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Dix Bay joined us from Doncaster Sales in 1999. Bought as a four year old to go jumping, he was by the 1983 Derby winner Teenoso, whose progeny traditionally took a while to come to their best.
Initially running in the colours of Nick Wright & Andrew Bairstow, he went on to be owned by Lord Daresbury in his later career.
Dix Bay began his education in bumpers, winning at the fourth time of asking for Mark Nicolls at Market Rasen. Switched to hurdles he was a winner at Wetherby over an extended 19 furlongs for Tony Dobbin. Successive placed efforts saw him rise up the ratings, but he handled the weight.
He loved Wetherby, and racing off a mark of 109 in April 2002 he won the 'Siemens Handicap Hurdle' under Richie McGrath at the West Yorkshire track.
Saddled with a mark of 115 the logical next step was to go chasing, but he really didn't take to the bigger obstacles. First time over fences he unseated Gino Carenza.
Burdened with weight over hurdles and seemingly disliking jumping fences we ran him in a few claiming hurdles, where he managed a second at Huntingdon. Back handicapping, Wetherby seemed the logical place to revive his interest and he finished runner up off 108, beaten just a head and then again was second in a claiming hurdle at the same venue.
His best run over fences came at Catterick in January 2005, again finishing runner up.
In March 2005 Dix Bay lined up at Doncaster to contest the 'Sprotbrough Claiming Hurdle'. In with every chance and making headway he took a horrific fall at the third last, a fall which was tragically to claim the ten year old's life.
A regular ride for jockey Tom Greenall in his later career, Dix Bay won three of his 30 races in a career that spanned six seasons.
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