THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

BOB GORE IN THE SKETCH

Copyright Valerie Martin 2003

Racing stories abound in Findon.   It is said that years ago a certain Findon villager sold her pig to raise money to put on a favourite of the turf.   I can well believe this because horse racing at one time was on everyone's lips in Findon, not like today when hardly anyone knows there was once a famous racing stable here.

A gentleman by the name of Albert Vater (whose address was given as 47 Portland Road), was fined a grand total of five shillings by the Magistrates in Worthing.     I guess you are wondering what this guy had done back in 1921.  Well, he had apparently failed to properly bury the body of a horse on the downland in Findon, resulting in dogs/ foxes digging up the carcass.    Could this have been a racehorse.... or a cart horse?  I sense that there must be a little story connected to this if only we could unravel it.

Bob Gore is remembered as one of the past trainers of racehorses at the Downs Stables in Findon.

On 21st March 1923 he appeared in the centre page spread of The Sketch magazine which gave a humorous look at the horses, trainers and jockeys taking part in the Grand National at Aintree.  

The celebrities of the day were caricatured for The Sketch by that well-known gentleman of the day, The Tout.

Other horses, trainers and jockeys who got a mention were Sergeant Murphy ... eventual winner... George Blackwell, Jack Anthony, H. A. Brown, Turkey Buzzard, Percy Whitaker, W. H. Dixon, Hon. Aubrey Hastings, Tom Coulthwaite, the Findon Stables, George Poole, Major F. Scott Murray, Frank Morgan and H. Lines.

Here are some excerpts from that now rather worn centre page of some eighty years ago.....

Here's my favourite....

Continue if you would like to read about Captain Ryan Price's Travelling Head Lad Snowy Davis.

This is Findon Village — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.