Our headline photo was taken in October 2020 at the National Two-Year-Old Sale at Gosforth Park, when Terry Lowe (left) was our stud manager. Next to him is former jockey Ronald ‘Tickey’ Carr, who popped by every day and told us wonderful old racing stories from his career.
Terry died of brain cancer in July, 2022. Last week, Ticky also succumbed to the dreaded disease.
Tickey rode more than 500 winners during his career, his two major victories coming aboard Goldwater in the Clairwood Winter Handicap and on Larne in the 1983 Revlon Charlies at Gosforth Park. He was known as one the best ‘money riders’ in town, in the Gerald Turner/Roy Curling league – when the money was down, he brought them home. Weight problems put an end to his career in the mid 1980s.
He never lost his love for racing and was often seen at the track and the various sales around the country, and as a keen golfer, he was for many years a loyal supporter of the annual Racing Masters.
Tickey’s condition deteriorated quite rapidly after the initial diagnosis and for the past couple of months he was hospitalised at Linksfield, receiving treatment for both his cancer and other complications. He died on Frida,y, 29 February.
Our concolences go out to Tickey’s family. He was one of the last true characters from racing’s ‘Golden Era’. A memorial will be held at Reading Golf Course in Alberton on Friday, 8 March, at 2pm.