George Moore was undoubtedly one of Australia's greatest ever jockey's

The legendary jockey George Moore (1923-2008) won a record 119 Group One races in Australia in his hugely successful riding career. He teamed with legendary trainer Tommy Smith to form the most successful trainer-jockey combination in Australian racing history. Born in Mackay, North Queensland in 1923, the young George started out delivering papers for the Daily Mercury on horseback in and around Mackay as a 13-year-old. He worked his first horse at Ooralea and rode at the Mackay Showgrounds trot meetings before heading to Brisbane at age 14 to train as a jockey under trainer Louis Dahl. Moore began his riding career in Brisbane in 1938, winning his first race at Eagle Farm, then going on to win the jockeys premiership in Queensland four years later. His first city (Brisbane) win was on Overdraft in 1940 and the first of Moore's many feature wins was the Doomben 10,000 on Expressman that same year. He moved to Sydney the following year and became the most dominant rider Sydney racing has seen, winning a record 10 jockeys premierships between 1957 and 1969.

Moore was ruled unfit for army service, thus missing World War II and had his indentures transferred from Jim Shean to Peter Riddle at Randwick, winning the Breeders Plate on Victory Lad and the 1943-44 Sydney apprentice''s premiership. Moore was a stylist in the saddle with the "softest" hands, which earned him the nickname "Cotton Fingers". Moore rode some of the greatest champions of his era, both in Australia and overseas, but he maintained the Smith-trained Tulloch was the greatest racehorse he ever rode. Their trainer - jockey relationship was often tempestuous but their partnership flourished. Moore and TJ Smith had first combined in 1946, to win the Rosehill Railway Handicap on Bragger, which was Smith’s first horse, and so began the greatest partnership known in Australian racing.

Moore rode the mighty Tulloch in 19 of that champion’s 36 wins. In 1949 the jockey rode 100-1 chance Playboy to win the AJC Australian Derby for Smith - the first of his 35 Derby winners. His career could have been even more illustrious if not for injuries suffered in falls and many disputes with stewards. Despite the setbacks, George was a beautifully balanced jockey and horses responded so well to him they travelled with assurance.

He served a 2½-year suspension for backing Flying East, which was under his name as owner when it won a race at Hawkesbury in which Moore rode another runner. He admitted having the bet and was outed at the stewards' pleasure. Moore was allowed back in 1957 and shortly after, tested the waters overseas. In 1958 he rode 21 winners in a month for leading French trainer Alec Head.

Moore was top hoop in Sydney 10 times between 1957 and 1969, winning two back-to-back Golden Slippers at Rosehill on Baguette in 1970 and Fairy Walk 1971 for T.J Smith. Moore also rode the winners of five AJC Derbies including Tulloch in 1957, three Doncasters, with his ride on 1966 winner Citius considered quite extraordinary, two Epsom Handicaps and three Sydney Cups, the first of his innumerable Sydney feature wins being aboard Cordable in the 1946 Sydney Cup. In Melbourne he won two Cox Plates with Redcraze in 1957 and Rajah Sahib in 1968. In 1948 Moore piloted Diver to victory in the Doncaster Handicap over 1 mile, in front of a record crowd of over 93,000 patrons. He travelled to England and in 1959 claimed his first winner there, Petite Etoile, which was raced by the Queen. For the next decade he made frequent visits between the hemispheres, returning home in 1971 to wind down his riding career. In his final race he won the Victoria Derby on Classic Mission, with the Melbourne Cup the only major trophy to elude him.

To his great regret, he never won either a Melbourne Cup or a Caulfield Cup, however George proved himself on the international stage, winning the 1967 Epsom Derby on Royal Palace and the 1959 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Saint Crespin. He also won the 1959 French Derby on Fildalgo, the English 1000 Guineas on Fleet in 1967 and 2000 Guineas twice at Newmarket on Taboun in 1959 and Royal Palace in 1967 and the 1960 Ascot Gold Cup on Sheshoon. In Europe, he rode 27 Group 1 winners. Riding overseas, he even won a major stakes race in USA, the 1950 San Diego Stakes with his final overseas winner being in Ireland in 1970.

From 1956 until he retired in 1971 Moore had 3403 rides in Sydney for 1040 winners, 620 seconds and 447 thirds. In 1969, Moore rode 15 winners from 29 races at the Autumn Carnival in Sydney. He was also the first jockey to be inducted into the Australian Sports Hall Of Fame. When Moore retired from the saddle in 1971 at the age of 48, he had won 2278 races in Australia alone. Moore then went on to become a trainer, starting out in France and Australia in 1972 before hitting the Hong Kong training scene in 1973. He remained in Hong Kong for 13 seasons, winning the premiership 11 times. Following the 1985 season, he retired to the Gold Coast. He died aged 84 in Sydney, January 2008, 70 years to the week after he first began his racing career.

Career Highlights

119 Group 1 races

5 AJC Derby's

2 VRC Derby's

2 W.S. Cox Plates

3 Sydney Cups

2 Golden Slippers

1967 Epsom Derby

1959 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe

1959 French Derby

1967 English 1000 Guineas

1959 -1967 English 2000 Guineas

1960 English Ascot Gold Cup

10 Jockey Premierships, 1957 to 1969

George Moore Medal

11x leading trainer in Hong Kong