Arthur Brighty

Arthur Brighty 

Arthur Brighty is one of the more mysterious jockeys from the first decade of the 20th century. He may have served an apprenticeship but did not hold a licence and never rode in public during his time as an apprentice. 

What is known is that he was granted both a professional Flat jockey’s licence and a National Hunt jockey’s licence for 1902 but only had a few rides under either code, almost all of them on a four-year-old bay filly called Simonness.

He began with an unplaced effort on Simonness, who was making her racecourse debut, in the Welton Plate at Beverley on June 12, a race won by the admirably consistent Suezath, ridden by Edward Lawn.

Arthur then rode Simonness on consecutive days at Haydock Park on July 11 & 12, trailing in last of six in the Copeland Plate on the first day of the meeting, then finishing unplaced in the Club Plate 24 hours later. 

They again appeared on consecutive days on October 16 & 17, this time over hurdles at Keele Park. Simonness blotted her copybook by running out in the Lymes Handicap Hurdle on day one but redeemed herself with a fifth-place finish the next day in the Bentilee Handicap Hurdle. 

Arthur rode for the last time on the Flat at Manchester on November 20 when Simonness finished unplaced in the Thursday Plate won by Bernard Dilon on Marcotint. 

They were united for one last effort when again finishing unplaced in the Maiden Hurdle at Haydock on December 16.

Arthur Brighty did not renew his National Hunt jockey’s licence for 1903. Although granted a Flat licence for that season, he does not appear to have had any rides. He thus returned to the obscurity from which he had briefly emerged.