Robert Dick, always known as Bobby, was the brother of David Purves Dick (born in Glasgow in 1897) who had served his own apprenticeship with Epsom trainer Richard Wootton.

Bobby Dick was apprenticed to Stanley Wootton ar Epsom and rode 24 winners in his first season (1924). He was then retained for a number of years by Lord Astor, for whom he won the 1931 Coronation Stakes on Sunny Devon & the 1936 2,000 Guineas on Pay Up.

Bobby Dick was brilliantly conspicuous in the saddle during the 1933 season. At the Ascot meeting he won three big races on consecutive days for Lord Astor-the St James’s Palace Stakes, Coronation Stakes, and the Waterford Stakes, worth in all £10,030. He also won on The Divot and dead-heated on Mannamead at In the same month he won the Newbury Summer Cup on Crême Brulée. 

His last ever ride - Corpach at Newmarket, October 16, 1936 - was a winner.

Altogether, Bobby won 360 races from 3,262 mounts.

Increasing weight forced an early retirement from the saddle: he began training at Epsom. 

His final success came at Lingfield in October 1946, when Fear Nothing obliged.

Sadly, Bobby succumbed to pneumonia just two days later, dying on October 21.

He left £8,712.

His brother David was the father of D V Dick, who won the 1956 Grand National on ESB.

Bobby also had a second brother, John, who died in 1915 aged just 11 after an accident on the gallops.