Born in Herefordshire on June 13, 1958, Peter Scudamore is the son of Michael Scudamore, who won the Grand National on Oxo, trained by Willie Stephenson, in 1959. Nowadays, he is best known as partner and assistant trainer of Lucinda Russell at Arlary House Stables in Milnathort, Kinross but, prior to his retirement from the saddle, on April 7, 1993, he was, in fact, one of the most successful National Hunt jockeys in history.
Scudamore rode his first winner under National Hunt Rules, Rolyat, trained by Toby Balding, at Exeter on August 31, 1978, as a 20-year-old amateur. Later in his career, as a professional, he became stable jockey to Martin Pipe at Pond House in Nicholashayne, Devon where, like his successors Richard Dunwoody and Tony McCoy, he reaped the benefits of his position. All told, Scudamore rode 792 winners for Pipe and was champion jockey eight times between 1981/82 and 1991/92, including seven reasons in a row from 1985/86 onwards. On the first occasion, in 1981/82, he led the jockeys’ championship by 20 winners when breaking his arm in a fall at Southwell in late April. His only realistic rival, John Francome, pledged to stop riding is he drew level, which he did, and the pair were joint champions.
All told, Scudamore rode 1,678 winners, including 221 winners in the 1988/89 season alone, thereby setting records in an era that – it should not be forgotten – came before the advent of summer jump racing, which was not officially introduced in Britain until the year after his retirement. He never won the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Grand National, but did ride 13 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, including Pearlyman, trained in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1987, Celtic Shot, trained by Fred Winter, in the Champion Hurdle in 1988 and Granville Again, trained by Martin Pipe, in the Champion Hurdle, again, in 1993. Elsewhere, he won the Welsh Grand National four times and the Scottish Grand National and Hennessy Gold Cup twice apiece.