William Bevis is far from being one of Tasmania’s high profiled jockeys from yesteryear, but he was one of the best performed in the early 1920s.
So much so that his feats warranted him being inducted into the Tasmanian Racing Hall of Fame last month.
William Bevis was born in Victoria in 1905 and relocated to Tasmania in his late teens to further his career as a jockey.
The move proved successful for in his first season (1923-24) he finished fourth on the jockeys premiership table with 24 winners and included victory aboard Llanthony in the 1924 Hobart Cup.
While he finished eighth the following season after spending the winter in Queensland, he returned to win the next six Tasmanian jockeys’ premierships.
He dominated up to 1931 winning every feature race on the Tasmanian calendar including the 1928 Launceston and Deloraine Cups aboard Lycurgides for premier trainer George Cann who was one of the inaugural inductees into the Tasmanian Hall of Fame.
Bevis rode solely for Cann’s Rosetta Stables for two seasons but later turned freelance, however Cann was always keen to secure the services of Bevis for feature races.
The rider often ventured to Melbourne where he enjoyed moderate success but he had much success aboard the Cann-trained mare Lampra that won three races in succession on Melbourne metropolitan tracks before being sold to Victorian interests as a broodmare.
William Bevis led a colourful life in the saddle before returning to Victoria where he lived with his wife Beryle until his death in 1992.
His contribution to Tasmanian racing makes him a worthy inductee into the Hall of Fame.