Gifted yet unsung, ace Fordham rode 2,500 winners
ACCLAIMED turf historian Michael Tanner in his new book The Demon – The Life of George Fordham shines a light on the life of this remarkably gifted and personable jockey at long last atop the pedestal he deserves.
Such was the judgement of his contemporaries – from jockeys, trainers and owners and chroniclers.
Yet history has not been kind to Fordham. Fate saw his career overshadowed by that of bitter rival Fred Archer, a jockey deemed his inferior but whose sudden death induced glorification.
The question remains: If Archer is fit to be mentioned in the same breath as 20th century icons Gordon Richards and Lester Piggott, just how good a jockey does that make the unsung George Fordham?
Fordham rode more than 2,500 winners and these included the Derby in 1879 on Summerside.
He also won other classics such as the 2,000 Guineas,the Oaks and the Prix du Jockey Club on two occasions.
He rode a lot shorter than his contemporaries, and his gentle hands and reluctance to use his whip made him an excellent rider of two-yearolds.
Tanner is a prolific writer. He’s written not only factual books such as The Champion Hurdle, Great Racing Partnerships, The Legend of Mick The Miller and Great Jockeys of the Flat, he’s also the author of three fictional books The Tinman’s Farewell, The Black Bridge and Red Hand.
Over the years, he’s also written for The Sporting Life, Racing Post, Horse & Hound and Pacemaker and as a racehorse owner has seen his colours carried to success thanks to the sprinter Bernstein.
A former schoolteacher of 18 years, Tanner is a man of many talents and once played Gratiano in a summer season of The Merchant of Venice with the Stamford Shakespeare Company!
He has taken some 400 pages to tell the story of George Fordham but what a tale he has to tell!
The Demon is Tanner’s 27th book and it surely deserves to be nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. It is published by AuthorHouse at £15.95 and copies can be ordered from www. authorhouse.co.uk or www.amazon. co.uk
Incidentally, many racing enthusiasts, and I am one of them, believe that Sir Gordon Richards was the greatest flat jockey of all time.
I had the pleasure of meeting him at a Chepstow Racecourse press luncheon in his honour some years ago now and he told me then that his favourite racecourse was Newmarket even though he had achieved the amazing feat of riding 11 consecutive winners at Chepstow in 1933, the same year he rode a recordbreaking 256 winners which had beaten Fred Archer’s record of 246 set in 1885.
Shropshire-born, the son of a miner, his great friend Welshman Dudley Williams used to kid him that he was Welsh.
I reminded him of this and, although he said Richards was a Welsh name, he wouldn’t quite agree to being a Welshman! He also told me about his association with Lord Glanely who as William James Tatem had started work as a clerk in Cardiff Docks and who became the leading racehorse owner in the 1920s and 1930s.
Well into his eighties then, the immaculately dressed Sir Gordon kindly signed my menu card for me.
Meanwhile, congratulations to recent Turf Talk Questionnaire guest Colleen Ford-Ellis whose horse Balkinstown won at Worcester recently.
Balkinstown, which won the Amateur Riders Hurdle, is trained by Gwent’s Robert Stephens who also saddled the runner-up Three Colours Red.
Balkinstown, a 12-1 chance, gave Craig Dowson, 21, his first winning ride and he said: “A massive thank you to Mr Stephens and the team for not only giving me the opportunity but to his fantastic training performance.”
■ Email your racing news and views to brianlee4@virginmedia.com or telephone 02920736438.