John Barham Day

John Barham Day (1793–1860) was a British jockey and trainer. For much of his career he was usually known simply as John Day; when his son of the same name rose to prominence, the older man was referred to as John Barham Day, John Day, Sr. or Old John Day. A member of a highly successful racing family, Day first made his name as a jockey in the 1820s and rode the winners of sixteen classics before retiring. In the mid-1830s he set up as a trainer of racehorses at Danebury near Stockbridge. He established a reputation as a shrewd and skillful handler of horses and specialised in landing betting coups. Horses trained by Day won seven classics between 1838 and 1854, during which time he was regarded as the leading trainer in the South of England and the main rival of the Yorkshire-based John Scott. He was known as "Honest John", but the sobriquet appears to have been applied ironically.

Background Day was born in 1793 at Houghton Down in Hampshire, the son of a horse trainer named John Day: Barham was his mother's maiden name. Four of Day's brothers became jockeys, including Samuel Day (1802–1866) who rode three winners of The Derby.

Riding career Day began his career as a jockey when in his mid-teens, but had limited success until he was over thirty. In the mid-1820s he attracted the attention of the Duke of Grafton and began to ride regularly at the major meetings at Newmarket. His first important successes came in the spring of 1826, when he rode the Duke's horses Dervise and Problem to win the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas respectively. The Duke gave his jockey a present of £20, which was considered generous at the time. During this time, Day had further success, training horses for, among others, Lord Palmerston, as well as winning the 2000 Guineas in 1844 with his own horse, The Ugly Buck.

In 1847 Day left Danebury to become the private trainer to Henry Padwick at Michel Grove near Findon in West Sussex.