Death announced of former dual-purpose trainer Mary Reveley

Northern great had many big-race winners.

Britain’s winning-most female trainer Mary Reveley has died, aged 77, her son Keith has announced.

The former dual-purpose trainer, who saddled over 2,000 winners in a pioneering career, died of a suspected heart attack at her family’s North Yorkshire stables on Monday morning.

Reveley told Press Association Sport: “She was walking about the yard and was with Gill Boanas, who is training there now. She was around the horses, feeding them, and basically collapsed of a suspected heart attack. We’re all still in shock, but it’s just typical of her that she was around horses right up to the end.”

The late Mary Reveley was a real force on the northern training circuit (Tony Marshall/EMPICS Sport)

Based at Groundhill Farm stables in Saltburn, Cleveland, Mary Reveley took out a training licence with just four horses in 1982 but soon emerged as a powerhouse of the northern circuit.

She was the first woman in Britain to saddle 100 winners in a calendar year, having reached the significant milestone in 1991.

In the same year she landed the Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket with her favourite horse, Mellottie. In 1992, she then became the only British female to claim 50 victories in a Flat season.

She twice won the Cesarewitch with Old Red (1995) and Turnpole (1997), while the likes of Cab On Target, Marello, Seven Towers and Into The Red secured big-race victories over jumps for Reveley. She retired from training in 2004 and passed on the baton to her son, who announced his own retirement this January.

Mellottie (right) was one of the best horses Mary Reveley trained (John Giles/PA)

Reveley added: “The only good thing was that she didn’t suffer at all. She always loved being on the farm and wasn’t ever keen on going racing as she just wanted to be around the horses.

“She did it all without any publicity and always wanted to stay out of the limelight. Even in spite of not wanting publicity, she was sent all these horses and enjoyed wonderful success.

“Her favourite horse all along was Mellottie. We bred him ourselves and he was her first ever foal. We bred him as jumper but he was just a freak on the Flat and went from a mark of 60 up to 110, winning Listed races at Newmarket and also the Cambridgeshire.

“The memories we have of her are just amazing. Her career was unbelievable and we didn’t appreciate at the time just how successful she was.”