Tommy Skelton
Thomas Skelton (21 November 1856? – 27 November 1900) was a jockey who rode the winner of the 1886 Grand National aboard Old Joe. In his first four attempts to win the race, he placed third, then first, second and fourth, before being unplaced on two subsequent attempts. The silks Skelton wore to victory in 1886 are today in the possession of Aintree Racecourse and are occasionally displayed in the weighing room bar on Grand National day.
Skelton's biography is a matter of some debate. It is most commonly believed among racing historians that Skelton was born in
From 1884 he also trained racehorses for over ten years, mostly near Newmarket but also at Headbourne Worthy and Hednesford. He then took an inn at Kidderminster. Skelton was arranging to return to live at Newmarket, but died while visiting friends at Kentford close to that town on 27 November 1900.[2]