Arthur William Vaux rode one winner on the Flat in 1905 and another in 1907 but then had to wait until 1919 for a third victory, this time over jumps.
Born around 1881, he appears to have had his first ride at Stickton on August 22, 1901, when Knight Of Ruby was unplaced in the Thornaby Juvenile Selling Plate. He did not ride in Britain between 1902 and 1904, but at Catterick Bridge on April 27, 1905 he had his first success when Galloper beat 15 rivals to claim the Zetland Plate. The runner-up’s connections objected on grounds of crossing but this was overruled.
The Sportsman newspaper reported that Knight Of Ruby’s trainer, Kennedy, had put up one of his own staff on the two-year-old, and that Arthur “showed his ability to ride by winning in a very easy style”.
His only other winner on the Flat came at Hooton Park on March 8, 1907, when the five-year-old Iman carried 9st 12lb to a five-length victory in the Rossmore Welter Flat Race.
He did not ride on the Flat again until 1919, the year in which he also made his debut over jumps on March 7, when Chapel Green was unplaced in the County Maiden Four-Year-Old Hurdle. The following day he finished third on Alligan at the same course, then at Wetherby on April 22, Alligan improved by two places to land the Montagu Hurdle by 20 lengths and give Arthur his sole success under National Hunt rules.
It was also his last ride over obstacles, bringing to a close the briefest of jumping careers, lasting barely six weeks. He did, though, have further rides on the Flat that year, all unsuccessful, the first of which was at Catterick Bridge on April 24, when Park Avenue was unplaced in the Zetland Plate, the race in which he ridden his first winner 14 years earlier.
Arthur Vaux died in 1960.
Arthur Vaux's first winner: Galloper at Catterick Bridge, April 27, 1905.