Course plans to mark legacy of great family

HERE we delve into the archives to remember a Welsh racing family mentioned in this column a few weeks ago.

The Anthony brothers – Jack, Ivor and Owen – were so famous that many years after their deaths, a pub in Ely in Cardiff was named after them.

Jack, who was the youngest, won the Grand National three times as an amateur on Glenside (1911), Ally Sloper (1915) and Troytown (1920).

Like his brothers, he learned to ride as soon as he could walk at his father’s Cilveithy Farm in Carmarthen. He rode his first winner at Ludlow when just 16. Strong and courageous, he was without equal at Aintree where he would always take the most dangerous but shortest way around on the inside of the course.

On top of his three wins in the Grand National, Jack finished runner-up on another two occasions in 1925 and 1926 on Old Tay Bridge. He was champion jockey as an amateur in 1914, when he rode 60 winners, and as a professional he won it again with 78 winners in 1922.

When he retired from riding in 1927 he took out a trainers’ licence and won the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Easter Hero in 1929 and 1930.

Ivor was champion jockey in 1912 with 78 winners. When he became a trainer, he saddled three winners of the Welsh Grand National and also trained Kellsboro’ Jack to win the 1933 Grand National. He repeated the Aintree feat when Royal Mail won the big race in 1937.

Other big races to go his way included the 1938 Cheltenham Gold Cup with Morse Code and the 1934 Champion Hurdle with Chenango.

As a jockey Owen was perhaps the least known of the trio, although he did ride more than 100 winners. For controversial owner Dorothy Paget, he trained Golden Miller to win the 1936 Cheltenham Gold Cup and in 1940 he brought off the Cheltenham Gold Cup-Champion Hurdle double for Miss Paget with Roman Hackle and Solford.

He was one of few people in racing who would stand no nonsense from Miss Paget, who would often phone her trainers in the middle of the night. His phone was unhooked at 10pm every night.

Ffos Las management are investigating ideas to remember the brothers at the track and hope to make an announcement once racing has resumed.