935: Blue Prince (2nd)
1936: Blue Prince (unseated rider)
1937: Blaze (fell)
1938: Blue Prince (fell)
1939: War Vessel (fell)
THE ABOVE ARTICLE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO JOCKEYPEDIA BY JOHN TURLEY
TO WHOM I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL.
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