William Bulwer-Long

Amateur rider William Hanslip Bulwer-Long was born in 1937, the son of Brigadier Hetherington Bulwer-Long and his wife Mary. He served with the 9th/12th Lancers and attained the rank of Captain. 

He married Sarah Jane Rawlinson on May 26, 1962. They became parents to two sons and a daughter, Edward, Benjamin and Daisy.

William served in the same regiment as Major (later Colonel) Tony Gilks and it was he who provided him with his first ride under National Hunt rules in the 1964 Grand Military Hunters’ Chase at Sandown’s Grand Meeting. Major Gilks ran two horses in the race, Jamais Arriere and Motor Show, both 20-1 outsiders. He elected to ride the former and gave William the ride on Motor Show, who went on to finish fourth while Major Gilks pulled up Jamais Arriere.

In the same race twelve months later, Major Gilks again chose the wrong one. He owned and trained no less than four of the ten runners. He elected to ride the second favourite Greek Gambler, while William had the mount on Your Honour, Captain Christopher Stephenson rode Motor Show and Robin Sandys-Clarke partnered Zarak. 

Taking the lead with seven fences left to jump, Your Honour steadily extended his lead to come home unchallenged, 20 lengths clear the favourite Lucky Rain, with Greek Gambler half a length further back in third. It was William Bulwer-Long’s first winning ride under National Hunt rules. 

During that same season, 1964/65, he owned, trained and rode a novice hurdler named Aquavit in several races. They did not quite manage to win, coming closest when finishing second at Wincanton on Easter Monday.

Indeed, William had to wait more than ten years for his only other winner under NH rules. That came on March 6, 1976 aboard Blackthorn Winter in a Market Rasen hunter chase. He then rode the horse in that year’s Cathcart Champion Hunters’ Chase, which briefly formed part of the Cheltenham National Hunt meeting, but was behind when falling at the fourteenth fence.                                                                                                                      

William Bulwer-Long held the office of Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk in 1992 and was a keen supporter of racing at Fakenham. 

He died on February 15, 1996. His name is recalled each year at Fakenham with the annual running of the William Bulwer-Long Memorial Hunters’ Chase.