'Never just jump one more' - a point-to-point legend bows out after 30 years and more than 400 winners

One day, at Charing point-to-point, I forgot my boots. I did it only twice during my race-riding career but, being in possession of the chunkiest calves in the world, it was a scenario I dreaded. As I rushed around the weighing room, seeing who may have equally large calves, my anxiety was going through the roof. On this day, the other female jockeys were all very slender, with lower legs that should be modelling tights.

In desperation, I flew into the male changing rooms and was greeted by Phil York, who had considerably larger feet than me but whose boots, around the leg, fitted me beautifully. Phew! The boots and I were second in the ladies’ open and it has long been a fond memory of mine.

You can only imagine how sad and nostalgic I was last week when I learned of York’s retirement.

From Guildford in Surrey, York was the Peter Pan of the weighing room. A first ride on a five-year-old led him to believe that completing a race, never mind winning, was an impossibility. But in a career spanning more than 30 years, the impossible proved possible and York became a legend within the grassroots sport and amateur ranks.

Last week signalled the end of an era when 59-year-old York hung up his boots.

Known fondly to weighing room colleagues and racegoers as ‘Yorkie', he rode 412 winners in total, 376 of them point-to-pointing.

Like many top racehorses, Yorkie was brave, tough, sound and incredibly talented. What led to his retirement?

“It has to come to an end at some point and I will be 60 next May,” he says. “I could have carried on until then, but I always advise young jockeys to never ‘just jump one more' and it felt a bit like that.

“I have been lucky to escape most injuries; the longest time I was stood down for was two weeks. I am happy to have quit while I am ahead. At Godstone, at the end of last season, I had two falls and then got beaten on one I ought to have won on – I didn’t ride it to the best of my ability. That was a sign the end was coming. If you can’t be your best, you shouldn't be doing it. I have seen people come into the sport after me and leave before me; I guess it is miles on the clock, I believe we all have a limit, and I had exceeded mine!”

Phil York: rode his first winner on Paco's Boy in 1995Credit: Graham Dench

York's first winner came aboard Paco's Boy in 1995. He had run in the Grand National and was the first suitable horse York had been partnered with.

“My dad thought it fine to send me out on maidens that were clueless!” he recalls. “I got Paco's Boy and everything changed. He knew his job – I had never ridden one of those before! We even beat Steven Astaire on Gold Cup runner-up Yahoo one day.”

Since then, he has ridden several classy individuals, with multiple winners including Dante's Storm, Freddie's Return, Timmie Roe, Ringa Bay, Streets Of London and Caught In Time. The latter won five times during the 2010-11 season, when York rode 34 winners and was second to Richard Burton in the men’s national championship. York remembers: “We were level nearing the end of the season, I went to Bratton Down in Devon and it rained a lot – my firm-ground horses all finished second! I rode 27 seconds that season.”

York was well known nationally within point-to-pointing. His willingness to partner anything was something he became renowned for and there are many horses who would have never achieved their potential had York not played his part, among them the enigmatic Venn Ottery of Oliver Carter and Paul Nicholls fame.

“Venn Ottery was typical of the story of my career,” he says. “I heard there was a spare for Oliver Carter, so I rang him and he said I'd better come and sit on it. I drove to Devon and rode him, he schooled well and I was booked to ride him at Badbury Rings. He was incredibly strong in a race.”

The partnership never won, but York rode Venn Ottery in a variety of races before he was moved to Nicholls, for whom he famously rose from a handicap mark of 80 to 149 and finished fourth in the Champion Chase. During this time Venn Ottery was the talk of racing circles, yet had it not been for York teaching him how to race correctly he might well have been written off. 

York has also trained several winners under rules in recent years, among them Legal Ok at Plumpton in December 2020, a horse he remembers as typical of his operation.

“I bought him from Stuart Edmonds,” he says, “and he was always a challenge. I won two point-to-points with him – the day he won his restricted at Barbury Castle I was two fences clear at one point! He was mad, but did calm down in his old age. He was the type we always had; after winning his two points he wasn't good enough to go through the grades pointing, so we went and had some fun handicapping.”

York will remain very busy – he has three pointers to train and is looking forward to helping 17-year-old Huw Richards get his career going – while away from racing he is a keen seaman, with a 30ft motorboat moored at Southsea and a fishing boat in Cornwall, and to keep the adrenaline high he intends to cross the Channel as soon as the weather allows. 

“I am looking for a weather window,” he explains. “In the UK, you can pretty much go where you like, but I have had to do lots of tests and gain a radio licence to embark on this adventure.”

Over the years many of us have been lucky enough to ride against and learn from Yorkie. Known for his strength and bravery and a wonderful character to go with it, he will be sorely missed in the weighing room.

Weekend fixtures

Sunday
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire, DY10 4QT. First race 11am, gates open 8am. Six races.
Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7JE. First race 11.30am, gates open 9.30 am. Six races.

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