Born in 1877, National Hunt jockey Henry Brown rode a total of 165 winners over jumps in Britain but also enjoyed a fair measure of success in France.
Christened Harry Brown but always known as Henry, he made the perfect start to his career by winning on his first mount in public, guiding Doldrums to victory in the March First Free Hunters’ Steeplechase at Sandown Park on February 28, 1890.
His best year numerically was in 1894 with 21 winners, but the highlight of his career was his victory on the six-year-old Legal Tender in the 1897 Welsh Grand National. Only six of the original 32 entries faced the starter for that year’s race but they included Filbert who three weeks earlier had finished runner-up to the great Manifesto in the Aintree National.
Filbert led into the straight, but a desperate challenge by Henry Brown on Legal Tender saw him pass the winning post a length ahead of his rival. Filbert could be considered unlucky not to have won, for not only was he still full of running at the finish, but his owner-rider had put up 7lb overweight.
Henry rode in five Grand Nationals between 1891 and 1902. Having failed to get round in the first four, his succeeded in completing the course in ninth place on 40-1 shot Sapper on his final attempt.
His five Grand National rides were, in chronological order:
1891: Nasr-ed-Din (50-1), fell
1892: Rollesby (50-1), fell
1896: Emin (200-1, the rank outsider of the 28 runners), brought down
1897: Continental (100-1), fell
1902: Sapper (40-1), ninth
Henry enjoyed plenty of success at Bungay, notching a total of 22 winners at the Suffolk course during his career, including a four-timer there in May 1, 1894, comprising Eily in the Innkeepers’ Selling Hurdle, Queen Of The May in the Hamilton Chase, Tommy Shaw in the Waveney Chase, and Bay Celia in the Tradesmen’s Chase.
It was another East Anglian venue, the Norwich Hunt meeting at Hethersett, where Henry had his last win, aboard Stella VIII in the Staghunters’ Chase on May 5, 1910. It was at Hethersett’s corresponding fixture twelve months later, May 4, 1911, that he rode for the final time, finishing third on General Nogi in the Open Hunters’ Optional Selling Chase.
Harry (Henry) Brown died in Rous Memorial Hospital on January 2, 1964, aged 86. He left £1,136.
