Arthur Feakes

Arthur Feakes

1881-1927

Born in 1881, Arthur Edward Feakes was apprenticed to Sam Pickering, who trained at Kentford House, Newmarket. He had his first win at Thirsk on October 19, 1900, when Victor Wolf won the Rievaulx Plate by three-quarters of a length from Cawnport, ridden by Herbert Randall. Otto Madden, Tod Sloan, Lester Reiff and Sam Loates were just some of the top jockeys who had ridden Victor Wolf during the year but failed to win on him. 

Arthur’s second win came at Ripon on August 5, 1901, when Wellhope won the Hackfall Apprentices Plate. Although he still had the occasional on the Flat in 1902, he turned his attention to the jumps, registering his first win at Colchester on Easter Monday, March 31, 1902, when a four-year-old named Hurst Park won the Maiden Hurdle by a length. 

It was well over two years before Arthur had another success, but at Newmarket’s jumps course on December 15, 1904, he came home alone on Brownberry in the Camois Selling Chase after all his three rivals had fallen. His third win under National Hunt rules came at Ipswich on April 14, 1905, when Stowmarket beat two rivals to land the Eastern Counties Chase. Ipswich’s racecourse was located at Nacton, a right-handed triangular track on the south-eastern boundary of the town.

There was another long wait for a further success, which again came in a three-runner race, when El Re, owned by Sam Pickering, won the Broome Selling Hurdle by four lengths at Bungay on April 4, 1907. All three of the runners had met the day before when contesting another selling hurdle on the first day of the Bungay meeting, and El Re had only managed third place. As the four-year-old was sold after his dual Bungay exertions, Arthur had no chance to follow up on him. 

For the first time he rode more than one winner in a season when Johnstown Lass, also owned by Sam Pickering, won the Broke Chase at the Ipswich, Essex and Suffolk meeting at the Nacton course by 12 lengths. Arthur was again on board when she finished third next time out at Nottingham on May 27, 1907, but that was her last race of the year. Arthur did not renew his licence for 1908. 

He died in 1927. He was the father of Matt Feakes (born September 5, 1908), who rode as a professional under National Hunt rules from 1927 to 1946, and then began training at Lambourn. Matt recorded his most important training successes on the Flat, including Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes, and Newmarket’s Middle Park Stakes. 

Arthur Feakes’ seven winners were, in chronological order:

1. Victor Wolf, Thirsk, October 19, 1900 (Flat)

2. Wellhope, Ripon, August 5, 1901 (Flat)

3. Hurst Park, Colchester, March 31, 1902 (NH)

4. Brownberry, Newmarket, December 15, 1904 (NH)

4. Stowmarket, Ipswich, April 14, 1905 (NH)

5. El Re, Bungay, April 4, 1907 (NH)

7. Johnstown Lass, Ipswich, Essex and Suffolk, April 17, 1907 (NH)