Patrick Edmund Reavey was born on October 11, 1950, one of seven children – two sons, five daughters – of National Hunt jockey turned trainer Edward (Eddie) Reavey, who won the 1948 Welsh Grand National aboard Bora’s Cottage on the only occasion it was staged at Newport, and was unlucky not to win that year’s Grand National when his mount, Zahia, ran out after the second last fence when leading.
Pat had his first ride in public on Eastern General, trained by his father, in the one-mile two-furlong New Boys Apprentice Handicap at Newbury on August 12, 1966, finishing unplaced. He rode Eastern General in a similar race at Ascot later that season.
He first winner came on another of his father’s horses, Swift Harmony, in the Newton Apprentice Stakes at Nottingham on April 11, 1967. Fifteen days later he came within three lengths of recording a big race victory on Swift Harmony when finishing second to Duncan Keith’s mount Hotroy in Epsom’s City and Suburban Handicap. After the race, Pat was interviewed by John Rickman on ITV.
He rode just one more winner that season, Ben Casey at Alexandra Park on May 23 for Wantage-based owner trainer Hedley Killick. But the fates were against him on his next visit to ‘Ally Pally’ the following month. His mount, the three-year-old maiden Lower Slaughter fell five furlongs from home, resulting in Pat suffering a fractured femur.
Having returned to the saddle, in 1968 he rode seven winners from 177 rides. They included Trindle Down for Harry Hannon in the Grand Monmouthshire Handicap at Chepstow on June 4 and, two days later, Reita, trained by Dave Hanley, in the £1,000 Brighthelmstone Handicap at Brighton, beating Joe Mercer on the favourite Stop Thief by half a length.
On September 11 he won the Danebury Handicap at Salisbury on the Ryan Price-trained filly Polyandrist. Five days later, Polyandrist completed a Wolverhampton double for Pat when, as the 13-8 favourite she won the Midland Cambridgeshire, the double having been initiated by his father’s Jackie Little in the Oldbury Apprentice Selling Handicap, the first race on the card. It might easily have been a treble, for he was finished third, beaten a length, on Tech Won for Jack Hardy on his other ride, having mounted a strong challenge but got there too late. He ended the month by winning a three-year-old handicap at Lingfield on Pat Taylor’s colt Perofell.
Pat kicked off the 1969 campaign by riding Gavin Hunter’s Solar Topic to win the valuable Gold Bridge Cup at Nottingham on April 7. He again rode Solar Topic to victory when landing the Selhurst Park Handicap at Goodwood on May 21. They then finished a close-up fifth in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot, beaten barely a length and a half. Returning to Goodwood at the end of July, they finished third in the Stewards Cup, beaten two lengths. Understandably, Pat rates Solar Topic as his favourite horse and the best he rode.
He enjoyed a successful month in June 1969, beginning with the Bill Marshall-trained Blue Flapper at Windsor on June 2. The following day he scored on Colonel Peter Payne-Gallwey’s six-year-old gelding Coriaceous at Salisbury. He won another Wolverhampton handicap on Jackie Little on June 9, this time against professional jockeys rather than apprentices. On June 23 he rode Ron Smuth’s Super Imp to win a six-furlong handicap at Windsor. Then on the last day of that month he was in the Brighton winner’s enclosure after winning the Marine Handicap on Peter Payne-Gallwey’s Tiger Rag.
On July 16, he rode his father’s two-year-old filly Smoke Signal to win a Warwick maiden. Seven days' later he won a Bath sprint handicap on a filly named Tartown for Freddie Maxwell. He ended the 1969 season with a score of nine winners from 122 mounts.
That Bath success on Tartown proved to be the last of his career, during which he rode a total of 18 winners from around 550 rides.
Pat, who now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the USA, recalls: “It was a really interesting time to be an apprentice with the likes of Pat Eddery, Tony Murray and Richard Dicey to name a few competitors.
“It was a great time to be in the weighing room with some of the greatest names in racing surrounding me. I was valeted with Joe Mercer and Bill Williamson. The atmosphere was electric with Lester Piggott and Jimmy Lindley, Brian Taylor, Willie Carson, Ron Hutchinson, Scobie Breasley and the list goes on.
“I had one ride for the Queen at Bath, trained by Dick Hern which was quite a thrill and honour. Good job I didn’t have to do light since the old jacket weighed about 3/4 pounds. The animal wasn’t very good either.”