George Thomas Donald Moore OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(5 July 1923 – 8 January 2008) was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
and
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse trainerIn horse racing, a trainer is responsible for preparing a horse for races. As such, he or she takes responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
. He began his career in racing in 1939 in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
where he quickly became one of the top apprentice jockeys and where in 1943 he won the Senior Jockeys' Premiership. He then relocated to
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
and in 1949 went to work for
trainerIn horse racing, a trainer is responsible for preparing a horse for races. As such, he or she takes responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Tommy J. Smith with whom he would have considerable success.
In 1950, at the invitation of
Johnny LongdenJohn Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
, Moore traveled to the United States where he won the
San Diego HandicapThe San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late july/early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt...
at
Del Mar RacetrackDel Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a...
.
George Thomas Donald Moore OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
(5 July 1923 – 8 January 2008) was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
and
ThoroughbredThe Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word "thoroughbred" is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse trainerIn horse racing, a trainer is responsible for preparing a horse for races. As such, he or she takes responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
. He began his career in racing in 1939 in
BrisbaneBrisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. With an estimated population of approximately 2 million, it is also the third most populous city in Australia....
where he quickly became one of the top apprentice jockeys and where in 1943 he won the Senior Jockeys' Premiership. He then relocated to
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
and in 1949 went to work for
trainerIn horse racing, a trainer is responsible for preparing a horse for races. As such, he or she takes responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
Tommy J. Smith with whom he would have considerable success.
In 1950, at the invitation of
Johnny LongdenJohn Eric Longden was an American Hall of Fame jockey. He was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England but his father wanted to build a better life for his family so in 1909 emigrated to Canada, settling in Taber, Alberta. By 1912 Longden Sr. had saved enough money to send for his wife and young son...
, Moore traveled to the United States where he won the
San Diego HandicapThe San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in late july/early August at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. This Grade II race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on Polytrack synthetic dirt...
at
Del Mar RacetrackDel Mar Racetrack is an American Thoroughbred horse racing track at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in the seaside city of Del Mar, California, 20 miles north of San Diego. Operated by the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, it is known for the slogan: "Where The Turf Meets The Surf." It was built by a...
. In 1957 and 1958 George Moore won the Jockeys' Premiership at Sydney then in 1959 accepted an offer to ride in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
for trainer/owner
Alec HeadAlec Head was a prominent French horseman and breeder and the owner of Haras du Quesnay near Deauville. A descendant of the great trainers who founded the English Racing Colony in Chantilly, Oise, Head's grandfather was a jockey-turned-trainer, as was his father William Head who was a very...
of
Haras du QuesnayHaras du Quesnay, known as "Le Quesnay", is one of the most prestigious thoroughbred horse breeding farms in France. Located about four miles outside of the city of Deauville on 3 km², the breeding operation was established in 1907 by the wealthy American sportsman, William Kissam Vanderbilt. He...
and another major owner,
Prince Aly KhanPrince Ali Solomone Aga Khan , known as Aly Khan, was a vice president of the United Nations General Assembly representing Pakistan, for which he served as U.N. ambassador . Best known however as a racehorse owner and jockey, he was a son of Aga Khan III, the head of the Ismaili Muslims, and the...
. There, he won two of the
French Classic RacesIn France, the Classics of horse racing are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The four races are organized by France Galop.The Prix de Diane is restricted to filles....
, the
Prix du Jockey ClubThe Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
and the
Prix de l'Arc de TriompheThe Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
, as well as a British Classic Race, the 2,000 Guineas. Returning to Sydney, Moore continued to win Jockeys' Premierships and in 1967 returned for a time to compete in Europe for trainer
Noel MurlessSir Charles Francis Noel Murless began his career as a racehorse trainer in 1935 at Hambleton Lodge in Yorkshire before moving to Hambleton House after the war, at one time sharing premises with the equally legendary Ryan Price...
where he won three more British Classics, the 1,000 Guineas, a second 2,000 Guineas, and his biggest win of all in British racing, the 1967
Epsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, known colloquially as The Derby and internationally as the Epsom Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled...
.
