Jockey Trigg’s glittering career ended in poverty
CHARLES Trigg, known as Hell for leather Charlie, was the country’s leading flat racing jockey in his day.
Born at Minsterworth he rode 111 winners in 1911 and during his career was first past the post of every major race on the calendar.
The Chester Cup, Cesarewitch, the Oaks (which he won in 1910 on Rosedrop), Goodwood Cup, Lincoln Handicap and Royal Hunt Cup, Charlie won them all.
He also rode Edward VII’S horse to victory at Sandown Park.
Despite a glittering career in Britain, France, Austria and Eire, Charlie Trigg ended his days in poverty and obscurity, reduced to one room lodgings in St Mary’s Street, Gloucester. He died in 1946 at the age of 65.
During the 1930s Arthur Saxby took over as landlord of the Wagon and Horses at Hucclecote and converted the pub’s outbuildings into stables for race horses.
These were run by Mr Llewellynjones, who could be seen riding about the village and its environs on his dappled grey horse until the 1960s.
The stables mostly provided accommodation for horses owned by George Hands, who lived in Torquay.
All these nags in some way shared their owner’s name, so were called Where’s George, George’s here, By George - and the like.
Another four legged resident at the Wagon and Horses was March Tor, which had the distinction of running in the Derby and finishing last.
More successful was Green Wheat, a winner at Cheltenham, but unfortunately its luck didn’t
last. When Green Wheat ran at Prestbury Park on another occasion it fell, killing the jockey whose name was Speck.
Perhaps some of the horses mentioned here were shod by the formidable figure pictured who was Joe Price (1882-1960), blacksmith by trade, showman by inclination and noted resident of Gloucester.
On work days Joe could be found in his forge at 2, Castle Villas, Bearland. But on high days and holidays he appeared at shows and exhibitions around the country, wowing crowds with his physical feats.
On the strength of his strength, Joe became a national celebrity and in 1926 he published a book with the snappy title “The Joe Price system of strength. A Vulcan course using a sledge hammer”.
This was followed two years later by a Pathe news film on the Gloucester strongman that was seen by cinema goers across the land.
The two minute 31 seconds, black and white film was called “A mighty man is he!”
It opened with Joe surrounded by his numerous trophies, then showed him hammering out a horseshoe on his anvil.
In the final footage Joe performed his signature one against six, tug of war feat.
Standing with a triangle of iron in either hand to each of which a rope was attached, Joe steadied himself, then took up the strain as three sturdy men on each side (making six in total) attempted to wrest the ropes from his grip. They couldn’t. During the First World War Joe served with the Royal Gloucester Hussars.
Then in 1923 he won the British amateur weightlifting championship at Camberwell in London by hoisting 481 lbs. (over 34 stones) above his head.
He was also British champion horse shoer and the collection of over 300 horse shoes of different styles he amassed can be seen today in the Westgate Street Folk Museum.
Sadly no film exists of other feats for which Joe was well known, such as hammering a piece of iron so hard and fast that it glowed red and a cigarette could be lit from it, or of him driving nails through a four inch thick block of wood with his bare hands.