Family mourns Melton’s former Grand National jockey

Phil Harvey enjoyed a high profile career in the sport in the 1960s, winning 92 races and enjoying success at top meetings such as Aintree and Cheltenham.

He rode in the Grand National three times, in 1964, 1965 and 1968, when he famously took to the saddle on board Foinavon, which had shocked the nation the year before by winning the National as a 100-1 outsider after many contenders fell.

Phil also rode three-times Grand National winner Red Rum as a work ride when he was being trained by Tim Molony at Wymondham.

His daughter, Sarah Harvey, told the Melton Times: “Dad was 25 when he rode Foinavon and I’m told that when he was interviewed by a national paper before the race started he joked that he might lay a trip wire after Becher’s Brook to help him win.

“When Molony had Red Rum my dad used to work ride him and he said he thought at the time the horse had the potential to win the National and he wished he’d had a bet on that.”

Phil was born at Hoby in 1943 and the family lived at a house near to the Blue Bell pub - he also lived in Saltby and Saxelbye when he was first married.

The son of a cattle farmer, he was a first cousin of Grand National and Gold Cup-winning trainer Jenny Pitman.

He always had ponies as a child and one of his earliest memories was of his mother leading him round on one named Chicken at the Hoby Village Fete fancy dress parade.

Decked out in racing colours, young Phil pulled up his stirrups, pretended he was on the 1953 Derby winner Pinza and told his mother he was going to be a jockey when he grew up and his dream came true.

Leaving home at 15, he joined Worcestershire trainer Fred Rimell and, soon after turning professional, he achieved his first victory on Clougher Hero for Rutland owner-trainer Frank Gilman at Birmingham on January 31, 1961, his 18th birthday.

In addition to riding in races, he did well in the stable lads’ boxing tournaments, a sport in which he maintained an interest throughout his life.

Among the horses he rode during the early part of his career was Tyson, trained by Gilman, on whom he won six races.

His first Grand National, on Reprieved, ended when it pulled up four fences from home, and in his second outing in the world’s greatest steeplechase he was brought down at Becher’s Brook aboard Barleycroft.

Sadly, Foinavon was unable to repeat his 1967 heroics in the National a year later when he and Phil were brought down in a four-horse pile-up at the water jump.

As well as Molony, Phil also rode for Vic Speck, a trainer based at Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

He was unlucky not to win the 1968 Massey-Ferguson Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Sweet Score.

Having led throughout, his mount blundered badly at the last fence and was overhauled on the run-in, only to run on again in the dying stages and finish a close-up third.

For the last 45 years, he lived at Brewood, in Staffordshire, where he maintained his lifelong involvement with racing as an owner and breeder.

He had horses in training with Barry Hills and Mark Johnston among others.

He bred 14 individual winners including the highly-rated Achilles Star, dual all-weather scorer Moneghetti, and Cabeza De Vaca, who landed a big race in France.

Throughout his life, he maintained his level of fitness with regular gym visits and also ran marathons, clocking a personal best of 2 hours 58 minutes.

Phil was diagnosed with an incurable form of blood cancer in January 2017 but had three productive years before the illness finally took hold.

On November 5, 2019, he watched the last horse he had bred, the appropriately-named Last Page, owned by his daughter, Sarah, win at Kempton Park.

He died at home on November 5, 12 months to the day since he had cheered home his final winner.

Phil married Hazel in 1963 before they separated and he had a partner, Barbara, for the last 45 years of his life.

He leaves three children and seven grandchildren.

Daughter, Sarah, added: “Dad was very honest, very strong morally and he liked having fun.

“He was a country person through and through and a fantastic horseman.

“I couldn’t have been any closer to my father, he was very special to me and it is devastating to lose him.”

A funeral service will be held on December 11, at 11am, at St Mary’s and St Chad’s in Brewood.

Friends of the family are welcome to contact Sarah Harvey on 07753 659556.