William Riordan

William Riordan

1897-1965

Article by Alan Trout

Born in 1897, William Riordan had his first ride at Manchester on February 1, 1922, when St. David II was unplaced in the Salford Handicap Chase. It would be more than two years before he had the first of his three wins when San Rafael was successful in the Harrogate Chase at Wetherby on Easter Monday, April 21, 1924. It was his first ride on the eight-year-old who had fallen on his only other outing that season but now beat the favourite Phantom Willie by four lengths. 

The pair repeated their victory at Hexham on May 7 when taking the Leazes Chase, this time defeating the favourite Wild Times, ridden by future champion amateur Billy Filmer-Sankey, by a length. 

The following season, after leading northern jockey Arthur Waudby had only managed one third place from two starts, William was reunited with San Rafael and won the Foxcatchers Open Hunters’ Handicap Chase at Sedgefield on April 7, 1925, beating Fred Croney on yet another favourite, Norgill, with Arthur Waudby third on Foxtrot. 

William’s final ride was at Wetherby on Easter Monday, April 9, 1928, when falling on Ampulla in the valuable Wetherby Handicap Chase. It had been at the corresponding Easter fixture there four years earlier that he had recorded his first victory.

William Riordan died in 1965. It is highly likely that he was related to fellow jockey John Riordan. This belief is given credence by the fact that Ampulla, William’s last ride, was also John’s only winner.  

John Frederick Riordan rode for four seasons on the Flat but gained his sole success under National Hunt rules. Apprenticed to Leonard Hammond, he had his first ride when unplaced on Annacloy in the Apprentices’ Plate at Lingfield Park on October 20, 1924.

He may have had just one ride, his first, over jumps in the 1926/27 season. If so, it was a winning one, for at Sandown Park on February 4, 1927, he steered Ampulla, trained by Billy Hammett, to victory in the Experimental Handicap Chase, beating Holiday Hall, the mount of Martin Nolan, by two lengths. 

That race was for jockeys who had not ridden ten winners and the Daily Herald praised John, who “although getting one of his feet out of the stirrup kept his mount going in workmanlike style”. 

John Riordan finished riding on the Flat in 1927 and had no further success over jumps. His final mount, Auranium, refused in the Jerry M Chase at Lingfield Park on March 8, 1930.