Ken Bosley

Ken Bosley

Article by Alan Trout

Having ridden a dozen winners as an amateur, Ken Bosley turned professional in 1977 and added another six.

His first victory came at Devon & Exeter on December 17, 1971, when the 12-year-old Hardyglass Lad came with a strong run from the final fence to overhaul long time leader Riparian, ridden by leading amateur rider Richard Smith, and win the Kenton Handicap Chase by a short head. He may have been helped by the runner-up swerving badly on the run-in. 

Despite that promising start it would be more than three years before won under rules again, although he was successful in point-to-points. Finally, at Newton Abbot on February 18, 1975, he was back in the winner’s enclosure after Malford had easily won the Rippon Novices’ Chase by 15 lengths. It was a race run in heavy going in which five of the fences were omitted. 

Ken then had a few wins over the next three seasons, including five on the chaser Flickity Prince, trained by Ken’s father, permit holder Geoge Bosley, who had stables at Watchet in Somerset. The most noteworthy of those wins was at Cheltenham on November 7, 1975, when the nine-year-old won a match against Sir Garnet, ridden by former champion jockey Ron Barry, in an Embassy Premier Chase qualifier. Eight days later the pair were last of three finishers in the Black and White Whisky Gold Cup at Ascot, which, despite being worth over £4,000, had attracted just four runners. 

It took Ken some time to have his first victory as a professional but he eventually managed it at Devon & Exeter on April 7, 1978, when the eight-year-old Endurance Trust land the Foxtor Challenge Cup Handicap Chase, beating Sandy May on Weather Permitting by six lengths.

Ken added two more victories before the season ended. Three more followed in 1978/79, the last of those at Devon & Exeter on May 29, when recording his second success on Betty’s Kiss in the Hare Tor Novices’ Hurdle by five lengths, the seven-year-old having scored at Newton Abbot five days earlier. That proved to be his final win.

Ken’s last ride was on Downton George, pulling up when well behind in the Shamrock Novices’ Hurdle at Chepstow on March 20, 1981. 

Ken Bosley’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Hardyglass Lad, Devon & Exeter, December 17, 1971

2. Malford, Newton Abbot, February 18, 1975

3. Kingrullah, Stratford-on-Avon, February 22, 1975

4. Ballymague, Cheltenham, April 30, 1975

5. Flickity Prince, Devon & Exeter, May 26, 1975 

6. Flickity Prince, Ludlow, October 29, 1975

7. Flickity Prince, Cheltenham, November 7, 1975

8. Guiburn, Taunton, February 19, 1976

9. Flickity Prince, Taunton, October 14, 1976

10. Militaire, Taunton, March 24, 1977

11. Flickity Prince, Devon & Exeter, March 26, 1977

12. Biggsie’s Bird, Devon & Exeter, June 7, 1977

13. Endurance Trust, Devon & Exeter, April 7, 1978

14. Scoupee, Ludlow, April 19, 1978

15. Pretty Cute, Devon & Exeter, May 29, 1978

16. Indium, Newbury, December 29, 1978

17. Betty’s Kiss, Newton Abbot, May 24, 1979

18. Betty’s Kiss, Devon & Exeter, May 29, 1979