Anthony Gilks (Colonel)

1925 - 2009

Anthony Pearson Gilks was born on May 20, 1925. He served with the 9th/12th Lancers and was a big supporter of Sandown Park’s Grand Military meeting during the 1960s. His racing colours were ‘green, red and silver crossbelts, red and white hooped cap’.

He hunted with the Quorn and rode his first winner at the age of 37 on Dunnock in a division of the Cottesmore open point-to-point at Garthorpe in 1963. On the strength of that performance, Major (as he then was) Gilks and Dunnock started favourite for that year’s Grand Military Hunters’ Chase at Sandown, only to fall at one of the fences. However, they then finished fourth in the Prince of Wales’s Cup at West Norfolk Hunt (Fakenham) on Easter Monday, third at Huntingdon, then second, beaten half a length, to the useful Prince Tarquin in a Uttoxeter hunters’ chase.

A week after that narrow Uttoxeter defeat, they pulled off one of the surprises of the point-to-point season when finishing like a train to overhaul star point-to-

pointer No Reward in the open race for the Henry Waterford Cup at the Melton Hunt Club fixture, with Dunnock exploiting the speed that had stood him in good stead in his hurdling days. And to make it a really special day, he also won the Melton Hunt Club Novices’ Championship race on Holga.

Two weeks after that, on Saturday, June 1, 1963, Dunnock gave Major Gilks his first win under National Hunt Rules when scoring a half-length victory in the Maer Hunters’ Chase on what proved to be the last day’s racing at Woore.

His determination to win the Grand Military Hunters’ Chase at Sandown during the mid-1960s saw him saddle two or three horses for the race. Unfortunately, he sometimes rode the wrong one. In 1964 he ran two, pulling up on Jamais Arriere while his other runner, Motor Show, finished fourth. He ran three in 1965, finishing third on Greek Gambler, while his Your Honour won the race by 20 lengths under Captain William Bulwer-Long. His third runner, Motor Show, came fifth.

He chose the right one in 1966, finally winning the race on Al Border, with his other runners, Sythian and Motor Show in the rear. In 1967 he finished fourth on Filou, while Boulevard Cream ran third and Al Border (turned out just 24 hours after his owner had ridden him in the Grand Military Gold Cup) fell four out. He finished fifth on Boulevard Cream in1968, his only runner that year.

He rode in four consecutive Grand Military Gold Cups finishing fifth on Dunnock in 1965, pulling up on Greek Gambler in 1966 and on Al Border in 1967, then finishing second on the grey Airtight in 1968.

Away from Sandown, he won a Ludlow novices’ chase on 20/1 outsider Boblocks in April 1966. On Whit Monday 1970 he won an amateur riders’ hurdle on Golden May. Golden May was also his next winner – his last under National Hunt rules – when landing a Market Rasen novices’ chase in April 1972.

Outside of racing and his military career, Colonel Gilks was a keen polo player and a founder member of the Rutland Polo Club. He was elected a Life member of the Hurlingham Polo Association. He was also a director of the British Horse Society and, in 1980, was made a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Leicestershire.

Aged 84, Anthony passed peacefully away on September 11, 2009,

Colonel Anthony Gilks’ winners under National Hunt rules were, in chronological order:

1. Dunnock, Woore, June 1, 1963

2. Al Border, Sandown Park, March 19, 1966

3. Boblocks, Ludlow, April 21, 1966

4. Golden May, Hexham, May 25, 1970

5. Golden May, Market Rasen, April 29, 1972