Cuthbert Hamshaw

Cuthbert Oswald Hamshaw was born on 22 May 1893 at Little Bowden, Leicester. He served his apprenticeship initially with Robert Sherwood, then with Percy Peck at Newmarket, before having his indentures transferred to John Hallick’s stable at Lambourn. He rode his first winner when aged 18 on Victor Tabor’s two-year-old chestnut filly Regal Law in the Humberstone Selling Plate at Leicester on Tuesday, 14 November 1911.

When his apprenticeship finished, he appears to have gone to ride in Ireland, where he was associated with John T. (Jack) Rogers, who trained at Crotanstown, the Curragh. Rogers was an Englishman who had moved to Ireland in 1915 following the reduction of racing in England during the First World War. Formerly a National Hunt jockey, he missed the winning ride on Kirkland in the 1905 Grand National due to an eye injury. Before moving to Ireland he had trained a small but successful string at Cheltenham, from where he sent out Broxted to win the Stewards Cup at Goodwood in 1911. He became leading trainer in Ireland for three successive seasons, 1935-37, and trained Sir Victor Sassoon’s colt Museum to win the 1935 Irish Derby in the hands of Steve Donoghue.

Cuthbert held a British Flat jockey’s licence from 1918-21. He failed to ride a winner in 1918 but rode three in 1919, all of them trained in Ireland by Rogers. They were:

Golden Fleece, Copeland Plate, Haydock Park, May 24

Damaged Goods, White Lodge Selling Plate, Haydock Park, July 11

Orange Water, Juvenile Two-Year-Old Selling Plate, Liverpool, July 25

He also enjoyed a fair measure of success for Rogers in Ireland that year, his wins including the Derby Test Plate and the Summer Plate, both on Refugee, the Rathbride Handicap on Cylla, the Autumn Nursery Handicap on Orange Water, and the valuable Hibernian Handicap on Duff, all at the Curragh. In addition, he won on Mariage Gift in the Weight-for-Age Plate and Dorama in the Castlenock Plate, both at Phoenix Park; and on Duff in the Carrickmines Handicap at Leopardstown. He also rode Duff to victory in the 1920 Irish Cambridgeshire.

Cuthbert held a British licence in 1924 and then between 1926 and 1930. He rode just two winners in England during that time, both of them in 1929. They were:

Princess Roseta, Borough (2yo) Selling Plate, Yarmouth, May 22

Princess Roseta, De Lacy (2yo) Selling Plate, Pontefract, July 30

Both those winners were trained by Hubert Hamshaw at Exning, Newmarket. It is not clear exactly what relation Hubert was to Cuthbert, but Cuthbert was also living in Exning at the time.

He retired from race-riding in 1930 and trained briefly (1931-32), based at Prees Heath, near Whitchurch, in Shropshire. His best horse was Silver Castor, who he trained to win five races in a row in 1931 including the Edinburgh Gold Cup, ridden by Tommy Weston. When he relinquished his trainer’s licence, he had been a jockey and trainer for 25 years.

During World War Two, he was captured and held at Ruhleben internment camp, near Berlin, as a prisoner of war. When the war ended, he formed a wholesale tool manufacturing business with his son, John, located at Oadby, in Leicester. The firm, C. O. Hamshaw & Son, expanded several times, eventually employing 28 people.

Cuthbert Hamshaw remained actively involved in the family business right up until his death, aged 85, at his home, 8 Greendale Road, Glen Parva, Leicester, on 10 October 1978. He left a wife, Mabel, son John, two grandchildren and one great-grandson. He also left £90,382 gross, £83,215 net.