Richard Collins

Richard Collins

Richard Collins was one of several young jockeys fortunate enough to be associated with the stable of Arthur Stephenson in the 1970s. All but two of his 42 wins were trained by the Bishop Auckland maestro.

Born on March 19, 1954, he started his racing career as an apprentice in 1969, standing five feet tall and weighing six stone. He began with Scobie Breasley at Epsom, then moved north to work for permit holder Bill Murray in Middleham, North Yorkshire, but it was when he joined Arthur Stevenson’s County Durham yard that his career really progressed. 

Richard had his first ride over jumps when Whicker’s World finished third in the Ullswater Novices’ Hurdle (Division 1) at Carlisle on September 29, 1973, having held every chance at the final flight. Ten days after that Carlisle effort they teamed up to land the Quarrington Novices’ Hurdle (Division 2) at Sedgefield.

Whicker’s World was trained by Bill Murray but it was for Arthur Stephenson that he had the second win of his career when Breakaduck landed the Leeds Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle (Division 2 Part 1) at Catterick Bridge by five lengths from Vigo Bay.

From then on Richard had a few wins each season, recording a best score of 15 in 1977/78, eleven of them before Christmas. One of the best horses he won on was Rolls Rambler, who developed into one of the best hunter chasers of the late 70s/early 80s, winning both the Cheltenham and Liverpool Foxhunters in 1980 in the hands of Oliver Sherwood. Richard won a handicap hurdle on him at Hexham in May 1976, beating Jane Again by as length. 

Perhaps the most notable race that Richard won was the Billy Bow Handicap Hurdle at Newcastle on December 10, 1977, when the four-year-old Three Visions held off the strong challenge of Katmandu on the flat to score by two lengths.

Richard’s final victory came at Kelso on December 17, 1979, when Kesmoun was a comfortable winner of the Birgham Novices’ Hurdle (Division 1)  by five lengths. A few weeks later he had his last ride when Middlestone Lady finished fourth in the Bedale Novices’ Hurdle at Catterick Bridge on January 19, 1980. 

That same year, having retired from the saddle, Richard set up a seafood business, Collins Seafoods, beginning as a one man operation with fish picked up in North Shields and stored in his kitchen freezer. He started selling the fish to people, pubs, and then the fish and chip shops and wholesalers.   

The business expanded at a rapid pace. He bought a small warehouse in Bishop Auckland, a bigger one in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, then a depot in Leeds. By the turn of the century, the company employed 16 workers in the North-East, and a further eight at its Leeds depot, supplying a wide variety of fish, from Canadian Dogfish to Icelandic Cod.  

The company’s trawlers catch fish in the North Sea and deliver their hauls every day, using a coldstore in Grimsby and its Newton Aycliffe headquarters, which looks after sales, and its Leeds warehouse, to keep deliveries moving. Throughout the year, it distributes more than 10,000 tonnes of seafood across the UK, its main market being the country’s fish and chip shops. 

Reflecting on his life in racing, he reflected: “I had some good times as a jockey and I wouldn’t change any of it. To do something in sport that you enjoy is great and being around people like Arthur, who had a terrific work ethic, was so character building and rewarding.”

Still living in County Durham, he has retained his involvement in racing by becoming an owner. His best horse to date has been Waiting Patiently, winner of the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase under Brian Hughes in 2018, as well as finishing third in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in 2019 and second in the King George VI Chase the following year.

Richard Collins’ winners were, in chronological order:

1. Whicker’s World, Sedgefield, October 9, 1973

2. Breakaduck, Catterick Bridge, December 14, 1974 

3. Gusserane, Sedgefield, January 6, 1975

4. Raise You Again, Newcastle, January 10, 1975

5. Raise You Again, Teesside Park, February 10, 1975

6. Raise You Again, Teesside Park, March 7, 1975

7. Poly Boy, Perth, April 23, 1975

8. Relkotime, Ludlow, May 20, 1975

9. Relkotime, Wetherby, May 26, 1975

10. Polonium, Catterick Bridge, December 13, 1975

11. Regent’s Choice, Ayr, March 15, 1976

12. Rolls Rambler, Hexham, May 4, 1976

13. Galadon, Cartmel, August 30, 1976

14. Middlestone Lady, Hexham, September 6, 1976

15. Middlestone Lady, Market Rasen, September 25, 1976

16. Super Chant, Sedgefield, March 15, 1977

17. Super Chant, Sedgefield, April 5, 1977

18. Three Visions, Nottingham, May 9, 1977

19. All Even, Market Rasen, August 13, 1977

20. Three Visions, Carlisle, September 19, 1977

21. Carbon, Ayr, October 8, 1977

22. Foreign Embassy, Perth, October 22, 1977

23. Vimy Ridge, Kelso, November 9, 1977

24. Foreign Embassy. Kelso, November 9, 1977

25. Carbon, Wetherby, November 12, 1977

26. Three Visions, Ayr, November 22, 1977

27. Three Visions, Newcastle, December 12, 1977

28. Lez, Sedgefield, December 16, 1977

29. Bandyke, Catterick Bridge, December 17, 1977

30. Saintly Sorrel, Uttoxeter, March 18, 1978

31. Yes Yes Yes, Wolverhampton, March 20, 1978

32. Royal Bally, Perth, April 18, 1978

33. Master Milan, Uttoxeter, May 29, 1978

34. Drakensberg, Market Rasen, July 31, 1978

35. Brag, Uttoxeter, September 21, 1978

36. Eatwell, Carlisle, September 30, 1978

27. Direct Line, Carlisle, October 13, 1978

38. Mr Snow, Ayr, October 16, 1978

39. Mr Snow, Teesside Park, November 14, 1978

40. Don’t Forget, Wetherby, November 24, 1978

41. Mr Snow, Catterick Bridge, November 24, 1979

42. Kismount, Kelso, December 17, 1979