Peter Wills

Amateur rider Peter John Hamilton Wills was born on June 26, 1941. He is best remembered as the owner-trainer-rider of hunter chaser Juan, who provided him with his greatest day in the saddle when winning the 1968 Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase.

Juan was as safe as houses conveyance and never fell during his entire career. It began when he won an Irish point-to-point as Devine Lover in 1962. When Peter bought him soon afterwards, he renamed him Juan. Changing a horse’s name was still permissible at that time, whereas nowadays the name cannot be changed after he or she has run, unless sold to race in another country.

Peter and Juan made a low-key start to their partnership in point-to-point races during 1963, pulling up on their debut in a hunt race and finishing unplaced in an adjacent. But Juan improved from thereon, finishing fourth in the Wylie Vale Open, winning the Cotswold Adjacent and finishing seventh on his final outing in the Lady Dudley Cup.

They made their debut under rules in the elevated heights of the 1964 United Hunts’ Challenge Cup at Cheltenham’s National Hunt meeting, trailing home last of the eight finishers behind the 11/8 favourite Baulking Green. They then finished last of four finishers in a hunter chase at Uttoxeter.

Following two placed efforts in a pair of Stratford hunter chases, Peter and Juan finished sixth in the 1965 Cheltenham Foxhunters’ Chase, having disputed the lead to halfway.

They made the winner’s enclosure for the first time under National Hunt rules when landing the Blackmore Vale Hunters’ Chase at Wincanton on February 3, 1966, following up in the Forrard Away Hunters’ Chase at Ascot two weeks later. After a fourth-place finish in the United Hunts’ Challenge Cup, they recorded victories in the Owner Riders’ Hunters’ Chase at Stratford in May and the Empress Elizabeth of Austria Hunters’ Chase at Towcester on Whit Monday.

Peter and Juan began the 1967 hunter chase season by finishing second and fourth in the respective Wincanton and Ascot races they’d won the year before. Juan won his next race, a Worcester hunter chase, but this time it was with Brough Scott in the saddle, shortly before he turned professional. Peter was reunited with Juan next time out, finishing second to Minto Burn in the Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase. Following second-place finishes at Ludlow and Hereford, they repeated their 1966 victory in Towcester’s Empress Elizabeth of Austria Hunters’ Chase and then finished seventh in Stratford’s Horse and Hound Cup.

They started 1968 by winning an early-season hunter chase at Stratford, then finished second to Highworth at Wincanton before returning to winning ways at Taunton, all within the space of three weeks. Their next stop was Aintree, where they avenged their defeat by Minto Burn twelve months earlier, beating that horse by six lengths in the Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase.

Juan registered his last victory in the Avon Vale Adjacent race in 1969. He failed to win in nine starts under NH rules that season but was placed five times, coming closest when short-headed in the last stride by the top-class hunter chase mare Snowdra Queen at Ludlow in March. Peter then rode Juan in the 1969 Grand National, refusing at the seventeenth fence when well behind.

Juan ran just once more under National Hunt rules, finishing seventh of eight finishers in the 1971 Liverpool Foxhunters’ Chase, by which time he was 15 years old. Eleven days later, on Easter Monday, he made his final racecourse appearance, finishing last of six in the Old Berkshire Open Race.

Juan retired the winner of nine hunter chases and ten point-to-points and was placed 21 times in 63 outings. A magnificent jumper, he’d carried his owner-rider’s colours of black and red hoops, black cap, red spots with great distinction.

Peter had another string to his bow in the shape of the grey chaser War Riot, trained for him by Tim Forster. Peter rode him to win the Dudley Handicap Chase at Wolverhampton on March 10, 1969. He won on him again at Worcester on March 9, 1971. That was Peter’s tenth (and last) win under rules and saw his claim reduced from 7lb to 5lb.

First win together - Wincanton February 3 1966

Their biggest win, March 28 1968

Peter's last win - Worcester March 9, 1971

Peter Wills’ winners were, in chronological order:

1. Juan, Wincanton, February 3, 1966

2. Juan, Ascot, February 16, 1966

3. Juan, Stratford-on-Avon, May 20, 1966

4. Juan, Towcester, May 30, 1966

5. Juan, Towcester, May 29, 1967

6. Juan, Stratford-on-Avon, February 3, 1968

7. Juan, Taunton, February 22, 1968

8. Juan, Liverpool, March 28, 1968

9. War Riot, Wolverhampton, March 10, 1969

10. War Riot, Worcester, March 9, 1971