Gordon Waugh Richards (7 September 1930 – 29 September 1998, aged 68) was a British

racehorse 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 ...

trainer specialising mainly in

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racing. He trained two winners of the

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

with

Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

and

Hallo Dandy Hallo Dandy (1974 - 8 January 2007) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. He raced in 4 Grand Nationals (1983, 1984, 1985, 1986) winning the 1984 race. He is also known for being discovered in 1994, m ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

. He also trained One Man to win the

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 distance of ...

in 1995 and 1996. He was born in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

and was apprenticed as a flat jockey to Jack Waugh. His middle initial, W., was allegedly inserted in his name by an official at

Salisbury Racecourse Salisbury Racecourse is a flat racecourse in the United Kingdom featuring thoroughbred horse racing, southwest of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. Fifteen race meetings a year are held there between early May and mid-October. History Racing at t ...

at the start of his career to differentiate him from the champion flat jockey Sir Gordon Richards. The W. was apparently taken from Waugh's surname.Gordon Brown, "Gordon Richards", '' The Herald'', 3 October 1998 (Pay per view
abstract
) Becoming too heavy for the flat, he rode as a National Hunt jockey for Ivor Anthony and Johnny Marshall; his career as a jockey was ended by a fall at Perth Racecourse in which he broke his back. In 1964 he took out a licence to train, initially at

Beadnell Beadnell is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is situated about south-east of Bamburgh, on the North Sea coast, and has a population of 528(2001), increasing to 545 at the 2011 Census. It takes its name from the Anglo Sa ...

, Northumberland before moving to

Greystoke Castle Greystoke Castle is in the village of Greystoke west of Penrith in the county of Cumbria in northern England. (). Details In 1069, after the Norman conquest the English landlord Ligulf de Greystoke was re-granted his land and he built a woode ...

stables near Penrith in Cumbria in 1968. He subsequently moved to a new purpose-built stables at Greystoke village in 1988. As well as his two Grand National winners he gained major successes with One Man, dual winner of the

and winner of the

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 onli ...

, and Titus Oates, also a King George VI Chase winner. On Timeform Ratings, One Man was the best chaser Richards ever trained. He was an exciting horse who visually traveled with ease throughout his races. He won the

twice, and the

. He had two attempts to win the

Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs ( ...

, finishing out of the frame both times, in 1996 (when starting the 11/8 favourite), and 1997. On both occasions he weakened in the later stages of the race. Richards also trained the future, dual

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

winner,

Sea Pigeon Sea Pigeon (1970–2000) was an American-bred, British-trained racehorse who excelled in both National Hunt and flat racing. In a racing career which lasted from 1972 until 1981 he competed in eighty-five races, and won thirty-seven times. He ...

, when the horse began his hurdling career. But owner Pat Muldoon transferred the animal to the Great Habton yard of

Peter Easterby Miles Henry 'Peter' Easterby (born 5 August 1929) is a retired British racehorse trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Trainer three times. From starting with seven horses at his stables at Habton Grange near Malton, North Yorkshire in 195 ...

, where he won two

Chester Cup The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards () at Chester in ...

s and an

Ebor Handicap The Ebor Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 5 furlongs and 188 yards (2,787 metres). It is ...

, as well as the 1980 and 1981 runnings of the

Champion Hurdle The Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a ...

. Richards will also be remembered for training the fearless, front-running two-mile chaser, Noddy's Ryde. The horse was only in his second season over fences when he was killed in action at Devon and Exeter in October 1984. He had been beaten narrowly in the

Arkle Challenge Trophy The Arkle Challenge Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham, England, over a dista ...

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 Rac ...

in the Spring of that year, after dueling from a long way out with the eventual winner, Bobsline. The race was considered one of the most exciting of the time. The most supportive patron of the yard was the

Edinburgh Woollen Mill Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is a Carlisle-based retailer specialising in clothing, along with interests in homewares and destination shopping for tourists. It was previously owned by the Dubai-based British billionaire Philip Day. The company' ...

, later becoming Ashleybank Investments.Horses in Training – A Raceform Publication Richards trained many good horses for these owners. They commonly named their animals using 'Tartan' as the first word in the name. One of them, Tartan Tailor, won the

Supreme Novices' Hurdle The Supreme Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of a ...

at the Cheltenham Festival. He died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

, aged 68, in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

, Cumbria and was succeeded as trainer at Greystoke by his son,

Nicky Richards :For American singer, see Nicki Richards Nicholas Gordon Richards (born 25 February 1956 in Alnwick, Northumberland) is a British racehorse trainer specialising mainly in National Hunt racing. He is based at stables at Greystoke, near Penrith, C ...

Major wins

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

– (2) – ''Lucius (1978), Hallo Dandy (1984)'' *

– (3) – ''Titus Oates (1969), One Man (1995 & 1996)'' *

– (1) – ''One Man (1998)'' *

Hennessy Gold Cup /Ladbrokes Trophy The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...

– (1) – ''One Man (1994)'' *

Whitbread Gold Cup Whitbread plc is a multinational British hotel and restaurant company headquartered in Houghton Regis, England. The business was founded as a brewery in 1742, and had become the largest brewery in the world by the 1780s. Its largest division ...

– (1) – ''Titus Oates (1971)''

Biography

* John Budden, ''The Boss: The Life and Times of Horseracing Legend Gordon W. Richards'' Mainstream publishing, Edinburgh & London,2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Gordon W. 1930 births 1998 deaths British racehorse trainers People from Bath, Somerset