His name appeared as P A Charlton on the racecards but he was known to everyone as Tony.
Born at Shap in Cumbria on February 22, 1956, Philip Anthony Charlton came into racing as a stable lad with Tony Dickinson and became a professional jockey on November 3, 1973. He rode successfully as a freelance winning 192 races.
Tony had to wait four years before landing his first double; this came on Royal Navy and Merry Crown at Newcastle on Friday November 17, 1978.
He had ridden a particularly inspired race when, as a seventeen-year-old, he won the Branspeth Handicap at Sedgefield (Feb 19, 1974) on Blonde Viking (who had nearly been put down the previous summer). Making every yard of the running, he got the gelding home in a good finish with Southern Lad.
He retired from the saddle to concentrate on training and took out a trainer's licence on September 20, 1985. His head lad was Michael Silk.
He sent out horses from his stables at Bellwood Cottage, Settrington near Malton and, on Tuesday January 3, 1989, had trained five winners for the season.
That evening, returning home to Yorkshire from Ayr races, he was killed in a car crash.
Tony was the third racing personality to lose his life in 1989; jockey Paul Croucher had also been killed in a car crash and Viv Kennedy had been fatally injured in a fall at Huntingdon.
He had enjoyed fishing and snooker.
Tony had married his wife Susan on July 16, 1977. She gave him two Kelly & Michelle.
