George Stevens (jockey) explained

George Stevens
Occupation:Jockey
Birth Place:Cheltenham, England
Birth Date:1833
Death Place:Cleeve Hill, England
Death Date:1871
Race:Major wins as jockey:
Grand National
5 times (1856, 1863, 1864, 1869, 1870)
Horses:Freetrader
Emblem
Emblematic
The Colonel

George Stevens (12 June 1833, Cheltenham – 2 June 1871, Cleeve Hill) was an English jockey,[1] [2] famous for having the most wins in the Grand National.

Stevens began his riding career at the age of 16 or 17. He rode Hardwick to victory in the Grand Annual steeple chase at Wolverhampton in 1851. From the beginning of 1848 to the end of 1870 he won 76 races.[2] He rode 5 Grand National winners: Freetrader, 1856; Emblem 1863; Emblematic, 1864; The Colonel, 1869, 1870.[3] [4] He died on 2 June 1871 after suffering a skull fracture the previous day; his horse stumbled and threw him after bolting as Stevens was quietly riding home to his cottage on Cleeve Hill.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Humphris. Edith. Sladen. Douglas Brooke Wheelton. Chapter XVII. Adam Lindsay Gordon and His Friends in England and Australia. 1912. Constable Limited. 237–244. en.
  2. Book: George Stevens. A history of steeple-chasing. John C. Nimmo. Blew, William Charles Arlington. 1901. 147–149. London.
  3. Haywood, Linda. (4 April 2008) A Big Long History of the Grand National. Popular Nostalgia.
  4. Book: Boase, Frederic. Stevens, George. Modern English biography: containing many thousand concise memoirs of persons who have died during the years 1850–1900. 617. 6, L-Z. 1921.