William Henry Carr (1916–1985) was a multiple British Classic-winning

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or 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 to describe the individual ...

, who rode for both

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and her father

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

, and became one of the most successful jockeys in England in the 1950s and early 60s.

Early life

William Henry 'Harry' Carr was born on 30 November 1916 in

Clifton, Cumbria Clifton is a small linear village and civil parish in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it lies south east of Penrith. Geography The civil parish of Clifton has its western boundary defined by the River Lowther, to the north ...

, on the estate of the

Earl of Lonsdale Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...

, for whose

racehorse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

, Robert Ward 'Bob' Armstrong, his father Robert was travelling head lad. The family moved with Armstrong when he relocated to

Middleham Middleham is an English market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire. It lies in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, on the south side of the valley, upstream from the junction of the River Ure and River Cover. ...

and when he was old enough, Harry became an apprentice jockey to the trainer.

Career

He rode his first winner, Knight's Folly, on 21 July 1931 at

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire council area and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With a population ...

and went on to record seven victories in that year. At the age of 16, he spent the winter in India riding for the

Royal Calcutta Turf Club The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) is a horse racing organisation which was founded in 1847 in Calcutta, British India (now Kolkata). Horse events and sports were initially organised for the British cavalry at Akra before they were moved to the ...

, winning his first important race - the £3,000 Kashmir Cup - on a horse called Filter, which had been previously trained by Armstrong. He rode 20 winners in his second full season in England, before returning to India, where he was becoming a leading jockey.

1940s

He joined a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

regiment during the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, returning home to settle in Middleham. Post-war, he initially found it difficult to find rides. His early successes in England had been forgotten, and his record in India was largely unknown, resulting in owners overlooking him. However, he was eventually recommended to replace Doug Smith as jockey to

, taking up the role on 1 September 1946, at the age of 30. It was arranged that Carr would ride the King's Newmarket trained horses, while Gordon Richards would ride those trained at Beckhampton. With better patronage, he came fifth in the Jockeys' Championship of 1947 with 81 winners, among which were wins in the

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to t ...

and

Royal Lodge Stakes The Royal Lodge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), an ...

on Black Tarquin (trained by

Cecil Boyd-Rochfort Sir Cecil Charles Boyd-Rochfort KCVO (188718 March 1983) was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was British flat racing Champion Trainer five times. Background Cecil was the son of Rochfort Hamilton Boyd-Rochfort and the grandson of ...

for

William Woodward Sr. William Woodward Sr. (April 7, 1876 – September 25, 1953) was an American banker and major owner and breeder in thoroughbred horse racing. __TOC__ Early life Woodward was born in New York City on April 7, 1876. He was a son of Sarah Abagail ( ...

), the

Nunthorpe Stakes The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is schedu ...

on Como, and the

Ayr Gold Cup The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ayr over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

on Kilbelin. He rode the favourite, Clarion III in the 1948 season-opening

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 is ...

, heading the largest ever field assembled in a British flat racing of 58, but was beaten when the horse didn't stay the distance. Not long afterwards, in June 1948, he broke his leg falling off Monjon at

Birmingham Racecourse Bromford Bridge Racecourse was a racecourse in the Bromford area of Birmingham, England. Its official name was 'Birmingham'. It staged flat and national hunt racing. History The earliest recorded horse-race in Birmingham according to Chris Pi ...

. The King paid for a bone graft in a London clinic, but the absence was costly for Carr's career. Having won on Black Tarquin in that year's

Lingfield Derby Trial The Derby Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () a ...

and ridden him in the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

as well, Carr then missed winning rides on the horse in the

St James's Palace Stakes The St James's Palace Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlongs and 213 yards (1,603 metres). It is schedu ...

and

St Leger The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

Edgar Britt Edgar Clive Britt OAM (30 October 1913 – 28 January 2017) was an Australian jockey, who won every British Classic Race except the Derby. Early life Career One of the first of many Australian jockeys who came to ride in Britain after ...

deputised on both occasions.

1950s

It was not until 1955 that he won a Classic himself, when he took the Fillies' Triple Crown with the Boyd-Rochfort-trained Meld for Lady Wernher, as well as the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is schedul ...

at Royal Ascot. In the meantime, the early 50s saw other successes. On Big Dipper he won the 1950

Coventry Stakes The Coventry Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...

July Stakes The July Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...

, Champagne Stakes and

Middle Park Stakes The Middle Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is s ...

. With Turco II, he won the 1950

Dewhurst Stakes The Dewhurst Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), ...

and then the following season's

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

. He also won that year's

Wokingham Stakes The Wokingham Stakes is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is schedule ...

on Donore. Osborne was another successful horse for him, giving him victories in the 1954 Goodwood Stakes and

Doncaster Cup The Doncaster Cup is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 2 miles 1 furlong and 197 yards (3,600 metr ...

. But 1955 was an especially big year. Besides the Triple Crown on Meld, he won the

on Ratification (on whom he also won the 1956

Greenham Stakes The Greenham Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs () at Newbury in ...

