Stephen Grant

Stephen Grant

Article by Alan Trout

Stephen Paul Grant had plenty of riders over jumps in the first half of the 1980s and recorded ten victories. He was a conditional jockey with Seahouses, Northumberland trainer Reg Lamb, father of Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Ridley Lamb, and had his first ride at Sedgefield on November 2, 1976, when Forlorn Lady fell at the last flight when behind in the Teesdale Opportunity Handicap Hurdle.

More than three years elapsed before he won his first race, but at Catterick on March 26, 1980 he steered the favourite Bobby Brig to success by two and a half lengths in the Yarm Opportunity Handicap Hurdle. 

He won on him again at Hexham later that year and added another four before the season ended, including two on the novice hurdler Carat Gold. The second of these was gained at Sedgefield in April when the four-year-old was just pipped by Graham Bradley’s mount Marine Cadet at the end of the Road Show Novices’ Hurdle (Division 2) but the winner was subsequently disqualified on technical grounds. 

Stephen continued to ride the occasional winner, with Carat Gold scoring for him in a Sedgefield novices’ chase. It was at Sedgefield on November 9, 1983 that he had his last win when Young Adventurer beat three rivals in the Carlton Selling Hurdle, beating Mighty Mirage by a length and a half. Later that same afternoon he had what proved to be his final ride when River Speck finished fourth and last in the Midridge Novices’ Chase. 

Stephen Grant’s wins were, in chronological order:

1. Bobby Brig, Catterick Bridge, March 26, 1980

2. Bobby Brig, Hexham, December 10, 1980

3. Carat Gold, Catterick Bridge, December 17, 1980

4. Carat Gold, Sedgefield, April 7, 1981

5. Rooster Cogburn, Perth, May 20, 1981

6. Le Boeuf, Perth, May 21, 1981

7. Carat Gold, Sedgefield, March 16, 1982

8. Bobby Brown, Sedgefield, March 15, 1983

9. Le Boeuf, Sedgefield, May 6, 1983

10. Young Adventurer, Sedgefield, November 9, 1983