Bill Myles

Bill Myles

William Conleith Myles, known as Bill, rode three winners under National Hunt rules in the late 1930s in a career impacted by World War II. Although he held a licence after the war, he had no further success. 

He had his first ride at Birmingham on November 30, 1937, when Sanacre was unplaced in the Selling Three-Year-Old Hurdle.

George Todd, based then at East Ilsley, trained Bill’s first winner when Hot Water took the Lambourn Selling Handicap Hurdle at Newbury on January 27, 1938, beating Veldt, ridden by Hywel Jones, by three lengths. Hot Water was sold after the race and Bill had to wait more than a year for another win.  

This finally came at Gatwick on February 1, 1939, when Prince Memnon narrowly landed the Surrey Chase by a head, with Hywel Jones again finding himself in the runner-up spot, this time on Knightsbrook. 

Tommy Rayson trained Prince Memnon and supplied what would prove to be Bill’s last winner when Mixed Foursome recorded a 15-length victory in the Curfew Chase at Windsor on February 15, 1939. 

Bill kept the ride on both horses but could not add to his score. His last ride before the war brought the temporary cessation of jump racing was in April 1940. He resumed at Worcester on December 15, 1945, finishing second on his comeback ride. 

That was as near as he came to riding a winner. He continued for the next couple of seasons and had what appeared to be his final outing when finishing last of four on League in the Castleton Handicap Chase at Newport on Whit Monday, May 17, 1948. 

However, he made a brief reappearance at the start of the 1950/51 season, finishing ninth of 20 runners on Our Tilda in the Shorncliffe Three-Year-Old Hurdle at Folkestone on September 4, 1950. That race was run over a mile and a half with six flights of hurdles and was one of the last to be held over that distance before the minimum trip was extended to two miles.