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When I started with the horses in the Sixties, there were two fascinating trainers around – John Meacock and Peter Poston.
Now I can’t find a bean anywhere about them. I’m hoping Peter Poston’s Ghost will fill me in about his earthly life, or even just give me a link to a biography.
As for John Meacock (Alresford, Hants) some of you are bound to remember him. I think he was an Indian Army officer, for all his horses had Indian names – Karkeh Rud and Qualabashi were two.
Like Peter Poston, he ran his horses way beyond their class, but he did manage the odd winner at Ascot, always ridden by his retained lightweight, Charlie Paton.
When I started with the horses in the Sixties, there were two fascinating trainers around – John Meacock and Peter Poston.
Now I can’t find a bean anywhere about them. I’m hoping Peter Poston’s Ghost will fill me in about his earthly life, or even just give me a link to a biography..
My memory is not what it was, but I’ll help with whatever I can remember.
Like Peter Poston, he ran his horses way beyond their class, but he did manage the odd winner at Ascot, always ridden by his retained lightweight, Charlie Paton.
Sorry but I don’t accept that I ran my horses out of their class. They were just very slow for the most part
I sent them to such places as Lanark, Hamilton, Catterick and Folkestone to try to get a win out of them. Only if they showed signs of ability did I step them up to try to win a decent prize.Peter Poston made a lot of money out of his rags by sending them up to Scotland for the summer circuit. He had them stabled in a small yard close to Lanark racecourse and picked up the traveling expenses from Newmarket for all runners.
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Peter Poston made a lot of money out of his rags by sending them up to Scotland for the summer circuit. He had them stabled in a small yard close to Lanark racecourse and picked up the traveling expenses from Newmarket for all runners.
Didn’t they get appearance money if they’d travelled a certain distance, and PJP used this as his main source of income? I’m sure he wrote an article about it in one of the racing dailys at that time?
Also remember Meacock who was a regular at Brighton and all his horses had names I assumed were Turkish or Persian; Vakil-Ul-Mulk springs to mind as one of his better ones?Sorry, Mr Poston, for suggesting you ran your horses above their class. I didn’t realise you were his REAL ghost, or I wouldn’t have been so rude.
Funny you should mention travelling expenses, because I brought this subject up on the Mark Johnston forum a couple of weeks ago, and was met by little response. I’ll post the thread on here, and see what you all make of it.
Peter Poston’s stable address was Ingatestone, Essex, so he must have picked up a fair few expenses while working out of a satellite yard at Lanark.
And thanks, Reet Hard, for remembering John Meacock and his days at sunny Brighton. Vakil-ul-Mulk I remember well – bit of a long-distance plodder.
I think I can remember him having a real ding-dong with Ted Goddard’s trusty QC at Ascot one day.
In the late 60’s I foolishly got hold of a slow racehorse and decided to point to point. I am a Londoner and at the time lived on the 7th floor and worked as a vanboy for Initial Towel Co in Goswell Rd EC1. Mr Poston’s lorries could always be seen around Smithfield meat market. Imagine my surprise to learn I had my horse in a field just a couple of miles from PP’s training quarters (Mill Green, Nr Ingatestone Essex). I got friendly with some of the lads working there, most of whom Mr Poston gave rides to. There was Denis Ali, Ernie Grier and others, all got to ride in lots of races. On meeting them I quickly realised I would need a stable for Border Tide, also I might need to do things with him on more days than Saturday afternoon and Sunday if I wanted to race. I also needed to learn to ride a lot better, which is where Mr Poston’s lads helped. They would catch Border for me and return him to wherever I stood after I fell off, leg me back up and shout good advice like "Try staying on" and "You nearly did it then" ("Did it" was jumping a stack of straw bales then landing somewhere near the saddle). I then got help from John Mayes, Peter Poston’s neighbour and friend. He assured me I needed not just a stable, but also knowledge and attention; I asked him to help then thanked him before he could reply and rode Border straight down the lane to Monks and Barrows Farm. John was a good horseman and rode as an amateur but with professional poise. He and the Mayes family used to laugh a lot when I was around, they tried me on every horse they had in the yard but to no avail. Border was stabled next to an ex Poston grey called Peggy’s Pet, he was famous for avoiding the winning post in 70 odd races; but he never threw himself to the ground as often as Border did. Ignorance was such a blissful state, as were the many concussions I received before finally swapping Border Tide for a motorbike; it was 125cc BSA and I fell off that a lot too.
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