Gordon Richards (jockey) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sir Gordon Richards |
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Gordon Richards, in the colours of J. A. Dewar (Gallaher's cigarette card, 1936)
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| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 5 May 1904 Donnington Wood, Telford |
| Died | 10 November 1986 (aged 82) Kintbury, Berkshire |
| Career wins | 4,870 (from 21,843 rides) |
| Major racing wins | |
| British Classic Race wins: 1000 Guineas Stakes (1942, 1948, 1951) 2000 Guineas Stakes (1938, 1942, 1947) Derby Stakes (1953) Oaks Stakes (1930, 1942) St Leger Stakes (1930, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1944) Other major race wins: Gold Cup (1934, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1952) Champion Stakes (1932, 1933, 1942, 1943, 1947) Coronation Cup (1937, 1939) Coronation Stakes (1951) Dewhurst Stakes (1936, 1940, 1943, 1946, 1948, 1952) Eclipse Stakes (1938) Goodwood Cup (1932, 1934) July Cup (1933, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953) King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1953) Middle Park Stakes (1933, 1937, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1953) Nunthorpe Stakes (1939, 1949, 1950, 1952) St. James's Palace Stakes (1947, 1949, 1952) Sussex Stakes (1928, 1936, 1937, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952) |
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| Racing awards | |
| British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times | |
| Honours | |
| Knighthood (1953), Honorary Member of the Jockey Club (1970) | |
| Memorials | |
| Gordon Richards Stakes | |
| Significant horses | |
| Abernant, Belle of All, Big Game, Brulette, Cameronian, Chatelaine, Chulmleigh, Combat, Felicitation, Khaled, Migoli, Myrobella, Nasrullah, Owen Tudor, Pasch, Pinza, Queenpot, Rose of England, Scottish Union, Singapore, Sun Chariot, Tehran, Tudor Minstrel, Turkhan | |
Sir Gordon Richards (born May 5, 1904 – died November 10, 1986) was a famous English jockey. Many people believe he was the greatest jockey ever! He won the title of British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times. He is also the only flat jockey in history to have been made a knight by the Queen.
Contents
Early Life and Horse Riding Beginnings
Gordon Richards grew up in a village called Donnington Wood in Shropshire, England. He was one of eight children. His father was a coal miner, and his mother used to be a dressmaker. The family had a strict upbringing.
His father kept several ponies at home. This helped young Gordon develop a love for horses very early on. He rode these ponies without a saddle from a young age. Later, he drove a pony and trap service for his family. This is where he started to develop his special riding style. His brothers, Colin and Clifford, also became jockeys.
A Jockey's Amazing Career
Gordon left school at 13 and worked as a clerk. But he dreamed of a career with horses. He saw an advertisement for an apprentice jockey and left home on New Year's Day in 1920 to join a stable.
His riding skills were quickly noticed. He had his first race at Lincoln Racecourse in October 1920. His first win came the next year, in March 1921, at Leicester Racecourse. People soon called him "Moppy" because of his thick, black hair.
Becoming Champion Jockey
In 1925, Gordon became the British flat racing Champion Jockey for the first time. He won 118 races that year.
The next year, he got sick with tuberculosis. This was a serious illness that could have ended his career. He spent time recovering in a special hospital. During this time, he met a friend who taught him how to handle his growing fame. By 1927, he was back riding and won the championship again. He kept winning it in 1928 and 1929.
Gordon then started riding for a shipping boss named William Tatem. For him, Gordon won his first "Classic" races in 1930. These were the Oaks Stakes and the St Leger Stakes. He almost won his fourth championship in a row that year.
Breaking Records and Near Misses
In 1931, Gordon won the championship again. Then, he became the main jockey for a famous trainer named Fred Darling. This was a great move for him. In his first season with Darling, he won 259 races. This broke a very old record for the most wins in one year! He became a national hero. He would break this record again in 1947.
Throughout the 1930s, Gordon came very close to winning the famous Derby Stakes, but it always slipped away. In 1938, he rode a horse called Pasch, which he had won the 2000 Guineas Stakes on. But another horse from the same stable won the Derby instead. People started to talk about his "bad luck" in the Derby.
During World War II, Gordon was not required to join the army because of his past illness. This meant he could keep riding. He won more championships in 1939 and 1940. In 1942, he rode the King's horse, Sun Chariot, to win the "Fillies' Triple Crown." This meant winning three big races for female horses.
In 1943, Gordon became the jockey with the most wins in British history. He rode his 2748th winner and won his 16th championship. In 1947, he won the 2000 Guineas Stakes by a huge distance. People called it "possibly the greatest feat in racing." Everyone thought he would finally win the Derby that year, but his horse didn't perform as well. Still, he won his 20th championship with a new record of 269 winners.
Gordon worked with Fred Darling for 16 years until Darling retired. Gordon said Darling was a "genius." Gordon then continued as the main jockey for the new trainer, Sir Noel Murless. One of his best horses for Murless was a fast grey horse called Abernant.
The Derby Win and Knighthood
Even with all his success, the Derby win still escaped him. But in 1953, something amazing happened. Gordon became the first (and still only) jockey to be made a knight! He joked that he never thought he'd be the "shortest knight of the year." This honor was given to him for his great achievements and his honesty.
