Sir Gordon Richards is considered the greatest flat jockey of all time. He was the British flat racing Champion Jockey 26 times and is often considered the world’s best greatest jockey ever. He remains the only flat jockey to have been knighted.
His riding skills were noticed by his employer, who gave him his first ride in a race in Lincoln on 16th October 1920, after a deal struck during a football match against neighbouring Osbourne Stables.
His apprenticeship at Foxhill lasted until 1924, when he moved to become the first jockey to captain Thomas Hogg, based at Russley Park, Wiltshire. That first season as a fully-fledged professional, 1925, he became Champion Jockey fr the first time with 118 wins.