Wally Drinkwater

Wally Drinkwater

Born in 1908, Walter Thomas (Wally) Drinkwater was granted a jump jockey’s licence for the 1938/39 season but had to wait until May 4, 1940 for his sole success. This came at Oswestry and Llanymynech when Broken Hill, which he also trained, won the Bromley Selling Handicap Hurdle (Division 2) by four lengths. 

Wally had ridden the nine-year-old in all five of his previous starts that season, finishing second twice. The first occasion was on March 11, 1940, when beaten eight lengths at what turned out to be the last National Hunt meeting ever held at Shirley Park, although the course reopened for racing under Pony Turf Club rules after the war. The second occasion was on April 10 when beaten four lengths by Danny Morgan on Queen Wasp at Cheltenham. 

Following those two second-place finishes, Wally and Broken Hill finally reaped their reward at what proved to be the final day’s racing at Oswestry and Llanymynech. There was no bid for the winner at the auction after the race. 

Like the neighbouring Shropshire venues of Bridgnorth and Wenlock, along with a dozen other courses around the country, from the major tracks at Derby and Gatwick to the annual fixtures such as Tarporley and Totnes, Oswestry & Llanymynech failed to survive the Second World War. The site of the racecourse, the property of Lord Bradford, was turned over for agricultural use to aid the war effort. 

A meeting of the members of Oswestry and Llanymynech Races Limited took place on September 27, 1944 to “Receive the Account of the Liquidator showing how the winding up of the Company has been conducted and its property disposed of.” The various trophies were handed over to the Stewards of the National Hunt Committee “for disposal as they feel fit.” 

Over the years, much of the track was eroded by the River Vyrnwy, which flowed alongside the course, the run-in having been the first part to go.