Tributes have been paid to “one of the most well-known secretaries in horse racing” following the death of Antonia Reid, aged 62, who helped power Nicky Richards’s successful training operation at Greystoke for over 25 years.
“Horses have been her life,” said her family this week. “She was racing through and through.”
Born in Aldershot, the youngest daughter of the late Major Timothy Riley and his wife, Tarn, Antonia spent a couple of her early formative years in Germany, where her father was serving in the Army.
The family then returned to Burbank House, Blencowe, in 1966, when Antonia was four years old, and during the course of his career in racing, Major Riley acted as clerk of the course at Carlisle, Cartmel, Hexham and Newcastle.
Antonia attended school at Fyling Hall, near Pooley Bridge, before attending Lime House and then Queen’s Gate in London.
At the age of 13, she started riding out for the late Gordon Richards at Greystoke and, later, while working at Newmarket for William Haggas, she sometimes found herself riding some of the best horses in the country.
After she left school, her “brilliant organisational skills” were also put to use as she went to work as a secretary for the later Peter Calver, a racehorse trainer based in Ripon, for a couple of years.
A fluent French speaker, she then went to work over in Chantilly, France, for Charlie Milbank, who trained Policeman, which Willie Carson rode to victory in the 1980 Prix du Jockey Club (French derby).
During the two years Antonia spent in France, she also worked for Hubert d’Aillieres, before returning to the UK where she went to work for Geoff Lewis at Epsom.
After joining William Haggas at Newmarket, Antonia then enjoyed a spell working for the late Gordon Richards at Greystoke, before returning to the headquarters of British horseracing, where she was a big part of the team when Shaamit won the Derby for Haggas in 1996.
A permanent move was made back to Cumbria when Nicky Richards took over the Greystoke training operation following the death of his father, Gordon, in September, 1998.
Antonia met her husband-to-be, Michael, in the mid-1980s at a dinner party organised by friends in the racing world and they got married at St Andrew’s, Greystoke, in 1992. They have two grown up children, Jennifer, aged 30, and 25-year-old Ben.
A former jockey, Michael worked for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) as a starter at tracks across the North for 15 years before becoming a full-time carer for Antonia following her diagnosis earlier this year.
They lived at Ghyll Forge, Ellonby, for 24 years before moving back to Burbank House at the end of last year, where Mrs Riley still lives.
Of Antonia, Nicky said: “She was a wonderful woman, absolutely fantastic and a great character. I couldn’t say enough about her.
“She was tremendous with owners and with the stable staff. She could have a laugh with the jockeys. She was a top-class part of the team.
“She did everything, including dodging bullets — when there was an irate owner on the phone, she’d calm them down. My sister went to school with her and she was part of the family for a long time. She had racing flowing through her veins.”
At Cartmel Races, on the Monday following Antonia’s death on Saturday, 24th August, all the jockeys wore black armbands and there was a minute’s silence. Lord Cavendish, chairman of Cartmel Racecourse, said Antonia will be “hugely missed”. “She was a marvellous girl and had time for everybody. I’ve known her since she was really quite young as we have always been very close to the Riley family,” said Lord Cavendish.
“She was wonderfully efficient working in that office and lovely to deal with. I think it was her warm good nature which shone through wherever she was.”
In 2021, she received a Racing Welfare Lifetime In Racing Award and had a race run in her honour at Carlisle.
But Antonia was not just a dedicated secretary at the Greystoke stables, she was a much admired secretary of Skelton show — one of the North West’s biggest village agricultural shows.
John Slee, Skelton show director, said they were incredibly grateful for all that Antonia contributed over 22 years as their long-standing secretary.
“It was lovely that she was able to make the show this year and judge our mounted fancy dress class,” said Mr Slee.
Like her late father, Major Riley, who had also a long association with Skelton show as a past chairman and long serving committee member, Mr Slee said Antonia was committed to public service with the amount of time which she gave to the show.
“She was just a lovely person, we had many happy times together,” added Mr Slee.
Away from racing, Antonia was a family woman who loved her family, pets, reading and gardening.
“She was a life enhancer, she really was, and has left the biggest gap possible,” said Mrs Riley.
Her funeral service will take place at St Andrew’s Church, Greystoke, on Tuesday, 10th September at 11am, followed by private cremation.
If desired, donations in memory of Antonia for Eden Valley Hospice may be sent c/o Richardson’s Funeral Directors, Victoria Road, Penrith, who have charge of the arrangements.
