Aussie great Ron Hutchinson, who left his homeland to enjoy huge success riding in Britain in the 1960s and 70s, answers the questions
Even though he has been retired from the saddle for over 40 years, Ron Hutchinson is still a regular at his local track, Mornington, where he is honoured annually with a race named after him.
One of Australia’s greatest jockeys, the 95-year-old enjoyed major success both in Europe and his homeland. Born in Yarraville outside Melbourne, he established himself as one of the leading riders during the 1950s, winning the first of 60 Cup races when he captured the 1945 Australian Cup as a 17-year-old apprentice.
He won the Melbourne premiership in the 1959-59 season but then chose to follow his compatriot Scobie Breasley to Europe, relocating in 1960 to Ireland to work for Paddy Prendergast, for whom he won the 1960 2,000 Guineas on his first ride in England. The success helped him secure a retainer in England to ride for the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk whose horses were trained by Gordon Smyth and then John Dunlop, a relationship that endured for 17 years.
Hutchinson rode more than 1,000 winners in Europe, including six Classics, the Ascot Gold Cup, Eclipse Stakes and three editions of the Sussex Stakes, He brought the curtain down on his illustrious career after short spells in Malaysia and Singapore, where he became champion in 1978 at the age of 50.
In retirement he was an early investor in Colin Hayes’s Lindsay Park stud farm and has been a small-time owner and breeder. He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall Of Fame in 2005. He is a life member of the Victoria and Melbourne Racing Clubs and ambassador for the Mornington Racing Club. He lives with his son Ray and daughter Sally in Cranbourne.
Which racing figure, past or present, do you most admire?
Without a doubt that was Scobie Breasley. Before I even met him I was an admirer of him and from the time I was an apprentice I thought he was a wonderful rider. He was also a lovely person. As I got into riding, he took me under his wing and looked after me; we became very good friends right up until he died. He was the person who had the most influence on my life in racing. I miss him dearly.
Which is your favourite venue and race anywhere in the world?
Royal Ascot is by far the world’s best race meeting. Nowhere can match those four, now five, days. There is nothing like it in the world for pageantry with the Queen arriving up the racecourse. No matter how much other countries try to equal it, they’ve got no chance. It’s unique. Everybody should want to go there.
The Duke of Norfolk was running the show in those days and being able to win the Ascot Gold Cup on Ragstone in 1974 for him and John Dunlop was the best time I’ve had in my life. So the Gold Cup is my favourite race. We have the Melbourne Cup but I wasn’t fortunate enough to win one of those.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
We had a horse over here in Australia called Balmerino and I was fortunate enough to ride him in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I rode him at the end of his career. He won at Goodwood on his first start and a few weeks later he ran second to Alleged in the Arc when Alleged was only a three-year-old. Balmerino finished the race very strongly.
Another few weeks later they took him over to Milan and we won the Gran Premio del Jockey Club. When I hit him with the whip, he ducked and collided with the horse that ran second. There was an objection and they took the race off me. After that it was coming to the end of the season but he went to America where he ran very well to finish fourth in the Washington DC International. I wish I’d ridden him when he was in Australia. I would say he was one of the best horses I ever rode.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
I enjoyed being with the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk and John Dunlop. I never regretted a day that I was with them. We had some wonderful moments and won some wonderful races. There were other nice owners at Arundel like Sandy Struthers and Lady Sarah [daughter of the Duke and Duchess]; they were my happiest days in racing. I was very fortunate. I was also lucky to be associated with Geoff Wragg. Geoff, his wife Trish and I used to travel a lot to Germany and Italy. It was a pleasure to be with them.
If you could change one thing in racing, what would it be?
Racing has changed a heck of a lot. In my day girls were not allowed anywhere near a stable but now we have really good jockeys like Jamie Kah over here and Hollie Doyle in England. I’m so pleased that they are.
But I don’t think we will ever see the crowds at the races that we used to. The other day I was watching an old movie called The Rainbow Jacket which was centred around places like Lingfield, Epsom and Newmarket. It brought back a lot of happy memories. Racing in England was great in those days. On Derby Day at Epsom there would be 100,000 people and the likes of Prince Monolulu there.
Television and the corporate bookmakers now run the show. I would love to see the crowds come back but I fear those days are gone.
Ron Hutchinson was speaking to Jon Lees
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