National Hunt jockey Kevin Bishop spent 31 years with Fred Rimell and was a much-valued member of staff. He was closely involved with Rimell’s Grand National winners and led up Gay Trip at Aintree in 1970. Although well down in the pecking order and of far more value behind the scenes, Kevin nonetheless rode nine winners for Rimell between 1955 and 1962.
Kevin had already ridden seven winners before joining Rimell’s yard. Quite where those wins were gained is hard to say. They don’t appear to have been as an apprentice on the Flat, nor as an amateur rider, nor do they seem to be in Ireland. It is possible that he won races abroad. What is for sure is that his third winner for Rimell, Dhub Shanglan at Birmingham in November 1955, was his tenth in all, resulting in his claim being cut from 7lb to 5lb.
Having gone two seasons without a win, Kevin scored on Creola II in a novice riders’ chase at Kempton in January 1961. He then won a selling hurdle on Cobbity at Leicester the next month. That proved to be his last winner, although he would almost certainly have ridden another at Kempton on February 24, 1961, but for falling at the last fence when clear on Creola II. Embarrassingly for the rider, a picture of the pair capsizing appeared in the following day’s Sporting Life. Too bad the Life’s photographer hadn’t been there four weeks earlier when Kevin had ridden the horse to victory. Kevin Bishop’s British National Hunt winners were, in chronological order:
Dhub Shanglan, Chepstow, October 22, 1955
Hanis, Worcester, November 12, 1955
Dhub Shanglan, Birmingham, November 14, 1955
Red Fable, Warwick, January 28, 1956
Salmon Arm, Chepstow, April 2, 1956
Red Ember, Worcester, December 1, 1956
Red Ember, Hereford, September 28, 1957
Creola II, Kempton Park, January 28, 1961
Cobbity, Leicester, February 13, 1961
