GEORGE Moore, the greatest jockey in Australian racing history, died in a Sydney nursing home last night. He was 84.The racing legend was in poor health in recent months.His son, Gary, a former champion jockey himself and now a leading trainer in Macau, said recently that his father had been enduring failing health for some time and was suffering from advanced Alzheimer's Disease.
Moore, an original Australian racing Hall of Fame inductee in 2001, had had two bypasses, a mild stroke and underwent a leg amputation in recent years.Moore, 84, 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 history.Born in Mackay in 1923, he began his riding career in Brisbane in 1939 and won the jockeys premiership there four years later. He moved to Sydney the following year and became the most dominant rider Sydney racing has seen, winning a record 10 premierships between 1957 and 1969.
Moore was a stylist in the saddle with the "softest" hands, which earned him the nickname "Cotton Fingers".Ron Quinton, who won eight Sydney premierships to be second only to Moore, said he was saddened to hear of the great jockey's passing."George Moore was the great champion when I was starting off my career," said Quinton, who has also been afforded Hall of Fame status."He was the one I looked up to and learned a lot from. All the young jockeys in my time looked up to George."He was a very tough competitor but I got on very well with him. I admired him greatly. During my career, I was lucky to ride all over the world and I rode against and have seen all the great jockeys of my time from Lester Piggott to Darren Beadman but I can honestly say there has been none better than George Moore.
He was the best jockey I have ever seen."Bob Rowles, the venerable on-course supervisor of Sydney jockeys for the last 62 years, said: "The best of them all was definitely George Moore."He would have been a success no matter what he took up. He was the most intelligent jockey I've seen."Moore won most of Australia's top races but to his great regret, never won a Melbourne or Caulfield Cup.
Born Mackay, Qld, 1923
• 119 Australian Group I races
• 10 Sydney premierships (between 1957-69)
• 5 Doomben 10,000s
• 5 AJC Derbies
• 3 Doncasters
• 3 Stradbroke Hcps
• 3 Sydney Cups• 3 Cox Plates
• 2 Epsom Hcps
• '67 English Derby
• '59 Arc de Triomphe
• Leading trainer Hong Kong, Macau
Courtesy - Ray Thomas, Courier Mail
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