Robert Chugg

1942 - 2022

Robert Donald Chugg was born on August 17, 1942, and was a successful amateur rider who registered victories at Cheltenham’s National Hunt meeting and in the Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase, as well as the Lady Dudley Cup, the Cheltenham Gold Cup of point-to-pointing.

He began riding under National Hunt rules in 1960 under the doubled-barrelled name of Robert Birt-Chugg. It was under this name that he rode his first winner, Mighty’s Niece, owned and trained by his father Leonard, in the Hereford Hunters’ Chase on Whit Monday, May 22, 1961.

His next wins under NH rules were gained on Sarky Sales, on whom he won a brace of Uttoxeter hunter chases in 1963 and finished tenth in that year’s Foxhunters’ Challenge Cup at Cheltenham.

He had dropped the hyphenated surname and was known just as ‘Mr R Chugg’ by the time he rode his next winners, George Yardley’s hunter chaser Woodmanton, on whom he won at Leicester in 1967 and Chepstow in 1968, his sole successes of those seasons.

The best horse he rode – and who gave him his greatest successes – was Bright Willow, owned and trained by Alan Cure at Alvechurch. Bright Willow had won show jumping competitions for Walter Biddlecombe, father of jockeys Tony and Terry) before joining Mr Cure, who was chairman of the North Warwickshire Farmers’ Hunt. Robert rode him to register a comfortable six-length success, at 20-1, in the 1968 Lady Dudley Cup at Upton-on-Severn, beating River Slave and Highworth.

Robert won three hunter chases on Bright Willow in 1969 including the United Hunts’ Challenge Cup on the second day of the Cheltenham National Hunt meeting. He finished second in the race the following year, this time on Deblin’s Green, beaten by the front-running Grey Sombrero, the mount of Clive Candy.

He rode his tenth winner under NH rules on Chimes in the 3m 5f Warwickshire Foxhunters’ Chase in February 1970, resulting in his claim being reduced to 5lb. He won again on Chimes at Chepstow on Easter Monday. He also won two Worcester hunter chases that year on the top-class Sunarise, deputising for the injured Roger Guilding.

Robert and Sunarise started odds-on to win that year’s Lady Dudley Cup, which was by then being held at Chaddesley Corbett. Sunarise had won his last seven races, including those two Worcester hunter chases, five of them with Robert on board. However, they were beaten by the five-year-old mare Frozen Dawn, owned by Katie Gaze and ridden by Henry Oliver. In so doing, Frozen Dawn became the first five-year-old to win the Lady Dudley Cup since Dust Cap in 1912.

Robert and Sunarise again finished second in the Lady Dudley Cup in 1971, this time to George Hyatt on Real Rascal. He also finished second on Bright Willow in that year’s United Hunts’ Challenge Cup. However, it was to be his most successful season under NH rules, riding six winners including his greatest triumph on Bright Willow in the Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase, in which they beat John Lawrence (later Lord Oaksey) on Bullock’s Horn by six lengths. He also won back-to-back hunter chases on Merlin III including the Somerset Hunters’ Perpetual Challenge Cup at Taunton, plus another Worcester hunter chase on Sunarise.

Robert and Bright Willow were arguably unlucky not to win Cheltenham’s United Hunts’ Challenge Cup in 1972. Bright Willow crashed through the rails of the 18th fence when holding every chance, victory going to their Lady Dudley Cup conquerors Real Rascal and George Hyatt.

From thereon Robert rode less often under NH rules. He rode just one winner in 1973 and his last in 1976.

Along with his wife Jackie he lived at 350-acre Little Lodge Farm in the Worcestershire countryside where they reared and produce top-quality young National Hunt stock.

Robert Chugg died in February 2022. He was 79.

Robert Chugg’s winners under National Hunt rules included:

Mighty’s Niece, Hereford, May 22,1961

Sarky Sails, Uttoxeter, March 22, 1963

Sarky Sails, Uttoxeter, May 2, 1963

Dunshill Hope, Leicester, February 11, 1964

Woodmanton, Leicester, February 14, 1967

Woodmanton, Chepstow, April 15, 1968

Bright Willow, Wolverhampton, March 10, 1969

Bright Willow, Cheltenham, March 19, 1969

Bright Willow, Warwick, April 28, 1959

Chimes. Warwick, February 26, 1970

Chimes, Chepstow, March 30, 1970

Sunarise, Worcester, April 8, 1970

Sunarise, Worcester, April 30, 1970

Vulganic, Wolverhampton, March 8, 1971

Merlin III, Leicester, March 22, 1971

Merlin, Taunton, March 30, 1971

Bright Willow, Liverpool, April 1, 1971

Sunarise, Worcester, April 29, 1971