Jim Laurie
Article by Chris Pitt
Article by Chris Pitt
National Hunt jockey James Buchanan Thompson Laurie held a licence between 1967 and 1974 and rode a total of 26 winners. He was associated with Malpas, Cheshire trainer Doug Francis – brother of Dick Francis – throughout his career and rode his first winner on novice hurdler Lostford Boy at Uttoxeter on Thursday, May 16, 1968.
National Hunt jockey James Buchanan Thompson Laurie held a licence between 1967 and 1974 and rode a total of 26 winners. He was associated with Malpas, Cheshire trainer Doug Francis – brother of Dick Francis – throughout his career and rode his first winner on novice hurdler Lostford Boy at Uttoxeter on Thursday, May 16, 1968.
Jim had to wait until the following spring for his next success, another Francis-trained novice hurdler named Matanza at Bangor-on-Dee on April 12, 1969, but they followed that by winning again at Hexham seven days later. He rode four more winners in 1969/70 including one over fences on the Francis-trained novice chaser Bay Feather, who sprang a 20-1 shock at Nottingham.
Jim had to wait until the following spring for his next success, another Francis-trained novice hurdler named Matanza at Bangor-on-Dee on April 12, 1969, but they followed that by winning again at Hexham seven days later. He rode four more winners in 1969/70 including one over fences on the Francis-trained novice chaser Bay Feather, who sprang a 20-1 shock at Nottingham.
Having doubled his score from one to two to four in each of the three preceding seasons, Jim duly doubled it again to eight in 1970/71, those wins including two on a decent juvenile hurdler named Vitbe, at Nottingham in December and Cheltenham in April. They were also first past the post at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day but were disqualified for interference and placed second. He also won both divisions of the Dee Novices’ Hurdle at Bangor on April 23, 1971, aboard La Danza and Towers Wood, both trained by Doug Francis.
Having doubled his score from one to two to four in each of the three preceding seasons, Jim duly doubled it again to eight in 1970/71, those wins including two on a decent juvenile hurdler named Vitbe, at Nottingham in December and Cheltenham in April. They were also first past the post at Wolverhampton on Boxing Day but were disqualified for interference and placed second. He also won both divisions of the Dee Novices’ Hurdle at Bangor on April 23, 1971, aboard La Danza and Towers Wood, both trained by Doug Francis.
Jim was unable to maintain the score doubling momentum from thereon, riding six winners in 1971/72, the highlight being a double at Warwick on November 20 on Copper Canyon and Vitbe. And that score was halved to just three the following season, two of them being for Doug Francis on hurdler El Danza and chaser Line Regiment.
Jim was unable to maintain the score doubling momentum from thereon, riding six winners in 1971/72, the highlight being a double at Warwick on November 20 on Copper Canyon and Vitbe. And that score was halved to just three the following season, two of them being for Doug Francis on hurdler El Danza and chaser Line Regiment.
He rode two winners in what was to be his final season as a jockey, 1973/74, both of them trained by Francis, namely Line Regiment up at Perth on September 27 and, lastly, Broxton Lyric in a two-mile novices’ chase at Nottingham on Monday, December 10, 1973.
He rode two winners in what was to be his final season as a jockey, 1973/74, both of them trained by Francis, namely Line Regiment up at Perth on September 27 and, lastly, Broxton Lyric in a two-mile novices’ chase at Nottingham on Monday, December 10, 1973.