In Australia, George Moore won numerous of the country's top races and was the jockey aboard
TullochTulloch was a Thoroughbred racehorse, who is regarded as one of the three finest racehorses in Australian racing history...
for nineteen of the
Hall of FameThe Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honors the horse racing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
horse's thirty-six wins. He retired from riding in 1971 having won 312 metropolitan stakes and a record 119
Group OneGroup One or Group 1 is the term for conditions races used in most of the world for the highest level of Thoroughbred racing and harness racing. In the United States, Canada and Japan, "Grade I" is used instead. These races attract the best horses, and are for very large stake money.-See also:*...
races. He then turned his talents to training, first in France, then in Australia and for thirteen seasons in
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
where, between 1973 and 1985, he won the training premiership eleven times.
After the 1985 racing season George Moore retired to the
Gold CoastThe Gold Coast is a city in the southeast corner of Queensland, Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is also the most populous non-capital city in the country...
. One of the most honoured men in Australian Thoroughbred racing history, he was made an Officer of the
Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1972 and in 1986 was inducted into the newly created Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In December 1998, Sydney Racing authorities created the George Moore Medal, to be given annually to the most outstanding jockey competing in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
. Moore was part of the 2001 inaugural class inducted into the
Australian Racing Hall of FameThe Australian Racing Hall of Fame is part of the Australian Racing Museum which documents and honors the horse racing legends of Australia. The museum officially opened in 1981 and created the Hall of Fame in 2000....
. In 2007,
Australia PostAustralia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation, the postal service with a monopoly in Australia.- History :...
placed
his image on a postage stamp as part of its
Australian Legends series.
He died in Sydney on 8 January 2008.
A racing family
George Moore's sister married jockey
Garnet BougoureGarnet Bougoure was an Australian jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing who was highly successful competing in South-East Asia and in Europe....
. George's eldest son,
JohnJohn Moore is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of legendary jockey and trainer George Moore, he began working in Hong Kong racing as an assistant to his father in 1971...
, worked as his assistant before going out on his own. John Moore carved out a successful career, winning five training titles in Hong Kong and in 2005 broke Brian Kan's record for most career wins by a trainer in Hong Kong racing. Recently he received international attention as the trainer of the world-ranked
Viva PatacaViva Pataca is a Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by the Dukes of Devonshire and Roxburghe, he was out of the mare Comic and sired by English Group One winner, Marju...
.
Another son, Gary W. Moore, was a successful jockey who won seven
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
riding championships. He also rode in Europe where his wins included the 1981
Prix de l'Arc de TriompheThe Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year, usually on the first Sunday in October.Popularly referred to as the...
on
Gold RiverGold River was a French Thoroughbred filly racehorse best known for winning France's most prestigious race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Owned and bred by Jacques Wertheimer, the president of the renowned French perfumery, Chanel, Gold River was sired by Riverman, owned by Germaine Wertheimer...
. In 1988, he rode the
fillyA filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
Ravinella to victory in the British Classic, the 1,000 Guineas, plus the French
Poule d'Essai des PoulichesThe Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, sometimes referred to as the French 1,000 Guineas, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies...
. Like his father, Gary Moore also turned to training after his riding career was over and in
TaipaTaipa is the smaller of the two islands in Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China . It is 2.5 kilometres from Macau Peninsula and east of the Lesser Hengqin Island of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province...
has twice won the Hong Kong Macau Trophy as champion trainer.
George Moore's son-in-law Peter Leyshan was a Sydney-based jockey for twenty years and won the Gold Coast Racing Club's riding title in 1992 and 1993. After his riding career was over, he too turned to training, starting out as Moore's assistant. In 1996 Peter Leyshan took out a trainer's licence with the
Macau Jockey ClubThe Macau Jockey Club is an organisation providing horse racing and betting entertainment in the former Portuguese colony of Macau, in the People's Republic of China....
and has won the Hong Kong Macau Trophy as a
MacauThe Macau Special Administrative Region , commonly known as Macau or Macao , is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong...
champion trainer.
Retired French jockey
Philippe PaquetPhilippe Paquet is a former jockey from France, who in 1974 was the winner of the Prix Du Jockey Club in France on Caracolero, and the Gran Premio D'Italia on Ribecourt. In 1976, he also won the Irish Derby and Irish Oaks .He was the stable jockey of famous French trainer François Boutin for...
is a former son-in-law.