Baden Boot

Article by Chris Pitt

Thomas Alfred Baden Boot, who always rode under his third Christian name, Baden, was born in Cannock in 1930 and held a jump jockey’s licence from 1949 to 1962, riding a total of 41 winners.

He began his career with Harry Whiteman, who trained at Upper Lambourn, and rode his first winner on Whiteman’s chaser Gold Hyacinth at Wolverhampton on March 13, 1950. His second came 13 days later on another Whiteman-trained chaser, Merrymart, at Ludlow, followed the next month by a further success on Gold Hyacinth, this time at Hereford.

Progress was slow, for Baden rode a total of just three winners over the next four seasons. Merrymart gave him his sole success of the 1950/51 campaign when scoring at Worcester in September; novice hurdler Mask Of Love, trained by permit holder Tim Hunter for his wife Rosemary, obliged at Taunton in November 1951; and handicap chaser Noblest Roman, trained by three-time Grand National-winning jockey Jack Anthony at Letcombe Regis, won at Buckfastleigh in June 1954, thus saving Baden from a second successive winner-less campaign.

The following season Baden joined forces with Henry Gordon-Bowsher, who trained not far from the old Stockbridge racecourse in Hampshire, and this brought a complete change of fortune with nine winners apiece in 1954/55 and 55/56, followed by eight in 56/57.

Gordon-Bowsher’s handicap hurdlers Nicean and Almond Joy got the 54/55 season off to a bright start, the former scoring at Newton Abbot in September, the latter winning twice at Wincanton during October. A five-month barren spell was ended by novice chaser Aureus at Wincanton on March 17, followed seven days later by a winning ‘spare ride’ at Stratford on novice hurdler Coeur De Main for Kilmington, Wiltshire permit trainer Rupert Incledon-Webber. A double on the Saturday of Newton Abbot’s Easter fixture on the Gordon-Bowsher pair Hybeam and Nicean made it eight for the season, rounded off by another outside ride on Noblest Roman, who won the Charles Vicary Memorial Challenge Cup Hurdle at Newton Abbot on May 14 for Findon trainer Harry Davison.

The Gordon-Bowsher link-up again proved fruitful in 1955/56 for he provided five of Baden’s nine victories, beginning with novice chaser Topthorn II who scored twice within ten days at Devon & Exeter and Taunton in September. East Ilsley trainer Sid Warren gave Baden the leg-up on Noisy Pal to land a brace of selling chases, at Worcester in October and Lingfield in November, before Hybeam won a pair of novice chases in December. Nazareth, owner-trained by Francis Crawshay Bailey at East Knoyle, Wiltshire, came good for Baden twice in March 1956, following up a Newbury maiden hurdle success with victory at Devon & Exeter. Gordon-Bowsher’s novice hurdler War King became the last of Baden’s nine wins that term when scoring at Ludlow at the end of April.

Eight more victories came in 1956/57, half of them supplied by Gordon-Bowsher by way of doubles on Aureus and Stately Scot at Hereford in September, and Hybeam and Pilgrim’s Way at Newton Abbot on Easter Monday. Baden also forged a useful link with Kingsbridge trainer Thomas Jarvis, winning a novice chase and two handicaps on Hyakinthos. A horse named Bird’s Nest – not the famous top-class hurdler of the 1970s – landed a Fontwell handicap chase for owner-trainer Charles Jerdein.

Jarvis saddled four more winners for Baden in 1957/58, comprising Hyakinthos over fences at Buckfastleigh in August, a double on hurdlers Wild Magic and Non-Stop at Devon & Exeter in September, then Wild Magic again at Taunton’s Christmas meeting. His other two winners that season came on handicap chaser Mr Kybo, trained by Vernon Cross, who had taken over from Henry Gordon-Bowsher at Stockbridge, and selling hurdler Fighter Pilot at Taunton, trained by Findon-based Harry Davison, for whom Baden had ridden a Newton Abbot winner three years earlier.

Thereafter, however, Baden’s career went into decline, for he had just two winners in 1958/59. It had started well enough with victory on the Thomas Jarvis-trained novice chaser Letcombe Magic at Devon & Exeter in September, but his only other success came on Vernon Cross’ handicap chaser Pilgrim’s Way at Fontwell on Boxing Day.

It got worse. He rode no winners at all in 1959/60, then just one – the last of his career – the following season. That final victory came on a horse named Douglas Dhai, trained by Chris Nesfield at Charing, Kent in the three-mile Hamsey Handicap Chase at Plumpton on February 13, 1961.

Baden Boot retired at the end of that 1961/62 season. He died in Somerset on July 5, 2005.

His winners in chronological order were:

1. Gold Hyacinth Wolverhampton, March 13, 1950

2. Merrymart, Ludlow, March 26, 1950

3. Gold Hyacinth, Hereford, May 27, 1950

4. Merrymart, Worcester, September 23, 1950

5. Mask Of Love, Taunton, November 3, 1951

6. Nobles Roman, Buckfastleigh, June 7, 1954

7. Nicean, Newton Abbot, September 4, 1954

8. Almond Joy, Wincanton, October 7, 1954

9. Red Raffia, Taunton, October 9, 1954

10. Almond Joy, Wincanton, October 28, 1954

11. Aureus, Wincanton, March 17, 1955

12. Coeur De Main, Stratford, March 24, 1955

13. Hybeam, Newton Abbot, April 9, 1955

14. Nicean, Newton Abbot, April 9, 1955

15. Noblest Roman, Newton Abbot, May 14, 1955

16. Topthorn II, Devon & Exeter, September 7, 1955

17. Topthorn II, Taunton, September 17, 1955

18. Noisy Pal, Worcester, October 28, 1955

19. Noisy Pal, Lingfield, November 25, 1955

20. Hybeam, Lingfield, December 3, 1955

21. Hybeam, Wincanton, December 8, 1955

22. Nazareth, Newbury, March 3, 1956

23. Nazareth, Devon & Exeter, March 31, 1956

24. War King, Ludlow, April 25, 1956

25. Hyakinthos, Newton Abbot, September 7, 1956

26. Aureus, Hereford, September 22, 1956

27. Stately Scot, Hereford, September 22, 1956

28. Hyakinthos, Taunton, November 8, 1956

29. Hyakinthos,  (above) Worcester, November 23, 1956

30. Bird’s Nest, Fontwell, April 11, 1957

31. Hybeam, Newton Abbot, April 22, 1957

32. Pilgrim’s Way, Newton Abbot, April 22, 1957

33. Hyakinthos, Buckfastleigh, August 31, 1957

34. Wild Magic, Devon & Exeter, September 12, 1957

35. Non-Stop, Devon & Exeter, September 12, 1957

36. Wild Magic, Taunton, December 28, 1957

37. Mr Kybo, Plumpton, February 19, 1958

38. Fighter Pilot, (above) Taunton, March 15, 1958

39. Letcombe Magic, Devon & Exeter, September 10, 1958

40. Pilgrim’s Way, Fontwell, December 26, 1958

41. Douglas Dhai, Plumpton, February 13, 1961.