R F ‘Buster’ PARNELL

1934-2017

RYAN FARNHAM PARNELL, champion jockey in Denmark (1957), Scandinavia (1959), Kenya and Ireland (1969) died in Copenhagen last Sunday following a lengthy illness, aged 83. Born in Fulham, though of Irish descent, ‘Buster’ – as he was known to all and sundry – was apprenticed to Royston trainer Willie Stephenson from 1949 to 1953, riding his first winner in 1950. Able to go to scale at 8st 2lb, Buster Parnell made just one foray over hurdles, winning on a horse he in fact owned. He justified that adventure on the basis that he knew of no other jockey he could trust not to put him away!

Following his marriage to amateur rider Anne Helner in 1960, Buster moved to Kenya to ride for leading trainer and flying ace Beryl Markham. As neither was inclined to kiss the rod, theirs was a fractious relationship. Nonetheless, they enjoyed such success that Buster became Kenyan champion on five occasions, winning the Kenyan Derby twice.

Years later Buster, a born raconteur, was to say of Beryl: “My God I respected her. I’ve ridden for the best trainers in the world, people like Prendergast and other greats, but I can tell you she was the best. She could have taken on the world and won.”

Buster Parnell’s move to Ireland with Anna, daughter Tina and son David certainly enlivened the somewhat staid Irish racing scene. Lightweight Johnnie Roe had already accounted for five of his nine jockeys’ championships. That changed in 1969 when the duel went down to the wire. The rivals were level at the start of the finale at Punchestown on November 15th. Paddy Prendergast gave Buster that 59th, decisive success on Orlandi. Buster would subsequently describe that Irish championship as the highlight of his riding career.

Stephen Quirke provided Buster’s first two Irish classic winners – Atherstone Wood in 1967 and Mistigo in 1968 – while Sir Hugh Nugent trained Miralla to give Buster his Irish 1000 Guineas in 1975. Buster also had seven Scandinavian classic triumphs. Charlie Weld, Kevin Kerr and Mick Hurley all played their part in keeping Buster’s name in lights. Another with fond memories of Buster’s artistry in the saddle is Eddie Harty. On two forays to Newbury, Buster rode Catch to beat Lester on Streak in September 1975, and then repeated that feat on Haraka 12 months later, narrowly successful over Pat Eddery on Blackadder. Eddie attributes Buster’s consistent success to a combination of God-given ‘hands’ with utterly unshakeable self-belief that flowed down the reins.

Fr Willie Walshe, still in office in Kenya, contacted Eddie and Pat on hearing the news of Buster’s demise. He recalled many a hard fought game of golf, at which Buster was no mean hand. Moreover, Fr Willie revealed a carefully concealed facet of Buster’s character; that he was always the first to help out the otherwise poorly-paid stable staff in Kenya. Similar concern saw Buster become a founding member of what is today the Irish Jockeys’ Association.

Buster and Anna Parnell had every reason to expect that their son, David Farnham Parnell, born in 1965, would follow in father’s footsteps. Apprenticed to Paddy Mullins and then to that renowned mentor of apprentices Liam Browne, David rode as second jockey to Dermot Weld, and became stable jockey to Kevin Prendergast in 1988. Just when all seemed set fair and success assured, David was killed in a one-car crash when driving to ride work in April 1990.

Predeceased by Anna, Buster is survived by his darling daughter Tina, a veterinary nurse in the Thoroughbred County, to whom our thoughts go out.

G.W