He was unnaturally big for a jockey, standing at 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighing over 12 stone
He had a serious fall in 1890, which contributed to his early death. In addition to race-riding, he was also a keen cricketer, representing Northumberland in their pre-County cricket days, Dalkeith, Aberdeenshire and Roxburghshire.
Although he was an amateur throughout his career, he won the Scottish Grand National a record four times (1881, 1885, 1887 and 1889) and also the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup in 1886. He is also one of only two jump jockeys to ride six winners in one day, a feat he achieved at Rugby Hunt on 29 March 1881. In one three-year period, he won 144 out of 276 races.
