Christopher Scaife, a native of Bedale, worked as a stable lad for trainer John Pratt and was taught the rudiments of race riding by the yard’s head lad, Christopher Jackson.
Scaife first rode in public around 1766 and, at York in 1767, rode the celebrated mare, A-la-grecque, to an easy victory in the Great Subscription Purse, a race for four-year-olds over four miles in which he beat Protector, Bishop, Lash and Barleycorn among others.
John Pratt had engaged top jockey John Singleton to ride A-la-grecque, but being Lord Rockingham’s first jockey, Singleton was forced to ride Barleycorn instead when Rockingham bought the horse on the eve of the race.
Scaife continued to ride for John Pratt and others until about 1773 when, due to advancing years, Singleton retired. On a recommendation from Pratt, Lord Rockingham hired Scaife to succeed Singleton as stable jockey.
Things went well for the partnership until 27 June 1793, when, engaged to ride Minion in the Hunters’ Stakes at Stamford, Scaife’s mount fell backwards with him at the start, breaking his collarbone and several ribs. He never rode in public after.
Later, on the retirement of Mr Lunn, Scaife took over as trainer. He went on to saddle four St Leger winners, including the inaugural running in 1776. They were: Allabaculia (1776), Pewett (1789, on a disqualification), Orville (1802) and Paulina (1807).
The new stable jockey, William Clift, who had won the inaugural runnings of both the One Thousand and Two Thousand Guineas, was heavily critical of Scaife’s training methods, stating that Scaife’s horses were ‘broken in badly’.
Scaife himself retired at the end of 1807, being succeeded by his son, John.
At eight o’clock on the morning of Friday 7 October 1808, at his farmhouse at Warth, near Rotherham in Yorkshire, Christopher Scaife died, aged about 68.