TOP TEN GREAT JOCKEYS
Top Ten Greatest Jockeys of the last 100 years
In the world of horse race betting, where the focus is often squarely on the horse itself, it would be easy to neglect the skills and importance of the man in the saddle. But with horse racing betting becoming even more competitive, the ability of the jockey should not be underestimated. Some great names have emerged from the ‘sport of kings’, but who are the ten greatest?
1. FRED ARCHER
Was the most successful jockey of the Victorian era. When he died, London came to a standstill as the horse drawn funeral procession made its way through the capital. Nicknamed ‘The Tinman’ because of his care of money, he was Champion jockey for 13 consecutive seasons. He rode an unbelievable 2748 winners from only 8084 rides. In 1885 he rode a staggering 246 successes (one has to remember there were no planes and fast cars in those days).
This record stood until Gordon Richards broke it in 1933. He included five Derby winners amongst his 21 Classic successes. He will be best remembered for winning the 1880 Derby on Bend O’r, when getting up on the line to defeat Robert the Devil, despite riding with only one good arm. His other arm had been savaged by a horse six weeks earlier, and he had to ride with a splint. Tall for a jockey at 5’ 10”, he suffered for most of his career from trying to keep his weight to an acceptable level. When his wife died after childbirth depression eventually set in, and he committed suicide at the age of only 29.
2. SIR GORDON RICHARDS
Richards was considered by many judges, to have been the greatest jockey of all time. He is also the only jockey to have ever been knighted. He rode his first winner in 1921 aged 17, and four years later won his first jockeys championship riding 118 winners. From then on his record was one long catalogue of success. He broke Fred Archer’s long standing record of 246 winners in a season, by ridding 259 winners in 1932.
He was Champion jockey a record 26 times, and also holds the record of riding a total of 4870 winners. He also rode 12 consecutive winners in the 20’s. In 1953 he finally won the Derby, a race that had eluded him for over 30yrs when steering home Pinza. In the process he defeated the Queen’s horse Aureole. The 100,000 plus crowd were delirious despite it being Coronation year. He retired in 1954 to become a trainer.
3. LESTER PIGGOTT
In the eyes of the racing public, there will never be another Lester Piggott. Considered to have been one of the greatest jockeys ever seen, he rode 4493 winners, 24 Classic winners, 9 Derby winners and was Champion Jockey on 11 occasions. There was no greater joy for horse race betting punters than to see Piggott’s backside high in the air with a couple of furlongs to go in a race.
He took over the mantle from Steve Donoghue as the ‘housewives favourite’ when it came around to the Derby in June. His eighth Derby success has gone down in folklore history when his machine-gun whip rattling, lifted The Minstrel over the winner line in 1977. Only Lester could have come out of jail after serving just over a year for tax irregularities in 1990 and then 10 days later produce a dream ride on Royal Academy to win the Breeders Cup Mile in New York.
Such feats typified his colourful career, something which endeared him to the racing betting public A truly remarkable jockey who finally hung up his boots in 1995.
4. TONY McCOY
There has never been a greater jump jockey than AP McCoy. The ‘Winning Machine’ rode his first winner in England at Exeter in 1994 and from then on record after record has tumbled to the Northern Irish jockey. Statistics don’t lie, and after becoming champion jockey for the first time in the 1995/96 season he has held on to the title for the next eleven seasons.
In that time he recorded the fastest ever 1000 winners by a jockey, set a new National Hunt record of riding 253 winners and then bettered that by beating Sir Gordon Richards record of 269 winners, by recording 283 successes in 2002. But records are there to be broken and the horse racing betting world will be eagerly looking for the next challenger to his crown.
He is already the leading NH rider of all time with over 2500 winners and has been aboard the winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and King George VI Chase. Only the Grand National has eluded him so far.
5. STEVE DONOGHUE
Donoghue was the leading jockey of the early 20th Century, winning the jockey’s title 10 times between the years of 1910 to 1920. He was the darling of the crowds on Derby Day, winning the Blue Riband of the Turf on six occasions and completing a hat-trick in 1921,22 and 23.
