William Ford was born in 1826 at Easton-on-the-Hill, in Northamptonshire. He rode a handful of winners including the 1847 Chester Cup on St Lawrence for Mr J. S. Drinkald, a chance ride.
He retired from the saddle soon after and worked briefly in Newmarket before becoming one of the first trainers in Lambourn where he had stables in the High Street from 1848 onwards. He began as private trainer to Mr Drinkald, whose horses had previously been trained at Epsom.
He later became a public trainer, albeit on a small scale, winning Ascot’s New Stakes in 1854. Despite a comparative lack of success, he was said to be both extravagant and a heavy gambler. Consequently, the stable ran at a loss of several hundred pounds each year. In an attempt to make ends meet he took over the Red Lion pub, financed by Mr Drinkald, but the venture did not prosper and he was declared bankrupt in May 1856, owing £2,528.
The following year he went to Russia as private trainer and jockey to Prince Dmitry Soltykoff at Nickolskie, near Moscow, staying there for several years. He rode and trained many winners for the Prince but returned to England in the early 1860s to train for him and also for other owners, based at Cheatle Cottage near Blandford.
William moved to Rottingdean in 1867 and remained there for almost ten years, although by 1876 his name was beginning to appear on the forfeit list. By 1881 he was back working in Newmarket, registering his racing colours the following year. He subsequently set up in business there as a corn merchant.
Married twice, he died in Newmarket in late 1897.
Information sourced from ‘A Biographical Dictionary of Racehorse Trainers in Berkshire 1850-1939’ by David Boyd, published in 1998.