Eric Bromilow’s career as a jockey spanned 25 years and more than 300 rides, yet he never rode a winner. Or rather, he did, but the judge thought otherwise.
Eric was born on March 16, 1936, and became apprenticed in 1950 to Bill Dutton (rider of 100/1 1928 Grand National winner Tipperary Tim) who trained at Grove Cottage Stables, Malton.
On August 27, 1952, young Eric rode a horse named Brewpin in the Hornsea Apprentice Handicap at Beverley. They were officially beaten a short head but Eric maintained that he actually won the race by a good head.
“There were no ifs and buts about it,” he recalled ruefully. “When we passed the post, Dennis White, who rode Xebec, the horse who was declared the winner, called out ‘You’ve beat me’.” Unfortunately, the judge, without the aid of a photo-finish camera, disagreed and gave the decision to Xebec by a short head.
Precisely 12 months later, in the very same race, it was a case of déjà vu all over again, as Eric and Brewpin once again finished second, this time beaten a head by Charlie Gaston on the 15/8 favourite Metalon.
Eric never got as close again.
When Bill Dutton died, his son-in-law Pat Rohan took over as trainer at Grove Cottage Stables. Eric was employed as a work-rider and stableman. He rode out and looked after some of the best horses to pass through the yard in its heyday.
They included Tin Whistle who, in 1959, gave the stable its third consecutive victory in the Cork and Orrery Stakes and its fifth July Cup winner in six years, and Pappa Fourway, regarded by many as one of the best sprinters since the war.
Pappa Fourway, who was bought for just 150 guineas as a yearling, went through his three-year-old season unbeaten in eight races before being sold for 33,000 guineas to race in America.
Eric took out a jockey’s licence in 1965 and, for the next ten years, had the occasional ride for the stable but never again caught the judge’s eye.
Altogether, he spent 38 years working at Grove Cottage Stables. He also doubled up as Malton’s bookmaker, which left him with divided loyalties, particularly when one of the horses he’d ridden out went and won, costing him money in the betting shop.
Eric had a race named after him in 2005 at Ripon when he became the latest in a long list of people working behind the scenes in the sport to be acknowledged by Racing Welfare's admirable ‘Lifetime in Racing’ series.
