Keith Taylor
1948 - 2019
1948 - 2019
Article by Chris Pitt
Article by Chris Pitt
National Hunt jockey Alan Keith Taylor (when a paperboy, left), who rode as A K Taylor but was known by his second Christian name, was born on January 18, 1948 and began his career as an amateur rider. His first winner was on Costa Rica for Shrewsbury permit holder Harold Davies in a Catterick selling hurdle on Saturday, December 7, 1968, his only winner that season.
National Hunt jockey Alan Keith Taylor (when a paperboy, left), who rode as A K Taylor but was known by his second Christian name, was born on January 18, 1948 and began his career as an amateur rider. His first winner was on Costa Rica for Shrewsbury permit holder Harold Davies in a Catterick selling hurdle on Saturday, December 7, 1968, his only winner that season.
Having drawn a blank for the 1969/70 season, Keith rode four winners in the 70/71 campaign, including the Freddie Dixon Memorial Cup at Uttoxeter on Dick Holland’s Rodway Belle and the Grand Union Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase at Wolverhampton on Roy Whiston’s Barney’s Boy.
Having drawn a blank for the 1969/70 season, Keith rode four winners in the 70/71 campaign, including the Freddie Dixon Memorial Cup at Uttoxeter on Dick Holland’s Rodway Belle and the Grand Union Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase at Wolverhampton on Roy Whiston’s Barney’s Boy.
With just those five winners to his name, Keith turned professional at the beginning of the 1971/72 season but rode only one winner that term. It was the same story for the next two seasons, just one winner in each, his sole success in 72/73 coming in an Easter Monday Uttoxeter selling hurdle on Precinct, his lone victory of 73/74 being on the Doug Francis-trained Any Prince in a novice riders’ chase at Sandown’s Royal Artillery meeting.
With just those five winners to his name, Keith turned professional at the beginning of the 1971/72 season but rode only one winner that term. It was the same story for the next two seasons, just one winner in each, his sole success in 72/73 coming in an Easter Monday Uttoxeter selling hurdle on Precinct, his lone victory of 73/74 being on the Doug Francis-trained Any Prince in a novice riders’ chase at Sandown’s Royal Artillery meeting.
Thereafter, however, his fortunes began to change for the better. His score rose to five in 1974/75 when he linked up with two horses that would be influential to his career. One was the chaser Tudor Abbe, trained by Jonathan Turner near Ormskirk, in Lancashire. Keith won twice on him that season, firstly the Wingett and Son Auctioneers Handicap Chase at Bangor-on-Dee on March 22, followed by the Hamilton-Campbell Challenge Cup at Ayr on May 12. The other ‘stalwart’ was Dee Lane, on whom Keith won twice over hurdles during that 1974/75 campaign, at Bangor in April and at Uttoxeter on Whit Monday.
Thereafter, however, his fortunes began to change for the better. His score rose to five in 1974/75 when he linked up with two horses that would be influential to his career. One was the chaser Tudor Abbe, trained by Jonathan Turner near Ormskirk, in Lancashire. Keith won twice on him that season, firstly the Wingett and Son Auctioneers Handicap Chase at Bangor-on-Dee on March 22, followed by the Hamilton-Campbell Challenge Cup at Ayr on May 12. The other ‘stalwart’ was Dee Lane, on whom Keith won twice over hurdles during that 1974/75 campaign, at Bangor in April and at Uttoxeter on Whit Monday.
Keith achieved a career-best of ten winners from 92 rides in 1975/76, four of which were courtesy of Dee Lane, who won at Devon & Exeter and Cartmel in August, and at Bangor in September and October. Tudor Abbe won only once, at Haydock on March 6, but ran well in good company, while Keith also won a couple of Southwell novice hurdles on the Arthur Jones-trained filly Miss Kilo.
Keith achieved a career-best of ten winners from 92 rides in 1975/76, four of which were courtesy of Dee Lane, who won at Devon & Exeter and Cartmel in August, and at Bangor in September and October. Tudor Abbe won only once, at Haydock on March 6, but ran well in good company, while Keith also won a couple of Southwell novice hurdles on the Arthur Jones-trained filly Miss Kilo.
The 1976/77 campaign was slow to get going but it picked up towards the end with wins on Easter Monday at Uttoxeter on Keith Lewis’ Kick On, on Whit Monday at Cartmel on the Roy Edwards-trained Julee’s Rose, and an end of season double at Uttoxeter on June 6, aboard Doug Francis’ selling hurdler Dolwen Wood and Don Plant’s Royal Bally.
The 1976/77 campaign was slow to get going but it picked up towards the end with wins on Easter Monday at Uttoxeter on Keith Lewis’ Kick On, on Whit Monday at Cartmel on the Roy Edwards-trained Julee’s Rose, and an end of season double at Uttoxeter on June 6, aboard Doug Francis’ selling hurdler Dolwen Wood and Don Plant’s Royal Bally.
