Liam Treadwell

Liam Treadwell
Headshot of a man in white and red horse racing kit
OccupationNational Hunt jockey
Born3 January 1986
Arundel, West Sussex, England
Died23 June 2020(2020-06-23) (aged 34)
Billingsley, Shropshire, England
Career wins308
Significant horses
Mon Mome

Liam Treadwell (3 January 1986 – 23 June 2020) was an English National Hunt jockey, who won over 300 races between 2009 and 2019. He won the 2009 Grand National on Mon Mome at odds of 100/1, and also won the United House Gold Cup, Byrne Group Plate and Grand Sefton Steeplechase races.

Personal life

Treadwell was born in Arundel, West Sussex, England. He attended the local Angmering School.[1][2] He was nicknamed "Tredders".[3]

Career

Treadwell worked alongside trainer Venetia Williams.[4] He was the winner of the 2009 Grand National, having ridden Mon Mome to victory at odds of 100/1. It was only the fifth time a horse at those odds won the race, the most recent being Foinavon in 1967.[5] It was Treadwell's debut in the Grand National, in his first season in jump racing.[6] After his Grand National victory on 4 April 2009, Clare Balding interviewed him and made fun of his apparently bad teeth. Both the BBC and Balding apologised by 6 April.[7] Balding later said on BBC's Have I Got News for You quiz that she believed Treadwell to have had his teeth "kicked out" by a horse, a common injury suffered by jockeys, apologising again for her error.[8][9] The BBC received over 2,000 complaints about Balding's remarks.[10] Treadwell later received calls from dentists offering to fix his teeth for free.[1] Later in 2009, Treadwell caused another upset by winning the United House Gold Cup at Ascot on The Last Derby at odds of 33/1.[11]

In 2013, Treadwell won the Byrne Group Plate race at the Cheltenham Festival on Carrickboy.[12][13] He was taken to hospital after falling in the Topham Chase.[14] In the 2013–14 season, Treadwell had 42 winners, the most he achieved in a racing season.[15] Treadwell was a standby rider for the 2014 Grand National.[16] In 2015, he came third at the Grand National riding Monbeg Dude,[12] and won the Grand Sefton Steeplechase on Bennys Mist.[13] In 2016, he sustained a head injury after falling at Bangor. He was unable to race for six months.[4] His injury was featured in a Professional Jockeys Association film about the dangers of concussion in horse racing.[17]

Treadwell announced his retirement on 13 February 2018,[9][8] citing health reasons, including his head injury and a shoulder injury. He had 298 winners at the time.[15] In March 2019, he resumed racing, working with trainer Alastair Ralph.[8][4] In his first race back, he rode Czech Her Out, who narrowly lost out to Miss Honey Ryder.[18] He rode ten winners in the 2019–20 season, and worked as an assistant trainer for Ralph.[2]

In total, Treadwell won 308 National Hunt races, and 28 flat races.[2]

Death

Treadwell died on 23 June 2020, aged 34, in Billingsley, Shropshire, after taking a mixture of drugs including an animal painkiller and class A substances.[19][20][21] At an inquest in February 2021 a coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Grand National winner Liam Treadwell offered chance to fix teeth for free". The Daily Telegraph. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "Liam Treadwell: A tribute to the jockey who rode 100–1 Grand National winner". i. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Jockey Liam Treadwell dies aged 34". RTÉ.ie. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Liam Treadwell, 2009 Grand National-winning jockey, dies aged 34". The Guardian. 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Mon Mome seals shock National win". BBC Sport. 4 April 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  6. ^ Longmore, Andrew (5 April 2009). "Rookie wins the National lottery". The Times. London. Retrieved 5 April 2009.[dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Jockey on Balding teeth joke". BBC News. 6 April 2009. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b c "Liam Treadwell: Mon Mome Grand National-winning jockey retires". BBC Sport. 13 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell retires". Irish Examiner. 13 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Clare Balding: Why I snubbed the Grand National for the Boat Race". The Daily Telegraph. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Treadwell causes 33–1 upset in Ascot". Irish Examiner. 31 October 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Liam Treadwell: Grand National-winning jockey dies aged 34". BBC Sport. 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Liam Treadwell death: Grand National winning jockey dies aged 94". The Independent. 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  14. ^ "Grand National meeting: Little Josh put down after Aintree fall". BBC Sport. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Grand National-winning rider Liam Treadwell: being a jockey isn't for me anymore". Racing Post. 13 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  16. ^ "Grand National 2014: Big race rides for three jockeys in jeopardy after heavy falls". The Daily Telegraph. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  17. ^ "Jockey organisations release film to highlight dangers of concussion". Racing Post. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Treadwell just misses out on comeback winner as Czech shaded out by Honey Ryder". Racing Post. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  19. ^ "'It's unbelievably sad' – Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell dies at 34". Irish Independent. 23 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  20. ^ Smith, Rory (23 June 2020). "100/1 Grand National winner Liam Treadwell found dead near Bridgnorth". www.expressandstar.com.
  21. ^ a b "Grand National hero Liam Treadwell died after taking mixture of strong drugs". Racing Post. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.