Peter Auld

Peter Auld

Article by Alan Trout

Peter Auld rode on the Flat for three seasons during the first decade of the 20th century but did not manage a single winner. He served his apprenticeship with Edward Josceline Percy. Edward Percy was based at Kingston Warren, near Abingdon, Berkshire, presumably initially as assistant to the trainer J. T. Raisin prior to taking over as licence holder.

Peter’s first ride was at Birmingham on September 21, 1903, when his mount Wisa finished down the field in the Solihull Nursery Plate won by John Dalton on Melayr.

His fortunes did not improve in 1904. It was not until October 20 that he had his first ride of the season. He partnered an unnamed two-year-old filly by Orlop out of Dracena, who finished seventh of 15 in the North Yorkshire Nursery Handicap at Thirsk.

Peter’s final ride, like many of his mounts, was on a horse owned by Edward Percy – another unnamed two-year-old filly by Orlop, this one being out of Queen Of The Elves – in the Welbeck Selling Plate at Leicester on October 12, 1905. They finished out of the first eight in the 12-runner field.

That race, an all-aged affair for horses ranging from two to five years old, produced an exciting finish, with Elijah Wheatley, by then well on the way to being crowned champion jockey, winning on Pescadero by a head from Danny Maher on 7-4 favourite Conham, with William Halsey on 4-1 chance Rather Warm just a neck further back in third.

Born in Scotland in 1865, Edward Percy endured a similarly barren period to Peter Auld between 1903 and 1905. He did not renew his trainer’s licence after 1906. During World War One he held a contract in the Forage Division of the Army Service Corps.