Samantha Dunster

Samantha Dunster

Article by Alan Trout

Samantha Louise Dunster was among the more prolific female jockeys under National Hunt rules in the mid-1980s. She had 80 rides in two seasons alone and recorded four wins. 

Born on May 13, 1966, she started out on the Flat as an apprentice with Trevor Hallett, who trained at Saltash, in Cornwall. One of her earliest rides was at Bath on October 3, 1983, when Great Pretender finished last of 13 runners in the Aldie Apprentice Stakes, a race named after Paul Mellon’s popular veteran who won several times there. 

Samantha failed to register a win on the Flat and began her career over jumps at Bangor-on-Dee on September 22, 1984, when the six-year-old Bill Sanders, trained by Trevor Hallet, faded after being prominent early and finished fourth in the Haighton Conditional Jockeys’ Selling Handicap Hurdle. 

She rode her first winner at Newton Abbot on March 13, 1985, when Irish Williams beat 16 rivals to land the Peter Gurney Conditional Jockeys’ Selling Hurdle. The five-year-old took the lead two flights from home and ran on to beat The End by three lengths. 

Samantha won the same race the following season, this time on Brundean Breeze, trained by Rod Juckes, leading all the way to beat Spigot Shaft by ten lengths. 

In between those two wins she had finished an outpaced seventh of 16 runners on a 50/1 longshot named Beech Road, trained by Hallett, in a three-year-old hurdle at Taunton on December 5, 1985. Three weeks later, Beech Road sprang a 50/1 shock in the opening race at Taunton’s yuletide fixture, ridden on that occasion by Barrie Wright. If that was a shock, it was no less than the one the scarcely believing crowd at Cheltenham experienced when Beech Road, again at 50/1 and by then trained by Toby Balding, galloped up the hill to land the 1989 Champion Hurdle in the hands of Richard Guest.   

Samantha scored win number three when Henry Lancaster beat 20 rivals in the Cherington Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at Warwick on November 27, 1986. The seven-year-old was always prominent and drew clear on the Flat to score by seven lengths.

Her final success was at Wincanton on Easter Monday, April 18, 1987, when Baby Boy, making his only start that season, led approaching the last flight and ran on to beat Arbitrage by a length and clinch the Falcon Windows Handicap Hurdle. 

Although she continued for at least one more season there were no further wins. 

Samantha Dunster’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Irish Williams, Newton Abbot, March 13, 1985

2. Brundean Breeze, Newton Abbot, March 12, 1986

3. Henry Lancaster, Warwick, November 27, 1986

4. Baby Boy, Wincanton, April 18, 1987