Terry Biddlecombe
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Terry Biddlecombe (2 February 1941 – 5 January 2014) was an English
National Hunt racing 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 in the 1960s and 1970s. He was Champion Jockey in 1965, 1966 and 1969. Biddlecombe was born in
Hartpury Hartpury is a civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It has an area of about , about 270 homes and a population of about 700 people, increasing to 1,642 at the 2011 census. The village is about north of Gloucester. Geographically the parish ...
,
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
on 2 February 1941. He rode 114 winners in the 1964/1965 season, and followed that with 102 the next season. In 1968/1969, he rode 77 winners, which saw him tied with
Bob Davies Robert Edris Davies (January 15, 1920 – April 22, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. Alongside Bobby Wanzer he formed one of the best backcourt duos in the National Basketball Association's early years. Davies and Wanzer led ...
. One of his finest moments came in the 1967
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 ( ...
, when he rode the 100-8 horse '' Woodland Venture'' to victory. In 1972 he finished second 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 ...
on
Gay Trip Gay Trip was a racehorse noted for winning the 1970 Grand National. Gay Trip was a small bay gelding owned by Tony Chambers and trained by Fred Rimell. Formerly a flat racing horse, Gay Trip was switched to National Hunt racing as a five-year-o ...
. Between 1972 and 1974, he rode many times for
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...
, a well-known supporter of horse racing. In April 1974 he appeared on the television programme '' This Is Your Life'', and finally retired from competitive racing having posted more than 900 winners.


Early life

His father Walter was a successful point to point jockey and farmer. His mother, Nancy was a horsewoman. His elder brother Tony, also a successful amateur jockey until he gave up racing to take over the family farm was born on 6 November 1938 and his sister Sue was born in May 1948. Brother Tony was
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: ...
amateur champion jockey in 1961/2 and his cousin, Peter Jones was also a jockey.


Career

On 23 February 1957 Biddlecombe was unplaced on first ride on Balkan Flower at
Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a small town and electoral ward in South Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. The town and electoral ward has a populati ...
and rode his first winner, Burnella, at the same course on 6 March 1958 beating
Fred Winter Frederick Thomas Winter, (20 September 1926 – 5 April 2004) was a British National Hunt racing racehorse jockey and trainer. He was British jump racing Champion Jockey four times and British jump racing Champion Trainer eight times. He is th ...
in a photo finish. In February 1960 Biddlecombe turned professional. Shortly after he had his first ride 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 ...
on Aliform where he fell at the 22nd fence (
Becher's Brook Becher's Brook ( ) is a fence jumped during the Grand National, a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England. It is jumped twice during the race, as the and fence, as well as on four other occasions du ...
).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 ...
ride"> Biddlecombe had his first ride for
Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...
in 1961, and on 28 January 1962 rode his first winner for him on Voleur. He was retained as his second jockey (behind
Bobby Beasley Bobby Beasley (26 August 1935 – 9 January 2008) was an Irish jockey and horse trainer. Background Beasley was born in London in to an Irish racing family. His father, Harry, also known as "HH" Beasley, was an outstanding flat jockey and rode ...
) for the 1962/3 seasonFred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...
"> and was retained as first jockey for the 1963/4 season.Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...
"> On 27 February 1970, Biddlecombe suffered a life-threatening fall on King's Dream at Kempton Park where he ruptured a kidney and broke 3 ribs. He returned to race riding on 29 April 1970 but missed the winning ride on
Gay Trip Gay Trip was a racehorse noted for winning the 1970 Grand National. Gay Trip was a small bay gelding owned by Tony Chambers and trained by Fred Rimell. Formerly a flat racing horse, Gay Trip was switched to National Hunt racing as a five-year-o ...
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 ...
, a horse he was to ride in the next 2
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 ...
s, falling at the 1st fence in 1971 and finishing 2nd in 1972. Due to increasing weight concerns,
Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...
replaced Biddlecombe with Bill Smith as stable jockey for the 1972/3 season.Fred Rimell Thomas Frederic Rimell (24 June 1913 – 12 July 1981), better known as Fred Rimell, was a British champion National Hunt racing jockey and horse trainer. He was champion jockey three times and leading trainer five times. Rimell was the fi ...
 retainer"> Biddlecombe continued as a freelance jockey, riding some Rimell horses and many horses for
Fulke Walwyn Fulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn CVO (8 November 1910 – 18 February 1991) was a British jockey and a celebrated racehorse trainer, who was particularly successful in National Hunt racing. Life Walwyn was born in Wrexham. His twin sister, Helen Jo ...
and Ryan Price. On 14 March 1974, he retired from riding after finishing 3rd on Game Spirit in the Gold Cup and unplaced on Amarind in the final race of the day. Biddlecombe was
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: ...
champion jockey on 3 occasions. 1965 with a season's career best 114 wins, 1966 (102 wins) and 1969 (77 wins) when he tied with Bob Davies, his future brother in law. Biddlecombe retired with 905 British winners - at the time, the only
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 to have ridden more was
Stan Mellor Stanley Thomas Edward Mellor (10 April 1937 – 1 August 2020) was a National Hunt jockey 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 Me ...
- and reputedly at least 47 broken bones. Biddlecombe was a regular for the Jockeys Cricket XI, usually keeping wicket. With a large frame, he was 5 foot 11 tall, he fought a constant battle with his weight and increasingly with alcohol.


