Tom Bryson 

Lincoln racecourse, Monday, March 22, 1954, and another Flat racing season is about to get underway.

Young Scottish-born apprentice Tom Bryson nervously circles the start of the first race of the new season, the Apprentices’ Handicap Plate, run over a mile for a prize of 200 sovereigns.

Born in May 1936, 17-year-old Tom is in good company: fellow apprentices Josh Gifford and Duncan Keith – together with fifteen others – are also looking forward to the race.

Suddenly, Tom’s mount, Star O’ Doon, a four-year-old by Royal Charger trained at Dunbar by George Boyd, rears up, throwing his unfortunate partner onto the turf.

Undaunted, Tom quickly remounts to ride a perfect race, catching the favourite, Marsham Court, inside the final furlong to win by a head.

This was Tom’s second winner.

He had ridden one winner from three rides in his first season, aboard Fair Charger, trained by George Boyd, in the Cleghorn Apprentice Handicap Plate at Lanark on July 23, 1953, scoring by a length ands a half, despite carrying 4lb overweight at 7st 7lb. 

Following his Lincoln victory on Star O’ Doon, he rode one more winner that season, then twenty more in all until he was called up into the Army in 1956.

Sadly, Tom sustained a bad injury during his conscription which put an end to his brief racing career.

Being taller than the average jockey, he had always struggled with his weight: the minimum weight in those days was much lower than at present, and it wasn’t unusual to be riding at 5st 10lb which took Tom a bit of doing.

A highlight was riding against Gordon Richards – his idol – in a five furlong race at Aintree.

Another proud moment was when he rode the top-class Gladness, who went on to win the Ascot Gold Cup for the legendary Vincent O’Brien in 1958.

Fifty years to the day after he won that first race of the 1954 season, making him leading jockey for half an hour, Tom, who was by then living at Winceby Place, Tanyards Farm, Coventry, spent the day at the races re-living his Lincoln victory.