Herbert Stafford Sidney was the leading amateur jump jockey at the turn of the 19th Century and indeed in 1900 was one of the few amateurs to be overall champion.
Born on 13th August 1871, he was still only 31 and already established as a fine trainer as well as jockey when his life was suddenly ended at Wolverhampton (Dunstall Park) on Boxing Day 1902. The race was the Thorneycroft Maiden Chase and Sidney was riding the favourite Encore in the last event of the day. He had recently bought the horse for 40 guineas.
At the fence before the straight Encore blundered and Sidney ended up on the turf. One witness asserted that he “fell off” but other accounts say the horse turned a somersault. As Sidney was on the ground the knees of a following horse hit him violently in the back. The consequences were tragic as internal injuries – probably to the heart – killed the jockey instantly. At the inquest one probably ill-informed witness said Sidney was sitting too far forward on the horse but of course this was a time when riding styles were moving in that direction.
Herbert Sidney was born well. His middle name came from the home of his father Thomas, who was the MP for Stafford. More notably Thomas Sidney was accorded the honour of serving as Lord Mayor of London in 1853.
Among Herbert Sidney’s successes as a jockey was the 1901 National Hunt Chase on Friary John; the race was run at Burton Lazars near Melton Mowbray that year.
Probably the best horse he rode and trained was Gangbridge, on which he won the Welsh Grand National and eleven other races. Gangbridge had been involved in another tragedy while a young horse under Sidney’s care when he bolted during a home exercise and threw his lad into a wall. The lad was a promising youngster from Devon called John Lea and tragically he was killed outright by the accident.
Sidney trained in Cheltenham High Street and then on Cleeve Hill. A few months before his death he moved his operation to Boughton-on-the-Hill. He was very highly regarded in the racing world and surely had a successful career as a trainer ahead of him.
The horses from Herbert Sidney’s yard were renowned for being good jumpers. It is therefore doubly sad that his death should come from the mistake of one of his own horses, albeit one that had not long been in his care.