Major Alfred Carter
1856-1934
Major (later Colonel) Alfred Carter was a well-known amateur rider under National Hunt rules during the last two decades of the 19th century. He rode a total of 43 winners, the majority of them (23) being gained at the Isle of Wight’s race meetings at Ashey.
Born on September 17, 1856, Alfred Henry Carter still held the prefix ‘Mr’ when making his debut under NH rules at the Isle of Wight on April 19, 1881. He certainly had an eventful start.
His first mount, The Doctor, finished third in the Isle of Wight Hunt Steeplechase but was promoted to second place when the rider of the runner-up, Mr Letheren, failed to draw the correct weight on returning to the scales. Alfred then rode his first winner on Alma in the grandly-named Champion Plate Steeplechase. He followed that with a second win on Moonraker in the Isle of Wight Hunt Plate, thus recording a double and a promoted second-place finish on his first day of race-riding.
Promoted to the rank of Captain in 1885, Alfred Carter was definitely the man to follow at the Isle of Wight fixtures. In 1889 he rode seven winners at the two-day meeting on Tuesday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 1.
On the Tuesday he registered a four-timer, winning the Castle and County Plate Steeplechase on Miss Malden (4 ran); the Hunter’s Steeplechase on Vixen, finishing alone after both rivals fell; the Ashey Plate Hurdle on Lady of the Lake (6 ran); and the Military Steeplechase on Bright, again finishing alone after both his rivals had refused.
On the Wednesday, Captain Carter notched a treble, winning the Hunters’ Hurdle on Vixen (who he also owned), beating two rivals; the Isle of Wight Hunt Steeplechase on Lady of the Lake (3 ran); and the County Plate Steeplechase also on Lady of the Lake (3 ran). Interestingly, all three runners-up in those races were ridden by top professional jockey Bill Dollery.
Those seven Isle of Wight successes made up the bulk of his eleven winners for that year, his most successful one numerically.
Twelve months later, on May 2, 1890, Captain Carter repeated his first-day feat by landing another four-timer. He began by winning the Isle of Wight Hunt Steeplechase on Brigand (2 ran), then added the Governor’s Cup Chase on Lady of the Lake (5 ran), the Ryde Open Hunters’ Steeplechase on Little Dunce (3 ran), and the County Plate Steeplechase on Brigand (5 ran).
As can be seen, fields were on the small side at the Isle of Wight’s meetings, and Captain Carter never had more than five rivals to beat in either of his four-timers.
He was promoted to the rank of Major in 1892 and it was as Major A. H. Carter that he rode his last winner, Spitfire, which he also owned, in the Essex Hunt Club Cup Chase at the Essex Hunt NH fixture on April 18, 1895.
Given all his success at the Isle of Wight’s race meetings over the years, it was ironic that his final ride there – the last of his career – should end in a fall, on Gozo in the Isle of Wight Hunt Chase on April 30, 1896. It is not known if he suffered a severe injury in that fall or whether he merely decided to hang up his boots. He was only a few months away from his 40th birthday so it may well have been the latter.
Some years after his retirement from race riding, Major Carter accepted an appointment as joint-master of the Tickham Foxhounds for the 1908/09 hunting season, in addition to his military duties.
He served with the Royal Field Artillery 57th Brigade and eventually attained the rank of Colonel.
Alfred Carter died suddenly at his residence, The Cottage, Milstead, Sittingbourne, on November 21, 1934, aged 78.
