Charles Bacon
Article by Alan Trout
Although Charles James Bacon only had one ride in public in his career, he did at least finish second, which is more than many apprentices have been able to do.
He was apprenticed to Newmarket trainer John Watson. His big moment came at Newmarket on May 11, 1915 when his mount Ocydrome, owned by Leopold de Rothschild, was runner-up to Velour in the seven-furlong Visitors’ Apprentice Handicap. The winning margin was one and a half lengths.
Velour was ridden by James Mason, later to complete the course three years running on Melleray’s Belle in the Grand National, finishing fourth in 1929, second in 1930 and eighth in 1931.
The five-year-old Ocydrome won a race at Newmarket in October 1915 when ridden by ‘Snowy’ Whalley, but Charles Bacon never rode in public again, despite finishing second on his first – and only – attempt.
