M L Thomas

1945 - 2022

Born in Caernarvon, Gwynedd, Wales on February 8, 1945, Myrddin Lloyd Thomas (always known as Taffy Thomas) peaked in 1977 when he rode 98 winners, just five fewer than Lester Piggott.

The son of a cobbler, Taffy spent five years apprenticed to Geoffrey Barling until joining Ryan Jarvis in 1968.

During his time at Barling's, he was sent down to Anne Hammond's riding school at Stretchworth which helped many apprentices' careers.

His first win came at Hurst Park on August 31 1962 when he won on Weather Way, but he had to wait until 1967 (Northumberland Plate, Piaco) for his first big race success.

Other major wins followed; Lincoln Handicap (Quizair), two Stewards' Cups (Royal Smoke & Import), two Cambridgeshires  (Emerilo, subject of a huge gamble & Sagamore), Cesarewitch (Cider with Rosie) and, his biggest win, the King's Stand Stakes in 1983 with Sayf El Arab. He also took two Dante Stakes (Activator & Lucky Sovereign) and the Vernons Sprint (Absalom).

For all this, from 1978, he made a lesser impact that may have been expected, winning about 20 races per season only.

He was badly injured when Bedwell Boy jumped the rails and fell in a two-horse race at Ripon in July 1983.

He spent most of his winters racing in India where, despite still being an apprentice, he was required to take out a full jockey's licence.

Taffy Thomas lived at 6 Houldsworth Terrace, Newmarket, and enjoyed swimming and football. He nominated Newcastle as his favourite racecourse.

His height was 4ft 10 inches.

In a career that stretched from 1961 to 1990 Taffy managed to ride 878 winners as a lightweight, his best total being the 98 he rode in 1977 when finishing 6th in the jockeys' championship table. 

One of Taffy's favourite claims to fame was that he once knocked out Davy Jones of the Monkees in a stable lads boxing bout, his other was getting arrested for joyriding in 1981 when the police mistook him and his three passengers (all fellow jockeys, Alan Bond being one) for kids. They were later released without charge but missed their booked rides and never found out who had reported Taffy's car as stolen...!

Taffy's biggest regret was losing the rides on the two best horses he rode, Tower Walk & Absalom, each time to the maestro Lester, though he did ride Tower Walk to finish 2nd in the 1969 2000 Guineas to Right Tack, the closest he came to a Classic success.

He did technically ride a Classic winner ie Peleid, to victory in the Magnet Cup in 1973 carrying 7st 9 lbs, two months before the horse went on to win the St Leger.

On March 16, 1973, he married Sallie Christine Beets; she gave him two daughters, Diana and Amy.

When he returned to England from Singapore in 1990 he became a work rider for the late Alex Scott and stayed when Ed Dunlop took over.

The following story comes from a racegoer...

'I was at Warwick races one Saturday in 1974. Taffy was on the favourite in the 12f feature sponsored handicap and he was caught trapped on the rails 2f out, eventually finishing third. As the horses were being unsaddled, Taffy suddenly grabbed trainer Ben Hanbury by his jacket lapels and threatened to put his lights out. Hanbury had accused Thomas of riding an 'injudicious' race. Two days later at the Nottingham evening meeting, racegoers were saying to Ben Hanbury as he passed, 'Watch out Ben, Taffy's looking for you!'.

Hanbury was such a toffee nose that he couldn't see the funny side of it.'

Taffy Thomas died on Wednesday, January 12, 2022 in a hospice close to his home in Cheveley near Newmarket, aged 76

M.L. (Taffy) Thomas

Big winners:

1964: Bunbury Cup – Passenger 

1965: Old Newton Cup – Atilla 

1966: Doncaster Cup – Piaco 

1967: Northumberland Plate – Piaco 

1968: Thirsk Hunt Cup – Emerilo 

1968: Ribblesdale Stakes – Pandora Bay 

1968: National Stakes – Tower Walk 

1968: Flying Childers Stakes – Tower Walk 

1968: Cambridgeshire Handicap – Emerilo 

1969: Greenham Stakes – Tower Walk 

1969: Stewards Cup – Royal Smoke 

1970: Gosforth Park Cup – Pretty Form 

1971: Windsor Castle Stakes – Dawn Review 

1972: Cesarewitch Handicap – Cider With Rosie 

1973: Ribblesdale Stakes – Miss Petard 

1973: King George V Handicap – Zab 

1973: Magnet Cup – Peleid 

1974: Lincoln Handicap – Quizair 

1976: Great Jubilee Handicap – Royal Match 

1975: Stewards Cup – Import 

1976: Coventry Stakes – Cawston’s Clown 

1976: Bessborough Stakes – Royal Match 

1976: Wokingham Stakes – Import

1977: Free Handicap – Mrs McArdy 

1977: Magnet Cup – Air Trooper 

1977: Cornwallis Stakes – Absalom 

1977: November Handicap – Sailcloth

1978: Temple Stakes – Smarten Up (dead-heat)

1978: Haydock Sprint Cup – Absalom 

1983: King’s Stand Stakes – Sayf El Arab 

1983: Cambridgeshire Handicap – Sagamore 

1984: Palace House Stakes – Reesh 

1984: King George V Handicap – Rough Pearl 

1986: Wokingham Stakes – Touch Of Grey 

1988: Chester Cup – Old Hubert