Jeffrey Peate - in his own words

When I left school, father got me into a rather smart bank – my brother Guy already worked for him – father told me banks were safer than trying to earn a living out of horses. I stood the bank for 18 months and the bank were delighted when I left and so was I!

So I worked for the family on father’s farms and with the horses. I had my first ride in the East Sussex point-to-point on Shannon Lass III in 1949, belonging to the Honourable Jock Skeffington who inherited the title Viscount Masserene & Ferrard. Known by the bookies as Viscount Vaseline & Push Hard! I finished fifth and brother Guy won the race.

Guy and I shared the point-to-pointers at the moat and he always trained and rode the Holland horses which included Master Jock and Rough Scot. Who I think won the most point to points since the war. Guy died in 1970 – he rode more winners than me – I was often misspelt with a G and not J so all winners were usually chalked up to Guy!

I stopped riding in 1963 to concentrate on training the horses and most probably had had too many falls. People used to say – who can I get to ride my horse and someone would say there’s always the Peates. Penny and I bought Manor Farm Stud in 1976 and all our horses came up with us and didn’t we have some fun.

Notable riders

Guy Nevill, Terry Brennan, Adrian Pratt, Simon Sarsfield, Sara Belcher (later Hickman), Jenny Grant (later Gordon), Philip Hall and Richard Howgego all started raceriding from here. I was so lucky to have Sara as my boss girl and when she left Jenny took over – both are very good riders and became leading jockeys in the area whilst riding for me along with Chris Gordon and Mark Davies.

Other notable jockeys, synonymous with the South East, who rode for me a lot included: Robert Hacking, Paul Hacking and Ann Blaker.

I had the great luck to train Mark Davies’ horses when Tony Grantham went to Ireland – he’s the nicest, kindest person one could ever meet and the enormous fun and laughter Penny and I had with him was something different. Some people will still remember Colonel Henry, Why Forget, Robson, Carving Knife and a host of others. Mark was leading jockey in the South East over two years at the age of 42 and 43 as well as leading owner. A pal of Mark’s asked him why he had his horses with me and he told him because he never told me how to ride and I never told him how to train!

My great friend Simon Tindall sent me his first horse in 1980 called Charlie Muddle. We then got all his horses he had in training for their hols and pre-training – a very good lot of winners and he then sent me to point to point his first runners. I trained them until I gave up in 2000 and set up Jenny Grant to run his stable. It was a great success.

Sara Belcher was head girl for 9 years and then Jenny Grant for 12 years – we always had a good team and became just a point to point yard and in the spring and summer we would have whole lot of horses out of training having their summer hols. Most of them we would pre-train for 6-8 weeks for various trainers. Morley Street and Forest Son came to me as 3-year olds and Morley Street is still here at the ripe old age of 24. He won the Champion Hurdle, Aintree Hurdle 4 times and Breeders Cup Chase in America twice. Forest Son won the Supreme Novices’ and Galileo the Royal & Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle. Kings Curate who won the Stayers’ Hurdle.

I’ve still got Gayle Cammack who has been with me for 14 years and I hope she stays for another 14!

Two of the very best people helped me enormously, Richard Jones who is a great pal and very good vet who helped me for over 30 years and David Marley, another great friend who has shod my horses for over 30 years. He shod more winners in the 2008 season than any other smith.

Hunting with the Eridge

My first pony was called Bunty and the huntsman was Will Freeman – his son Arthur was a bit older than me and won the Grand National on Mr What. Old Bob Champion became huntsman just before the war, his sons Jack, young Bob and Nimrod used to whip in to him on their leaves from the Army. Jack went on to be huntsman of the Old Surrey, ‘Young Bob’ the father of Bob Champion who won the Grand National, hunted the West Kent and Nimrod, The Ledbury.

Major Bob Field-Marsham hunted the hounds after Bob Champion for 14 seasons and always sent me on to see a fox away. He was followed by Brian Gupwell for some years and then John Cooke and I was still sent on. The dear old Eridge had some wonderful masters, Lord Henry Nevill, The Venon-Williams in the war years, John and Patricia Abergavenny, Capt Henry Brierley & Sir Harry D’Avigdor Goldsmid. I hunted with the local packs and quite often away and special days with James Teacher when he was Master of The Quorn. I really loved foxhunting. All the pointers were qualified with the Eridge and later the Southdown & Eridge.

Judging

I was lucky enough to judge ridden hunters at all the major shows, apart from the Royal Cornwall and Royal Highland. I judged at the Great Yorkshire for two-days and the next day at the Kent County and rode over 200 horses.

I did Dublin and Belfast (quite different!) and luckily only got bucked off once (in Dorset). I was very flattered to ride so many grand horses.

Shooting

I’ve shot all my life, my father started Guy and me with 4:10’s and we went on from there. I’ve shot all over the place, on friends kind invitations and had great sport and I’m the oldest and long-serving Gun at Brightling Park run by the dear Henry Grissell. Ed, his son, has just started riding in point to points. Its always been the perfect shoot. I have a half gun with Peter and Ann Cairns at Bardogs and the beating line is made up of OS&B followers. Ed and Grandson Charlie are both very decent shots.

Stewarding

I was on the panel for Lingfield, Sandown and Plumpton and stewarded at 9 different racecourses in all.

The Mrs…

Mr E G Honey asked me to ride a horse of his at Fontwell in August of 1959, that I’d won an Open Race on in Hampshire the previous season. I’d not known Penny very long and asked her to come with me – she got out of an important modelling show to come which I thought was good news. I picked her up from the train and set off to Fontwell. So busy looking at her that I bumped into the back of a lorry full of ATS girls. I finished second to Taffy Jenkins (beaten a half length), Penny thought I was Lester Piggott and Fred Winter all in one! Penny was the most wonderful wife, mother and the best thing that could ever happen to me. All the owners and staff loved her.

Owners

Lord Abergavenny,

Lord Masserene and Ferrard,

Henry Mallett, Frank Hill, Peter Crane, E G Honey, Simon Tindall, Mary Tindall, Bob & Jean Bishop, Lord Wolverton, Sandy Evans, Terence Brennan, Christopher Hall, Mark Davies, Warren Marshall, Chris Ells , Michael Jackson, Philip Nelson, Roger & Heather Alwen, David Ashby, Adrian Pratt, David Tindall, Adrian Henry,

Don Nash, John Hecks