At 4.15 on the 14th April 1961 the first Mick Easterby runner took to the track as Spring Bronze lined up for the Hambleton Three-Year-Old Plate at Thirsk. And we say lined up because that's exactly what happened in the days before the starting stalls.
Spring Bronze had come from my brother, Peter, who ran a couple in the race too with After Me and Bengaline also taking part.
Owned by Mr Bailey and ridden by Herbert Jones the horse finished unplaced at odds of 100-8 behind race winner Brinkburn, trained by WH 'Snowy' Gray and ridden by Brian Connorton.
The following day Nigarda, owned by Mr George Black, ran at Thirsk in the Gormire Handicap and again was unplaced.
However, the third runner would hit the target as Great Rock became the stable's first winner at Edinburgh on 17th April, winning the Edinburgh Spring Handicap for owner Mrs Straker and jockey Jimmy Etherington.
It took quite a while for the distinction between the Easterbys to be made in the press. Eventually MW and MH were used but much of the time the papers got it wrong and mixed them up. Nigarda on the 15th April showed as 'M Easterby' then Great Rock actually showed as trained by 'H Whiteman' in the papers on the day that he won.
Great Rock's win appeared to wake up the compilers of the racecards to the fact that there was a new Easterby amongst the training ranks.
On 19th April 1961 'MW' was used when Arimar, Big Time and Woodville ran at Pontefract and that's the first time we can find the use of MW Easterby on a racecard. That day Peter was just 'M Easterby'. But in reality it was even more complicated because there was of course W Easterby (Walter) and at several meetings all three Easterbys fielded runners.
And what of the horse? What happened to Spring Bronze?
Spring Bronze appeared in the official scratchings from all engagements in the newspapers in August 1961. The scratchings showed horses who had died, horses scratched from particular races and, as in Spring Bronze's case, a withdrawal from all forthcoming engagements.
Spring Bronze was sold and in March 1964 he made his jumps debut at Worcester for trainer David Jenkins. He was unplaced in three starts over jumps, and last raced in the Painswick Hurdle at Cheltenham in April. From therein the trail goes cold!
Spring Bronze appeared in the official scratchings in August 1961
