Thomas Hair

Thomas Hair

Born in 1876, Thomas Hair was an Irish jockey who, along with his brothers James and Robert, held British National Hunt jockeys’ licences around the turn of the 20th century. On one afternoon in April 1900, Thomas and James both recorded doubles at separate meetings. 

Thomas had his first win in Britain when dead-heating at the Carmarthenshire Hunt fixture on February 9, 1898. His mount, Lady Fitztraver, and Fountains Abbey, ridden by his owner Mr L. G. Edmunds, could not be separated at the end of the Derllys Selling Hurdle. It was the second time the joint-winners had clashed, having finished second and third at the Tenby Hunt meeting six days earlier, with Fountains Abbey just finishing ahead on that occasion.

Thomas’s next victory was at the Llangibby and Tredegar Hunt meeting in November, when steering Pollio to win the Rupera Selling Hurdle by three lengths. Later that same afternoon he had a similar margin of success when Wild Heather II took the Tredegar Hurdle. Pollio had dead-heated for first place at the course the previous day when ridden by James Hair. 

Thomas rode three winners in each of the next two years and ended with a total of nine wins in Britain. At Worcester on April 19, 1900, he won the last two races on the card, the Worcester Hunt Chase on Ellie by 20 lengths, and the Moderate Class Handicap Chase by a length and a half on Tip Cat. Meanwhile, on the same afternoon, James Hair registered his own double at Haydock Park. Later that month James rode Tip Cat to victory at Shirley Hunt.

Thomas continued to ride occasionally in Britain, having his final mount when a faller on Sulky Nun in the Petrel Selling Handicap Hurdle at Hexham on October 9, 1907. James Hair had his last ride in Britain later the same month at Cheltenham.  

Thomas Hair’s British winners were, in chronological order:

1. Lady Fitztraver, Carmarthenshire Hunt, February 8, 1898 (dead-heat)

2. Pollio, Llangibby and Tredegar, November 17, 1898

3. Wild Heather II, Llangibby and Tredegar, November 17, 1898

4. Rosegarland II, Carmarthenshire Hunt, February 2, 1899

5. Pollio, Tenby Hunt, February 10, 1899

6. Rissoto, Ludlow, March 8, 1899

7. Walton Pride, Banbury Hunt, April 6, 1900

8. Ellie, Worcester, April 19, 1900

9. Tip Cat, Worcester, April 19, 1900

It is clear that Thomas and James Hair were associated with the same trainer or trainers, for Pollio, Walton Pride, Ellie and Tip Cat, who comprised five of Thomas’s nine winners, were also ridden to victory at some stage by James.