John Brown

John Brown

Article by Alan Trout

John Leslie Brown rode over jumps for several seasons from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s and had 17 wins, including three at Cheltenham. 

His first victory was at Stratford on September 28, 1985, when Rusty Fern led all the way and passed the winning post ten lengths clear at the end of the Luddington Novices’ Chase. He had ridden the seven-year-old on her three previous starts that season and they had only been beaten a neck at Fontwell Park earlier that month. 

Rusty Fern never ran again but John continued to ride the occasional winner for the next six seasons, achieving a best score of five in 1988/89. The most prolific of his winners was Ruststone, owned and trained by veteran permit holder Reg Brown. John won six times on him, both over hurdles and fences.

Reg Brown held a permit for over 50 years, his best horses being Drakestone and Space Project. He belatedly celebrated his 90th birthday at Hereford on June 19, 2013, with the running of the Reg Brown 90th Birthday Mares’ Handicap Hurdle, which he duly won with 100/1 outsider Tiptronic, the only horse he then had in training. 

Reg’s colours of ‘light blue, brown sleeves and cap with canary hoop’ were a constant feature on Welsh and Midlands tracks for more than half a century. He died in February 2017, aged 95. 

As for John Brown, he had his final victory at Hereford on Easter Monday, April 20, 1992, when Rusty Music, also trained by Reg Brown, took advantage of the leader Seenachance unseating his rider at the ninth flight to win the Holiday Selling Hurdle by 20 lengths.

John Brown’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Rusty Fern, Stratford-on-Avon, September 28, 1985

2. I Wonder When, Leicester, January 20, 1986

3. Ruststone, Cheltenham, January 25, 1986

4. I Wonder When, Uttoxeter, March 15, 1986

5. Ruststone, Cheltenham, December 6, 1986

6. Scots Lad, Newton Abbot, May 17, 1988

7. Ruststone, Warwick, February 7, 1989

8. Ruststone, Stratford-on-Avon, February 25, 1989

9. Copperite, Worcester, March 29, 1989

10. Ruststone, Hereford, April 8, 1989

11. Marsoom, Newton Abbot, May 5, 1989

12. Ruststone, Hereford, December 23, 1989

13. Driver, Cheltenham, April 19, 1990

14. Copperite, Hereford, October 26, 1990

15. Copperite, Wolverhampton, November 12, 1990

16. Driver, Worcester, February 27, 1991

17. Rusty Music, Hereford, April 20, 1992