Steve Nesbitt was born on October 20, 1930. He rode on the Flat and had just two winners. They were passing Cloud in the Wallacetown Plate on June 10, 1955, and Pendle Hill in the Wilkinson Memorial Stakes at York on May 23, 1957. Both horses were trained by Wilfred Lyde.
However, it was as a trainer, based in Middleham, that he was the most successful.
Setting up at Diggle, near Oldham, in 1966, he began his second career. He then moved to Newby Hall at Middleham from where he sent out many good horses including the unpredictable Ubedizzy, Morgan’s Pride, Red Earl, Prew and Ingham.
Ubedizzy, his best and most notorious horse, was a high-class sprinter who won the William Hill Trophy at York in 1976, finished fourth in the Nunthorpe in 1977 and second (to Boldboy) in the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket in 1978.
Ubedizzy became savage, and in the unsaddling enclosure after the Abernant, he knelt on his groom and started to eat him. He was not allowed to run again in Britain and was sold to race in Sweden, where he became champion sprinter.
Other good winners for the dual-purpose yard included two more sprinters who gave Steve high-profile successes: Morgan’s Pride in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon in 1968, and Clear Melody in the Nottingham Stewards’ Cup in 1976. His best jumper was handicap chaser Red Earl, whose victories included the Charisma Records Gold Cup at Kempton in 1978.
After a long battle against cancer, Steve Nesbitt died at his home on Friday, January 22, 1982. He was 51.
His string was taken over by his widow, Myra, whose best horse was Molly Maguire.
A race, the Steve Nesbitt Nursery, was run for many years at Ripon in his memory.