Sir Gordon Richards

Jockey and trainer, born in Oakengates, Shropshire, WC England, UK. Between 1921 and 1954 he rode a record 4870 winners in Britain, and was champion jockey a record 26 times (1925–53). On 12 occasions he rode 200 winners in a season, and his 269 winners in 1947 remained a record until broken by Tony McCoy in 2002. He won 14 English Classics (1930–53), and rode 12 consecutive winners (1933), including all six at Chepstow. He won his only Epsom Derby in 1953 on Pinza, six days after receiving a knighthood. He took up training after retirement in 1954.

Sir Gordon Richards (May 5, 1904 - November 10, 1988) was an English jockey, and is usually considered the world's greatest ever jockey.

Gordon Richards was raised in the Shropshire village of Donnington Wood, now part of Telford.

After leaving school he took the first step towards becoming a jockey, becoming a stable boy aged 15 at Fox Hollies Stable in Wiltshire, owned by Jimmy White.

It wasn't long before his riding skills were noticed by his new employer, who gave him his first ride in a race at Lincoln. With the determination and single-mindedness that was his trademark, he achieved his dream of becoming a fully-fledged jockey in 1925, and went on to become champion jockey in his first year, notching up 118 wins.

Early in 1926, five years after Sir Gordon's racing debut, disaster struck the Shropshire jockey.

By December 1926, Sir Gordon was back in the saddle, and returned to winning ways in the 1927 racing season.

Despite these huge successes, there was still one race where a win had always eluded him: The Epsom Derby. The 1953 Derby occurred on a week of great national, and personal celebration for Richards himself, as he became the first, and so far only, jockey to receive a knighthood.

This time Sir Gordon rode Pinza, a huge horse for a flat-thoroughbread at 16 hands high, and he rode a terrific race. Pinza was in second position through much of the one and half mile (2414 m) course, competing against the Queen's own horse Aureole, and sweeping past the Aga Khan III's horse, Shikampur, into first place with just two furlongs (402 m) remaining.

Sir Gordon's riding career ended in 1954 following a pelvis injury, but he continued to indulge his passion for racing, by becoming a horse trainer and advisor.

His legacy lives on in Shropshire today, with the Champion Jockey pub in Donnington Wood is named in his honour, and the Pinza suite in Oakengates Theatre, named after his winning horse.

Not until 2002 was his record number of victories in a season exceeded, by jump jockey Tony McCoy. However, McCoy was able to utilise modern technology by flying between tracks and therefore compete in more races than Sir Gordon was able to.

Richards' total of 4,870 winners is still a British Record. He was also champion jockey a record 26 times.