Compton Rodrigues

A Guyanese by birth, Compton Rodrigues was a featherweight apprenticed to Bruce Hobbs. He was born on December 16, 1954, the son of a bus driver.

After watching Compton ride the 100/30 favourite Questa Notte to a length victory in the Wykeham Handicap at York on August 21, 1974, Bruce cupped his hands as though holding a cricket ball and said "Compton may only be this big, but he can keep a horse going really strongly and he has a marvellously cool head."

At the time, Compton was able to go to scale at six stone.

He was a member of a family whose passion had been cricket. All the children had been named after famous cricketers and Compton was named after one of the greatest, Denis.

Denis, a huge racing fan, would have approved.

Compton rode a particularly fine race on Paper Rich in the 1975 Richmond Handicap at Newmarket, getting up to Willie Carson by a short head after which a prominent racing paper noted 'Compton rode with a coolness and strength that belied his years and weight.'

The young jockey fell from his mount Gold Claim in the 1980 running of the Great Metropolitan at Epsom and ended his day in hospital.

It was a sign that his luck was beginning to run out.

When Compton won on Sharpish in the James Lane Handicap at Ascot on Saturday, June 18, 1983, it was his first winner in Britain for four years.

On Saturday, June 16, 1984, Compton rode for the last time taking the ride on Rynechra in the Twyford Stakes at Leicester for his old boss Bruce Hobbs.

He then took his leave of the racing scene.