Article by Chris Pitt
I suppose it was because his name appeared in the papers as ‘Jos. Brown’ or ‘Joseph Brown’, rather than just plain ‘ J. Brown’ that aroused my curiosity. It certainly wasn’t his success rate. During an eight-year career, he rode a total of five winners, never more than one in a season.
Scottish jump jockey Joseph Brown was born on January 18, 1937 and grew up in the hunting field and the world of gymkhanas, pony racing and show jumping. He took out a licence in 1956 and rode his first winner on Arnicus in the three-mile Durdar Handicap Hurdle at Carlisle on Easter Monday 1957.
His second victory came on Bobby Fairburn’s Crowland Bridge in the Charles Campbell Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Perth in April 1958. Later that year he joined the small Hawick, Berwickshire yard of permit holder William Bell and rode novice hurdler Bold Buccleugh to win at Hexham in September 1958. Seeking a follow-up victory the following month, they could only manage third place at Newcastle.
Bold Buccleugh was Joseph’s next winner when landing a handicap hurdle on the Monday of Cartmel’s traditional Whitsun fixture in 1961. In October that year, he came in for a winning ride on Ian Jordan’s hard pulling, front running three-mile chaser Duplicator in the Berwickshire Handicap Chase at Kelso. Seven days later they returned to Kelso and finished fifth in the Anthony Marshall Trophy.
Just six days after that, Joseph and Duplicator lined up for the 2m 5f Becher Chase over the Grand National fences. Having taken up the running from pacemaking Quelle Affaire at the sixth fence, Duplicator was six lengths clear at Valentine’s when blundering and coming down. “He made a bad jump and lost me,” said Joseph after the race. Nonetheless, he later reflected that riding Duplicator over the Aintree fences had been the highlight of his career.
Sadly, there were no more highlights, for while Duplicator went on to win his next three races when partnered by senior jockey George Milburn, there were to be no more winners for Joseph Brown.
He finished second on Bold Buccleugh at Kelso on October 26, 1963 but that was as close as he got to riding another winner. He rode Bold Buccleugh for the last time in Kelso’s
Morebattle Handicap Hurdle on February 29, 1964. His final ride was on a selling hurdler named Foray who finished unplaced at Hexham on May 16, 1964. He relinquished his licence at the end of that season.
Joseph Brown’s winners were:
1. Arnicus, Carlisle, April 22, 1957
2. Crowland Bridge, Perth, April 24, 1958
3. Bold Buccleugh, Hexham, September 27, 1958
4. Bold Buccleugh, Cartmel, May 22, 1961
5. Duplicator, Kelso, October 21, 1961
