It is with great sadness that we report the death of stalwart Point- to- Point enthusiast Milson Robinson at the age of 79.
Milson was born into a Lincolnshire farming family and grew up with show ponies and show jumping before his interest in racing was kindled by his Uncle Charlie, who used to pick him up from school on a Saturday lunchtime, to take him to the Point- to- Point to lead up for his cousin, George Pickering. Milson then bought his own horse, TeePeeDee, who he rode a few times in Point- to- Points. Later, when Milson’s son Simon was old enough to ride, the steady flow of Burton qualified Robinson runners and winners began with horses such as The Big Wheel, who won the last ever race to be run at the Carholme at Lincoln, Sovereign’s Match and Wind Force.
When Simon finished riding, Milson had longstanding associations with a number of jockeys; notably Matthew Mackley, Richard Armson, Tom Strawson and recently Philip Armson. In order to take on the role of first jockey at Linwood, Milson always told the riders that it was on the understanding that they would become part of the family. Milson’s family were everything to him; and whilst the horses ran in his name, he was always quick to say that it was a family affair; with his wife Christine, son Simon, daughter Heidi and daughter- in- law Clair all having a role to play. Milson’s love for pointing and his horses was infectious and he encouraged many people to attend the races and be a part of it; he liked to have his “supporters club” on hand to share in the day. He once declared that if he was a stick of rock, it would say “Point- to- Point” in the middle and Garthorpe was his favourite course, he called it an “A1 track” and his “second home”. He was a huge supporter of pointing in the Midlands area and always one of the first to put his hand in his pocket if a race divided on the day or sponsorship was needed. Milson’s unique red, white and blue silks were incredibly lucky; over the years there were very few horses trained at Linwood that didn’t win at least one race. His assessment of a horse’s ability, how it should be ridden and what track would suit it, was invariably accurate. Milson would often advise that it is better to let the horses do the talking and regularly pointed out that horses don’t know how much they cost when they are walking around at the start. It was no secret that Milson liked to win. On one occasion, the Robinson team took in a trip to Hexham, where Silver Streak ran in the Flying Ace Hunter Chase and led most of the way only to be pipped at the post by Henry Hogarth’s Red Rampage. On the journey home, the Hogarth horsebox overtook the Robinson lorry on the A1 leaving a frustrated Milson to exclaim; “Even Henry Hogarth’s horsebox is faster than ours!” The Robinson team had a tilt at some of the top Hunters Chases including the Champion Hunters Chase at Stratford with Silver Streak and the Aintree Foxhunters with Menchikov.
Panama Canal (pictured above, centre, with Tom Strawson at the Holderness in 2016) was a prolific winner in recent years winning 10 races including the Quorn Gold Cup at Garthorpe. He was a great servant because as well as his wins he was placed second on 10 occasions and third 10 times. Milson had a particular fondness for Panama; he was the last horse he rode himself and Panama would stand perfectly still for him to get on and off. Milson’s love of racing never waned and during the bad days of COVID when Revesby Point- to- Point was being live streamed, Milson and Chris spent the day in his office in front of the computer so that they could be virtually there. Milson’s final winner came at Southwell in September last year when Swapped won easily by 31 lengths.
Milson was never happier than when he was at home on the farm surrounded by his family; indeed, he and Chris were not keen on holidays and rarely went away for more than a few days at a time. Milson remained very active and a few weeks before he died, following a short illness, he was still getting up early to shepherd the cattle. He was incredibly proud of his grandson Tom who is the fourth generation of the Robinson family to farm at Linwood. In his final days Milson was still talking about Swapped and anticipating his imminent return to the racecourse.
Milson will be sorely missed by the many people who were touched by his kindness, generosity, wisdom and enthusiasm for the sport. However, his spirit will live on forever in the hearts of those that loved him and our thoughts and prayers are with Christine and the family at this sad time.