Mark Stephen Fentiman held a National Hunt jockey’s licence for the 1962/63 and 63/64 seasons and had one winner from a handful of rides.
That winner came on a horse named Shandrydan, trained by Alec Kilpatrick at Collingbourne Ducis, Wiltshire, in the two-mile Landon Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Hereford on March 16, 1963.
Mark rode Shandrydan twice more at Hereford that season, including when finishing third in a decent class George Britten Handicap Hurdle on Easter Monday, beaten a total of 11 lengths by Tobago (David Nicholson) and Terra Nova (Terry Biddlecombe).
The following season Mark rode Shandrydan in a novice riders’ handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on October 16, 1963. Having been prominent early they faded in the closing stages, coming home eighth of nine.
That was pretty much it as regards Mark’s riding career but he did at least leave a racing legacy in that he is the father of the successful northern-based Flat jockey Duran Fentiman, who scored his biggest victory to date on the Tim Easterby-trained Body And Soul in Redcar’s valuable Two-Year-Old Trophy in 2012.
Incidentally, his name has nothing to do with the band Duran Duran. He was named after the world champion boxer Roberto Duran, reflecting his father’s interest in the ‘noble art’.