John Woodman
Article by Chris Pitt
Article by Chris Pitt
John Woodman was born on January 25, 1946, the son of trainer Sydney Woodman, and rode over jumps from 1964 to 1971.
John Woodman was born on January 25, 1946, the son of trainer Sydney Woodman, and rode over jumps from 1964 to 1971.
He began as an amateur and rode his first winner on Grand Crop in the Chanctonbury Hunters’ Chase at Fontwell’s Whit Monday fixture on May 18, 1964. He rode successfully as an amateur for the next two seasons before turning professional during the 1966/67 campaign. He had to wait almost a year before gaining his first success as a professional on Jack Holt’s Sporting Plan at Wye on October 2, 1967 but he then wasted no time by winning the very next race on White Tarquinne for Billingshurst owner-trainer John Rogerson.
He began as an amateur and rode his first winner on Grand Crop in the Chanctonbury Hunters’ Chase at Fontwell’s Whit Monday fixture on May 18, 1964. He rode successfully as an amateur for the next two seasons before turning professional during the 1966/67 campaign. He had to wait almost a year before gaining his first success as a professional on Jack Holt’s Sporting Plan at Wye on October 2, 1967 but he then wasted no time by winning the very next race on White Tarquinne for Billingshurst owner-trainer John Rogerson.
He rode six winners in 1968/69, only three the next, but was enjoying his best season in 1970/71 with seven winners from over 100 rides when his career was ended just as he was beginning to get established.
He rode six winners in 1968/69, only three the next, but was enjoying his best season in 1970/71 with seven winners from over 100 rides when his career was ended just as he was beginning to get established.
Less than three weeks earlier, on March 22, 1971 he had ridden the biggest of his 32 winners when taking Folkestone’s Whitbread Fremlins Elephant Chase on New Romney, the victory coming just six days after he had ridden that horse into second place behind Crisp in the Two Mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham, where he also finished second on Louis Napoleon in the National Hunt Handicap Chase the same afternoon. Rides for the trainers of those horses, Ron Smyth and Frank Cundell, seemed to be setting up 25-year-old John Woodman for a successful future
Less than three weeks earlier, on March 22, 1971 he had ridden the biggest of his 32 winners when taking Folkestone’s Whitbread Fremlins Elephant Chase on New Romney, the victory coming just six days after he had ridden that horse into second place behind Crisp in the Two Mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham, where he also finished second on Louis Napoleon in the National Hunt Handicap Chase the same afternoon. Rides for the trainers of those horses, Ron Smyth and Frank Cundell, seemed to be setting up 25-year-old John Woodman for a successful future
But then at Worcester on April 8 he took a spare ride on Cundell’s novice chaser Anthony’s Best, standing in for Stan Mellor who had taken a fall in the previous race. Anthony’s Best fell at the first fence and John broke his neck, vertebrae and chest bone. He spent two and a half months in plaster but was left unable to turn his neck to its full extent where it had snapped at the top.
But then at Worcester on April 8 he took a spare ride on Cundell’s novice chaser Anthony’s Best, standing in for Stan Mellor who had taken a fall in the previous race. Anthony’s Best fell at the first fence and John broke his neck, vertebrae and chest bone. He spent two and a half months in plaster but was left unable to turn his neck to its full extent where it had snapped at the top.
He accepted that he had no hope of riding again and, some 18 months later, started a new venture, the Goodwood Bloodstock Agency, founded in conjunction with near neighbour Anthony Penfold of the Anglo-Irish Agency.
He accepted that he had no hope of riding again and, some 18 months later, started a new venture, the Goodwood Bloodstock Agency, founded in conjunction with near neighbour Anthony Penfold of the Anglo-Irish Agency.
John Woodman, who rated the Ryan Price-trained hurdler Midnight Fury as the best he rode – he rode him twice including in the Wills Hurdle at Haydock – died from prostate cancer on January 3, 2014, aged 67.
John Woodman, who rated the Ryan Price-trained hurdler Midnight Fury as the best he rode – he rode him twice including in the Wills Hurdle at Haydock – died from prostate cancer on January 3, 2014, aged 67.