The celebrated clarion call of “Come on Steve” was a regular feature at Epsom when Donoghue made his move to challenge the leaders in a race. He was associated with such equine legends as Brown Jack and the flying grey two-year-old The Tetarch, who he always rated the fastest horse he ever sat on. He also completed two Triple Crown successes when aboard Pommern and Gay Crusader during the First World War.
6. FRED WINTER
Fred Winter was one of the greatest NH jockeys this country has ever produced. He embarked on his NH career in 1947 and rode his first winner on a horse called Carlton.It was the first of 923 winners. In only his fourth season as a NH jockey he became Champion jockey riding 121 winners, which at that time was a record. Winter was four times Champion jockey during the 50’s.
In that time he included the 1952 King George VI on Halloween, and Champion Hurdle successes aboard Fare Time and Clair Soleil amongst his big race victories. In 1957 he rode his first Grand National winner on Sundew and went on to ride another National wiiner, as well as two Gold Cups and another Champion Hurdle. He will always be remembered for partnering Mandarin to win the Grand Steeplechase de Paris. The eleven-yr-old’s bit broke in his mouth after the third fence leaving Winter to control the horse with no reins.
It got even worse with two fences to go, when Mandarin broke down, but Winter still managed to coax the horse home to a head victory. Few would have bet on victory for Winter in those circumstances with the odds so heavily stacked against him.
7. GEORGE FORDHAM
George Fordham was the only jockey to rival Fred Archer in the Victorian period. Many famous trainers of that era, even suggested that Fordham was the better all round jockey than Archer, but if statistics count for anything, it is difficult to believe that could be true. He was however, a master of tactics and caught his great rival out on numerous occasions.
Nicknamed ‘The Demon’ because of his famous kidding of other jockeys. He sometimes pretended that his horse was distressed after giving it’s all, and then suddenly produced the beast to come through with a swooping run and get up on the post. His riding style was considered ungainly in that period because he rode with short stirrups, but it didn’t stop him being Champion jockey and riding 15 Classic winners.
His best season was in 1862 when he rode 166 winners. He also rode six consecutive winners at Stockbridge in 1867. He also had successes in France, riding two French Derby winners and a French Oaks.
8. PAT EDDERY
Irish born Pat Eddery was the most consistent and forceful riders of the modern era. His career started in 1967 and in his 36 years of race riding he rode over 4500 winners and was Champion jockey on 11 occasions. Despite riding 14 Classic winners, he will always be best remembered for his finishing burst on Dancing Brave to beat a star studded Prix d’ la Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in 1986, and being aboard Grundy who just outstayed Bustino in what was described as the ‘Race of the Century’ in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in 1975. He retired from the saddle in 2003 and has now taken up training.
9.CHARLIE SMIRKE
Probably the greatest flat jockey never to be crowned Champion. Self assured and supremely confident, he rode Epsom better than any jockey of that period notching up four winners in the process. He also came out with the legendary post race quip of “What did I Tul yar” after guiding Tulyar to win the Derby in 1952. He fell foul of the stewards after whipping round at the start on a favourite at Gatwick in 1923 and was warned off for five years. He came back to ride for such notable owners as the Aga Khan, and rode in all 11 Classic winners. His last was when piloting Hard Ridden to win the 1958 Derby at the age of 52yrs.
10. HARRY WRAGG
Harry Wragg only won the Jockeys Champions once in 1941 but he had no peer when riding at the top of his game and that included Gordon Richards. He was nicknamed ‘The Head Waiter’ so called because of his waiting tactics until the last moment, and then delivering his challenge and catching rivals in the last strides. He had 13 Classic victories including three Derby wins. He subsequently became a successful trainer saddling 5 Classic winners which included Psidium winning the 1961 Derby.
In the modern age, any one of those jockeys’ names would attract the eye of a keen horse racing spread betting enthusiast. Despite some notable omissions, any one of those jockeys can rightly claim to be amongst the greatest that the sport has ever offered.
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