Derek Ancil was one of Oxfordshire’s most successful jockeys - and he had the odd bottle of Guinness to thank for some of his achievements.
However, it wasn’t Derek who swallowed the drink - that went down the throat of his horse, Knucklecracker.
Their triumphs together included a memorable win by 15 lengths in the Hennessy Gold Cup on the Newbury racecourse in 1960.
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After that race, Derek described Knucklecracker as a “brilliant jumper who stayed forever - we won very easily. The old horse was not a good feeder, but when he was given a bottle of Guinness, he ate up. A lorry would turn up each month and we had a free order”.
Memories of him and his successful career have come from Memory Lane reader Albert Parker, of Woodfield Road, Bicester.
He writes: “Derek Ancil was a rare example of a trainer who rode his own horses in races. From 1959 to 1989, he trained more than 200 winners of National Hunt races.
“He won the Scottish Grand National in 1955 on Bar Point and the Grand Sefton at Aintree on Tiberetta in 1958.”
When young Derek showed an early interest in racing, his father bought him a horse called Dusty Chimes to ride competitively.
The 60-guineas purchase proved to be a bargain and at Wincanton on Boxing Day 1946, became Derek’s first winner.
A year later, the partnership tasted success at Kempton’s Christmas meeting.
It was in 1959 that he combined riding with training. In his first season as trainer-jockey, he rode 26 winners and saddled 18 to win nearly £5,000.
It was a promising prelude to the success he and Knucklecracker enjoyed in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury the following year.
Twenty runners lined up, a strong field with several likely winners. Despite several recent victories, some doubted Knucklecracker’s ability to stay the three-mile course due to the heavy going.
On the first circuit, the race looked wide open, but the testing conditions started to take their toll and towards the end, it became a battle between Knucklecracker and Zonda, with the former storming home.
When Derek retired from riding, Stan Mellor moved to Middleton Stoney and rode many winners for him, including Stalbridge Colonist in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1966.
Derek, who later moved to Thorpe Mandeville, near Banbury, died in 2010, aged 85.
Newbury Racecourse hosts 31 race days a year so there’s no shortage of breathless moments.
From bumper music race days in summer to the historic Coral Gold Cup in November, there’s something for everyone.
The vast site can host a wide range of conferences, exhibitions, events and more.
State-of-the-art facilities, more than 50 event spaces and 225 acres of grounds mean even the most bespoke of event can be catered for.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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