Allan Dickman

Joseph Allan Lowes Dickman was born on 5 December, 1950 and lived at 126, Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland.

He served a five-year apprenticeship with Denys Smith and rode his first winner on June 11, 1966.

After a modest career as a jockey in which he rode around 200 winners, he retired from the saddle in 1983 to focus on training.

He became assistant to Mick Easterby and Neville Bycroft: he also trained a few hunters and point-to-pointers for Robert Ogden.

He said at the time: 'I have always wanted to be a trainer. but finance is always the problem and I wouldn't be able to do it now if it wasn't for the support of Mr Smallman.'

Wealthy Yorkshire-based Mike Smallman was the man backing Allan. He bought the French-bred gelding Icare d'Ousairies plus a dozen others and set Allan up in a 17-box yard in Malton leased from Tim Etherington.

In October, 2008, Mike Smallman - then the owner and founder of the former National Distance Learning College - and his wife Angela, were found guilty of a £16 million fraud at Teeside Crown Court.

He was convicted of three fraudulent trading charges and one of transferring criminal property'

His wife was found guilty of four money-laundering offences.

Allan sent out his last runners in 2010. That year he trained just two winners.