Steve Carson

Stephen Stuart Carson was born on 4 June, 1979, in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, and first learned about horses in the point-to-point yard of his uncle, George Young.

He began his career as apprentice to Michael Grassick on the Curragh after graduating from the Race Apprentice Centre of Education (RACE).

Stephen rode his first winner, Tartan Lane, on July 26, 1996 at Wexford, when taking the County Wexford Pubicans Apprentice Maiden.

Stephen joined Eric Wheeler's yard near Reading in England in the summer of 1997 and was successful on his first ride for the yard when scoring on Dark Menace at Brighton.

He quickly struck up a successful partnership with stable star Dancing Mystery and partnered the gelding to 21 successes.

Stephen then became stable jockey to Eve Johnson Houghton.

He achieved by far his biggest success when riding Tout Seul to victory in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes for the trainer's father, Fulke, in October 2002. Steve chose to stick to a lone course on the rails away from the others. He said at the time; “I went onto the rail to get some help because he could be a bit funny last year and run about. I was sitting nearly last, but when he picked up, he passed them all to win going away.”

Despite this, and other successes, he was sacked in 2009 with Eva Johnson Houghton stating that she felt that Stephen had shown a lack of confidence in the saddle that season.

She explained, “He wasn't riding with a lot of confidence, and we need winners. I don't want to kick a man when he's down, but from now on we'll be using the best jockey available. Stephen is not entirely out of consideration and, hopefully, he will come in for some rides, but I have to do what is best for the stable and I have to do what's best for the owners.”

Steve, who had been at the Oxfordshire yard since 2002, admitted that his career was at the crossroads. With just four winners behind him that season, he began struggling for rides, but insisted that he had no intention of quitting the saddle.

He said: “There has been no fallout with Eve. I am gutted to have lost the job, but I don't think it's anything to do with my confidence. I fully believe in myself and, if the horse is good enough, I will put him in the right place.”

Steve continued riding, and booting home the occasional winner, until 2011.