Bill Treacy

National Hunt jockey William Treacy, always known as Bill, rode a total of 25 winners in Britain during a career that spanned four decades and was interrupted by World War Two. He was at his peak for three seasons in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

He first appeared on a British racecourse on 14 January 1929, when finishing unplaced on Boulevard in the 19-runner Etwall Four-Year-Old Hurdle at Derby.

He had to wait just over four years for his first winner, which finally came on the 2-1 favourite Quarter Sessions in the Cambridgeshire Chase at Huntingdon on Easter Monday, 17 April 1933. The result was not confirmed until a somewhat optimistic objection to the first six by a Mr Watts, owner of the horse that had finished seventh, for going the wrong side of a flag, had been overruled.

Bill rode under NH rules until April 1936 but without being able to add a second win. Possibly disillusioned by his lack of success, he was not seen in action again in Britain until after the war. It is likely that he retuned to his native Ireland, however, that can only be a matter of speculation.

Whatever the reason, Bill returned to action in May 1947, finishing second in handicap hurdles on the Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday of Cartmel’s two-day Whitsun meeting aboard Bonnytoun Lad.

Based in the north, in his first full season back, 1947/48, he recorded two victories: juvenile hurdler Gallic Legion at Catterick on 7 November 1947, and Bonnytoun Lad in a Kelso selling hurdle on 4 May 1948.

He rode seven winners during the 1948/49 campaign, thanks largely to Hindu Kush, who won three selling hurdles, at Kelso in October, Doncaster in February, and Perth in April; and also to St Ronans, who won a pair of selling hurdles at Catterick in March and Kelso in May.

He rode six winners in the 1949/50 season, including two at Kelso at opposite ends of the season, landing a three-year-old hurdle on Orinoco in October 1949 and a handicap hurdle on Montoria in May 1950.

Bill equalled his best score of seven in 1950/51. Three of those wins were provided by Bonnytoun Lad, who won selling hurdles at Kelso in October, Haydock in December and Perth in April. Apple Honey gave him his seventh victory of the campaign when landing division one of Kelso’s Crailing Hurdle on 3 May 1951.

He rode just one winner the following season and one the next, that final victory coming on Bristol Fashion, trained by Jack Ormston, in the Ferry Hill Handicap Chase at Sedgefield on Boxing Day 1952.

Bill’s final mount was on Cameron Ridge, who finished unplaced in the Grange Selling Handicap Chase at Cartmel on Whit Monday, 7 June 1954.