Tommy Barnes

Thomas Allen Barnes, father of Grand National-winning jockey Maurice (Rubstic, 1979) was born in Warcop, Westmorland, on March 16, 1930, and started his riding career as an amateur. He went on to become a leading northern-based National Hunt jockey. He rode a total of 113 winners and finished second on Wyndburgh in the 1962 Grand National. 

He rode his first winner on Happy Jinks in the three-mile Durdar Handicap Hurdle at Carlisle on Easter Monday, April 6, 1953, his only success that season. He rode seven winners the following season including two on a hurdler named Simba at Sedgefield and Ayr in March 1954. 

Simba was also his first winner of the 1954/55 campaign when scoring at Wetherby on October 9, 1954. His next came on Sangram in the Brandling Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle at Newcastle on October 30. That was his tenth winner, resulting in his claim being reduced to 5lb. It was also his last success as an amateur, for he turned professional at the start of 1955. Simba gave him his first victory in the paid ranks when winning the Hexham Handicap Hurdle on April 30, 1955.

The next three seasons were lean ones, resulting in a combined total of just six wins. However, he hit double figures for the first time when registering a score of 11 for the 1958/59 season. Three of those wins came on hurdler Mixed Vermouth for Cumberland owner-trainer William Murray. He rode three winners at Carlisle’s 1959 two-day Easter fixture.

He equalled that score in the 1959/60 campaign, in which he made a brisk start, thanks to his association with Cumberland farmer John Dixon, who trained a small string at Wigton. Dixon’s novice hurdlers provided Tommy with early season successes, Brief Sparkle scoring at Perth, Royal Chimes winning at Carlisle, and Brief Sparkle and Royal William landing both divisions of the Hallfield Novices’ Hurdle at Wetherby on October 10 to give Tommy a double on the day. He notched another double on Dalrymple and Brief Sparkle at Kelso on March 5, then rode a winner on both days of Ayr’s two-day meeting the following week.

He was at his zenith during the next two seasons when riding as stable jockey for Hawick trainer Harry Bell, recording 31 winners in 1960/61 and 33 in 1961/62, placing him tenth both times in the jockeys’ standings.

His successes in 1960/61 included a Saturday treble at Catterick on November 5, 1960, this being achieved on two-mile handicap chaser Carbajal and novice hurdlers Lord Of Kintail and Union Way, the first two for Harry Bell, the third for John Dixon.  

He won four times on Bell’s selling hurdler Arcopeto; four each on Dixon’s pair Union Way and Brief Sparkle, including an Easter Monday double at Carlisle; twice on Carbajal; and registered a Kelso double on March 4 aboard Dixon’s chaser Royal Chimes and Bell’s hurdler Lively Spirit. 

Tommy enjoyed his best season in 1961/62 with 33 winners, beginning with a Sedgefield double on September 9 on Harry Bell’s chaser Carbajal and juvenile hurdler Triple Event, winning twice more on the latter within the space of a month. 

He recorded another Catterick hat-trick on January 20, 1962, landing the first three races on the card, comprising the novice chase on Bridge Of Orchy, the selling hurdle on Denholm Bridge, and a division of the novices’ hurdle on Hans Andersen, all three for Harry Bell. 

Tommy won four chases on Bell’s Royal William and also won Sedgefield’s George Mulcaster Memorial Cup on February 3, 1962 on another of Bell’s chasers, Young Ashdrop. 

He rode Wyndburgh for the first time when finishing fourth in the Eider Chase at Newcastle on February 10, 1962. He then finished second on him in the 3m 4f Humpty-Dumpty Handicap Chase at Haydock on March 9. Tommy had his first ride over the Grand National fences in that year’s Topham Trophy, finishing eighth on Brief Sparkle, having blundered at Becher’s. Two days later he finished second in the Grand National itself on Wyndburgh, beaten 10 lengths by Fred Winter on Kilmore. 

Ken Oliver’s Brief Sparkle won twice within four days for Tommy in May 1962, including the Queen Margaret Handicap Chase at Hexham on May 7, that being the second leg of a double that day initiated by Royal William. 

Tommy began the 1962/63 season with a four-timer at Sedgefield on September 15, all for Harry Bell. He began by winning a pair of handicap chases on The Welch Admiral and Royal William, followed those with an eight-length success on Tannis Rock in the juvenile hurdle, then completed the quartet on Hot Night in the novices’ chase. 

He rode three winners during Perth’s two-day September meeting aboard The Welch Admiral, Hot Night and novice hurdler Burgoyne. He then rode The Welch Admiral to another victory in the Percy Bewicke Cup at Hexham on September 29. 

On Saturday, October 6, Tommy notched a double at Wetherby, recording a fourth successive win on The Welch Admiral, then riding Burgoyne to land division two of the Hallfield Novices’ Hurdle.

Ten winners on the board by that stage of the season was good going for a northern jump jockey in those days and he looked on course for his most successful campaign yet. But just two days later his days in the saddle were prematurely ended when breaking his back after a fall on Another Case in the Skiddaw Novices’ Chase at Carlisle on October 8, 1962.

Described by future leading National Hunt jockey Ian Watkinson as “the toughest bloke I ever met,” within 14 months of breaking his back, Tommy was back at his farmyard loading heavy fertilizer bags onto a trainer by hand. 

He turned to training in 1966, based near Penrith, initially with just a couple of horses, one of whom, Punion, was responsible for providing Ian Watkinson with each of his first four wins over fences. 

Tommy’s son, Maurice, started out as an amateur rider with him in 1969, riding his first winner for his father on Proud King at Hexham that year. Tommy gradually built up his string to number around two dozen in the early 1980s, before relinquishing his licence in 1988. 

Tommy Barnes died in October 2017, aged 87, following a short illness.