Reg Godden

Reg Godden

Article by Alan Trout

Reginald Joseph Godden held a National Hunt jockey’s licence from 1966/67 to 1970/71 and rode three winners during that time. 

Reg was associated with the stable of permit holder Victor Smith, who trained half a dozen horses at Charing, near Ashford, in Kent. He had one of his earliest rides when finishing second on No Aces in the Three Miles Novices’ Chase at Plumpton on April 13, 1968, beaten four lengths by a 7lb claimer named Bob Champion, who was then very much at the start of what would become a celebrated career, with a defining moment on Aldaniti in the 1981 Grand National. 

Just four months later, Reg had his first win when Rapacious, owned and trained by Victor Smith, beat Delaunay, the mount of royal jockey David Mould, by a length to take the Rother Novices’ Hurdle at Fontwell Park on August 14, 1968. 

Retaining the ride, Reg scored on him again at Wye on October 7, landing the Kennett Selling Handicap Hurdle by four lengths. Rapacious ran 16 times in all that season but could not add to his two victories. 

Reg had to wait nearly 18 months for his third, and final, win, which came at Plumpton on Monday, February 22, 1971, aboard 13-year-old Glentrust, trained by another permit holder, Denis Browning, in the Cowfold Opportunity Selling Handicap Hurdle. Normally, the trainer’s son, amateur rider John Browning, rode Glentrust. He had won on him on hard ground at Wye in October, but as the Plumpton race was for professional novice jockeys, he was ineligible to compete. Instead, Reg got the mount on Glentrust, who showed his versatility regarding ground conditions by scoring in heavy going, taking the lead on the run-in and winning by a comfortable five lengths.

He rode Glentrust to finish second at Wye next time out on March 2, but John Browning then took over again in the saddle. 

Back at Plumpton on March 25, 1971, Reg’s mount, Orator, slipped up on the flat during the Long Distance Handicap Hurdle. Whether that fall was instrumental in ending his career prematurely is not known, but he did not extend his licence beyond that season.