John Foster

On Monday, July 18, 1949, 15-year-old John Lewis Foster walked into a weighing room for the first time.

He was at Folkestone to make his racecourse debut. He was to ride Golden Earth, trained by Major Powell at Aldbourne, Marlborough, in the Barham Three-Year-Old Handicap.

So keen were his parents to watch his first appearance that they hired a taxi from their home in Bridgewater to the racecourse, leaving at four in the morning!

John didn't let them down: he came second (at 100/8) to the Doug Smith-ridden Royal View, beaten three lengths.

He didn't have long to wait for his first winner - it came on his very next ride: making every yard of the running, John got Red Royal home at 25/1 by half-a-length.

However, his future lay elsewhere: as his weight increased John realized that he would have to forsake the Flat which, with just seven winners behind him, he did, but the switch came easily.

As a lad growing up with his five brothers on his parent's North Newton (Somerset) farm and with ponies being the only form of transport, John had entered many gymkhanas and knew all about the rough and tumble of the jumping game.

His first National Hunt winner came at Wolverhampton on 27 December1951 on Lower Park in the Walsall Handicap Hurdle.

John's second win was Baire in the Kineton Handicap Steeplechase at Stratford on 3 January. He got the 11/8 favourite home for an easy win. Mud and water nearly made racing impossible and the absence of Sir Ken robbed the card of its most distinguished entry.

Baire was an entire: despite this, he ran 88 times over the jumps over six seasons. John was in the saddle on 31 occasions.

John's third, on 24 January, was Brighter Ingle in the Sparsholt Selling Handicap Steeplechase at Newbury. John won by six lengths on the 11/2 shot. He returned to Newbury a couple of weeks later to gain his fourth win, this time on Newpark.

It was an exciting time for the young jockey. He had been booked to ride Hal's Venture in that year's Grand National and would be the youngest rider in the race. He had ridden the horse twice before, when they had come third at Hurst Park and fifth at Newbury.

John had a first taste of the Aintree fences three days before the National when partnering old friend Brighter Ingle to finish sixth in the Topham Trophy. Recalling the first time he jumped Becher's he said: 'I just closed my eyes and hoped for the best!'

(In those days, unlike now, Becher's Brook was a formidable obstacle.)

John's local newspaper picked up his forthcoming ride and wondered where the villagers would celebrate should he win, pointing out that North Newton, with a population of just 604, had no village pub!

In the event, it didn't matter - Hal's Venture crashed out at the very first fence, together with ten others in a replay of the first fence chaos of a year earlier.

John's next two Grand National rides (1953 & 1954) both came on another old friend: Baire. He fell at the fourth and the second respectively. John never rode in the race again.

John was born on May 6, 1934, and married June in January, 1959.

He then living in the south-west of England. Before leaving Lambourn, John had ridden for a number trainers including Gerald Balding, Pat Daly and Les Kennard. He then went freelance.

On 7 February, 1968, John took the ride on Rive Dee in a novice chase at Ascot.

Five horses, including his own, came down at the first. John received such serious head and back injuries that he was advised not to ride again.  

He took that advice. Leaving hospital some three weeks later, he turned his attention and skill to running a Cullompton livery yard where he broke in and schooled horses.

In his career he had ridden a total of 118 winners, 111 of them over the jumps.

His son Martin followed in his footsteps and became champion conditional jockey in 1990/91.