Thomas White

Thomas White

Prior to plying his trade in Britain during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Thomas White had ridden 19 winners in his native Ireland. He rode his first winner on 7/4 favourite Ballymacan, trained by Michael Connolly, in the Dundrum Chase at Leopardstown on March 10, 1951, a race in which two of the great Irish jockeys, Pat Taaffe and Martin Molony, finished third and fourth. Sixteen days later he rode outsider Ardnacassa in the Irish Grand National but was among the fallers. 

Thomas enjoyed his most successful year in 1952 with a dozen winners, all of them trained by Chally Chute. He began with wins on maiden hurdler Pucka Royal at Thurles in March and handicap chaser Rose’s Lime at Ballinrobe in April, but it was during the summer and autumn that he really came into his own. 

He won three times on Unprepared, at Ballinrobe in July, Tuam in August and Kilbeggan in September; won Killarney’s Windsor Lad Perpetual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase on Caherdaniel; the Arthur Blennerhassett Memorial Chase on Ballycummin; Dundalk’s Wee County Handicap Hurdle on Star Of Lynn; and rode winners on successive days at the Tralee and Listowel festival meetings in September and October. Having lost his claim when winning on Star Of Lynn at Listowel, he rounded off the year by winning the St Stephen’s Day Chase on Caherdaniel at Limerick’s traditional Christmas fixture. 

He made a fleeting visit to England at the start of the 1954/55 season and won on his first ride when the 15-year-old veteran Ballinalower, owned and trained by Dorking-based Peter Rice-Stringer, landed the Plymouth Selling Handicap Chase at Newton Abbot on August 2, overhauling Basil Foster’s mount Hartley Mariner on the run-in to score by two lengths. 

Thomas  continued riding in Ireland, his wins including the Fermoy Handicap Hurdle at Mallow aboard Castle Oliver in May 1955. He recorded his last win in Ireland during the 1956/57 season. 

He returned to Britain in good time for the start of the 1957/58 campaign and rode for Kinnersley trainer Fred Rimell, who supplied him with all of his seven wins that season, beginning with handicap hurdler Hippocampe at Buckfastleigh on August 10. He recorded a double at Worcester in November, winning both divisions of the Grimley Novices’ Hurdle on Atlantic Ocean and Lamp Lighter.

Despite that promising start with seven wins on the board by the end of January, there were to be no more that season. Indeed, he may have returned to Ireland as he did not hold a licence in Britain for the next two seasons. 

He returned for a final time in the 1960/61 campaign and won two races on the four-year-old Div, trained by Major Tom Page at Upper Lambourn. The first of those was in the Farnham Novices’ Hurdle (Division 2) at Wincanton on February 23, 1961, beating 24 rivals, coming through to lead at the second last flight and win by three lengths. After finishing fourth at Sandown Park’s Grand Military meeting in March, Div struck again to give Thomas his final win in England when taking the Montague Evans Four-Year-Old Handicap Hurdle at Stratford on April 6, beating Fred Winter on Bison by a length and a half.

Thomas only had a dozen rides that season, the last of which ended in a fall from Chipperfield in the Shrewley Novices’ Hurdle (Division 2) at Warwick on February 22, 1962. That was his final ride in England.

Thomas White’s English winners were, in chronological order:

1. Ballinalower, Newton Abbot, August 2, 1954                                        

2. Hippocampe, Buckfastleigh, August 10, 1957

3. Misty Vision, Uttoxeter, September 21, 1957

4. Atlantic Ocean, Worcester, November 23, 1957

5. Lamp Lighter, Worcester, November 23, 1957

6. Atlantic Ocean, Warwick, December 14, 1957

7. Card Lover, Leicester, January 6, 1957

8. Card Lover, Nottingham, January 28, 1958

9. Div, Wincanton, February 23, 1961

10. Div, Stratford-on-Avon, April 6, 1961