One of the finest amateurs ever, and certainly as good as most professionals of his day, Dicky Black won the 1939 National Hunt Chase on Litigant, owned by Major Noel Furlong and trained by his son Frank. (Frank had ridden Reynoldstown to victory in the 1935 Grand National but had turned to training due to increasing weight. He was killed during the war when trying to land a damaged light aircraft on Salisbury Plain.)
Dicky Black survived the war and, on Saturday, April 12, 1947, made his way to Cheltenham for two rides, Celtic Cross in the Foxhunters and Fortina in the Gold Cup.
It was a gloriously sunny day and the traffic so dense that Dicky Black was forced to jump out of his car and run two miles to the course to be in time for the weigh-out.
Celtic Cross was beaten just a neck by Lucky Purchase with Lord Mildmay third on Roscar.
His next ride, Fortina, was a six-year-old former French entire, owned by the popular Captain Hector Christie.
Dicky Black and Fortina won by an easy 10 lengths while, on the other side of the coin, Fred Rimell fell from Coloured School Boy, breaking his neck. He never rode again.
Dicky, born at Ayr on November 16, 1915, died in Basingstoke on June 19, 1988.
He was 72.
His first winner was Gossamer at Market Rasen on April 17.1933.
His biggest wins include:
1939: National Hunt Chase - Litigant
1946: Cheltenham Gold Cup - Fortina
1947: Lancashire Chase - Fortina
1947: Scottish Grand National - Rowland Roy
