Michael Beary

Born in Co. Tipperary, on December 9, 1894, Michael Francis Beary was described by some as the ‘stormy petrel of the turf’ for his volatile nature and his refusal to accept anything he considered a personal injustice. He was, though, a first-class jockey with a career spanning more than 40 years.

He began riding on a donkey at the age of four. When he was seven he was riding ponies. At the age of ten, Michael and his brother, Paddy, could ride anything in the country bare-backed – ponies, horses or steers. 

Michael began his racing career as an apprentice to Colonel McCabe in Newmarket, but returned to Ireland three months later after he became homesick. He subsequently returned to England and spent five years with trainer Atty Persse at Stockbridge. 

His career as a jockey started with a characteristically dare-devil act. On the first day of Bath’s two-day meeting on May 27, 1913 a lightweight jockey was required for a horse called Hainesby. Steve Donoghue recommended young Michael Beary, who has not yet ridden in public. The horse finished third but the owner, a Mr Squires, was so impressed by Beary’s riding that he asked him to take the mount again the following day in a selling race. However, Persse’s head lad refused to let the young apprentice return to Bath.   

Rankling over what he thought was an injustice, Beary decided to take ‘French leave’. By means of a ruse, he slipped away from Persse’s Stockbridge stables into Donoghue’s waiting car. Donoghue smuggled him away in the boot and headed for Bath, arriving at the course just in time to ride Hainesby to victory. The date was May 28, 1913 and Michael had ridden his first winner on just his second ride.

He returned to Ireland in 1914 to finish his apprenticeship with Senator J. J. (Jim) Parkinson. While there, he tried to join the army but was rejected.

Returning to England at the end of 1921, he took out a jump jockey’s licence and made a sensational start, winning the first three races on the card at Wolverhampton on December 27 aboard three short-priced favourites. He initiated the treble on selling hurdler Nonchalante (5-4), then rode Wise Folly (also 5-4) to win the three-year-old hurdle, completing the three-timer on Cavalier (6-4) in the handicap hurdle. He had just two rides over hurdles in 1922 but made one of them count when winning on Earl Marshall in Lingfield Park.

He finished third in the winning list of Flat jockeys for 1922 and, in 1923, rode his first winner of note when winning the Cambridgeshire on Verdict, beating the heavily-backed French horse Epinard.

Back over hurdles, he rode four winners in as many weeks before the 1924 Flat season began, starting with Redhill at Kempton Park on January 25, followed by Dundonald at Lingfield on February 9 and again at Windsor five days later, and ending with Island Green back at Kempton on February 22. 

Even with his Flat career in full swing, Beary managed two more wins over hurdles. Lucky Toy won the Three-Year-Old Maiden Hurdle at Bournemouth on December 22, 1926, then six days later Belgian Boy landed the Stockwell Selling Hurdle at Wolverhampton.

In 1927, at a time of growing political unrest, he won the Irish Derby for the first time on Sir Delves Broughton’s colt Knight of the Grail. In a gripping three-way finish, Knight of the Grail beat the odds-on English challenger Chantrey, the mount of Henri Jelliss, by a neck, with Joe Canty on Archway just a head further back in third.

In 1929 he won both the English and Irish St Legers on Trigo and, in 1930, became first jockey to the Aga Khan. This arrangement came about after bad feeling between previous jockey Charlie Smirke and trainer Richard Dawson caused the termination of Smirke’s contract. The Aga Khan ran two in that year’s Derby, Rustom Pasha and Blenheim. Beary, given the choice of mounts, chose the former and was mortified to see Harry Wragg win on Blenheim.

Beary won a second Irish Derby in 1932 on Dastur for the Aga Khan. Later in the season he had the choice of the Aga Khan’s four runners in the Doncaster St Leger. He elected to ride Dastur, who finished second to Firdaussi, who also carried the Aga Khan’s colours.

It is not often that a jockey is called upon to play an important role in politics, but Michael Beary did just that when acting as an intermediary between the British Government and the Irish Free State during the 1932 campaign for a United Ireland. 

It happened after he met the Dominions Secretary, J. H. Thomas, in the paddock at the races one day. They talked over the Irish difficulty and the politician was impressed by the jockey and his broad conception oi the issues at stake. He invited Beary to have lunch with him. The outcome was that the jockey found himself at Downing Street and involved in all the behind-the-scenes political manoeuvres, which finally resulted in the first visit to London by Ireland’s foremost political stateman Eamon de Valera.  

It was always on the cards that there would be a clash of personalities between Beary, with his cavalier attitude, and Frank Butters, the Aga Khan’s trainer. Butters was a dour, conscientious man with little humour. At the end of the 1933 season, after one clash too many, Beary’s retainer with the Aga Khan was not renewed.

Trainer Frank Butters set out on his bicycle one evening to attend a committee meeting at the Rous Memorial Hospital. He was in collision with a lorry: so severely was he shocked that he never trained again. He died in 1957.

With his connection with the Aga Khan having ended, Beary found the next two years hard going; so much so that he was declared bankrupt in 1936.

