John Mead

John Henry Mead was a prominent amateur rider under National Hunt rules for a decade, winning 31 races, including a winner at the Cheltenham Festival. He had a remarkable record in Sandown Park’s Royal Artillery Gold Cup, winning it four times on four different horses and being in the frame on ten further occasions from a total of 16 mounts. 

Born on April 26, 1942, his first ride under NH rules was at Sandown’s Grand Military meeting on March 19, 1965, when Pax Vobis, a previous dual winner of the Royal Artillery Gold Cup, finished sixth of seven to complete in the Past and Present Hunters’ Chase. 

Two weeks later, on April 2, he had his first ride over hurdles when the filly Last Town, owned and trained by Mrs Mita Easton (although her husband officially held the licence as women were not allowed to be registered as trainers until the following year) came home a tailed off last of four finishers in the Cheltenham Four-Year-Old Hurdle. They fared little better next time out when beating only one home in the Easter Four-Year-Old Hurdle at Plumpton on Easter Monday, then ran out in an optional selling chase at Taunton in May. 

Last Town fell on her first start of the 1965/66 season when partnered by Clive Candy. John then managed to get her round safely when sixth of seven to complete in a Windsor novice chase in December. She then fell with David Elsworth at Cheltenham in January and trailed in last under David Moore at Newbury, before springing a 20/1 surprise by winning at Wincanton in the hands of Clive Candy in March. Understandably, he kept the ride for the remainder of the season. 

John was reunited with Last Town for the 1966/67 campaign and finished third at Wincanton and fourth at Taunton before finally gaining his first success on her in the Fox Chase at Wincanton on Boxing Day. Coming to the final fence it looked likely that victory would go to Eddie Harty on Storming. Harty had already won four races on the card, three for Fred Winter and one for Fred Rimell, but was denied a five-timer when Last Town came with a strong late run to take the lead near the finish and score by a length. Although women had been granted licenses earlier that year in a historic court ruling after Florence Nagle had taken the Jockey Club to Court, Mrs Easton had not yet applied for hers and so Last Town was still officially trained by her husband. 

John’s next two wins were on his own horse Goshawk, first in a Hereford novices’ hurdle on Easter Monday 1967 (beating Sir Mark Prescott’s mount Royal Manor by two lengths), followed six months later by victory in the Anthony Mildmay Amateur Riders’ Hurdle at Devon & Exeter. 

He recorded his first success in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup on April 3, 1968, when Rosie’s Cousin, the 100/7 outsider of seven runners, comfortably beat the 7/2 favourite Esquire, the mount of the far more experienced David Wales, by five lengths, with past dual winner Sunsketch, partnered by his owner Captain Franey Matthews, a length and a half back in third. Rosie’s Cousin was owned and trained by Droitwich, Worcester permit holder Major Harold Rushton.

Former jump jockey Alan Oughton provided John with his second Royal Artillery Gold Cup winner in 1969, when Solimyth scored an equally comfortable success by six lengths from the 15/8 favourite Pirolace. John would go on to ride several winners for Oughton, including four on the chaser Brumby Hill.

Two years later, the six-year-old The Ghost, owned and trained by Lt-Colonel le Marchant at Lyndhurst, Hampshire, gave John his third ‘Gunners’ Gold Cup’, as the race was popularly known, when collaring long-time leader Pirolace at the last fence and running on to win by two lengths. 

John won for a second time on The Ghost later that year when landing the Levy Board Handicap Chase at Wincanton’s Christmas meeting. By then being trained professionally by Vernon Cross, The Ghost went on to win his next two starts, namely the Fred Withington Chase at Cheltenham and the Fairmile Chase at Sandown in the hands of Andy Turnell, then John was reunited with him to achieve a big race victory when beating 14 rivals to claim the Kim Muir Memorial Challenge Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, overhauling Kinloch Brae on the run-in to score by two lengths. 

Sadly, The Ghost was destined to meet a tragic end in a road accident while being given road work alongside seven-year-old novice chaser Indaba one weekend in February 1974, when a Land Rover ran into the back of them.

John had teamed up with his old rival Pirolace in 1973 for his fourth Royal Artillery Gold Cup victory. This time the race was held at Kempton Park due to Sandown being closed for refurbishment. Once again Pirolace finished second, but the first past the post, Straight Eight, ridden by veteran Bill Tellwright, had hung badly left after the last fence before scraping home by as head, and John’s mount was awarded the race following an objection. 

He had his best season numerically in 1975/76 with six winners, including Parkhouse, owned and by then officially trained by Mrs Mita Easton, in the Oak Open Handicap Hurdle at Sandown’s Grand Military meeting.  

Parkhouse also gave John what proved to be his last win of his career when landing the Les Ambassadeurs Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park on October 16, 1976. It was his fifth win on the horse and it was fitting that his final win should be on one owned and trained by the lady who owned – and unofficially trained – his first winner a decade earlier. 

John continued to hold a licence until the 1982/83 season but rode no more winners, although he was twice second in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup. He had his last ride in the race when a distant fourth of five finishes aboard County Clare on March 29, 1983. 

John Mead’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Last Town, Wincanton, December 16, 1966

2. Goshawk, Hereford, March 27, 1967

3. Goshawk, Devon & Exeter, September 20, 1967

4. Rosie’s Cousin, Sandown Park, April 3, 1968

5. Solimyth, Sandown Park, April 9 1969

6. Tristram II, Fontwell Park, September 3, 1969

7. Brumby Hill, Sandown Park, March 12, 1971

8. The Ghost, Sandown Park, March 31, 1971

9. Brumby Hill, Taunton, November 11, 1971

10. Brumby Hill, Kempton Park, November 17, 1971

11. The Ghost, Wincanton, December 27, 1971

12. The Ghost, Cheltenham, March 15, 1972

13. Steppe, Sandown Park, March 29, 1972

14. Brumby Hill, Plumpton, October 24, 1972

15. Willow Hound, Doncaster, February 26, 1973

16. Pirolace, Kempton Park, March 27, 1973

17. Parkhouse, Worcester, August 22, 1973

18. Mr Shut Eye, Devon & Exeter, August 30, 1973

19. Percy Crummles, Kempton Park, November 15, 1973

20. Bramwell Boy, Taunton, December 27, 1973

21. Straight Eight, Ascot, April 5, 1974

22. Garrymust, Wincanton, January 16, 1975

23. Parkhouse, Newton Abbot, February 18, 1975

24. Garrymust, Lingfield Park, February 27, 1975

25. Garrymust, Wincanton, September 18, 1975

26. Parkhouse, Newton Abbot, December 26, 1975

27. Solid Gold, Taunton, December 27, 1975

28. Bredgar, Plumpton, March 9, 1976

29. Parkhouse, Sandown Park, March 13, 1976

30. Garrymust, Worcester, May 10, 1976

31. Parkhouse, Kempton Park, October 16, 1976

John Mead’s record in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup 1967-1983

1967:  Unseated on Time Is Money

1968: Won on Rosie’s Cousin

1969: Won on Solimyth

1970: Fourth on Barney’s Boy

1971: Won on The Ghost

1972: Pulled up on Mick’s Worry

1973: Won on Pirolace

1974: Third on Straight Eight

1975: Fourth on Benlech Bay

1976: Third on Neat Perry

1977: Second on Mr Gay

1978: Second on Black Outlook

1979: Fourth on Icefloe

1980: Third on Quimilt

1981: No mount

1982: Fourth on Deiseach

1983: Fourth on Conty Clare

Thanks to Alan Trout for contributing the majority of this article and also John Mead’s list of wins and his record in the Royal Artillery Gold Cup.