E. P. Wilson

(1846 - 1918)

Ted Wilson was born on 10 October 1846 at Ilmington, a very pretty spot near Shipston-on Stour, and, aged four, was strapped to his pony for safety and  'blooded' by the huntsmen of Warwickshire. He was kept away from school one day per week expressly to go hunting, it being his father's wish that his son should learn to ride before anything. He rode with great success at local hunt meetings, winning his first race in Warwickshire at Stratford-on-Avon on a horse called Starlight in 1860. He won his first important race, the 1867 Birmingham Grand Annual on his father's Tiger, a victory he followed up two years later on Meanwood. Tiger was a lucky horse for him: he won twelve of the thirteen races in which they competed. On Jacob, another consistent winner for him, he won eleven out of twelve races.

A lucky race for him was the National Hunt Steeplechase, which yielded five winners; The Bear (1877), Pride of Russia (1881), Llantarnam (1882), Satellite (1883) and Equity (1884). Satellite's 1883 victory was quite remarkable. It took a heavy fall at the first then, once remounted, later lost a lot of ground when taken out by another horse. Ted Wilson got it home first by a head.

He won the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase four years in succession; he also won the first Sandown Grand National (1875) on Goldfinder.

Ted Wilson rode in The Grand National on sixteen occasions, beginning in 1873 with the first of four consecutive rides on Congress. In the last of these (1876), he was extremely unlucky. Stumbling over a fallen animal, Congress fell on his knees, leaving Ted Wilson hanging around its neck. After a tremendous struggle from the last hurdle, Congress was beaten a neck by Regal, the first five-year-old to win the race. In 1884, his luck changed with a vengeance, winning on Voluptuary, a cast-off from Lord Roseberry's stable, astonishingly making his public debut over fences.

The following year, Ted Wilson partnered Roquefort to victory.

In 1890, he wore the Royal colours for the first time in the race; riding Hettie for Edward, Prince of Wales, he fell in a three-horse pile-up at the Canal Turn on the first circuit.

Ted Wilson, known as 'The Farmer' to his friends, had his last mount in December 1898 at Dunstall Park. This, however, did not the end of his time in the saddle; for many years after, in spite of his sixty years, he hunted regularly.

Ted had a brother, George Wilson, who was also a jockey. Ted Wilson was the leading amateur rider of 1884 after riding 44 winners from 83 mounts.

Edward Potter Wilson died at Strafford-on-Avon on Saturday 19 January 1918, aged 71. He left estate with £259.

Best wins:

1867:  Birmingham Grand Annual - Tiger

1869:  Birmingham Grand Annual - Meanwood

1871:  Grand National Handicap Hurdle - Ismael  

1873:  Grand Sefton - Congress

1875:  Sandown Grand International - Goldfinder

1875:  Leamington Grand Annual - Congress

1876:  Leamington Grand Annual - Congress

1876:  Bristol Royal Chase - Little Tom

1877:  National Hunt Chase - Bear

1881:  National Hunt Chase - Pride of Prussia

1882:  National Hunt Chase -Llantarnam

1883:  National Hunt Chase - Satelite

1883:  Scottish Grand National - Kerelaw

1883:  Grand International Hurdle - Chichester

1883:  Cheltenham Grand Annual - Quibble

1884:  National Hunt Chase - Equity 

1884:  Grand National - Voluptuary

1885:  Grand National - Roquefort

1886:  Grand Sefton - Roquefort

1886:  Champion Chase - Roquefort

1889:  Champion Chase - Roquefort