Alexander (Jock) Carson

Article by Chris Pitt

Born in Dumfries on June 18, 1926 and always known by the nickname of Jock rather than Alex, Carson was a well-known northern lightweight who was able to ride at under 7st throughout his 30-year career. He was apprenticed to Matt Peacock at Middleham and rode his first winner on Sejanus at Stockton on June 26, 1943. He frequently rode Peacock’s great horse Dante on the gallops prior to him winning the 1945 Derby under Billy Nevett. Jock had his best season numerically in 1946 when he rode 38 winners. He was then still apprenticed to Matt Peacock and his total was only two short of the season’s leading apprentice, Joe Sime. He rated 1946 as his most enjoyable year in the saddle. He rode for Noel Murless, who then trained from Hambleton, near Thirsk and who supplied him with twenty winning rides. He also won three time on the Jack Leach-trained Geoffrey’s Lady and finished third on her in that year’s Cesarewitch.

Jock lived at Portland House, Middleham, near Leyburn, Yorks. On December 8, 1948, he married Ruth King. She gave him five daughters.

His biggest win came on John Moore, the 25/1 winner of the 1949 Chester Cup, a ride which he nominated as the highlight of his career. Carrying just 6st 10lb, he won by a neck from Honorable II, ridden by Gordon Richards.

However, he reckoned the best horse he rode was a filly named Aunt Agnes. During October and November 1948 Jock won four consecutive nurseries on her, at Haydock, Catterick, Doncaster and Leicester, all facile victories without ever coming off the bridle. She reappeared at York in May 1949, easily winning the Tadcaster Stakes, but evidently then became hard to train because she ran just once more, finishing unplaced in that year’s Portland Handicap.

Other big races won by Jock included the 1948 Manchester Cup on Crusader’s Horn, the Molyneux Cup, the Prince Edward Handicap, and the 1951 Yorkshire Cup on Orderly Ann.

That victory on Orderly Ann is something of a grey area as in 1951 the race was called the Yorkshire Stayers’ Handicap and worth only £614, less than half the value of previous years. Whereas some ‘purists’ may not consider that as being a genuine renewal of Yorkshire Cup, when tracing the history of any race, its title is often much less significant than other factors, especially the race conditions. Racing Post historian John Randall is of the view that it is easy to treat the 1951 handicap as a proper Yorkshire Cup because its first 13 runnings (1927-39) had also been handicaps. This was merely a temporary reversion – it had been a conditions race in 1950 and reverted to that status in 1952 – and thus Orderly Ann can legitimately be considered a Yorkshire Cup winner.

That 1951 Flat season saw Jock ride a healthy total of 25 winners and his services continued to be in demand throughout the 1950s. However, after riding four winners in 1960, his seasonal totals dropped to just one in 1961 and ’62, two in ’63 and ’64, none at all in 1965 and just one, 20/1 chance Scarcroft at Haydock Park, in 1966.

But in 1967 his career enjoyed a brief revival. Four winners within five weeks during May and June – three of which were gained on Harry Blackshaw’s sprinter Essebunda, culminating in the Merchant Taylors’ Handicap at York – were followed in September by a big race victory in the £1,736 to the winner Long John Scotch Whisky Handicap Ayr on the Teddy Lambton-trained filly My Own II. Jock was having his first ride for Lambton for over 20 years. Victory on Vic Mitchell’s St. Mungo at York’s October fixture gave Jock a score of six winners for the year.

There were three more in 1968, the last two coming on the Sally Hall-trained Miss Scorchin at Carlisle on June 13 and at Thirsk on August 3, but they proved to be the final winners of his career, although he continued to ride for another five years before retiring in 1973.

Jock Carson died in July 1981 aged 55.

His winners post-1960 (trainers’ names in brackets) were as follows:

Denisan (Tommy Dent), Haydock, September 30, 1961

Bella Max (David Griffiths), York, July 21, 1962

June Evening (Tommy Shedden), Doncaster, June 29, 1963

June Evening (Tommy Shedden), Catterick, August 15, 1963

Shirini (Sam Hall), Catterick, June 24, 1964

Coq D’Or (Sam Hall), Catterick, July 23, 1964

Scarcroft (Pat Taylor), Haydock, August 11, 1966

Essebunda (Harry Blackshaw), Ayr, May 12, 1967

Essebunda (Harry Blackshaw), Redcar, May 29, 1967

Facsimile (Tommy Shedden), Haydock, June 9, 1967

Essebunda (Harry Blackshaw), York, June 16, 1967

My Own II (Teddy Lambton), September 23, 1967

St. Mungo (Vic Mitchell), York, October 14, 1967

Optimistic Pirate (Paul Cole), Beverley, May 11, 1968

Miss Scorchin (Sally Hall), Carlisle, June 13, 1968

Miss Scorchin (Sally Hall), Thirsk, August 3, 1968

Biggest wins:

1948:  Manchester Cup - Crusader's Horn

1949:  Chester Cup - john Moore

1951:  Yorkshire Cup - Orderly Ann