Stanley Thomas Edward Mellor (10 April 1937 – 1 August 2020) was a

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

and trainer who was the first jockey to ride 1,000 winners and Champion Jockey three years in a row from 1960 to 1962.

Riding career

Riding style

Mellor was an intelligent jockey, rather than a physical one. He once bemoaned the effect this had on public perception of him: "If you win with strength people see it, and if you win with style people see it, but if you win with guile people don't see it." He rode at a weight of 8 st 10 lb, not much more than a modern flat jockey.

Victory against Arkle

Mellor was one of the few jockeys to experience beating

Arkle Arkle (19 April 1957 – 31 May 1970) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by Archive out of Bright Cherry, Arkle was the grandson of the unbeaten Flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mary Baker of Mal ...

, often regarded as the greatest steeplechaser of all time. His victory against Arkle came in the 1966 Hennessy Gold Cup on 25-1 outsider Stalbridge Colonist. Because of the

handicapping Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which t ...

system, Arkle was regularly forced to compete conceding huge amounts of weight to other horses, and his defeat is often attributed to that. Mellor himself, however, maintains that Stalbridge Colonist beat him with a "turn of foot"

1,000 Winners

On 10 December 1971, Mellor rode his 999th winner at

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

. Despite another six rides there the next day, he couldn't add to it. Mellor spent another week trying to pass the landmark, racking up seven more losers in the process. His wife travelled with him every day so as not to miss the celebrations. Finally, at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

on 18 December 1971, he piloted grey

gelding A gelding (Help:IPA/English, /ˈɡɛldɪŋ/) is a castration, castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. The term is also used with certain other animals and livestock, such as domesticated Camelidae, camels. By compa ...

Ouzo to victory in the otherwise unremarkable Christmas Spirit Novices' Chase, thus becoming the first jump jockey to ride 1,000 winners. Dismounting from Ouzo, Mellor proclaimed it "a great relief" and was presented with an inscribed silver salver by his wife on behalf of the racecourse.

Falls and injuries

It is believed that Mellor had 750 falls during his riding career. One especially bad fall coming down the hill at Cheltenham caused his riding cap to slip off and spin away causing his wife, watching in the stands, to scream, "Oh my God, his head has come off". His worst fall, however, was in the 1963 Schweppes Gold Trophy when his lower face was smashed so badly it was almost completely detached. At the time, he was 20 wins clear of

Josh Gifford Josh Gifford (3 August 1941 – 9 February 2012) was a jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was a four-time Champion Jockey, riding 642 winners in his career. He retired from training in 2002, aged 60, and his son Nick Gifford too ...

in pursuit of a fourth successive jockey's title. The injury therefore probably cost him the championship.

Training and retirement

When Mellor retired as a jockey, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his achievements. He was also offered an appearance on '' This Is Your Life'', which he turned down. Mellor was originally based at Linkslade Stables in

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of r ...

. On selling the property, to Sheikh Mohamed Al Sabah of

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, a deal he regards as the best deal he ever did, he was able to buy a yard twenty times the size near

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

, which was named Pollardstown after his 1979 Triumph Hurdle winner. Mellor was a successful trainer, though not as successful as his time in the saddle. He won a Stewards Cup, two Whitbread Gold Cups and four races at the

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...

, including a 1–2 in the 1983

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and ...

with Saxon Farm and Tenth of October. His horses Royal Mail and Lean Ar Aghaidh were both placed in the

Grand National The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...

. He was amongst those who pioneered the import of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

bred horses (such as Royal Mail) and was known as "an excellent judge of a racehorse". Mellor himself, however, regards his training career as a disappointment, claiming he was too "laid-back" to succeed. With horse numbers dwindling, he sold Pollardstown in 2001 and retired to Ashbury, near Lambourn. He had trained over 700 winners.

Personal life

Mellor had a wife Elain, and two daughters, Dana and Linz, all of whom have ridden winners under Rules. Stan Mellor died on 1 August 2020, aged 83.

Big race wins

As a jockey

King George VI Chase The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a dis ...

* Whitbread Gold Cup * Mackeson Gold Cup * Gloucestershire Hurdle *

Queen Mother Champion Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the ...

* Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup

As a trainer

Stayers' Hurdle The Stayers' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain. It is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 m ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellor, Stan 1937 births 2020 deaths British racehorse trainers British Champion jumps jockeys Members of the Order of the British Empire