Bernard Dillon

Bernard was born on September 7, 1887, in Caherina in Tralee, Ireland. In 1901 he joined his elder brother Joe as apprentice jockey at Druids Lodge, the training stables of Jack Fallon in Wiltshire, England and got his first ride for the stable on Tuesday May 20th 1902 in the Durham Plate aboard W.B.Purefoy’s three-year-old Cappa White at Hurst Park’s Whitsuntide meeting. He finished third.

On Saturday August 23 that year he rode his first winner – Departed 8/1 - in the Earlsfield Welter H’cap, again at Hurst Park.

Two years later (Saturday May 9th) Dillon rode Ypsilanti (7/2 fav) to victory in Kempton’s Great Jubilee H’cap. This was his first major success: more importantly, the win - several months in the planning - had netted  the stable today’s equivalent of several million pounds. A second coup was landed the following year when he rode Hackler’s Pride (7/2) to victory in the Cambridgeshire.

Later, riding a perfect waiting race, Dillon won the Grand Prix de Paris, getting Spearmint home by half-a-length. Other good winners were Pretty Polly (Coronation Cup,1906) and the Eclipse Stakes on Lally a year later.

Dillon’s win on Lemberg in the 1910 Epsom Derby was memorable. The next day’s papers reported that Lemberg had won cleverly – in fact, due to a misjudgment by Dillon, the horse came to within a neck of being beaten. Lemberg the 7/4 favourite, had sweated slightly at the start but his muscular development showed that he had been trained to the minute. Wearing the white, orange sleeves of owner Mr Fairie, Dillon glided past Greenback in the last furlong before glancing behind to satisfy himself that second favourite Neil Gow had also been beaten off. At that moment, Fred Templeman set Greenback alight for a renewed, last effort. The two raced towards the post as one with the now flustered Dillon just forcing his mount ahead on the line.

Shortly after, he met and became infatuated with the music hall star Marie Lloyd. Her first marriage had been distinctly stormy, ending in divorce in 1905. She had then married singer Alexander Hurley but separated from him in 1910. Dillon and Lloyd set up home together but in 1913, he was warned off by the Jockey Club for betting. He hung up his boots and turned to drink.

Lloyd, now the breadwinner, had been offered work in America, but when Dillon and the actress arrived in New York on board the steamer Olympic on Oct 2nd, 1913, they were detained on board.

The couple claimed that they were married but the immigration officials wanted proof. The pair were taken to Ellis Island pending a sitting of the Board of Inquiry.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver World newspaper ran a story asserting that the American Immigration authorities had refused to allow her to enter America after the close of her Canadian tour and heavily criticized her performance. The actress visited the newspaper's offices and physically attacked ex-Mayor Taylor, the manager of the paper. The police were called in and forcibly ejected Miss Lloyd in front of a huge crowd that had gathered.

After appeals to Washington, and on confirmation of the death of her husband, Alec Hurley, the Immigration Department, on February 17th 1914, agreed to allow them to enter the United States on condition that he immediately married Miss Lloyd. This they did on 21st February 1914 at the British Consulate in Portland, Oregon.

During the war, he served in the transport lines at Belton Park, Grantham. By all accounts, he was not a good soldier and often in trouble. However, Marie Lloyd was not prepared to see her husband treated badly and would often travel to Grantham to loudly upbraid any officer who had punished Dillon in any way. These officers would often go missing when she arrived.

After the war, Dillon continued drinking heavily. This lead to him abusing Lloyd and they separated in 1920. She was now drinking heavily herself. Her voice became weaker and her act shorter. She started being late for curtain calls. On October 4th 1922 she collapsed on stage and died three days later of heart and kidney failure. Her funeral was attended by 100,000 people.

In May 1941, Dillon died penniless. At the time of his death, on May 6, he was working as a night porter in South Africa House, Trafalgar Square.

Bernard – who preferred to be called Ben – was a keen cricketer.

He won the One Thousand Guineas twice, on Flair (1906) and Electra (1907). He also rode Uninsured, the 1904 Lincoln H’cap winner.

In 2007, the BBC produced a drama “Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of the Music Hall.”  Actor Tom Payne played the part of Bernard Dillon.

Best wins:

Classics:

1906:  One Thousand Guineas - Flair

1909:  One Thousand Guineas - Electra

1910:  The Derby - Lemberg

Other big wins include:

1903:  Northumberland Plate - Clifton Hall

1903:  Great Jubilee Handicap - Ypsilanti

1904:  Great Jubilee Handicap - Ypsilanti

1904:  Lincoln Handicap - Uninsured

1904:  Cambridgeshire Stakes - Hackler's Pride

1905:  Cesarewitch - Hammerkop

1905:  Wokingham Stakes - Queen's Holiday

1906:  Grand Priz de Paris - Spearmint

1906:  Coronation Stakes - Pretty Polly

1907:  Eclipse Stakes - Lally

1907:  Champion Stakes - Galvani

1909:  Coventry Stakes - Admiral Hawke

1910:  Eclipse Stakes - Lemberg (dead-heat)

1911:  Coronation Stakes - Lemberg