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This morning I heard the sad news of the passing of former jockey and great friend Jock Skilling. Here are a few words about Jock, a man who will be sorely missed by the racing community in Malton. Born in Annbank, Scotland in 1937 Jimmy (Jock) Skilling had a long and successful career as a jockey. A tough lad from north of the border he survived countless setbacks in a career that spanned 27 years. Jock rode his first of many winners on El's First at Catterick in 1956 but it was in the late 1960s that I really got to know Jock when he came to Sheriff Hutton and rode for us for about 12 years. It was here that he recalls riding the best horse of his career, the mighty Lochnager. Jock rode 24 winners for my stable, including fabulous horses such as Boismoss, Goldwyn and Workboy. He rode out Boismoss every day on the gallops, but sadly he missed out on the ride when the horse won the Cesarewitch as he couldn't do the featherweight that he was allotted. Instead Boismoss romped home under Ernie Johnson. Much of the credit for this win, my first big winner, went to Jock who had ridden the colt to his previous three victories as well as getting him for the race. |
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Jock suffered his fair share of injuries during his career but arguably his worst was a car crash in February 1965, in which he broke both legs and an arm and suffered internal injuries. As a consequence of the accident Jock walked with a limp. As well as one of the best judges of a horse that I ever knew, Jock Skilling was extremely quick witted. One afternoon Jock and fellow Scot Willie Carson were in the weighing room at Ripon and the jockeys were having some banter. Willie turned to Jock and said, "When you walk along the footpath Jock do you have one leg in the gutter and the other on the pavement?" Immediately Jock replied. "At least if I did then I wouldn't hit my arse on the kerb." Everyone fell about laughing. |
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Jock ran a tobacconist's and sweetshop in Malton and he'd bring in sweets for the staff. He was always hugely popular with everyone, and his contribution of sweets meant that Alice's own store of goodies in the pantry became less of a target for raids from the lads. Jock had time for everyone. He was a brilliant mentor to the younger lads and he lived for his horses. He was a great man to have around the stable and so many people benefitted from his wisdom. A story I recall involving Jock happened in 1969 when I ran a horse called Batchelor at Redcar. Jock took the ride and I watched the race from the stands with the owner. The horse stayed on at the end of the race and the obvious conclusion was that next time he needed another furlong or two, although eventually it turned out that he would need a couple of miles. After the race we went to have a chat with Jock. Jock was an excellent horseman and a brilliant judge of a horse's optimal distance and I'd seek out his opinion every time he rode one of my horses. "He's got talent but next time this horse needs to go a bit further", Jock concluded. The owner looked thoughtful before delivering his verdict. "How about we take him to Edinburgh next week, that's about 200 miles." I could hardly contain myself and neither could Jock. Jock returned to the riding in April 1966 and rode as well as ever before retiring in 1976. He was back in the saddle a few years later and resumed riding in races in his mid-40s but his career came to a crashing end, breaking his left leg when his mount Sweet Savage suffered a heart attack and fell at Newcastle in 1983. Jock spent five months in plaster and was just starting to get around with the aid of a stick when he tripped and fell and reopened the original break. This time he decided to retire for good after being told he would never be able to ride again. |
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After retiring from the saddle Jock tried his hand at training. "I trained for only about three years and I had around 20 winners," he said. "You can go skint quickly as it's so hard to make it pay." Instead he went on to run a restaurant and clothes shop in Malton. In December 2023 I heard of the passing of Jock Skilling at the age of 86. In a year that has seen us lose former jockeys Terry Lucas and Eddie Hide we're all reminded of our own mortality. Rest In Peace Jock and thank you to a great colleague and wonderful friend. |
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