John Barclay

John Barclay

John Barclay had some success under National Hunt rules with 11 winners between 1948 and 1952, all of them trained by his father Hugh, based at Lockerbie.  

Born on May 25, 1926, he was a member of a famous Scottish racing family, being the youngest of four sons of the successful trainer Hugh Barclay. All four brothers rode winners under National Hunt rules during the late 1940s and 1950s, two as professional (Andrew and John), two as amateurs (Hugh Junior and James). 

John rode his first winner at Hexham on June 4, 1949 when Victory Morn won the Dilston Novices’ Hurdle by three lengths. The horse had won his previous outing over the same course and distance when ridden by John’s amateur rider brother Hugh.  

On September 21, 1949 he was part of an unusual, if not unique, occurrence, when three different Barclay brothers won races on the same card at Perth, all trained by their father. Hugh junior won the Colonel John McKie Memorial Challenge Cup Handicap Hurdle on Lanton Crag; John won the Scone Novices’ Maiden Hurdle on Gorilla; and Andrew won the Tay Handicap Hurdle on The Barker.

John rode four winners in that 1949/50 season and three in each of the next two. His last win was on Gorilla – who supplied him with five of his career wins – in the Black Watch Selling Handicap Hurdle at Perth on May 8, 1952. 

Later that same afternoon, John rode the four-year-old French Window in the Charles Campbell Memorial Handicap Hurdle. After the race the stewards enquired into “the running and riding of French Window” and interviewed the jockey and Mr J. J. Pearson, French Window’ owner/trainer. They were unable to accept the explanations given and referred the matter to the Stewards of the National Hunt Committee, who met on May 12 and, having heard all the evidence, found that “French Window was prevented from doing his best to win the race”. They withdrew Pearson’s permit to train and declared him a disqualified person and withdrew John Barclay’s to ride. 

Ironically, leading amateur rider Danny Moralee, who had won that Perth handicap hurdle on his own horse Persian Hunt, was warned off in July 1964. 

John took out a trainer’s licence in 1959, initially based at Mill Riggs, Boreland, Dumfriesshire, but later relocating to Kettleholm, near Lockerbie. He ius probably best remembered as the trainer of the evergreen chaser Vulmidas, who won a host of races, nine of them when ridden by his regular partner Terry Pinner. His son, John Barclay Jnr, also won on him at Catterick Bridge when the horse was 15 years old. He relinquished his trainer’s licence in 1980. 

Thanks to Alan Trout for providing his list of winners and the nucleus of the story.