National Hunt jockey Peter Barry rode initially as an amateur before turning professional and was active from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. The epitome of a journeyman jockey, he consistently averaged half a dozen winners a season achieving a best score of 10 in 1978/79.
He rode six winners in his first season in 1975/76, the first of those coming on the Doug Francis-trained Any Prince in a three-runner amateur riders’ handicap chase at Cartmel on August 23, 1975. His second came on Owenogue for Carnforth trainer John Cousins at Market Rasen on September 26. On December 13 he won the Hampton Court Amateur Riders’ Handicap Hurdle at Ascot.
He then joined Tim Brookshaw’s Market Drayton stable and rode three winners within eight days during May 1976, novice chaser Pee Wee at Uttoxeter, selling hurdler Lost Bid at Southwell, and John Cousins’ handicap hurdler Terregles at Sedgefield.
Peter rode six more winners the following season beginning with Terregles in the Tennents Handicap Hurdle at Perth on September 23, 1976. His next was Roy Whiston’s handicap hurdler Emma J at Wolverhampton in November, followed by Tim Brookshaw’s handicap chaser Cotton Coon at Southwell and Arthur Sutton’s selling hurdler Maygo, both in December. On New Year’s Eve he rode Cotton Coon to victory in a two-mile handicap chase at Cheltenham. His final winner that season came on Emma J at Haydock on February 9, 1977.
Peter turned professional at the start of the 1977/78 campaign and had his first success in the paid ranks on Roy Whiston’s selling hurdler Space Beam at Newton Abbot on August 29, 1977. He won on him again over the same course and distance the following month. Despite that promising start he rode just two more winners that season, Lucy Parker at Wolverhampton’s Christmas meeting and Rosemary Lomax’s Ormonde Tudor, also at Wolverhampton, on January 17, 1978.
He again scored four times during the 1978/79 campaign, two of those being achieved on Whiston’s handicap hurdler Oujarater at Bangor in September and Huntingdon in October. He won on Oujarater again the next season at Huntingdon in August 1979.
Peter won twice on Derek Haydn Jones’ useful hurdler Patricks Fair in October 1980, firstly at Ludlow and then the sponsored Benraad Gas Heater Handicap Hurdle at Stratford. The following season he won a pair of early season novice chases on Poverty Bonk, at Huntingdon on August Bank Holiday Monday and at Bangor in September.
A disappointing 1982/83 campaign was brightened by two winning rides on the Harry Wharton-trained Parklands in 3m 4f chases at Haydock in December and Nottingham in May. He drew a blank the following season but returned to the winner’s enclosure on novice chaser Palm Cross at Wolverhampton on October 31, 1984, by which time he was riding as stable jockey to Lancaster trainer Judy Eaton. He rode Palm Cross to victory again at Kelso in December.
Peter rode his last winner on Judy Eaton’s novice hurdler Harley at Bangor on March 22, 1986. He retired at the end of that season.
