Peter Girling

Peter Girling

Article by Alan Trout

Peter George Girling rode over jumps during the 1970s and had seven wins in all. He had his first ride at Wincanton on Boxing Day 1969 when pulling up Romany Gold in the Stirrup-Cup Hurdle (Division 1). 

Nearly a year later came his first success when Longfield House recorded a comfortable victory in the Haldon Moor Opportunity Juvenile Selling Hurdle at Devon & Exeter on December 18, 1970. The four-year-old was one of the first winners trained by Richard Hannon, having recently taken over the licence from his father. 

Peter had his second win at Wincanton on Easter Monday 1971 when 20/1 shot Lone Native, owned and trained by Wiltshire permit holder Arthur Gadd, had four lengths to spare at the end of the Abloom Handicap Hurdle. It was an eventful race in which three of their better fancied rivals were carried out by a loose horse. 

There was a gap of more than two years before he entered the winner’s enclosure again, once more on a bank holiday, this time at Towcester on Whit Monday, May 27, 1973, when steering Packer, owned by Mr K. Girling (presumably Peter’s father), to victory by a two and a half lengths in the Astcote Selling Handicap Hurdle. 

An even longer gap preceded a fourth win, but on Boxing Day 1978 Indired, trained by Shafteshbury-based Mrs Ann Finch, coasted home by 15 lengths in the South West Novices’ Hurdle at Newton Abbot. Following an unplaced effort at Wincanton on January 11, Peter and Indired returned to Newton Abbot seven days later and won again, but this time it was much closer as they beat Otter Way (who would go on to achieve much better things over fences for his owner-trainer Oliver Carter) by just a length in the Chelston Novices’ Hurdle (Division 1). 

Peter retained the ride when Indired was switched to fences the following season and they duly had their first success over the bigger obstacles when landing the Sidbury Handicap Chase by four lengths at Worcester on March 5. They reappeared nine days later and won the Kildare Novices’ Chase (Division 2) at Chepstow by the same margin. 

Two disappointing efforts followed, the second of them at Chepstow on Easter Monday, April 7, 1980, when last of four finishers in the Beachley Handicap Chase. That was Peter’s final ride. 

Peter Girling’s wins were, in chronological order:

1. Longfield House, Devon & Exeter, December 18, 1970

2. Lone Native, Wincanton, April 12, 1971

3. Packer, Towcester, May 27, 1973

4, Indired, Newton Abbot, December 26, 1978

5. Indired, Newton Abbot, January 18, 1979

6. Indired, Worcester, March 5, 1980

7. Indired, Chepstow, March 14, 1980