Andrew Barclay

Andrew Barclay

Born on January 3, 1923, Andrew Tannock Barclay was a professional National Hunt jockey who rode 26 winners in the 1940s and 50s, including, unusually for a 7lb claimer, a treble.

The second youngest of four sons of legendary Scottish horseman and Lockerbie trainer Hugh Barclay (1886-1967), who trained all bar one of Andrew’s winners, he had his first ride at Catterick Bridge on November 9, 1945, when Chikwawa finished tenth of eleven finishers in the Stand Novices’ Hurdle (Division 1).

It was not until the meeting at Kelso on May 6, 1947 that he had his first success when the four-year-old Lanton Crag came with a strong run from the last flight to overhaul Arthur Thompson’s mount Ballybrown and win the Bowmont Hurdle (Division 2) by three-quarters of a length. 

He had his second winner on the seven-year-old chaser Lord Louis at Perth on September 24, before travelling to Carlisle on October 18 where both of his winners were in action. Lord Louis came first, and although he fell, he was remounted and still able to beat both of his rivals and take the Saddleback Handicap Chase by six lengths. Then Lanton Crag had three lengths to spare at the end of the Shap Handicap Hurdle; and to round off a fine afternoon Fergus Ford was successful in the Kirkstone Three-Year-Old Hurdle, beating Royal Trio by one and a half lengths. By the end of the campaign he had nine victories, which would prove his best seasonal total.

On September 21, 1949 he was part of an unusual, if not unique, occurrence, when three different Barclay brothers won races on the same card at Perth, all trained by their father. Hugh junior won the Colonel John McKie Memorial Challenge Cup Handicap Hurdle on Lanton Crag; John won the Scone Novices’ Maiden Hurdle on Gorilla; and Andrew won the Tay Handicap Hurdle on The Barker.

The only race he won on a horse not trained by his father took place at Hexham on October 28, 1950, when the seven-year-old Falls Hotel, owned and trained by John Dixon, dead-heated with The Barker, ridden by his amateur rider brother James Barclay, in the Birkie Selling Hurdle. 

Andrew’s final win was at Bogside on April 26, 1952, when completing a hat-trick in just over a month on the five-year-old Exodus in the Garnock Hurdle. Earlier that year, on January 19, he had married Joan Allison. They went on to have a daughter, Diana, and a son, Paul. 

Andrew took out a trainer’s licence in 1953, based initially at Ullswater, in the Lake District and focusing primarily on the Flat. From 1960 to 1984 he trained at Beckfoot, Annan, Dumfries. He sent out the winners of the Lanark Silver Bell (twice), the Caledonian Hunt Cup, the Northumberland Plate and the Gosforth Park Cup. He also won the 1957 Cumberland Plate with Cannebiere. 

He was the uncle of top Flat jockey Sandy Barclay. 

Andrew Barclay died from cancer on Friday, June 28, 2002.

His winners as a jockey were, in chronological order:

1. Lanton Crag, Kelso, May 6, 1947

2. Lord Louis, Perth, September 24, 1947

3. Lord Louis, Carlisle, October 18, 1947

4. Lanton Crag, Carlisle, October 18, 1947

5. Fergus Ford, Carlisle, October 18, 1947

6. Lord Louis, Kelso, October 24, 1947

7. Fete Galante, Catterick Bridge, March 6, 1948

8. Lanton Crag, Carlisle, March 29, 1948

9. Lanton Crag, Kelso, May 5, 1948

10. Montoria, Kelso, October 13, 1948

11. Hayride, Cartmel, June 6, 1949

12. Hayride, Sedgefield, June 11, 1949

13. Montoria, Sedgefield, June 11, 1949

14. The Barker, Perth, September 21, 1949

15. Happy Jinks, Catterick Bridge, November 19, 1949

16. Montoria, Catterick bridge, March 18, 1950

17. Beau Valeur, Carlisle, April 10, 1950 

18. Gorilla, Perth, September 21, 1950

19. Hayride, Carlisle, October 14, 1950

20. Falls Hotel, Hexham, October 28, 1950 (dead-heat)

21. Hayride, Ayr, November 25, 1950

22. Martelli, Perth, September 27, 1961

23. Late Thought, Hexham, September 29, 1951

24. Exodus, Ayr, March 22, 1952

25. Exodus, Carlisle, April 12, 1952

26. Exodus, Bogside, April 26, 1952

Thanks to Alan Trout for providing his list of winners and the nucleus of the story.