Stanley Thomas Edward Mellor (10 April 1937 – 1 August 2020) was a

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: ...

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 ...

and trainer who was the first jockey to ride 1,000 winners and Champion Jockey three years in a row from 1960 to 1962.

Riding career

Riding style

Mellor was an intelligent jockey, rather than a physical one. He once bemoaned the effect this had on public perception of him: "If you win with strength people see it, and if you win with style people see it, but if you win with guile people don't see it." He rode at a weight of 8 st 10 lb, not much more than a modern

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

jockey.

Victory against Arkle

Mellor was one of the few jockeys to experience beating Arkle, often regarded as the greatest steeplechaser of all time. His victory against Arkle came in the 1966

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 ...

on 25-1 outsider Stalbridge Colonist. Because of the handicapping system, Arkle was regularly forced to compete conceding huge amounts of weight to other horses, and his defeat is often attributed to that. Mellor himself, however, maintains that Stalbridge Colonist beat him with a "turn of foot"

1,000 Winners

On 10 December 1971, Mellor rode his 999th winner at Cheltenham. Despite another six rides there the next day, he couldn't add to it. Mellor spent another week trying to pass the landmark, racking up seven more losers in the process. His wife travelled with him every day so as not to miss the celebrations. Finally, at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

on 18 December 1971, he piloted grey

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

Ouzo to victory in the otherwise unremarkable Christmas Spirit Novices' Chase, thus becoming the first jump jockey to ride 1,000 winners. Dismounting from Ouzo, Mellor proclaimed it "a great relief" and was presented with an inscribed silver salver by his wife on behalf of the racecourse.

Falls and injuries

It is believed that Mellor had 750 falls during his riding career. One especially bad fall coming down the hill at Cheltenham caused his riding cap to slip off and spin away causing his wife, watching in the stands, to scream, "Oh my God, his head has come off". His worst fall, however, was in the 1963 Schweppes Gold Trophy when his lower face was smashed so badly it was almost completely detached. At the time, he was 20 wins clear of

Josh Gifford Josh Gifford (3 August 1941 – 9 February 2012) was a jockey and trainer in National Hunt racing. He was a four-time Champion Jockey, riding 642 winners in his career. He retired from training in 2002, aged 60, and his son Nick Gifford too ...

in pursuit of a fourth successive jockey's title. The injury therefore probably cost him the championship.

Training and retirement

When Mellor retired as a jockey, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his achievements. He was also offered an appearance on '' This Is Your Life'', which he turned down. Mellor was originally based at Linkslade Stables in

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...

. On selling the property, to Sheikh Mohamed Al Sabah of

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, a deal he regards as the best deal he ever did, he was able to buy a yard twenty times the size near Swindon, which was named Pollardstown after his 1979 Triumph Hurdle winner. Mellor was a successful trainer, though not as successful as his time in the saddle. He won a Stewards Cup, two

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 ...

s and four races 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 Ra ...

, including a 1–2 in the 1983

Triumph Hurdle The Triumph Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 f ...

with Saxon Farm and Tenth of October. His horses Royal Mail and Lean Ar Aghaidh were both placed in 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 ...

. He was amongst those who pioneered the import of

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bred horses (such as Royal Mail) and was known as "an excellent judge of a racehorse". Mellor himself, however, regards his training career as a disappointment, claiming he was too "laid-back" to succeed. With horse numbers dwindling, he sold Pollardstown in 2001 and retired to Ashbury, near Lambourn. He had trained over 700 winners.

Personal life

Mellor had a wife Elain, and two daughters, Dana and Linz, all of whom have ridden winners under Rules. Stan Mellor died on 1 August 2020, aged 83.

Big race wins

As a jockey

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 ...

Mackeson Gold Cup The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt chase 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 ...

* Gloucestershire Hurdle *

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 onl ...

* Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup

As a trainer

* Stayers' Hurdle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellor, Stan 1937 births 2020 deaths British racehorse trainers British Champion jumps jockeys Members of the Order of the British Empire