Stephen Quane

Apprentice jockey Stephen Quane was born in Peel on the Isle of Man, the son of an electrician. On leaving school he worked in a butcher’s shop for a while, until the head lad of the locally-based Concorde Bloodstock invited him to look around the yard. Before long, Stephen was learning to ride out there.

Toward the end of 1983, Concorde Bloodstock had some horses destined for America who were stopping off at Rae Guest’s livery yard in Newmarket. Stephen stayed with them for two weeks and, while he was there, was introduced to Luca Cumani. The following month he started full-time as an apprentice at Cumani’s Bedford Lodge stables.

He made a dream start to his race-rising career by winning on Cumani’s three-year-old Il Tigre in round two of the Polycell-Willie Carson Apprentice Challenge series at Goodwood on September 15, 1984, getting up close home to score by a head from No Contest, ridden by David Eddery, younger brother of Pat and Paul.

The best horse Stephen sat on while with Luca Cumani was Commanche Run. He rode him through the top paddocks for Lester Piggott to get on and ride work. That was a few days before he won the 1984 St Leger.

He rode a total of eleven winners – eight in apprentice races, three against professionals – over the next three seasons. He eventually left Cumani to join another Newmarket trainer, Alan Bailey. He also made regular northern forays to ride for Saltburn-by-the-Sea trainer Mary Reveley, who provided him with his first winner of the 1987 season, on eight-year-old King Charlemagne at Edinburgh on June 1. He went on to ride eight winners that year, all bar two of them for Mrs Reveley, the others being gained on the Red River Boy, trained by Ron Hodges.

Stephen’s eight winners from 128 mounts in 1987 were as follows:

King Charlemagne, Edinburgh, June 1

Holly Buoy, Edinburgh, June 14

Holly Buoy, Ripon, June 25

Red River Boy, Chepstow, June 27

Red River Boy, Windsor, July 13

Long View, Redcar, July 28

Leven Lass, Hamilton, September 14

Rudda Cass, Redcar, September 26.

By then his weight was rising fast. He had to put up 1lb overweight at 8st when winning on Leven Lass. He lived on a diet of grapefruit and yoghourt three times a day when riding ‘light’.

Within a year his weight had risen further, making opportunities hard to come by. He failed to ride a winner in both 1988 and 1989. He finished his apprenticeship with yet another Newmarket trainer, Conrad Allen, but did not take out a professional jockey’s licence when his apprenticeship ended.

Stephen undoubtedly had the ability to succeed but it was seemingly the weight that beat him in the end.