Bruno Parsons

Bruno Parsons

1887 - 1951 

Article by Alan Trout

Frederick Bruno Parsons was apprenticed to Tom Cannon and had a few unsuccessful rides on the Flat, but he made his mark over jumps with 17 wins between 1908 and 1912, then after a couple of blank years, added one more in 1915 and a further three in 1921.  

He had his first ride under National Hunt rules at Portsmouth Park on November 22, 1907, when Sight was a faller in the Hillsea Chase. His first success came at Hawthorn Hill when the nine-year-old Storm King was a comfortable winner of the Grove Selling Chase by 25 lengths. 

He recorded six more wins that year and five in 1909. He also had a ride over the Liverpool fences in the 1909 Valentine Chasse, but his mount, Kimcat, was among the fallers. 

After solitary successes in both 1910 and 1911, he had three wins in 1912, the last of which was certainly earned the hard way. At the Isle of Wight meeting on May 8 he rode Fourth Dimension to win the Ventnor Hurdle, beating Bitter Cherry by a neck, with Mary Mocanna a length and a half away, last of three. It was then discovered that all three runners had taken the wrong course, hance the stewards ordered that the race be run again., The first two took up the challenge, and this time Fourth Dimension won by a length. 

Although Bruno continued to take rides, he had just one win between 1912 and 1921, his career inevitably being compromised by the First World War. 

His final victory was at Wye on November 9, 1921, when Abbadia, owned by Lord Denman, a former useful amateur rider, won the Folkestone Selling Handicap Chase at Wye by 20 lengths. His final ride was on Morello, unplaced in the Surrey Three-Year-Old Maiden Hurdle at Hurst Park on December 20, 1924.