Fred Messer
Reproduced by kind permission of Bernard Parkin
Article by Chris Pitt
Fred Messer was born in the Cotswold village of Bibury on August 5, 1949 and was a graduate of the famous Frenchie Nicholson apprentice academy. He served a five-year apprenticeship at Nicholson’s Cheltenham yard from 1965 to 1970 and made a promising start to his career, achieving his first success in a historic handicap and rattling up a score of 15 winners during that initial season.
Fred Messer was born in the Cotswold village of Bibury on August 5, 1949 and was a graduate of the famous Frenchie Nicholson apprentice academy. He served a five-year apprenticeship at Nicholson’s Cheltenham yard from 1965 to 1970 and made a promising start to his career, achieving his first success in a historic handicap and rattling up a score of 15 winners during that initial season.
In fact, his tally could have been slightly more had things gone his way, for he suffered the disappointment of having his first ‘winner’ disqualified. Eloped was the name of the horse. Having taken the lead three furlongs from home in the Rugeley Stayers’ Handicap at Wolverhampton on Tuesday, April 12, 1966, Fred kept his mount going to hold off the favourite, Bladnoch Brig, by a head, but the stewards deemed that Eloped had bumped the runner-up and promptly reversed the placings.
In fact, his tally could have been slightly more had things gone his way, for he suffered the disappointment of having his first ‘winner’ disqualified. Eloped was the name of the horse. Having taken the lead three furlongs from home in the Rugeley Stayers’ Handicap at Wolverhampton on Tuesday, April 12, 1966, Fred kept his mount going to hold off the favourite, Bladnoch Brig, by a head, but the stewards deemed that Eloped had bumped the runner-up and promptly reversed the placings.
However, Fred didn’t have to wait long – just seven days, in fact – to put that disappointment behind him, and what a race in which to do it, the two and a quarter mile Great Metropolitan Handicap on the opening day of Epsom’s Spring Meeting, April 19, 1966. Despite putting up 5lb overweight at 6st 12lb and being slowly away – the start was immediately in front of the stands, the runners galloping the reverse way up the course for about half a mile, then taking a right turn and meandering across the Downs before re-joining the racecourse ‘proper’ at roughly the mile pole – Fred brought the Martin Tate-trained grey mare Cullen through to lead two and a half furlongs from home to win by two lengths.
However, Fred didn’t have to wait long – just seven days, in fact – to put that disappointment behind him, and what a race in which to do it, the two and a quarter mile Great Metropolitan Handicap on the opening day of Epsom’s Spring Meeting, April 19, 1966. Despite putting up 5lb overweight at 6st 12lb and being slowly away – the start was immediately in front of the stands, the runners galloping the reverse way up the course for about half a mile, then taking a right turn and meandering across the Downs before re-joining the racecourse ‘proper’ at roughly the mile pole – Fred brought the Martin Tate-trained grey mare Cullen through to lead two and a half furlongs from home to win by two lengths.
The following month, Fred steered Michael Pope’s evergreen eleven-year-old Pheidippides to victory at Warwick, winning on him again at Chester in July to give him the first leg of a double that day, completed by John Sutcliffe’s Bay Pardan in the Red Deer Handicap. He rode two more winners during Chepstow’s August Bank Holiday fixture, on Ken Cundell’s Welshman – who the previous year had won the last race ever staged at Birmingham’s Bromford Bridge racecourse – and Colin Davies’ juvenile Ballyfall.
The following month, Fred steered Michael Pope’s evergreen eleven-year-old Pheidippides to victory at Warwick, winning on him again at Chester in July to give him the first leg of a double that day, completed by John Sutcliffe’s Bay Pardan in the Red Deer Handicap. He rode two more winners during Chepstow’s August Bank Holiday fixture, on Ken Cundell’s Welshman – who the previous year had won the last race ever staged at Birmingham’s Bromford Bridge racecourse – and Colin Davies’ juvenile Ballyfall.
He finished second, beaten half a length, in that year’s Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood on Michael Pope’s sprinter French Parade. He subsequently gained a measure of compensation when scoring twice within 48 hours on French Parade at Ascot’s September meeting, landing the Buckingham Palace Handicap on the Thursday and the Star and Garter Stakes on the Saturday. Two days after that, he rode another double, this time at Nottingham, on Bill Watts’ Starene and Michael Pope’s Blasé Simon.
He finished second, beaten half a length, in that year’s Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood on Michael Pope’s sprinter French Parade. He subsequently gained a measure of compensation when scoring twice within 48 hours on French Parade at Ascot’s September meeting, landing the Buckingham Palace Handicap on the Thursday and the Star and Garter Stakes on the Saturday. Two days after that, he rode another double, this time at Nottingham, on Bill Watts’ Starene and Michael Pope’s Blasé Simon.
It was a good start to his career and there was every reason to suspect it would have been more of the same in 1967, but it wasn’t to be. Rapidly rising weight saw him put on 23lb in a short time, and within eighteen months of that excellent first season on the Flat, he’d applied for a jump jockey’s licence.
It was a good start to his career and there was every reason to suspect it would have been more of the same in 1967, but it wasn’t to be. Rapidly rising weight saw him put on 23lb in a short time, and within eighteen months of that excellent first season on the Flat, he’d applied for a jump jockey’s licence.
However, opportunities in that sphere proved scarce and he rode just two winners, both during the 1970/71 season, the first on Phil Allingham’s selling hurdler Coronation Heath at Uttoxeter on January 14, 1971; the second on Steve Norton’s Dale Hills in a similar contest at Doncaster on March 1.
However, opportunities in that sphere proved scarce and he rode just two winners, both during the 1970/71 season, the first on Phil Allingham’s selling hurdler Coronation Heath at Uttoxeter on January 14, 1971; the second on Steve Norton’s Dale Hills in a similar contest at Doncaster on March 1.
Fred went out of racing not long afterwards, leaving Newmarket (where he was then based) and returning to Cheltenham where he worked as a postman. However, he was later enticed back into the sport and served as Ian Williams’ first head lad when he began training in 1988 at Portway, near Alcester, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
Fred went out of racing not long afterwards, leaving Newmarket (where he was then based) and returning to Cheltenham where he worked as a postman. However, he was later enticed back into the sport and served as Ian Williams’ first head lad when he began training in 1988 at Portway, near Alcester, on the outskirts of Birmingham.
Fred had a race named after him, run at Warwick.
Fred had a race named after him, run at Warwick.