Roberts, Mick

In 1961/62 he scored just once but that sole victory, in a late season novices’ chase at Towcester on Whit Monday, June 11, 1962, was achieved on a Hannon-trained horse named Cutlette, who was among the best Mick rode. Cutlette provided him with both his winners the next season, landing a brace of two-mile chases at Warwick on November 10, 1962 and Towcester on May 11, 1963.Having drawn a blank in 1963/64, Mick returned to winning ways in 1964/65, scoring twice over three miles on Cutlette at Lingfield on November 27 and Windsor on January 30. Mick also rode Cutlette in the 1965 Grand National, for which they started as 50-1 outsiders. Disappointingly, their participation ended almost before it had begun when a stirrup iron broke on landing after the third fence, forcing Mick to pull up his mount before the fourth.

Mick rode Cutlette three times in the early weeks of the 1965/66 campaign, beginning with a third place finish in the West of England Champion Challenge Trophy at Devon & Exeter. Just over three weeks later, on September 25, Mick and Cutlette scored a head victory over Terry Biddlecombe on The Fossa in the three-mile Temple Grafton Handicap Chase at Warwick. Returning to Warwick a further three weeks after that, Cutlette and Mick started odds-on for another three-mile handicap chase in which his sole rival was Tenerblue, the mount of Bobby Beasley. Cutlette held a clear lead for most of the race but was headed approaching the last fence and beaten 10 lengths. Sadly, Cutlette finished lame and was never able to run again.

Mick’s next winning ride came on Harry Hannon’s Sonnet II in a Cheltenham novices’ hurdle on November 12, 1965. Thereafter he built up a good partnership with Toby Balding’s three-mile chaser Plea In Bar, winning three times, at Worcester on November 27, Warwick on December 6, and Newbury on February 18, 1966. They were arguably unlucky not to win that season’s Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster, disputing the lead when falling two out.

Mick finished third on Plea In Bar in the 1966 National Hunt Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in March and seventh in Chepstow’s Welsh Grand National in April, but their season ended with an eleventh fence fall in the George Coney Challenge Cup at Warwick in May.

In June that year Mick Roberts was declared a “disqualified person” and had his licence withdrawn by the stewards of the National Hunt Committee following a report that he was seen betting at a meeting at Taunton. He went to Canada, where he had been offered a two-year contract as huntsman to a pack of hounds.

The ban on was rescinded in September 1967, thus allowing him to have his riding licence restored, however it was not until 1971/72 that he made his comeback.

It was but a brief comeback, yielding one winner from just nine rides, that victory coming on a horse named Sid, trained by Richard Hannon, at Newton Abbot on December 27, 1971.

After quitting the saddle Mick ran The Bell public house at Potterne, near Devizes, for ten years and also managed a stud. He lived in Pewsey, Wiltshire, with his wife Patricia, sister of Richard Hannon Senior. Their two daughters both had close associations with racing, Sara being married to trainer Stan Moore and Sallyanne to jockey Simon Whitworth. Patricia died at her home in February 2008 at the age of 79.

Mick rode out regularly for his son-in-law Stan Moore for ten years. While riding second lot on the Mandown gallops in Lambourn on March 17, 2008, he suffered a heart attack, slipped off his horse and died instantly. The Thames Valley Air Ambulance attended within minutes but there was nothing they could do. Mick was 72. His death came just three weeks after that of his wife.

Stan Moore praised a Mick as being a “great character” and “brilliant with the young horses. Mick was one of the first to breeze youngsters at the sales and was very successful,” he added. “His horses included Richard Hannon’s Sergeyev, who won the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1995.”