James Barclay

James Barclay

James Barclay rode as an amateur in the early 1950s and recorded nine victories over two seasons. He was one of four brothers who rode either professionally or as amateurs around that time. Their father, Hugh, had taken out a licence to train after the war, based at Shillahill, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, where his entire staff consisted of his four sons – James, Hugh junior, Andrew and John – and two daughters.

James had his first success when dead-heating on the family-owned The Barker in the Birkie Selling Handicap Hurdle at Hexham on Saturday, October 28, 1950. It was a proper family affair too, because he shared the prize with his brother Andrew on Falls Hotel, trained by Cumbrian permit holder John Dixon. 

He rode his second winner at the same Hexham fixture two days later on Martelli, trained by his father, in a three-mile novices’ hurdle. He won three more races on The Barker before the campaign ended, scoring five for the season. 

He won again on Martelli at Hexham in September 1951, then scored three times in March 1952 on Stiletto, also trained by his father. The last of those wins was when beating top jockey Arthur Thompson on Palmaison by three lengths in the Largie Toll Selling Hurdle at Ayr. 

Having given up riding, James focused his attention on farming, based at Belstone Farm, near Ayr. He later took out a permit, and then a full trainer’s licence, which he held throughout the 1970s. His son, Hugh Barclay, born in 1950, was a successful amateur rider during that same decade, recording 30 winners, 29 over jumps and one on the Flat, before becoming a Jockey Club starter, a position he held for 41 years until retiring in 2021. . 

James Barclay’s winners as a jockey were, in chronological order:

1. The Barker, Hexham, October 28, 1950

2. Martelli, Hexham, October 30, 1940

3. The Barker, Ayr, November 24, 1950

4. The Barker, Doncaster, March 19, 1951

5. The Barker, Perth, April 19, 1951

6. Martelli, Hexham, September 29, 1951

7. Stiletto, Kelso, March 1, 1952

8. Stiletto, Sedgefield, March 8, 1952

9. Stiletto, Ayr, March 22, 1952