Dana’s proud of her legacy to the world of racing
TODAY’S Turf Talk Questionnaire guest is Dana Brown, whose mother Elain Mellor was one of our Turf Talk guests in November. Dana’s father is, of course, the legendary former champion National Hunt jockey Stan Mellor, the first rider to chalk-up a 1,000 winners.
When Dana gave up race riding she became one of a small team which set up JETS, the Jockeys Education and Training Scheme, which helps jockeys to transition to a new career after racing and is still going strong. She says: “In my view that was far more legacy than my riding days.”
Dana, who has a law degree, rode her first winner as an amateur for her father at Chepstow in 1984. Riding a horse called Oryx Miner, she beat her mother Elain and Princess Anne.
Her first win as a professional jockey was for Jack Berry at Haydock Park on a horse called Area Code.
Dana chalked up a total of 47 winners in the UK and three overseas, and one of those wins was gained in Tokyo. Her last winning ride was on Canoness in 1993 and on that occasion she beat the famed Pat Eddery. Q. Where were you born? A. Bicester, Oxfordshire. Q. How did you become involved in horse racing? A. I was born into it. Q. Apart from horse racing, what is your favourite sport? A. I don’t play any sport now, just attend a regular yoga class, but I enjoy watching Wales play rugby against England. We’ve tried a few times to get tickets to the Principality Stadium. Any ideas? Q. What was your most exciting racing moment? A. Riding a winner is aways exciting, but the most exciting has to be the atmosphere at Aintree before the start of the Grand National. Watching my dad Stan Mellor saddle three horses in the 1981 renewal tested my nerves to their limit. Thankfully, they all came home safe and Royal Mail’s third place felt as though we’d won. Q. Name your favourite racecourses? A. Chepstow, where I rode my first winner, and other long galloping tracks which favour stayers. Q. Have you any pet racing hates? A. The long queues to get out of racecourses. I think some racecourses could still do more to help disabled racegoers. Q. Which two people would you like to be seated next to at a dinner party? A. I listen to BBC Radio 4 a lot, so Jonathan Dimbleby and Eddie Mair. Q. What is your favourite television programme? A. I don’t watch much television, but Doctor Who is compulsory viewing in our house. We went on the Doctorr Who Experience tour several times and even went inside the actual Tardis. Q. Who do you admire most in horse racing? A. With a legend of a father like Stan Mellor, it’s impossible to see beyond. Q. What is the best advice you have ever received? A. You can achieve whatever you want as long as you don’t mind who gets the credit. Q. What is your favourite drink? A. As a teetotaller I’m a connoisseur of fizzy water. Q. Who is your favourite author? A. Cardiff-born Roald Dahl. I never knew he was a childrens’ author until I had my own children. I think I’ve read most of his books now. Q. Do you have a favourite book? A. I read the whole Harry Potter series to the boys when they were younger and we were all totally hooked. Q. Finally, tell us something that we probably wouldn’t know about you? A. I was 1978 Southern Area Judo Champion for all competitors under three-and-a-half stone. Brian’s blast from the past... In 1930 at the Monmouthshire Hunt Point-To-Point Steeplechases at Raglan, Fulke Walwyn and his twin sister Helen, who were born in Wrexham, both rode winners. Fulke won the adjacent hunts race on Ciren and Helen the ladies’ adjacent hunts race aboard Gay Garland.
Fulke went on to ride a Grand National winner and some racing historians claim that he was the finest trainer of steeplechasers there has ever been, while Helen, the future Helen Marjorie Johnson Houghton, was the first woman to train a Classic winner. Her Gilles de Retz won the 2,000 Guineas in 1956.
However, her name didn’t appear in the record books, as the Jockey Club back then didn’t recognise women trainers.
However, in 1977 she became one of the first women to be elected as a member of the Jockey Club.
The Pentyrch Hunt that year held their point-to-point meeting over a new course at Pentyrch and the attendance was said to have constituted a record for a south Wales meeting. However, a criticism of the meeting raised by the Western Mail correspondent was the absence of names of the riders from the number board.
No, it wasn’t me. I can’t take the blame for that one I’m afraid.
You can email your racing news, views or pictures to brianlee4@virginmedia.com or phone 029 2073 6438