Harry White (jockey)
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944 |
| Died | (aged 78) |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Horse racing career | |
| Sport | Horse racing |
| Career wins |
|
| Racing awards | |
| 4 × Melbourne Cup | |
| Honours | |
| Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee | |
| Significant horses | |
Harry White (1944 – 21 October 2022) was an Australian jockey. He was one of the country's leading jockeys, especially in the 1970s, and was a four-time winner of the Melbourne Cup. He also won three Newmarket Handicaps, three Oakleigh Plates and three Futurity Stakes.
White was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1944.[1] His father was also a jockey who won the Caulfield Cup in 1943.[2][3] White was brought up by his grandparents and started working on riding track when he was a young teenager. His apprenticeship contract was revoked after he committed vandalism, but it was eventually reinstated after one year.[2] He won his first race at the Braybrook Handicap held at Flemington Racecourse in July 1959.[3]
Career
White usually rode for the "cups king" Bart Cummings, George Hanlon, and Angus Armanasco.[4] He rode the winners of four Melbourne Cups – on Think Big (1974 and 1975) and Hyperno for Cummings (1979), as well as on Arwon for Hanlon in 1978. He tied Bobbie Lewis for most victories in that race.[1][4]
White was renowned for his judgment in long-distance events,[5][6] and for sleeping in the jockeys' room before riding in a race, regardless of how important it was.[5][7] He was also noted for preferring to use his hands rather than the whip, especially during the latter part of a race.[2] His record in sprint races includes wins in three Newmarket Handicaps, three Oakleigh Plates and three Futurity Stakes.[1] White also won the 1987 W. S. Cox Plate on Rubiton.[7]
Throughout his 35-year career, White registered 2,112 race wins,[8] 60 Group 1 wins,[4] and approximately 200 feature race wins.[1][3] He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]