Racing has been paying tribute to Mark Birch this morning following the news that the former jockey, a stalwart of northern weighing rooms for three decades and a regular rider of the great Sea Pigeon, died on Wednesday at the age of 67.
In all, Birch won eight races on Sea Pigeon, including two victories in the Chester Cup, and was credited with taming the horse’s tearaway nature by Peter Easterby, his trainer.
Birch spent 30 years at the Easterby stable and was the leading jockey in the north seven times. In addition to his Chester Cup victories, Birch won the Ebor Handicap at York in 1981 aboard Protection Racket and the 1984 Ayr Gold Cup on Able Albert, before retiring in 1998 with a total of 1,339 wins in Britain. He then helped Kevin Ryan, for whom he worked as an assistant, to establish his highly successful training yard near Thirsk.
“He was 67 years of age and what a feller he was,” Dale Gibson, himself a former jockey and now the executive racing director of the Professional Jockeys Association, said on Thursday. “He was consistent throughout his career, nearly all of it in the north, where he was the leading rider on seven occasions. There was a golden period in the 1980s, starting in 1981 when he won the Ebor Handicap and the Northumberland Plate, and then along came Sea Pigeon. Mark was so reliable.”
Jockeys at today’s only Flat meeting, at Chelmsford City this evening, will wear black armbands in Birch’s honour.
Shypen (7.15) is the standout bet on the Chelmsford card. George Margarson’s three-year-old has been winning at six furlongs this year, but has a win at today’s seven-furlong trip earlier in her career and seems to be improving from race to race. She added to a win for Jim Crowley in September when successful under the 7lb-claimer Jane Elliott, who takes weight off her again today, at Wolverhampton five days ago. The time of that race backed up the form and she is an excellent bet at around 11-4 to defy a 6lb penalty.
Irish Optimism (7.45) also arrives on the back of a win and stands every chance of following up if he takes to the surface, while Katebird (5.45) improved for a step up to an extended mile last time and will go close in the nursery if another move up to 10 furlongs bring further progress.
I’dliketheoption (3.05) could be the pick of the day’s jumps cards at Ludlow if he can iron out the wrinkles in his jumping at the third time of asking. He was going like a winner when unseating his rider four out at this track this month, and stands every chance today off the same mark of 122 assuming that his jumping shows the benefit of the experience.
Dominada (3.40) escapes a penalty for a convincing front-running success last week and should follow up on the same card, while Nachi Falls (3.30) is improving rapidly and can complete a four-timer on the card at Newton Abbot. Benzel (3.55) is also progressive and could be up to defying top weight at Carlisle, where the three-and-a-quarter mile trip will take some getting in today’s conditions.
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