William Nye
1874-1935
William Nye was born in Lewes in 1874. He made in inauspicious start to his riding career when his first mount in public, Little Kilworth, bolted with him and ran out in a Sandown hunters’ chase on December 12, 1889. However, retribution was only a day away, for on the next afternoon of that Sandown meeting, Friday December 13, he gained his first win aboard Reform in a handicap hurdle.
He had a dozen rides on the Flat in 1899 and won two races, both of them on the four-year-old Devonshire Lass. William partnered her for the first time when unplaced at Salisbury on May 30. The following day at the same course they finished second in a three-horse race.
Devonshire Lass was then given a brief rest before running three times in four days at Epsom’s Derby meeting in June, ridden by William on each occasion. On the Tuesday they were unplaced in the Craven Stakes, then two days later finished second of three in the Belmont Stakes, beaten half a length. The following day they lined up for the Durdans Plate against top Flat jockey George Barrett and Arthur Nightingall, the latter being far better known as one of the great steeplechase riders but was also more than useful on the Flat.
The Durdans Plate was over a mile, with Devonshire Lass leading for most of the way until challenged by the other two in the straight. What the Sporting Life described as “a fine race” then ensued, with the filly, “admirably ridden” by William, beating Nightingall’s mount Scene Shifter by a neck, with Barrett’s mount Mercy a head further away.
Fred Allsopp was aboard Devonshire Lass next time out when she was unplaced at Worcester on July 11, but William was back on board at the same course the next day when they landed the City Welter Handicap Plate by a short head. That was the penultimate time he rode her. They ended their partnership when beaten a short head by Tommy Loates on Eversfield at Windsor in August. Devonshire Lass won her last race, this time with Loates aboard, at Kempton in October before being sent to Argentina.
Back over jumps, William enjoyed his most successful year in 1900 with a score of 15 wins. On one occasion he was the lucky recipient of two walkovers on the same afternoon.
He rode a total of 46 winners, the last of them on Corner, who recorded a two-length victory in the Keymer Handicap Chase at Plumpton on February 25, 1902.
He continued to ride under National Hunt rules until September 1902. However, following a long hiatus he renewed his licence in January 1915 and then had further rides between September 1921 and March 1922.
His final mount was in the Dover Chase at Wye on March 13, 1922, a highly eventful race in which only one of the six runners, the odds-on favourite Gem, managed to complete the course, and that was after remounting. William was among the fallers on Ormskirk.
William Nye died in 1935.