Richard Stainsby

Richard Stainsby

Article by Alan Trout

Richard Stainsby rode two winners over jumps in the early 1970s but was unable to add to his total, despite riding until the autumn of 1977 and then returning for a brief spell in the mid-1980s. 

Associated with the stable of Jack Hardy he had his first ride when finishing fifth of ten runners on Fox Court in the Bray Selling Handicap Hurdle at Windsor on November 10, 1971. Next time out the partnership finished third at Wolverhampton before Jimmy Nolan took over in the saddle and steered the six-year-old to a comfortable victory at Warwick at the end of December. Then it was Richard’s turn again, and he had his first success with an even easier win when Fox Court scored by 10 lengths in the Grimsby Selling Handicap Hurdle at Market Rasen on January 8, 1972, beating 15 rivals. 

He had to wait nearly a year for another triumph, which came at Stratford on December 28, 1972, when Vague Hope, owned and trained by Jack Hardy, took the lead at the second last flight and, despite hitting the last, ran on to take the Auld Lang Syne Novices’ Selling Hurdle by ten lengths. It was the three-year-old’s second start and, again, Richard kept the ride but had no joy in three further outings.

It had appeared that when finishing last of six on Home Win in the Pattishall Hurdle at Towcester on October 1, 1977, that Richard had ridden in public for the final time. However, following a lengthy break he made a brief comeback in the 1985/86 campaign. There were no more wins and he had his last ride on Suvadera, trained by Norma Macauley, in the Woods of Southwell (Printers) Novices’ Chase at Southwell on May 24, 1986, pulling up when tailed off before the ninth fence.