Charles Laver

Article by Chris Pitt

National Hunt jockey Charles Frederick Laver was one of many who lost a large chunk of their careers because of World War II. Nonetheless, he picked up the threads on his return and managed to ride a total of 27 winners.

One of his earliest successes came at Tarporley Hunt, an annual fixture that failed to survive the war, aboard the grey Running Sand. The 100/6 complete outsider of the eight-horse field for the three-mile Beeston Castle Chase, Running Sand led at the last and ran on to beat Harry Llewellyn’s mount Silver Grail by three lengths, with Toreley, ridden by ‘Babe’ Mosely, half a length further back in third.

He won on Running Sand again at Uttoxeter on 10 October 1938 and landed a selling chase at Derby on Cubicle in February 1939, but the advent of war later that year meant that it was several years before he would be back in the winner’s enclosure.

After the war, he rode for Fred Rimell’s Kinnersley stable and enjoyed a fruitful time during the spring of 1947, beginning with an Easter Monday double at Hereford on handicap chaser Le Sphinx and novice chaser Joyful Skipper, both trained by Rimell. He won on novice hurdler Mandate at Newport at the end of April, juvenile hurdler Corunna at Taunton on May 2, handicap chaser Silver Duchess at Stratford on May 15, Joyful Skipper at Hereford two days later, selling chaser Divergence at Hereford on Whit Monday, and Silver Duchess again at Buckfastleigh on June 7, all bar Divergence being trained by Rimell.

He won twice on Rimell’s two-mile chaser Ross Burn at Newton Abbot and Newport during the autumn of 1947; on December 5 he landed the Evesham Handicap Chase at Worcester on 14-year-old Vitement for Aslockton trainer Rip Bissill; and at the end of the season he won a selling hurdle on Jacky on the first day of the final meeting ever staged at Newport.

Charles rode three winners during the 1948/49 campaign, namely Historical Revue at Newton Abbot in September, Joyful Skipper at Taunton in February, and Kidlington at Towcester on Whit Monday.

Three more winners came his way in 1949/50, selling hurdlers Kidlington at Ludlow in September and State Coach at Worcester in October, and Tim Hamey’s handicap hurdler Sahara, at Wolverhampton on March 14.

He began training the following season, based initially at Toddington, in Gloucestershire, and then at Henley in Arden, midway between Birmingham at Stratford on Avon. He scored an early success when both training and riding selling hurdler Unguent to win at Buckfastleigh on August 12, 1950. Later that season he trained and rode Master Venture to spring a 20/1 surprise at Woore on May 3, 1951.

Master Venture carried Charles to victory at Devon & Exeter at the start of the 1951/52 campaign. He rode what was to be his final winner on Jack Bissill’s novice hurdler Funicula at Hereford on Easter Monday, April 14, 1952.

Sadly, the training operation failed to survive beyond 1952 and, although he continued to hold a jockey’s licence until 1955, he rode no more winners.