my favourite jockey.

​Of course, I speak of the days before the advent of female jockeys. Nothing compares to a Hayley, Josephine, Nicola, Megan etc, underdogs proving that females, when given equal opportunities, are the match for their male counterparts, as Hollie Doyle proves on a daily basis.
But in a time when professional female jockeys were as outlandish a consideration as Bill Gates sponsored flu pandemics, I thought Joe Mercer to be par-exellence, without equal, an example as to how all youngsters should race-ride.
He rode, of course, Brigadier Gerard in all his races, including when undoubtedly not fit enough to do so in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes at Royal Ascot, as similar to what happened to Frankie Dettori many years later, Joe was involved in a plane crash at Newbury racecourse. As with Frankie’s accident, the pilot was killed, although on this occasion it was Joe who returned to the plane to rescue his fellow passengers.
Joe rode 2,810 winners during his career, was champion jockey during his time with Henry Cecil, yet he was not a jockey consumed by a need to prove himself, it was, at least it seemed to me, never a case of win at all costs. He was not a whip jockey or bounce in the saddle rider. He was stylish, classically so, sparing of the stick. He endeared himself to me after ‘the race of the century’ when finishing second on Bustino to Pat Eddery on Grundy, a race that to all extent and purposes finished the careers of both horses. When it was put to him that he had not used his whip on Bustino, he said something along the lines of. ‘Why, he was going as fast as he could. Hitting him would not have made him run faster’. I believe Joe was also quoted as saying that if a horse doesn’t quicken for one crack of the whip, he sure wouldn’t for two, three or four.
As with many great jockeys, the Derby was never his lucky race. In fact after winning the Oaks in 1953 on Ambiguity for Jack Colling, he had to wait until 1965 before he was successful again in a classic, winning the 1965 St.Leger on Provoke, a race he went on to win three more times. He also won the 1,000 Guineas twice, firstly in 1974 on the Queen’s Highclere and the 2,000 Guineas on the immortal Brigadier Gerard, the only flat horse of my lifetime who conceivably might have been better than Frankel.
In his career Joe was fortunate to ride some of the great Cup horses, Grey of Falloden, an old favourite of mine who was not, as his name suggested, a grey, Buckskin, Le Moss and High Line. He also won the Ascot Gold Cup on Parbury. I have always held the opinion that the great stayers needed thinking jockeys on them, not simply the stylish jockey, the whip-happy sort. Staying races can be won in the first quarter-mile, with preservation of stamina far more necessary for winning than any amount of effort in the final furlong. Apart from his two Ascot Gold Cups, Joe won the Doncaster Cup eight-times, the Goodwood Cup twice and the Jockey Club Cup five-times.
It was a shock to the system when the Sporting Life announced on its front page that Joe had been arrested in India for attempting to smuggle diamonds out of he country and just as surprising to read in Richard Baerlein’s biography of him that through naivety he was indeed guilty of the offence and spent many weeks in an Indian prison for the crime. It shows how easy it can be for the unwary to fall foul of overseas laws when you become too comfortable living and working in a foreign country. It put a stop to his routine of riding in India during the winter.
During his long career – he rode his first winner in 1950 and his last in 1985 – he was stable jockey to Jack Colling, Dick Hern, Henry Cecil and Peter Walwyn, four of the most successful trainers in racing history, which is all you the evidence required to have him rated as one of the greatest jockeys of all time.