Stringer, Terry

Flat jockey Terry Stringer was born on September 9, 1939. He served his apprenticeship with George Todd at Manton, near Marlborough, from 1955 to 1962, living at The Hostel, Manton Down during that time.He rode his first winner on Caught Out in the Avon Handicap at Bath on August 14, 1957. He won again on Caught Out at Newbury just three days later, those being his only two winners of the season.

The following year, 1958, he rode a dozen winners, including a memorable double on the opening day of Glorious Goodwood, winning the Craven Handicap on Hatton Garden and the Charlton Handicap on Caught Out. He did not rest on his laurels for he then won Epsom’s Steve Donoghue Apprentice Handicap – the apprentices’ Derby – on the Peter Hastings-Bass-trained Buffer, owned by Lord Sefton, ironically beating his old ally Caught Out into second place. He finished the season by winning a brace of nurseries at Newbury and Kempton on Matt Feakes’ filly Spice, whom Terry later reflected she was the best filly he rode during his career.

His tally of winners rose to 15 in 1959, the highlights being Lingfield’s Cosmopolitan Cup on George Todd’s Rockamour and Ascot’s Brocas Handicap on Hatton Garden. In 1960 he rode 11 winners, including three on Todd’s Tarquinian, the last of which was in the Newbury Autumn Cup (left), which at the time he rated the highlight of his career.

Having completed his apprenticeship, Terry rode as second jockey to Sir Gordon Richards and also for Toby Balding. The best horse with which he was associated was Sir Gordon’s colt Wrekin Rambler, on whom he won three times on the bounce as a three-year-old in 1966, including the Foxwarren Handicap at Sandown and the March Stakes at Goodwood, and then finished a close third in the Irish St Leger, beaten one length and a neck by White Gloves and Khalekan. Also that year, he struck up a useful association with Bill Marshall’s three-year-old handicapper Fender, winning at Bath and Chepstow in August and Wolverhampton in September.

Terry’s seven winners in 1968 included a double at Brighton’s August meeting on Tartan Cavalier and Queen’s Proctor, followed by Sir Gordon’s two-year-old maiden Coals Of Fire and three-year-old filly Sunland at Bath, all in the space of 48 hours.

Thereafter, however, his career began to slowly wind down. His final winner was Toby Balding’s Scaramander in the Cardinal Wolsey Handicap at Leicester on July 20, 1971. He retired at the end of the following season, having ridden a total of 79 winners.

Terry was a very good table tennis player and enjoyed both show jumping and hunting. He is grandfather to present-day (2016) jumps jockey James Banks.