Personal life

On 26 July 1968, Biddlecombe married Bridget Tyrwhitt-Drake. They had two daughters, Laura (born 10 December 1972) and Elizabeth (born 26 April 1974). On retirement, Biddlecombe applied for a permit to train, but was refused by the
Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...
as his wife already ran a livery yard from the premises. He had spells as a
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...
paddock commentator and racing correspondent for Midlands ATV. It was whilst doing a feature that he first met Henrietta Knight. In 1981, he married Ann Hodgson, they had three children, including Robert, a successful jockey. They emigrated to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1985 and a farm outside
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
where alcoholism eventually led to the end of the marriage. In 1992 Biddlecombe returned to
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and with the help of the Injured Jockeys Fund, dried out. A few months later he met Henrietta Knight again. They married in 1995.


Later life

Biddlecombe married the trainer Henrietta Knight in 1995, having given her the ultimatum "It's the bottle or me". Together with his wife, held open days at their stables, with many coming to see the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner ''
Best Mate Best Mate (28 January 1995 – 1 November 2005) was an Irish-bred, English-trained racehorse and three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was considered one of the most loved horses in the history of horse racing in the UK, with hi ...
'', who was ridden to victory by
Jim Culloty Jim Culloty is a racehorse trainer and retired professional National Hunt jockey who won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season. Culloty and Mick Fitzgerald both worked for Jackie Retter, who trained at Whitstone, nea ...
in 2002 and 2003. Another of their star horses, ''
Edredon Bleu Edredon Bleu (26 April 1992 – 28 September 2018) was an AQPS National Hunt racehorse. He was bred in France but trained for most of his racing career in the United Kingdom. He was a specialist steeplechaser who recorded most of his wins o ...
'' won the 2003
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 ...
at
Kempton Park Racecourse Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, 16 miles south-west of Charing Cross, London and on a border of Greater London. The site has of ...
. In the early 1980s, Terry worked with the actor
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
for his role in the 1983 film ''
Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...
'', the biopic of jockey
Bob Champion Robert Champion (born 4 June 1948) is an English former jump jockey, who won the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti. His triumph, while recovering from cancer, was made into the 1984 film ''Champions'', with John Hurt portraying Champion. The ...
. Terry was followed into the racing game by his son, from his second marriage, Robert. He had remained involved in
horse 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 p ...
until his death on 5 January 2014 following a long illness.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biddlecombe, Terry 1941 births 2014 deaths English jockeys British Champion jumps jockeys