The tale of Clashmore National Hunt jockey Timothy Duggan
Timothy Duggan jumping the water jump on Mr Wright's Perique at Kelso racecourse back in 1934.
National Hunt jockey Timothy Duggan was born on 3rd December 1900, at Abertagh, Clashmore, Co. Waterford.
and his wife Catherine ‘Kate’ (née Ring). The couple had married at Dernagree near Millstreet, Co. Cork on 27th September 1892. It appears that James was 18 years older than Kate. They had an older son William, a daughter Margaret, with Timothy being the youngest of the trio. The Duggan family was rocked by the death of James on 14th January 1911. His age upon his passing was recorded as 64 years old. The cause of death was detailed as cardiac disease after being unconscious for two hours.
In his teens, Timothy served his apprenticeship with Michael John Dawson at the Curragh, Co. Kildare. Dawson had ridden three Irish Derby winners in four years in the 1890s. Subsequently, the Kildare-native took over the Rathbride yard around 1893.
Over the years, Dawson could list David Conlon (who tragically died in 1903), Frank Morgan and Joe Canty as jockeys for his charges. Dawson is considered one of the great trainers of the early 20th Century, with historian Jim Shanahan detailing that the Rathbride Manor doyen won up to 10 trainers’ championships between 1906 and 1926.
His great rival was Tramore’s J.J. Parkinson. As a trainer, M.J. Dawson won the Irish Derby on four occasions between 1902 and 1908. Needless to say, Timothy was to receive a top class equine education in the Short Grass County.
When aged only 16 years old, Duggan rode competitively at the Curragh and the Phoenix Park Races in the summer of 1917. Eventually, Timothy would try his luck in Britain. An inauspicious start saw him unplaced on his first mount on Hawkdene at Nottingham in October 1923.
The Clashmore jockey’s first win came at Derby aboard the Aubrey Hastings’ trained Young Heroine. A bad fall at Newbury in December 1926 saw Duggan removed from the course unconscious on a stretcher to the local hospital. He eventually regained consciousness, but his condition was described as ‘poorly’ facing into the new year. Slowly improving, Duggan was more than recovered by the time he received the mount of 8/1 Dinard (trained by Hastings) for the Cheltenham National Juvenile Hunt Chase in March 1927.
The rest of the decade saw Duggan have a rather journeyman-like record, never achieving more than three winners in a season.
A move north in 1932 saw Duggan become the stable jockey for Scottish trainer J.S. Wight at Grantshouse in the Scottish Borders, leading to a major upturn in Timothy’s strike-rate. Wight was a dominant presence on the Scottish National Hunt scene, as well as boasting decent records at Durham and Northumberland.
An improvement in the quality and quantity of rides available to Duggan saw his victories increase. Over the course of three seasons, Tim achieved at least 16 doubles. Such feats saw Duggan become the leading jockey at courses such as Hexham and Kelso, achieving a career tally of 20 wins at both.
His first season at Grantshouse saw him ride 17 winners. A career-best made even more remarkable considering Duggan fractured his collarbone at Haydock in December 1932.
Duggan’s hot streak continued over the summer of 1933, winning at Mallow aboard R. Curran’s Ernest in the 3-mile Avondhu Handicap Steeplechase. The Cork Examiner detailed, ‘At the outset Ernest was a sound favourite, but a late run for Poledrop eased the situation.
None of them ever really had a chance with Ernest, who went away in front and jumping beautifully[,] was always going much the easiest.’ The 1933/34 season saw Duggan achieve 28 winners, comprising doubles on each day of the two-day meetings at Hexham and Kelso in October 1933. Later that December, Timothy struck another double, this time at Carlisle, aboard Molly O’Morgan and Modest Maid. Both were trained by J.S. Wight.
As the National Hunt campaign was drawing to a close in May, Duggan notched up double successes once more at Hexham and Kelso. Additionally, the Clashmore jockey’s winning-most season saw him gain a ride in the 1934 Aintree Grand National, with the mount of 66/1 outsider Flambent.
Unfortunately, Tim’s participation in the race didn’t last long, with Flambent falling at the first fence.
Well and truly at the peak of his powers, Duggan continued his remarkable record at Kelso in the 1934/35 season, managing doubles on both days of that course’s October meet. Late-February 1935 saw his season tally of winners rise to 23 with victory on Donna Mia in the Egerton Handicap Hurdle at Manchester. However, March 1935 not only saw Timothy Duggan’s success come to a halt, but also witnessed the County Waterford jockey’s life hang in the balance.
On 20th March 1935 at Sedgefield, Duggan rode 10/1 Heron Wood (owned by Lord Haddington and trained by Wight) in the Eden Novices’ Chase. The Berwickshire News & General Advertiser recorded that Heron Wood ‘… became implicated in a jam which occurred at one of the barriers.’
Continuing, ‘One of the horses went down, dragging Heronwood[sic] along with it. Mr Duggan was rendered unconscious and was conveyed to a local hospital suffering from concussion and fractured ribs.’
While at Stockton and Thornaby Hospital at Stockton-on-Tees, the prognosis was as uncertain as the passing of time led many to consider the outcome to be bleak and tragic. Thankfully, 36 hours later on Friday 22nd March 1935, Duggan regained consciousness.
As his condition was slowly improving, the next step was for him to undergo a series of x-ray examinations to ascertain the extent of his internal injuries.
It appears that the severity of the fall and injuries sustained brought a premature end to a career of a jockey that persevered for nearly two decades to make his way and living in horse racing.
Duggan returned to Ireland, going on to live with his brother and sister on the family farm in Abertagh. In July 1948, Timothy Duggan died, aged 47 years old.
His funeral took place at Clashmore. The sad end to Duggan’s riding career and passing reminds one of the Jimmy McCarthy lyrics, ‘I turn to face an empty space where once you used to lie / And look for a smile to light the night through a teardrop in my eye / Ride on, see you, I could never go with you / No matter how I wanted to…’