In the 1953 Derby, Sir Gordon rode a big horse named Pinza. Pinza was in second place for most of the race. Then, with only a short distance left, Pinza swept into first place! The crowd cheered loudly. Winning the Derby, especially after so many tries, was Sir Gordon's biggest victory. The Queen herself congratulated him.
About a year later, in 1954, Sir Gordon had a bad fall. He broke his pelvis and four ribs. This accident forced him to retire from riding. He had ridden 4,870 winners in his career and had been champion jockey 26 times.
After retiring, he was asked to become a politician, but he said no.
Life After Riding: Training and Management
After his riding career, Sir Gordon became a horse trainer. He trained horses in different places in England. His training career was not as famous as his riding, but he still had success.
He trained for important owners like Sir Michael Sobell and Lord Weinstock. One of his best horses as a trainer was Reform, who won 11 out of 14 races.
In 1970, he had to stop training because his stables were needed for something else. But that same year, he became an honorary member of the Jockey Club, which is a very important group in horse racing.
From 1971 until his death, he worked as a Racing Manager. In this role, he helped his owners buy young horses and manage their racing careers. Under his guidance, these owners had great success with many famous horses.
Riding Style and Reputation
The Racing Post, a newspaper about horse racing, called Sir Gordon Richards the best jockey of the 20th century. They said he was like a giant in the sport. He brought great respect to his job because of his skill, honesty, and how long he stayed at the top. He was known for being very determined.
He had the perfect body for a jockey: short, strong, and sturdy. His riding style was a bit unusual. He rode upright and used a long rein. When a race was close, he would turn almost sideways, use his whip, and seem to throw the reins at his horse. Even so, his horses always ran straight and true. Experts said he could win on horses that no one else could.
People who worked with him said he was a kind, generous, and humble man. They said his honesty and loyalty were always perfect. If you made a mistake while riding with him, he only had to tell you once. Everyone respected him. He was also known for being down-to-earth and never forgetting where he came from.
Personal Life
Gordon Richards married Margery Gladys in 1928. They had three sons and one daughter. Sadly, one of their sons, a twin, lived only a few hours.
He wrote a book about his life called My Story in 1955.
Death and Legacy
Sir Gordon Richards passed away from a heart attack at his home on November 10, 1986. He was buried in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
In his home area of Shropshire, people remembered him. A pub was named "The Champion Jockey" in his honor, and a room in the Telford Theatre was named the "Pinza Suite" after his Derby-winning horse. The pub is no longer there, but new apartment buildings have been built where he was born. He officially opened them in 1975.
In horse racing, a Group 3 race at Sandown Park is named the Gordon Richards Stakes in his honor.
In 1999, the Racing Post listed him as the number 1 jockey of the 20th century. His record of 4,870 winners is still a British record. He also holds the record for the most wins in a row (12) and the most years as Champion Jockey (26).
Major Wins
- 1000 Guineas Stakes – (3) – Sun Chariot (1942), Queenpot (1948), Belle of All (1951)
- 2000 Guineas Stakes – (3) – Pasch (1938), Big Game (1942), Tudor Minstrel (1947)
- Champion Stakes – (5) – Cameronian (1932), Chatelaine (1933), Big Game (1942), Nasrullah (1943), Migoli (1947)
- Coronation Cup – (2) – His Grace (1937), Scottish Union (1939)
- Coronation Stakes – Belle of All (1951)
- Derby Stakes – Pinza (1953)
- Dewhurst Stakes – (6) – Sultan Mohamed (1936), Fettes (1940), Effervescence (1943), Migoli (1946), Royal Forest (1948), Pinza (1952)
- Eclipse Stakes – Pasch (1938)
- Gold Cup – (5) – Felicitation (1934), Owen Tudor (1942), Ujiji (1943), Umiddad (1944), Aquino (1952)
- Goodwood Cup – (2) – Brulette (1932), Loosestrife (1934)
- July Cup – (5) – Myrobella (1933), Abernant (1949), Abernant (1950), Hard Sauce (1951), Devon Vintage (1953)
- King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes – Pinza (1953)
- Middle Park Stakes – (6) – Medieval Knight (1933), Scottish Union (1937), Khaled (1945), The Cobbler (1947), Abernant (1948), Royal Challenger (1953)
- Nunthorpe Stakes – (4) – Portobello (1939), Abernant (1949), Abernant (1950), Royal Serenade (1952)
- Oaks Stakes – (2) – Rose of England (1930), Sun Chariot (1942)
- St. James's Palace Stakes – (3) – Tudor Minstrel (1947), Faux Tirage (1949), King's Bench (1952)
- St Leger Stakes – (5) – Singapore (1930), Chulmleigh (1937), Turkhan (1940), Sun Chariot (1942), Tehran (1944)
- Sussex Stakes – (8) – Marconigram (1928), Corpach (1936), Pascal (1937), Radiotherapy (1946), Combat (1947), Krakatao (1949), Le Sage (1951), Agitator (1952)
Images for kids
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The (now demolished) Champion Jockey pub in Telford, named in his honour
See also
- List of jockeys