Roy Edwards’ novice chaser Cherry Lad provided Keith with a Cheltenham winner in October 1977, albeit in a two-horse race where the sole rival, odds-on Saran Slave, fell at the fourth, leaving Keith and his mount to complete the remainder of the course in splendid isolation.
Roy Edwards’ novice chaser Cherry Lad provided Keith with a Cheltenham winner in October 1977, albeit in a two-horse race where the sole rival, odds-on Saran Slave, fell at the fourth, leaving Keith and his mount to complete the remainder of the course in splendid isolation.
By then Keith was combining riding with running a newsagent’s shop in Middlewich, Cheshire, in partnership with his father, rising at 5.30 every morning to make sure his customers could read all about it. When beds tugged hard at his delivery boys, he often did the round himself prior to riding out for one of his regular trainers, Doug Francis, Jonathan Turner, Roy Edwards and Arthur Jones. His ultimate ambition was to ride in the Grand National, although he had jumped Becher’s twice as an ‘extra’ when the race was staged as part of the film of Dick Francis’s novel Dead Cert. That ambition would eventually be realised.
By then Keith was combining riding with running a newsagent’s shop in Middlewich, Cheshire, in partnership with his father, rising at 5.30 every morning to make sure his customers could read all about it. When beds tugged hard at his delivery boys, he often did the round himself prior to riding out for one of his regular trainers, Doug Francis, Jonathan Turner, Roy Edwards and Arthur Jones. His ultimate ambition was to ride in the Grand National, although he had jumped Becher’s twice as an ‘extra’ when the race was staged as part of the film of Dick Francis’s novel Dead Cert. That ambition would eventually be realised.
Martin Cousins’ novice chaser Border Brief got Keith off to a good start for the 1978/79 campaign, winning at Bangor and Cartmel in August, while Doug Francis’ handicap chaser My Sunshine won the Charles Lewis Cup at Uttoxeter’s Easter fixture, but the undoubted highlight of that season – and of Keith’s career – was riding the 200-1 no-hoper Prime Justice in the 1979 Grand National.
Martin Cousins’ novice chaser Border Brief got Keith off to a good start for the 1978/79 campaign, winning at Bangor and Cartmel in August, while Doug Francis’ handicap chaser My Sunshine won the Charles Lewis Cup at Uttoxeter’s Easter fixture, but the undoubted highlight of that season – and of Keith’s career – was riding the 200-1 no-hoper Prime Justice in the 1979 Grand National.
The Doug Francis-trained Prime Justice was almost certainly the worst horse in the race and had qualified pretty much by default, having been tailed off in a race at Warwick when the clear leader fell two out, leaving another clear leader who refused at the last, thus paving the way for Prime Justice to plod through the catastrophes of others to record an unlikely victory. He’d fallen on his previous start in Warwick’s Crudwell Cup and his form figures suggested it was long odds about him getting round. Yet get round he did, albeit well in arrears, last of just seven to finish. Seventeen of the 34 runners were out of the race by halfway and Prime Justice was last of those that remained, but he plugged on and eventually completed the course, much to his rider’s delight. It was a notable achievement by Keith to finish the race on such an unlikely longshot, who would have no chance whatsoever of getting into the race under today’s conditions.
The Doug Francis-trained Prime Justice was almost certainly the worst horse in the race and had qualified pretty much by default, having been tailed off in a race at Warwick when the clear leader fell two out, leaving another clear leader who refused at the last, thus paving the way for Prime Justice to plod through the catastrophes of others to record an unlikely victory. He’d fallen on his previous start in Warwick’s Crudwell Cup and his form figures suggested it was long odds about him getting round. Yet get round he did, albeit well in arrears, last of just seven to finish. Seventeen of the 34 runners were out of the race by halfway and Prime Justice was last of those that remained, but he plugged on and eventually completed the course, much to his rider’s delight. It was a notable achievement by Keith to finish the race on such an unlikely longshot, who would have no chance whatsoever of getting into the race under today’s conditions.
Keith rode just one winner the following season, 33-1 outsider Yachtsman in a Ludlow handicap hurdle on October 4, 1979. Seventeen months later, with rides having become fewer and farther between, he handed in his licence in order to concentrate on running the family’s newsagent’s business, thus bringing to an end a career in which he had ridden a total of 37 winners.
Keith rode just one winner the following season, 33-1 outsider Yachtsman in a Ludlow handicap hurdle on October 4, 1979. Seventeen months later, with rides having become fewer and farther between, he handed in his licence in order to concentrate on running the family’s newsagent’s business, thus bringing to an end a career in which he had ridden a total of 37 winners.
Keith Taylor died in January 2019, aged 70, following a long illness.
Keith Taylor died in January 2019, aged 70, following a long illness.