Harry Hedges

Harry Hedges

1884-1948

Christened Henry but always known as Harry, Harry Hedges rode six winners over jumps, spread over 15 years, and then trained successfully under both codes for a quarter of a century. 

Born in 1884, Harry was apprenticed to his father, A.W. Hedges, who trained at Windsor Heath, and he later worked for Joseph Kelly. He had his first ride when Wedding Tour finished unplaced at the North Warwickshire National Hunt fixture at Leamington Spa on April 10, 1907, a race won by that year’s Grand National-winning jockey Alf Newey on Gallerano. 

Harry’s first win came at Plumpton on May 31, 1909, when Drinaugh landed the Portslade Selling Handicap Chase, beating Perdicus, the mount of Edward Coleman, by three-quarters of a length. At Southwell seven days later, Drinaugh gave Harry his second win by a length and a half in the Rolleston Selling Handicap Chase. 

He rode in the 1910 Scottish Grand National at Bogside but his amount, Red Cloud, fell. Three years then elapsed before his next success, which came on Chessington in the Selling Chase at Chelmsford on November 27, 1913. 

An even longer gap ensued – largely on account of the First World War – before his next win, but Harry’s perseverance was finally rewarded with victory in the Thursday Selling Handicap Hurdle at Windsor on December 11, 1919, when his mount Tim beat two rivals. He had had a few rides on the Flat earlier that year but met with no success. 

There was yet another sizable gap before he recorded win number five when San Rafel was a comfortable winner of the Harville Hurdle at Wye on March 13, 1922. Remarkably, the six-year-old was winning his second race of the afternoon, for he had earlier landed the Wye Selling Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Georges Pellerin. Pellerin elected to desert San Rafael in favour of The Minorite in the later race but could only finish third. 

Harry’s sixth and final victory was on one he also trained, namely Pommel, who won the Waveney Selling Hurdle at Bungay on April 9, 1924. The five-year-old had already won his first race of the season, at Windsor in January, when ridden by James Clark, giving Harry one of his first wins as a trainer.

Based at The Grove Stables in Epsom, Harry’s training career mostly involved moderate horses bought for small amounts. In 1931 he had eight winners, the most expensive of which cost £55. That year he achieved a level of fame with a moderate horse called Ballyscanlon. Forever looking at ways to ‘solve’ problem horses, Harry discovered the horse refused to respond to the whip but responded to a rattle. Eventually, the Jockey Club ruled against this, but as Harry pointed out “it is more humane than the whip.”

He went on to gain his biggest success when 10-1 chance Fet won the 1936 Cesarewitch, despite jockey Albert ‘Midge’ Richardson having to put up 5lb overweight at 6st 12lb. 

At this time, most of Harry’s modest chasers were ridden by Irish National Hunt jockey Paddy Prendergast. When war broke out, Paddy returned to Ireland. When he next came back to Epsom in 1963 it was to win the Oaks with Noblesse. Prendergast was the first Irish-based trainer to be champion trainer in England, achieving the feat in 1963, 1964 and 1965. The education he received riding Harry’s chasers had evidently served him well.

After the war, Harry briefly trained a few horses for Prince Aly Khan and Stanley Wootton. As well as operating as a licensed trainer, he was also landlord of The George Hotel in High Street, Epsom, right up to the time of his death. 

Harry Hedges died on September 4, 1948. He left effects worth £9,444.

His six winners as a jockey were, in chronological order:

1. Drinaugh, Plumpton, May 31, 1909

2. Drinaugh, Southwell, June 7, 1909

3. Chessington, Chelmsford, November 27, 1913

4. Tim, Windsor, December 11, 1919

5. San Rafael, Wye, March 13, 1922

6. Pommel, Bungay, April 9, 1924 

P. Bailey, Harry’s head man. took over the yard. He sent out his first winner when Lionheart won the Risley Selling Handicap at Haydock on Wednesday, September 22 1948, at 3-1.