Peter Davies

Peter Davies

Article by Alan Trout

Peter Davies won two races under National Hunt rules in the early 1990s. 

Although he was a conditional with Henrietta Knight, it was for Jim Old that he had his first success when Cima led two out and ran on strongly to take the Holbeam Handicap Hurdle at Newton Abbot on January 24, 1991, scoring by two lengths. 

Cima had been a more than useful hurdler in his prime, finishing second to Dawn Run in the 1984 Champion Hurdle. Peter had ridden the by now 13-year-old in his two previous starts, finishing a creditable second on the first of them at Leicester on New Year’s Day. Their next outing was at the Cheltenham Festival where they finished sixth in the Coral Golden Handicap Hurdle Final, following which they were beaten four lengths by Rositary in the Unicorn Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow in April. 

Peter kept the ride on Cima the following season, achieving one second place from four starts, but he had to rely on another of Jim Old’s charges for his only other victory. This came when the nine-year-old Plastic Spaceage took the lead on the run-in and won the University of Loughborough Turf Society Handicap Hurdle at Warwick on January 18, 1992. 

The pair nearly scored again the following month when beaten a head at Newton Abbot. Tom Grantham then took over in the saddle and the new partnership won three races over fences before the season ended, whereas Peter Davies had no further success.