Percy Burrell

Article by Alan Trout

Percy Burrell had an interesting career under National Hunt rules in the first decade of the 20th century. Having ridden a winner in 1903, he then disappeared from the scene, only to return with thirteen winners in 1907 and eight in 1908. Then it was back to one solitary success in 1909, and that was that. 

His first victory was at Lingfield Park on December 19, 1903, when landing the Stewards’ Handicap Chase by three lengths on the seven-year-old Snowden, on whom he had already finished second over the same course the previous day. He retained his licence for one more year.

Returning to the saddle at the beginning of 1907, he made an excellent start with three winners in January. The first of those was Turbulent, who dead-heated with Australasia, the mount of future champion jockey Paddy Cowley, in the Caterham Selling Handicap Hurdle at Gatwick on January 3. Cowley objected to Turbulent on the grounds of ‘bumping’, but this was overruled. In the subsequent run-off, Turbulent emerged an easy winner as Australasia broke down. Percy won four more races on Turbulent that year as the winners mounted up. Among the highlights were a double on the same horse, Wild Damson, at Woodbridge Hunt, and another double at Gatwick. George Gully trained all of Percy’s winners that year, with all but two being owned by leading amateur rider Captain Leon Denny. Percy boasted a remarkable strike rate of 13 wins from 44 rides, one that few professional jockeys were able to match in 1907. 

Four wins on St Cyprian was a feature of 1908, accounting for half of Percy’s eight victories that year. In February he rode Turbulent in one of the year’s most important races, the International Hurdle at Gatwick, finishing eighth of the fourteen runners. What proved to be his last win came on King Thistle in the Wye Selling Handicap Hurdle at that East Kent course on January 5, 1909. Although he had two dozen more rides during the year, he did not add to his total and did not renew his licence for 1910.

Percy Burrell’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Snowden. Lingfield Park, December 19, 1903 

2. Turbulent, Gatwick, January 3, 1907

3. Turbulent, Gatwick, January 30, 1907

4. St Cyprian, Gatwick, January 31, 1907

5. Turbulent, Lingfield Park, February 16, 1907

6. Wild Damson, Woodbridge Hunt, April 12, 1907  

7. Wild Damson, Woodbridge Hunt, April 12, 1907  

8. Protector, Totnes, September 11, 1907

9. Protector, Wye, September 30, 1907

10. Turbulent, Gatwick, December 4, 1907

11. Santa Claus, Gatwick, December 5, 1907

12. Matchboard, Gatwick, December 5, 1907 

13. Turbulent, Lingfield Park, December 13, 1907

14. Savanaka, Wye, December 19, 1907 

15. Alert III, Plumpton, January 9, 1908

16. Turbulent, Lingfield Park, February 22, 1908

17. Sunny Sam, Totnes, September 1, 1908

18. St Cyprian, Newport, November 12, 1908

19. St Cyprian, Newport, November 13, 1908

20. St Cyprian, Aldershot, November 30, 1908

21. Olivarez, Aldershot, December 1, 1908

22. St Cyprian, Gatwick, December 10, 1908

23. King Thistle, Wye, January 5, 1909