Chris Collins

Twice champion amateur under National Hunt rules, the first title coming when aged 22, Chris Collins owned and rode a string of racehorses, won all the major hunter chases, finished third in the Grand National, landed the Swedish National twice and the Velká Pardubická, and became an international three-day event rider. 

Christopher Douglas Collins was born at Hatfield on January 19, 1940, the son of Douglas Collins, founder of Goya. Educated at Eton and having moved to Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, Chris owned, trained and rode his first winner, Lansallos, in the Lenton Selling Handicap Chase at Nottingham on October 29, 1963.

His enthusiasm for race-riding fired by that success, he bought a horse named Mr Jones from Durham-based trainer Arthur Stephenson. Not long afterwards, they finished third in Jay Trump’s 1965 Grand National. He went on to become champion amateur rider in two successive seasons: in 1965/66 with 24 wins – having made his intentions clear by riding his novice hurdler Gambourne to victory at Newton Abbot on the first day of the season – and in 1966/67 with 33 wins. 

Stephenson handled a number of leading hunter chasers, including Credit Call, Titus Oates and Hilbirio. That trio were all owned and ridden at various stages in their careers by Chris, who became managing director and head of his family’s Goya perfume business.

Credit Call is the one with whom Chris is most closely associated. As a six-year-old in 1970, Credit Call began his racing association with his new owner/rider by making a winning debut in a Nottingham hunter chase. Further wins at Sedgefield, Worcester, Hexham and Uttoxeter were followed by his first big triumph when taking Stratford’s John Corbet Cup. 

Their winning ways continued in 1971 when Credit Call won five of nine hunter chases, finishing the season on a high with victory in the Horse & Hound Cup Champion Hunters’ Chase. Chris was out injured on that occasion and leading Scottish amateur Graham Macmillan deputised as Credit Call beat Humorous and Lord Fortune.

As an eight-year-old in 1972 Credit Call became the undisputed king of hunter chasing and the first horse to win the ‘triple crown’. Unbeaten in seven races, they included the Cheltenham and Aintree Foxhunter Chases and a second Horse & Hound Cup. 

In 1973 Credit Call won a third Horse & Hound Cup triumph in which he gave 4lb to runner-up Lord Fortune and beat him by a short-head in an epic finish. 

Chris’s skill as an international three-day event rider came in useful when, later that year, he scored a famous victory on Stephen’s Society in the Velká Pardubická in the country then known as Czechoslovakia when it was part of Russia’s Soviet Union.

In the spring of 1974, Chris rode Stephen’s Society to win hunter chases at Newcastle and Kelso and finished second on him in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham. They then took part in the Grand National and were going well when a blunder at Valentine’s second time round put them out of contention, pulling up two fences later. 

April 30, 1975 Chris took a bad fall from a horse named Jester’s Cap in a Cheltenham hunter chase. He promptly announced his retirement from the saddle, bringing to an end an amateur career that had seen him ride 134 winners under National Hunt rules plus two on the Flat, in addition to his overseas triumphs in Sweden and Czechoslovakia.  

Big winners:

1966: Horse and Hound Cup Champion Hunters’ Chase – Santa Grand 

1972: Cheltenham Foxhunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1972: Liverpool Fox Hunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1972: Town of Warwick Champion Hunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1972: Horse and Hound Cup Champion Hunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1972:  Swedish Grand National - Hilbirio 

1973:  Swedish Grand National - Hilbirio

1973: Town of Warwick Champion Hunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1973: Horse and Hound Cup Champion Hunters’ Chase – Credit Call 

1973: Velká Pardubická Chase – Stephen’s Society