Richard Bevan
When I first left school in 1984 my first job was with former racehorse trainer David Nicholson near Stow-on-the Wold, Gloucestershire. Whilst with David Nicholson I looked after a horse called Charter Party who won the Ritz Club Chase at the 1986 Cheltenham Festival. Charter Party was one of two winners David "Duke" Nicholson trained that particular day the other being Solar Cloud who won the Triumph Hurdle at odds of 40-1. Both winners were ridden by Peter Scudamore. During the time I looked after Charter Party he also won the Golden Miller Chase (at Cheltenham) and a chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day 1985. Charter Party later won the 1988 Cheltenham Gold Cup but by this time I had left Nicholson's yard and was no longer looking after the horse.
In my own race riding career I had a few winners under National Hunt rules winning on good chasers Baluchi, Crowecopper and Ardent Spy.
I gave up my career as a jockey for various reasons but remained in racing returning to David Nicholson's new yard at Jackdaws Castle. This was a great place for training horses and their form on the racecourse proved it. During the first year there the yard had 102 winners (including Viking Flagship twice at the Punchestown Festival in Ireland). There was even one at 150-1 when a horse called Stylus ridden by Rob Massey won a 4 year old novices hurdle at Leicester. Stylus was also the "Duke's" 100th winner of the season when he won at Perth.
Nicholson was Champion National Hunt Trainer twice at Jackdaws Castle, in 1993/94 and 1994/95.
During my time at Jackdaws Castle I was fortunate to look after a couple more good horses Silver Wisp who won the 1994 Madagans Jockey Club Stakes Group 2 at Newmarket and Viking Flagship who won the 1994 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, 1994 Castleford Chase at Wetherby and the 1995 Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham
After David Nicholson's I worked for the Late Captain Tim Forster, trainer of three Aintree Grand National winners.
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