Owen Tudor was bred by his owner, Catherine Macdonald-Buchanan, who had inherited considerable racing and breeding interests when her father, Lord Woolavington, died in 1935.
[5] One of those who kept faith in Owen Tudor was the Champion Jockey Gordon Richards who insisted that the colt would have been his Derby choice had he not been prevented from riding by injury.
The ride on Owen Tudor went to the experienced northern jockey William "Billy" Nevett, who was given leave from serving as a Private in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps to take the mount.
[7] Although the crowds could not compare with those at Epsom, an estimated 50,000 were in attendance,[8] and the facilities at Newmarket were inadequate for the numbers, resulting in many spectators spending the night in the open.
[9] The size of the gathering also provoked security concerns, leading the Royal Air Force to fly almost constant patrol missions in the area.
[12] He then disappointed again in the "New St Leger", run at Manchester Racecourse as Doncaster was unavailable,[13] finishing unplaced behind Sun Castle and Chateau Larose.
In October the colt came back to form to beat Chateau Larose over fourteen furlongs in the "Newmarket St Leger"[14] (not an official substitute race).
Owen Tudor stayed in training at four and began by winning the ten furlong Trial Plate at Salisbury, ridden by Gordon Richards.