Terry Biddlecombe was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 National Hunt racing

National Hunt racing

National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...

 jockey in the 1960s and 1970s. He was Champion Jockey

British jump racing Champion Jockey

In Great Britain's National Hunt racing, the title of Champion Jockey is bestowed on the jockey who has ridden the most winning horses during a racing season. From its inception in 1900 through to 1925, the award was given to the jockey who had ridden the most winners during a calendar year...

 in 1965, 1966 and 1969.

Career

In the 1964/1965 season, Biddlecombe rode 114 winners, and followed that with 102 the next season. In 1968/1969, he rode 77 winners, which saw him tied with Bob Davies. One of his finest moments came in the 1967 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Cheltenham Gold Cup

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...

, when he rode the 100-8 horse Woodland Venture to victory. In 1972, he finished second in the Grand National

Grand National

The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...

 on Gay Trip. Between 1972 and 1974, he rode many times for Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...

, a well-known supporter of horse racing. In 1974, he appeared on the television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 programme This is Your Life

This Is Your Life

This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...

, and finally gave up race riding having posted in excess of 900 winners.

Later life

Terry is married to the trainer Henrietta Knight, and as a result is very much still involved in horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

.

Together with his wife he holds open days at his stables, with 5000 turning up to see their now legendary Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate

Best Mate

Best Mate was a famous English trained racehorse and three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup...

, who was ridden to victory by Jim Culloty

Jim Culloty

Jim Culloty is a racehorse trainer and retired professional National Hunt jockey who won both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National in the same season....

 in 2002 and 2003. Another of their star horses, Edredon Bleu

Edredon Bleu

Edredon Bleu was a popular National Hunt racehorse trained by Henrietta Knight in Great Britain. In 2000, he won the Queen Mother Champion Chase while ridden by 15-time champion jockey Tony McCoy. He also won the 2003 King George VI Chase and four renewals of the Peterborough Chase from 1998 to 2001....

won the 2003 King George VI Chase

King George VI Chase

The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 3 miles , and during its running there are eighteen fences to be jumped...

 at Kempton Park Racecourse

Kempton Park Racecourse

Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, which is a western suburb of London 16 miles from the city centre. The site is set in of land....

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In the early 1980s, Terry trained the actor John Hurt

John Hurt

John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...

 for his role in the 1983 film Champions, the biopic of jockey Bob Champion

Bob Champion

Robert "Bob" Champion MBE was born in Guisborough, in the north of England, on 4 June 1948. He is an English jump jockey who won the 1981 Grand National on Aldaniti. His triumph was made into a film Champions, with John Hurt portraying Champion...

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Terry was followed into the racing game by his son, from his first marriage, Robert.