However, his luck changed in the 1937 Derby, which he won on Mid-day Sun. The colt was trained by Frederick Butters, brother of Frank, who had been instrumental in the sacking of Beary earlier, so victory for the jockey was especially sweet. That Derby triumph not only marked the resurgence of Michael Beary, it was also notable that, for the first time, the winning owner a woman, Mrs G.B. Miller. 

Beary then rode for Sir Malcolm McAlpine for several seasons during which time he achieved a personal record when riding 81 winners.

In sprint races, he was known for his ‘exceptional smartness’ out of the gate, winning many races at the start. He was particularly brilliant with two-year-olds. 

He was once taken to court, accused of negligence, in which the plaintiff lost his racehorse, Ironore. Riding Golly Eyes, Beary had cut across Ironore, causing the horse to fall and break her neck. The judge returned a verdict for the plaintiff and awarded him 300 guineas damages.

In 1951 Beary began training in Wantage and made a dream start to his new career when sending out Ki Ming to win that year’s 2,000 Guineas. However, he enjoyed little patronage and returned briefly to riding, taking a mount in the 1953 Derby. The next year, with little understanding of financial matters, Beary, owing £12,000, was declared bankrupt. He had already been bankrupted on two previous occasions, in 1924 and 1936.

On June 3, 1954, he relinquished his training licence after his Careless and Gay had run in the last race at Epsom. Beary had been granted a jockey’s licence again and intended to ride Victory Roll in the Saturday Derby.

He was undoubtedly a superb jockey with hands of silk, but his career was blighted by a suspect temperament and volatility which prevented him from reaching the very top of the tree.

Michael Beary died in a London hospital on October 8, 1956. A mass was said for him in the Chapel of Holy Souls, Westminster Cathedral at 11.30 a.m. on Thursday. October 11, attended by his widow, Eve. He was buried at Epsom cemetery.

British Classic wins:

Derby: Mid-day Sun (1937)

Oaks: Udaipur (1932)

St Leger: Trigo (1929), Ridge Wood (1949)

Two Thousand Guineas (as trainer): Ki Ming (1951) 

Irish Classic wins:

Irish Derby: Knight of the Grail (1927), Dastur (1932)

Irish Oaks: Snow Maiden (1919), Palace Royale (1920), The Kiwi (1921), Theresina (1930)

Irish St Leger: Kircubbin (1921), Trigo (1929)

Other big wins:

1922: Champagne Stakes - Drake 

1922: Middle Park Stakes - Drake

1923: Chester Cup - Chivalrous

1923: Cambridgeshire Handicap - Verdict

1924: July Cup - Drake

1924: Sussex Stakes - Burslem 

1924: Challenge Stakes - Drake

1924: Manchester November Handicap - Cloudbank 

1925: Gimcrack Stakes - Lex 

1925: Middle Park Stakes - Lex

1926: Northumberland Plate - Foxlaw 

1927: Gold Vase - Adieu

1928: John Porter Stakes - Ox and Ass

1928: Falmouth Stakes - Mara

1928: Middle Park Stakes - Costaki Pasha

1929: Norfolk Stakes - Blenheim 

1929: July Stakes - Teacup 

1929: Sussex Stakes - La Phare

1929: Doncaster Cup - Athford 

1930: Coronation Stakes - Qurrat-al-Ain 

1930: Cork and Orrery Stakes - Costaki Pasha 

1930: Falmouth Stakes - Theresina 

1930: Gordon Stakes - Ut Majeur (dead-heat)

1930: Stewards Cup - Le Phare

1930: Cesarewitch Handicap - Ut Majeur

1931: Chester Cup - Brown Jack

1931: Gold Vase - Pomme d’Api

1931: Dewhurst Stakes - Firdaussi

1932: Jockey Club Stakes - Firdaussi 

1932: King Edward VII Stakes - Dastur

1932: Coronation Stakes - Udaipur

1932: Gordon Stakes - Firdaussi 

1932: Sussex Stakes - Dastur 

1932: Middle Park Stakes - Felicitation

1932: Cesarewitch Handicap - Nitisichin

1933: July Stakes - Alishah

1933: Gimcrack Stakes - Mrs Rustom

1933: Dewhurst Stakes - Mrs Rustom

1935: Cheveley Park Stakes - Ferrybridge 

1937: Lingfield Derby Trial - Mid-day Sun 

1937: Jersey Stakes - Lady of Shalott

1937: Hardwicke Stakes - Mid-day Sun 

1937: Ayr Gold Cup - Daytona

1938: Jersey Stakes - Fairstone 

1938: Park Hill Stakes - Gainly 

1939: Royal Hunt Cup - Caerloptic

1939: Molecomb Stakes - Allure 

1941: July Stakes - Ujiji 

1941: Sussex Stakes - Eastern Echo 

1942: Queen Mary Stakes - Samovar 

1945: Nunthorpe Stakes - Golden Cloud

1947: Lingfield Oaks Trial - Solpax 

1947: Portland Handicap - Good View

1948: Park Hill Stakes - Vertencia 

1948: Cornwallis Stakes - Burnt Brown 

1949: Coronation Stakes - Avila