Bryn Gareth Crossley (3 August 1958 – 7 January 2018) was a Welsh jockey who competed in

Flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

. He was

British flat racing Champion Apprentice The flat racing Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice titles are awarded annually to the jockey(s) and apprentice(s) respectively that have ridden the most winners (both turf and all-weather) in Great Britain during a set period or championship ...

in the 1981 season and rode over 200 winners in total in a career lasting from 1976 to 1993. Crossley was born in

Prestatyn Prestatyn is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Historically a part of Flintshire, it is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. Prestatyn has a population of 19,085, History Prehistory There is evidence that ...

and began his career in racing as an apprentice jockey at the stable of Robert Amstrong in Newmarket. He rode his first winner at Yarmouth in 1979. He subsequently worked for Geoff Huffer and was at Huffer's stable when he won the 1981 apprentice championship with 45 winners. He gained his only

Group race Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as, in Europe, the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'A ...

win when Nepula won the Group 3

Fillies' Mile The Fillies' Mile is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is sche ...

in 1993. He also gained major handicap victories in the

Lincoln Handicap The Lincoln Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Doncaster in late March or early April. It i ...

and Old Newton Cup. Crossley retired in 1993 having ridden 222 winners during his career. The best horse he rode was possibly the 1983 Epsom Derby winner, Teenoso, who he partnered in a maiden race at

Haydock Park Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield ...

earlier in the 1983 season. Crossley died in January 2018, aged 59, after suffering a seizure at his home in Spain.

References

1958 births 2018 deaths Welsh jockeys People from Prestatyn Sportspeople from Denbighshire British Champion apprentice jockeys {{UK-horseracing-bio-stub