Anthony Gillam

He had been paralysed and unable to speak since February 2006 following a fall at a fence while out with the Middleton Hunt, at Sledmere, near Malton.

Horses, racing and hunting were in his blood, all of which he inherited not only from his parents but also his maternal grandfather, and he loved all things to do with the country.

Anthony Gillam was born at Kirkburton, near Huddersfield, one of four children of Major James Gillam and Diana Holliday who had met in the hunting field. His maternal grandfather was Major Lionel Holliday, one of the most successful racehorse owners and breeders of his time who had three studs, one of them at Copgrove, near Harrogate.

Anthony was educated at Bramcote, at Scarborough, and Charterhouse. On leaving school, he spent three years in his father's carpet

manufacturing company working in every department to get to know the business. At the same time he pursued his interest as an amateur rider having a number of winners. He once finished third in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.

When Major Holliday died in 1965 his son was forced to sell a significant part of the estate, including several farms, to pay heavy death duties. One of them, the 900-acre Wheatlands Farm at Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge, was bought by Mr Gillam and his wife, who like his parents, he had met in the hunting field.

Part of the farm was converted to a stud and training facilities where two of his acquisitions were the particularly successful winners, The Brianstan, and Foggy Bell – one of the favourite Northern milers of the 1960s and 1970s.

As a trainer, Mr Gillam took on the string of horses which included Red Rum who gave him his first success when he won at Catterick. But several promising outings were followed by defeat which led his owner to sell him. He was bought by car dealer Ginger McCain and went on to be the greatest horse in the history of Aintree, winning the Grand National three times, a record that has not been broken.

In 1981, having trained over 100 winners the business was wound up, and Mr Gillam turned all the land to arable farming.

He brushed up on his farming knowledge at Askham Bryan Agricultural College, while at the same time stewarding at Redcar, Ripon, Doncaster, Wetherby and Pontefract racecourses which led to him joining the Jockey Club as a stewards' secretary in 1988, a post he held until his

accident in 2006.

Known as a very generous and kind person, Mr Gillam was a great

supporter of anything to do with country matters and did much unseen work to further the country way of life, including fundraising for the Countryside Alliance and the Injured Jockeys' Fund, as well as giving support to his local church.

Mr Gillam is survived by his wife Pamela, and daughters Emma and

Camilla.