Fred Fearis

Fred Fearis

1878 -1904

Article by Alan Trout and Chas Hammond

Frederick Fearis was born in Belgium on October 20, 1878. He was apprenticed to Robert Sherwood at Newmarket and had his first ride on Bellenetti, finishing unplaced in the Friary Selling Plate at Derby on September 3, 1895.

Two days later, Bellenetti provided Fred with his first win when scoring in Derby’s Quarndon Selling Nursery Handicap by a neck from The Weevil, ridden by Nat Robinson, who was at that time still seeking his first win (he would do so on The Weevil the following month).

Fred rode seven more winners that season, then did even better in 1896 with 18, making a flying start to the year when riding Little Bob to win the Brocklesby Trial Stakes at Lincoln on March 24. His other major success that season was at Manchester on September 26 when Bellevin took the Prince Edward Handicap. He also finished second on Yorker in the Cambridgeshire, beaten three lengths by Winkfield’s Pride, ridden by the aforementioned Nat Robinson.

There were eight more wins for Fred in 1897, making 34 in all, the last one coming at Edinburgh on September 30, when Wolverine took the Sportsman Nursery Handicap. His final ride was on Chief Baron who finished unplaced in the Chaddesdon Stakes at Derby on November 20.

Although he was granted a licence for the 1898 season, he does not appear to have had any rides. As Fred did 7 stone 5 lbs on his last ride in 1897 it does not appear that he was defeated by weight problems.

Indeed, it is far more likely that Fred Fearis rode abroad from thereon, as evidenced by the fact that he died in Warsaw, Poland in 1904.