); the Festival Stakes, King's Stand,

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

and

Diadem Stakes A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I ...

on Pappa Fourway; and the

Gordon Stakes The Gordon Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old horses. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 218 yards (2,412 metres), and it i ...

on Manati, who also gave him a win the 1956 Old Newton Cup. Other important horses in these years were Atlas (

Dee Stakes The Dee Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 70 yards () at Chester in Ma ...

and

in 1956), Almeria (

Ribblesdale Stakes The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it is ...

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

and

Park Hill Stakes The Park Hill Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards (2,9 ...

in 1957) and Doutelle (1957

Cumberland Lodge Stakes The Cumberland Lodge Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metr ...

, 1958

John Porter Stakes The John Porter Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs () a ...

and 1958

Ormonde Stakes The Ormonde Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 5 furlongs and 84 yards () at Ch ...

). Alcide gave him his first serious chance of a

win when, after winning the 1958

by a dozen lengths, he was made ante-post favourite for the Epsom classic. But shortly afterwards, he was said to have been "got at" by dopers and was taken out of the race. Carr would later win the 1959 King George) on him. He made up for the Derby disappointment the following year.

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

, on whom he had won the

Dee Stakes The Dee Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 70 yards () at Chester in Ma ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and the Lingfield Derby Trial, was drawn unfavourably in stall one at Epsom, but won by a length and a half from Fidalgo, ridden by

Joe Mercer Joseph Mercer, OBE (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English football player and manager. Mercer, who played as a defender for Everton and Arsenal in his footballing career, also went on to manage Aston Villa, Manchester City and Engl ...

, who was Carr's son-in-law via his daughter Anne. Pall Mall, trained by Boyd-Rochfort for the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, gave him a win at the 1957 Royal meeting (Norfolk Stakes) and then in the first two runnings of the

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat 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 Newbur ...

in 1958 and 1959. Unfortunately, he had turned down the ride on the horse in the 1958

2000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

, opting instead for stablemate (and favourite),

Bald Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

. In the event, the ride went to Doug Smith, and Pall Mall won by half a length.

Later career and retirement

In 1962, he again found himself on the favourite for the Derby - Hethersett. However, in a notorious incident, his rival Romulus fell six furlongs from home, bringing down others, resulting in the death of one horse and hospitalisation of four jockeys. Carr was one of them, in his case suffering from a broken shoulder. The injury was the beginning of the end of his career. In July 1964, he retired, on the advice of doctors, to manage Genesis Green Stud in

Wickhambrook Wickhambrook is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk (district), West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is about south-west from Bury St Edmunds, halfway to Haverhill, Suffolk, Haverhill, off the A143 road. Wickhambroo ...

near Newmarket, which he had founded in 1958. He published his autobiography, ''Queen's Jockey'', in 1966 and died on 19 October 1985 at the age of 68.

Major wins

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

1000 Guineas Stakes The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

- ''

Meld MELD may refer to: * Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, a prognostic model * A variant of the declarative language CycL * Molecular orbital diagram, Molecular energy-level diagram, a type of one-dimensional plot with a significant qualitative aspec ...

(1955)'' *

- ''

(1955)'' *

Derby Stakes The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey on ...

- ''

(1959)'' *

- ''Turco (1950)'' *

Goodwood Cup The Goodwood Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 2 miles (3,219 ...

- (2) - ''

Zarathustra Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label=Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastrianism. He is s ...

(1956), Sagacity (1962)'' *

July Cup The July Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres ...

- (2) - ''

Pappa Fourway Pappa Fourway (1952–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the outstanding specialist sprinters of the twentieth century and one of the best horses trained in the North of England. After winning four ...

(1955), Galivanter (1961)'' *

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

- '' Alcide (1959)'' *

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat 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 Newbur ...

- (2) - '' Pall Mall (1958), Pall Mall (1959)'' *

- ''Big Dipper (1950)'' *

- (2) - ''Como (1947), Bleep-Bleep (1960)'' *

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...

- ''

(1955)'' * St. James's Palace Stakes - (2) - ''Turco (1951), Above Suspicion (1959)'' *

St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a d ...

- (3) - ''

(1955), Alcide (1958),

Hethersett Hethersett is a large village and electoral ward in the county of Norfolk, England, about south-west of Norwich. It covers an area of and had a population of 5,441 in 2,321 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 5,691 at the 2011 cen ...

(1962)'' * Timeform Gold Cup (now Vertem Futurity Trophy) - ''Pushful (1963)'' *

Yorkshire Oaks The Yorkshire Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 1 mile 3 fu ...

- ''Almeria (1957)''

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite news , title=Joe Mercer obituary , newspaper=

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, last=Magee , first=Sean , url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/23/joe-mercer-obituary , date=23 May 2021 , accessdate=20 January 2022 {{cite web , title=Carr, W.H. , publisher=Jockeypedia , url=https://sites.google.com/view/jockeypediatrial/carr-w-h , accessdate=20 January 2022 {{cite web , title=The 1948 Lincoln Handicap , publisher=National Horseracing Museum , url=https://www.nhrm.co.uk/the-1948-lincoln-handicap/ , accessdate=20 January 2022 1916 births 1985 deaths British jockeys

Early life

Career

1940s

1950s

Later career and retirement

Major wins

See also

References