A nostalgic look back to a century ago in this week’s Newmarket Journal, and a photograph taken at an historic race meeting featuring a boy whose 37 years as a jockey were to see him ride 1,324 winners in eight countries.

The picture was taken in October 1926, at the annual running of the Newmarket Town Plate, and sitting at the front of the pony is nine-year-old Bill Rickaby, who counted three Classic winners among his tally, including Sweet Solera, the winner of the 1961 1,000 Guineas and Oaks.

His elder brother Fred is riding pillion; the boys were the sons of Classic-winning jockey Fred Lester Rickaby, who was killed in 1918 while serving with the Royal Tank Corps in the First World War.

Their aunt Iris was the mother of Lester Piggott, who was named after his uncle.

Both Bill and brother Fred were to be apprenticed to their uncle, trainer Walter Griggs, at his Exeter House stables in Newmarket, and the little girl in this photograph is their cousin Pamela Griggs.

And while Bill was to make his name as a jockey, Fred went on to have a successful career as a trainer in South Africa.

Leading up the Shetland Pony is 11-year-old George Archibald, whose jockey father, also George, had won the 1911 Kentucky Derby on Meridian and moved to England after the war.

But just six months after this photo was taken, George senior was taken desperately ill after riding in five races at the Craven meeting and died at the family’s Bury Road home, Vaucluse, later the same day.

Ironically, the house had previously been home to the Rickabys and was named after the filly on which Fred senior had won the 1,000 Guineas in 1915.

George Archibald junior went on to train at Saville House Stables before returning to America, the country of his birth, to work for racehorse owner Paul Mellon.

He remained there after he retired, dying in Florida on February 4 1997 aged 81.