__NOTOC__ George Duffield MBE (born 30 November 1946) is an English retired

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all spor ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...

. He served a seven-year apprenticeship with Jack Waugh, and rode his first winner on 15 June 1967 at

Great Yarmouth Racecourse Great Yarmouth racecourse is a horse racing course located a mile north of Great Yarmouth, owned by Arena Racing Company. The track takes the form of a narrow oblong of a mile and five furlongs round, with two long straights about five furlon ...

on a horse called Syllable, trained by Waugh. He became stable jockey for trainer

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an English List of explorers, explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps bes ...

in 1970, but this was not to be a successful partnership, and they split in 1972. After riding freelance for a bit, he was to become first jockey to trainer Sir Mark Prescott in 1974, a partnership which was to prove most enduring and fruitful. George Duffield spent 30 years as stable jockey to Prescott, riding 830 winners for him, including successes in Ireland, France and Belgium. Duffield was a journeyman jockey for a great part of his career, but he became much better known in 1992 thanks to the exploits of the three-year-old filly

User Friendly ''User Friendly'' was a webcomic written by J. D. Frazer, also known by his pen name Illiad. Starting in 1997, the strip was one of the earliest webcomics to make its creator a living. The comic is set in a fictional internet service provider a ...

, trained by

Clive Brittain Clive Brittain (born 15 December 1934) is a retired British race-horse trainer. He started in racing as an apprentice in 1949, and became a licensed trainer from 1972 after working for Noel Murless. He trained at Carlburg Stables in Newmarket ...

, also at Newmarket, User Friendly gave Duffield his first 'Classic' success when winning The Oaks, she followed up by winning the

Irish Oaks The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it ...

, Yorkshire Oaks and St. Leger Stakes, before going down by a neck to Subotica in the

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe () is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris over a distance ...

Hippodrome de Longchamp The Longchamp Racecourse (, ) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tra ...

.George Duffield MBE
/ref> Other big race victories included back to back

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

wins on the Prescott trained Alborada in 1998 and 1999, as well as landing major gambles on the Prescott trained handicapper Pasternak in the 1997 John Smith's Magnet Cup and Cambridgeshire Handicap. George was also used by

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

, and had two Group 1 victories for the Ballydoyle stable, when winning the 1999 Racing Post Trophy on Aristotle and the 2000

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

Giant's Causeway The Giant's Causeway () is an area of approximately 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcano, volcanic fissure eruption, part of the North Atlantic Igneous Province active in the region during the Paleogene period. ...

.Duffield's verve undimmed by venerability
/ref> He had previously won the Eclipse Stakes in 1991 on the 28-1 chance Environment Friend. Other major race victories include Noalcoholic in the

Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), a ...

at Goodwood, Pivotal in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and

King's Stand Stakes The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 fu ...

at Royal Ascot,

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at ...

at Goodwood on both Last Second and Alborada and Champion Turf hors
Hasten To Add
in the Tote Ebor at York. George Duffield also entered the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'' in 1980, for winning 11 consecutive races (and 13 in all) on the brave two-year-old Spindrifter. He was awarded the MBE in 2003 for his services to British Horse Racing. His autobiography ''Gentleman George'' was published in 2002; in it, he admitted punching BHB chairman Peter Savill during a row at Beverley. In total he rode 2,547 winners placing him at No. 10 in the all-time list in Britain, he twice rode over 100 winners in a season, the first time in 1992, but his best season in terms of winners was in 1993 when he had 116 successes. His last winner was in 2004, although he did not announce his retirement until the following year after failing to recover from a shoulder injury. He was for many years before his retirement the oldest jockey in Britain, well liked by fellow jockeys, trainers, owners (perhaps excepting Peter Savill) and punters alike. He is now assistant trainer to his second wife Ann.

Major wins

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Champion Stakes The Champion Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 1 furlong a ...

– (2) – '' Alborada (1998), Alborada (1999)'' *

Eclipse Stakes The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown ...

– (2) – '' Environment Friend (1991),

(2000)'' * Falmouth Stakes – ''Stumped (1980)'' *

– '' Pivotal (1996)'' * Lockinge Stakes – '' Noalcoholic (1983)'' *

Nassau Stakes The Nassau Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to Filly, fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run at ...

– (2) – ''Last Second (1996), Alborada (1998)'' * Nunthorpe Stakes – '' Pivotal (1996)'' *

Oaks Stakes The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 y ...

– ''

(1992)'' *

St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over ...

– ''

(1992)'' * Sun Chariot Stakes – ''Last Second (1996)'' *

Sussex Stakes The Sussex Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), a ...

– '' Noalcoholic (1983)'' * Vertem Futurity Trophy – ''

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

(1999)'' * Yorkshire Oaks – ''

(1992)'' ----

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

* Flying Five Stakes – ''Danehurst (2002)'' *

– ''

(1992)'' * Matron Stakes – ''Iftiraas (2000)'' ----

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud The Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it is ...

– ''

(1993)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffield, George 1946 births English jockeys Lester Award winners Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire

Major wins

See also

References