Turnell, Bob
Photo courtesy Chris Pitt
Bob Turnell, born on November 18, 1914, was the father of jockey Andrew.He was apprenticed to Gil Bennett whom he once described as a 'fine trainer, but hard, hard man.'
Bob rode several good winners in the late 50s including those of the Becher Chase and the Grand
Sefton (War Risk) at Liverpool.
But there, at Liverpool, his luck stopped.
He rode seven times in the National, coming closest when approaching the second last in the 1950 running. Full of running on Cloncarrig - with only one other runner, Freebooter, having the remotest chance of catching him - he clipped the top of the fence and tipped up leaving Freebooter to run home a somewhat fortunate 15 length winner.
Bob had only a few rides on the Flat because of weight problems and he switched to jumping in 1931. He rode his first two winners on successive days on a horse named Elcho in hurdle races at Buckfastleigh on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 June 1933. That proved a false dawn, however, as his first 16 years as a jockey - four of which were spent in the army - yielded just five winners.
Bob Turnell took out a trainer's licence in 1954 and quickly established himself as a top trainer: he won two Hennessy Cognac, two Whitbreads, two 2-mile Champion Steeplechases and three Fighting Fifth hurdles with Bird's Nest at Newcastle.
Bob was also renowned as a producer of jockeys. John Haine, Jeff King, Steve Knight and Lord Oaksey all learned their trade at his hands.
Trained by his son, Andy, Maori Venture won the 1987 Grand National. The owner, Jim Joel, aged 97, lived to fulfil his dream.
Bob Turnell did not. He died at his home in near Marlborough on September 10, 1982, aged just 67.
War Risk wins at Liverpool:
Bob's Grand National record:
1947 Some Chicken 5th
1948 War Risk 11th
1949 Brighter Sandy brought down
1950 Cloncarrig fell
1951 Cloncarrig fell
1953 Irish Lizard 3rd
1956 Carey's Cottage 7th