62 years ago today: the first Mick Easterby winner
62 years ago today: the first Mick Easterby winner
19.45 | Mon 17 Apr 23
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I wanted to train a winner more than I’d wanted anything else in my life. I’d seen Uncle Walter send out winners and I'd seen my brother train winners and the day would come when it would be my turn.
I entered two horses at Edinburgh on 17th April 1961. Great Rock was in the Edinburgh Spring Handicap and Henry Brown’s Steal A March would run in the Inveresk Plate. Both had good chances.
Great Rock was owned by Mrs Straker and when she sent me the horse she had told me that she would give me my first winner. I desperately wanted to repay the faith shown in me as a rookie trainer.
At about half past four on the morning I put the two horses onto the wagon and set off for the 200 or so mile trip north of the border to Edinburgh racecourse which was located at Musselburgh, to the east of Scotland’s capital.
Upon arrival at Edinburgh racecourse the horses were unloaded and taken to the racecourse stables where they would await their respective races. I kept checking my watch and as the time for the first race drew ever close I went to collect Great Rock from his stable and then met up with Great Rock’s jockey, Jimmy Etherington. Jimmy had been briefed many times and I'd gone over and over the tactics with him. We were as ready as we’d ever be. The wait before the race had seemed endless but eventually the horse was saddled, and the blinkers and noseband duly fitted. It was time to see what Great Rock could produce on the racecourse.
“You do your best lad”, I whispered to Great Rock, and with that he was led off into the parade ring. I'd done everything I could, it was now down to horse and jockey.
My heart was pounding, I knew this was the best chance I had had so far in my young career, and I wanted the horse to win above all for Mrs Straker. To add further pressure Uncle Walter also had a horse in the same race, and if we didn't win we at least had to finish ahead of his horse.
Great Rock had worked well at home, and it was only a matter of time before the ability that he’d shown me would be produced on the racecourse. I just hoped that it would be today.
The horses filed out and cantered down to the start. There was a good crowd at Edinburgh on that Monday afternoon. Weekday afternoons were for the punters, the gamblers. If you wanted to get a bet on you had to go to a racecourse. It was just two weeks later, on 1st May, that off-course betting became legalised and racecourse attendances went into a big decline, but that afternoon there were plenty of people lining the track.
Once they had reached the start the horses were called in and lined up. Starting stalls had yet to be introduced in 1961, and so it was a starter and a flag that gave the signal. The horses jumped off and after three furlongs Great Rock was going well. My heart beat faster and faster as the runners approached midway.
Great Rock travelled beautifully throughout the race and he was always up with the leaders. A furlong out he was still going well and there was plenty in the tank as two horses drew clear of the field. One was Great Rock and the other was Abbotsbury Abbot, the horse trained by Uncle Walter. Both horses had blinkers so could see little of each other as they battled it out to the line, but after a mile and a half it was Great Rock who prevailed by a neck. The third horse, Starry Rock, was a long way back.
Mrs Straker had promised that she'd give me my first winner and she'd been good to her word.
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