Born on 12 January 1904, William Henry Ibbett was placed three times over hurdles within a fortnight in the latter part of 1923 but never quite managed to finish in front.
Riding the ten-year-old Chaltoi, trained by Victor Tabor, William finished second, beaten two lengths, in the Slough Handicap Hurdle at Hawthorn Hill on 22 November; second again, beaten half a length, in the St Margaret’s Selling Hurdle at Kempton Park on 30 November, and third, beaten less than a length, in the Horsham Selling Handicap Hurdle at Gatwick on 6 December.
The great hurdle race specialist George Duller then replaced William and rode Chaltoi to win his next race, the Palace Selling Handicap Hurdle at Hurst Park on 15 December. Chaltoi. was sold at the post-race action to trainer Jock Langlands on behalf of Mr D’Arcy Baker. He then won at Kempton Park on Boxing Day for his new connections, ridden on that occasion by Major Edward Doyle.
Unable to claim an allowance due to having ridden over jumps, William made his Flat debut when finishing last of eighteen on Great Span in the Easter Three-Year-Old Stakes at Kempton Park on Easter Monday, 21 April 1924.
Four years later, Great Span was arguably unlucky not to win the Grand National. Ridden by seventeen-year-old Bill Payne, he appeared to be going best at the second-last fence when the saddle slipped, giving the jockey no chance of staying on board.
As for William Ibbett, he rode as a fully-fledged jockey in both 1924 and 1925 but failed to ride a winner.
He died in Gloucester in 1987.