Anthony Hedditch

Anthony Paul Hedditch held a National Hunt jockey’s licence between 1960 and 1963 and rode a total of five winners. He was associated with two permit-holders, Cliff Rowland and Reg Dibsdall, both of whom trained at Sturminster Newton in Dorset.

He had his first ride in public on Pearly Festival, owned and trained by Cliff Rowland, in the Powderham Hurdle at Devon & Exeter on August 18, 1960, finishing seventh of eleven. Nine days later they finished second at Buckfastleigh, then, next time out on September 23, Pearly Festival gave his rider his first success when winning the Ilfracombe Handicap Hurdle at Newton Abbot.

Reginald Dibsdall appears just once in Horses in Training, the 1961 edition, based at Barter Farm, Hinton St Mary, Sturminster Newton, with just one horse in training, a gelding named Clyde Pilot. He became Hedditch’s second winner when landing a long-distance handicap hurdle at Wincanton on Boxing Day 1960.

A warning of things to come occurred on October 7, 1961, when he had to put up 7lb overweight on Cliff Rowland’s mare Cherry Queen in a handicap hurdle at Taunton. It was a similar situation next time out at Wincanton, putting up 8lb extra to ride at 10st 3lb. To further rub salt into the wounds, Cherry Queen fell.

Nonetheless, he bounced back to ride three winners in that 1961/62 campaign, all of them on Pearly Festival. They comprised two handicap hurdles at Wincanton a fortnight apart in November and a Newton Abbot selling hurdle on Boxing Day.

He rode Pearly Festival on his first start of the 1962/63 campaign, finishing eighth of nine at Newton Abbot on September 22. Thereafter, however, amateur rider Ray Baker took over on him for the rest of the season and Alan found his opportunities limited.

On Easter Monday 1963 he finished second, beaten a length, on Clyde Pilot in the Town Handicap Hurdle at Hereford. He’d put up 7lb overweight to ride at 10st 5lb, which almost certainly constituted the difference between victory and defeat.

He had just one more ride in public, that being on Balle D’Or for trainer Geoff Turk in a Uttoxeter selling hurdle on May 11, 1963. Again, he was forced to put up overweight to ride at 10st 4lb. He finished out of the frame, though the form book result of that race only records the first four finishers in the 23-runner field. He did not renew his licence the next season.

Pearly Festival continued to race for four more years, finishing second on his final start at Devon & Exeter in August 1967 at the advanced age of fifteen. He won several races during his long career. However, it appears that rising weight brought a premature end to the career of Anthony Hedditch, Pearly Festival’s one-time regular jockey.

Anthony Hedditch’s winners were:

1. Pearly Festival, Newton Abbot, September 23, 1960

2. Clyde Pilot, Wincanton, December 26, 1960

3. Pearly Festival, Wincanton, November 16, 1961

4. Pearly Festival, Wincanton, November 30, 1961

5. Pearly Festival, Newton Abbot, December 26, 1961