James Cheshire

James Cheshire

James Cheshire was an Irish National Hunt jockey who recorded his first important victory when winning the 1898 Galway Plate on Boreenchreeogue, trained by Dick Cleary at Streamstown, Mullingar.  

He achieved his greatest success when both riding and training six-year-old Patlander to win the 1902 Irish Grand National. The evens favourite in the seven-horse field on the strength of a runaway win at Baldoyle, Patlander set off in front from the start, jumped well throughout and went on to win unchallenged by ten lengths. James’s stables were located at Castletown-Geoghehan, County Meath. 

Patlander was by Sir Patrick, a son of Ascetic, sire of 1903 Grand National winner Drumcree, and of 1904 Irish Grand National and 1906 Grand National hero Ascetic’s Silver. Patlander was subsequently sent to be trained at Epsom by William Nightingall, for whom he won three races including a steeplechase at Newmarket. However, he fell in both the 1903 and 1904 Grand Nationals and was unplaced in the Grand Steeplechase de Paris. 

Having broken down, Patlander was rested before being put into training with J. J. Cowap at Chester. Reunited with his former trainer-rider, Patlander, by then eleven years old, gave James Cheshire his sole English victory when winning the Nottingham Chase at Southwell on 25 February 1907. James finished second on him on his next outing at Wolverhampton on 4 March, but when Patlander lined up for the 1907 Grand National it was with a new jockey, Irishman Jackie Lynn, on board. Defying his lengthy odds of 50-1, Patlander finished third behind Eremon, the mount of Alf Newey, and runner-up Tom West, ridden by Hugh Murphy. 

James was back in the saddle when Patlander next ran, finishing unplaced in the Great Bangor Handicap Chase at Bangor-on-Dee on 5 April, just 14 days after his Aintree exertions.  

Patlander bowed out after completing the course last of five finishers in Liverpool’s Grand Sefton Chase in November that year, ridden on that occasion by Jackie Lynn’s elder brother William Lynn, who was to lose his life in a fall at Gowran Park on 19 June 1919. 

As for James Cheshire, he did not renew his jockey’s licence for 1908.