Ray Morrissey

Ray Morrissey

Raymond Alan Morrissey held a jump jockey’s licence for the 1970/71 season and rode two winners. The first of these came at Wye on March 1, 1971, when he partnered the favourite, Tilius, to victory in the Canterbury Long Distance Handicap Hurdle, beating President Elect, ridden by Falcon Collings, by five lengths. Trained by Jack Holt, the six-year-old had been ridden by Ray in his previous two starts. 

Back at Wye 14 days later, he scored again on another of Jack Holt’s horses, the six-year-old Chief Of Staff, in the Folkestone Handicap Hurdle, this time beating Bay Wreath, the mount of Ron Atkins, by eight lengths. Ray had been placed on her three times earlier in the season. He kept the ride but not could not repeat the success in two subsequent starts. 

He did not hold a licence for the next two seasons but renewed it for the 1973/74 campaign. He had at least three rides, all on Bravello, the final one at Hereford on May 2, 1974, when coming home ninth of 13 finishers in the Holmer Handicap Hurdle. That was his last ride.

By strange coincidence, Wye, the course at which he had ridden the only two winners of his career, staged its last day’s racing that same day, May 2, 1974. The reason for its closure was that the Jockey Club required the bend out of the back straight to be banked to overcome the adverse camber. The Club also insisted on improvements to the weighing room facilities, unsaddling area and stands, plus the installation of a photo finish camera.

In August 1974 a meeting took place at Wye, consisting of jockey Ron Atkins, the Jockey Club’s course inspector Neil Wyatt, clerk of the course Dennis Wyatt (no relation), landowner Philip Long and the racecourse groundsman. It was suggested that the notorious bend be cut and laid to help reduce the cost of cambering. The cost of the work was estimated at around £40,000 (1974 prices), a sum the Long family were not prepared to fund. Nor was the Levy Board prepared to offer financial assistance.

The 1974 autumn meetings were cancelled on the pretext that works were to be carried out on the bends. However, although attempts were made to raise the funds, without Levy Board assistance it proved an impossible task. In May 1975, Dennis Wyatt announced: “Wye is finished as a racecourse. It has not been possible to raise the money required to bring the course and its facilities up to the standards required by the Jockey Club.” 

Remarkably, 53 years after Ray Morrissey’s second Wye victory on Chief Of Staff on March 15, 1971, four of the first six jockeys home in that race, namely Ron Atkins, Bill Smith, Graham Thorner and David Mould, were reunited at an event at Fontwell Park on May 16, 2024, to celebrate the centenary of Fontwell’s first meeting. That month also marked the 50th anniversary of the last day’s racing at Wye.