UK Horse Racing Tips

Not to be confused with his namesake, who is a trainer based in Chiddingfold, Surrey, George Baker is a former Classic-winning jockey. Despite being exceptionally tall for a a Flat jockey, at 5’11”, Baker rode 1,364 winners in an 18-year career, but was forced to retire from the saddle in November, 2017, at the age of 35, after sustaining serious head injuries in a fall at the so-called ‘White Turf’ in St. Moritz the previous February. His mount, Boomerang Bob, lost his footing on the frozen, snow-covered lake, fell fatally and landed on his jockey, who suffered bleeding in the brain as a result. Baker was finally discharged from hospital in April, 2017 and at the time of his retirement said, ‘Although I will not be able to race-ride again, I consider myself extremely fortunate to be where I am now.’

While many more carefree individuals will have been playing on https://www.jackpotjill.com/en, Baker became apprenticed to Upper Lambourn trainer Mark Usher straight from school in 1999 and rode his first winner, Beauchamp Magic, at Wolverhampton in December that year, at the age of 17. His debut season yielded just two winners, but subsequent seasonal totals of 55, 23 and 23 in 2000, 2001 and 2002, respectively, were more than enough for him to ride out his claim and become a fully-fledged professional jockey.

Baker recorded his first Group race victory aboard Wake Up Maggie, trained by Christian Wall, in the Group Three Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood in 2007. He also formed a successful partnership with stable stalwart Premio Loco, on whom he won nine Listed and Pattern races, including the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood, between 2009 and 2012. He rode his first Group One winner, Seal Of Victory, trained by James Fanshawe, in the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot in 2013 and his one and only Classic winner, Harbour Law, trained by Laura Mongan, in the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster in 2016. Like a high roller casino patron who couldn’t go wrong, Baker rode a hundred winners in a season six times, but his best season numerically was 2014, when he rode 162 winners from 826 rides, at a strike rate of 20%.

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