Fred Ensten

Fred Ensten

Article by Alan Trout

Frederick (Fred) Ensten held a jump jockey’s licence for most of the period between 1937 and 1951 and rode eight winners.

Prior to doing so, he started his racing career on the Flat as an apprentice with Charlie Pratt, who was just embarking on a successful training career. Fred had his first ride in public on Defiant, owned by his father, also named Frederick, in the Hermitage Apprentice Handicap Plate at Sandown Park on August 5, 1935. Defiant, having his first run of the season, finished second, beaten a length. 

Fred was then placed second twice and third twice on Defiant, but that vital first win proved elusive. It finally came at Wolverhampton on Whit Monday, June 1, 1936, when Priority beat the odds-on favourite Artesian in the Apprentices’ Stakes by a whopping 12 lengths. His second, and last, win on the Flat was against senior jockeys when, riding Grey Monarch, he beat Eta, the mount of Cliff Richards, to take the Uckfield Handicap Plate at Lewes on September 1, 1936. 

From then on, Fred concentrated on the jumps and had his first win in that sphere on Easter Monday, April 18, 1938, when Defiant, his old ally from his early apprentice days, beat four rivals to land the Cambridgeshire Chase at Huntingdon. It was Defiant’s first start over fences, after showing very little over hurdles. 

It was not until Lingfield Park on November 25, 1938, that Fred had his final win before the war, when Rockleigh, trained by Tom Masson, easily took the Cobham Selling Hurdle by 12 lengths. 

In 1947, Fred’s father, Frederick Ensten, took out a permit to train four horses – Greektown, Singlepeeper, Flying Exit and Cam Lass – all of which he also owned, based at Totteridge Farm, near Barnet. The idea was to give his son more race-riding opportunities and the plan soon bore fruit, with three of the four horses winning races before the year was over. 

The first of those was Greektown, a five-length winner of the Beacon Selling Handicap Chase at Plumpton on May 14, 1947. He rode three winners the following season, two on Flying Exit and one on Singlepeeper  Because his father, Frederick, was training the horses, Fred was listed as ‘F. Ensten Jnr’ in the form book results. 

He did not ride a winner in the 1948/49 season but had what proved to be his last two in 1949/50. The second of those was Flying Exit in the Ellington Handicap Hurdle at Huntingdon on Whit Monday, May 29, 1950. They had to survive an objection by the rider of the runner-up on grounds of ‘crossing in the last fifty yards’ but this was overruled. Those two wins came from just eight rides that season, all on horses owned and trained by his father. 

The next season, Fred finished third over hurdles on Flying Exit at Folkestone in September. However, his career then came to an end when that horse fell on his chasing debut at Cheltenham on October 28, 1950. He did not ride in public again. 

Fred Ensten’s wins were, in chronological order:

1. Priority, Wolverhampton, June 1, 1936 (Flat)

2. Grey Monarch, Lewes, September 1, 1936 (Flat)

3. Defiant, Huntingdon, April 18, 1938

4. Rockleigh, Lingfield Park, November 25, 1938

5. Greektown, Plumpton, May 14, 1947 

6. Flying Exit, Folkestone, October 1, 1947

7. Singlepeeper, Kempton Park, December 6, 1947

8. Flying Exit, Lingfield Park, February 13, 1948

9. Singlepeeper, Folkestone, September 5, 1949

10. Flying Exit, Huntingdon, May 29, 1950