Percy (Ben) Lay

1914 - 2007

Article by Chris Pitt

Christened Percy Denis Lay but always known as Ben, he was born in Wantage on 6 September 1914. His parents were both from farming families, his father, also named Percy, having hunted with the Old Berks, kept all manner of horses from show jumpers to carthorses. Ben learned to ride on a donkey before graduating to ponies and hunters.

He started his racing life at the stables of Brigadier-General Winser at Chadlington, near Oxford. Hopes of having his first ride in public at Bridgnorth in May 1932 were dashed when, having got three parts of the way there, he came to a notice which read “No racing due to floods.”

Later that year, in search of better opportunities he joined first season trainer Ronnie Bennett at Eastleach Downs, near Lechlade. He had his first ride over hurdles on Bennett’s Free Slater in a novice hurdle at Cheltenham in November 1932. The same horse later provided him with his first ride over fences, at Chelmsford, where the Galleywood Common racecourse encircled a disused windmill and the church of St Michael and All Angels.

His first winner came at Cardiff aboard a novice chaser called Kemmel on 18 October 1934, but he had to wait until Easter 1936 for the second, four-year-old hurdler Grayboro’ at Torquay.

By the time war was declared, Ben’s riding career was at its height. At the 1940 National Hunt Festival on Wednesday, 13 March, he won the Grand Annual on Bachelor’s Gown for Harry Llewellyn.

However, as the following day's write-up, below, suggests, he may have been a fortunate winner.

Ben also won the Cathcart Challenge Cup on Ronnie Bennett’s Straight Larch.

The following month he had his first mount in the Grand National, Gold Arrow, an eight-year-old gelding owned by Mr J R Neill, and trained privately by Warwickshire farmer Doug Whitton. The horse’s only win had been gained in the Open Maiden Chase at the Melton Hunt fixture in March 1939, but he ran a fine race at Aintree, finishing third behind Bogskar and MacMoffat.

The following day Ben finished second, beaten a neck, on Straight Larch in the Becher Chase. By then he had become first jockey to Alec Kilpatrick and forged a fine partnership with a two-mile chaser called Jim Newcombe, winning five races in a row during 1940.

National Hunt racing continued, albeit in an abbreviated form, until March 1942. Ben was able to carry on riding and scored at successive National Hunt Festivals, winning the 1941 Broadway Novices’ Chase (now the Arkle Challenge Trophy) on Decorated, and the 1942 Gloucestershire Hurdle (now the Supreme Novices’) on Fermete, both for Kilpatrick.

In addition to riding, he had a farm at Oxhill, near Banbury, where he produced milk and corn to assist with the war effort. With no electricity available he milked the ten cows by hand. He also worked in a munitions factory near Didcot, where his fellow workers included a number of jockeys and stable lads.

When jumping resumed after the war, Ben finished runner-up to Fred Rimell for the 1945/46 jockeys’ title. By that time, however, he was nearing the end of his riding career, his best years having been blighted by the war. His final winning ride came on Southborough for Bill Wightman at Wincanton on 27 November 1947. The following day he suffered a career-ending fall at Sandown.

He started training at a rented yard in the village of Snowshill, near Broadway, and saddled his first winner, Sutton Hoo, in a selling chase at Cheltenham in November 1948. A horse called Glenandri became the stable stalwart, winning over hurdles and nine times over fences in a career spanning eleven seasons, his final victory coming at Uttoxeter when ridden by the trainer’s eldest son, also named Ben.

In 1950 he moved to Rectory Farm at Broughton, near Banbury. The best horse he trained there was multiple winning hurdler Torrabus, whose victories during the sixties and early seventies included the Lonsdale (now the Lanzarote) Hurdle at Kempton. Other contributors included the home-bred steeplechaser Head Light, who won seven races with his youngest son Victor riding, and the grey hurdler Pilgrim Father, who not only gave Victor his first riding success but also provided Jeff King with his first winner.

Ben continued to train until 1974. He kept a few broodmares and stood the occasional stallion. It was very much a family operation and the priorities of running a 180-acre cattle and mixed arable farm meant that the training side could never be on a big scale.

He died in March 2007, aged 92, having spent his final years living quietly in Banbury.