Was Willie Carson ever Champion Jockey?

Simply put, yes, he was, not once, but five times, an achievement all the more remarkable for the fact that he was a direct contemporary of Lester Piggott, Pat Eddery and Steve Cauthen who, collectively, won the Flat Jockeys’ Championship 25 times between them. Born in Stirling, central Scotland, on November 16, 1942, William Fisher Hunter Carson, invariably known as ‘Willie’, rode his first winner at Catterick on July 19, 1962 and his last at Doncaster on September 13, 1996. In the intervening 34 years, 1 month and 25 days, he rode 3,826 more, for a career total of 3,828 winners, which makes him the fourth most successful Flat jockey in British history, behind only Sir Gordon Richards (4,870), Eddery (4,633) and Piggott (4,493).

Carson was Champion Jockey for the first time in 1972, the year in which he won the first of 17 British Classics, the 2,000 Guineas, on High Top, trained by Bernard van Cutsem. While still riding in the North of England, he was Champion Jockey again in 1973, increasing his seasonal tally to 164 from 132, but would not ride another Classic winner until 1977. That was the year he succeeded Joe Mercer as stable jockey to Major Dick Hern at West Isley and won the Oaks and the St. Leger on Dunfermline, owned by Queen Elizabeth II.

Carson won the Flat Jockeys’ Championship again in 1978 with 182 winners, in 1980 with 166 winners, including Known Fact in the 2,000 Guineas, Bireme in the Oaks and Henbit in the Derby, and in 1983 with 159 winners, including Sun Princess in the Oaks and the St. Leger. Ironically, Carson achieved his highest seasonal tally, 187, or five more than in his third title-winning season in 1978, in 1990, but could only finish second, behind Pat Eddery, in the Flat Jockeys’ Championship.