Australian Jockeys Of All Time

Australia has been truly blessed throughout time when it comes to riders. We’ve had some great horses to grace the turf, with the vast majority ridden by some all time greats to sit in the saddle.

Narrowing it down to a top ten was difficult but I’ve done my best to rank the Best Australian Jockeys Of All Time down below.

10: Zac Purton:

He gets somewhat overlooked when it comes to all time great riders but in what is regarded as the toughest jurisdiction in world racing, Purton has been a dominant force in Hong Kong for over a decade. He recently broke the record for most wins in a season and is simply too good for them over there. The boy from Lismore was known as a bit on the loose side but once his focus was on racing, he showcased his world class, dominating Hong Kong but has proven time and time again that he can do the business away from there, winning Group l races across the world, including several in Australia. His career highlight would just about be the 2014 Caulfield Cup aboard Admire Rakti

9: Harry White:

He was a great rider back in the day. Mainly rode for Bart Cummings, George Hanlon and Angus Armanasco, he holds the record alongside Bobbie Lewis with four Melbourne Cup wins, the last of those wins coming in 1979 aboard Hyperno for Cummings. But, White regarded Sobar as the best horse he had sat on, which wasn’t trained by the big three mentioned. He was an arrogant winner of the Caulfield Cup as a three year old but unfortunately broke down after the Victoria Derby and wasn’t the same horse. White was renown for being a very cool and calm customer, especially pre race, often being asleep in the jockeys room before a big race. His big race record stands comfortably alongside the best of the best. Tragically, he suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and passed away in October 2022 after a long battle with the disease.

8: Glen Boss:

When you talk big race riders, Glen Boss stands alone as the best Australia has seen. He did win premierships throughout his career, but he is best known as a big race rider, highlighted of course by his three Melbourne Cup wins aboard the great mare Makybe Diva. But, Boss did ride some other great horses, notably Eremein, So You Think and Fastnet Rock. He won big races pretty much right up to his retirement a couple of years ago, producing a memorable 2019 Spring, winning The Everest on Yes Yes Yes before winning the Golden Eagle aboard Kolding. 12 months later he won the Cox Plate aboard Sir Dragonet. But, it’s the 2005 Melbourne Cup aboard Makybe Diva that will be forever remembered as the most loved race of all time.

7: Hugh Bowman:

I am sure he won’t be complaining about his association with legendary mare Winx, but that combination probably overshadows his outstanding career, which is nearing 30 years. He was a champion Sydney rider before J Mac arrived in town but he has shown throughout time that he can win races right across the world, including the UK, Ireland and in more recent times, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, showcasing his versatility. But, it was the ride with Winx and all those wins that Bowman will be forever remembered, with the big win being her record breaking fourth Cox Plate triumph, a record that will never be matched or broken.

6: Jim Cassidy:

Prior to J Mac, Jim Cassidy, known as ‘Pumper’, was the best to come from New Zealand and dominate Australian racing. He first came to light down under as a teenager when winning the 1983 Melbourne Cup aboard Kiwi, producing one of the great rides in Cup history. He won over 100 Group races during his time in the saddle, and like Oliver, he rode the ‘Grand Slam’. He rode some great horses, but clearly the best was Might And Power, with his 1997 Caulfield Cup triumph going down as one of the best big race wins of all time.

5: Damien Oliver:

It’s been a remarkable career for Oliver, dating back to 1988. He moved to Melbourne and dominated the 90’s with Lee Freedman, winning a host of big races, including four Caulfield Cups, a Melbourne Cup and a Cox Plate. He is one of only a handful of riders to ride the ‘Grand Slam’ of Australian racing, with those three races along with the Golden Slipper, which he won on Forensics in 2007. He holds the Australian record of 127 Group l wins, but the one that all of Australia would remember was the 2002 Melbourne Cup aboard Media Puzzle given in the lead up to the race, his older brother Jason was tragically killed in a riding accident.

4: Roy Higgins:

Similar to George Moore, he probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Sydney had Moore and TJ, Melbourne had Higgins and Bart Cummings. Higgins won 11 Melbourne Jockey Premierships and when you look at all his big races, the vast majority were for Bart. Higgins once said that if it wasn’t for Bart, he would have remained a rider in Deniliquin and if it wasn’t for him, Bart might not have become the legend he was. He rode some great horses over the time, namely Gunsynd, Taj Rossi, Century and Leilani, but he is best remembered for winning the 1965 Melbourne Cup aboard Light Fingers, also referred to Higgins as ‘Mum’.

3: James McDonald:

He technically isn’t Australian but we have claimed him (much like Phar Lap) and at some point in the future he will potentially stand as the #1 on this list. But, he’s got a long way to go in his career. But, he’s getting there. Since the move to Australia from New Zealand around a decade ago, he’s fast established himself as the best in the country and regarded as the best in the world. He has dominated the Sydney riding ranks for a number of years, with a large help from champion trainer Chris Waller, but he has shown he doesn’t need the backing of Waller to dominate, as seen in 2022 when winning a couple of races at Royal Ascot. His crowning moment came in 2021 when winning the Melbourne Cup aboard all time great mare Verry Elleegant.

2: George Moore:

He isn’t appreciated across the board from a racing perspective as to how good he was. Before Beadman/Hawkes, it was Moore and TJ Smith. Combined, they won ten Sydney premierships. Moore, also known as ‘Cotton Fingers, has a CV that would take all day to go through. Barring the Melbourne Cup, Moore won most of all the big races in Australia, but his true greatness came when he went overseas to Europe. He pretty much won all the major races in the UK and did win the 1959 Arc De Triomphe. He won big races in the United States as well, notably the 1950 San Diego Handicap. His record of 119 Group l wins stood only until recently when Damien Oliver took over. Moore went on to become a champion trainer in Hong Kong. Just an absolute freak, with the best horse he ever sat on being the mighty Tulloch.

1: Darren Beadman:

He’s the best I’ve seen. I first got the ‘Racing Bug’ in the late 90’s and leading into the new millennium, Beadman was the star of the saddle. His combination with John Hawkes and Crown Lodge will go down as one of the most lethal of the modern era, highlighted by a couple of champions in Octagonal and Lonhro. He won the Sydney Jockey Premiership on seven occasions and still holds the record for the most metropolitan wins in a season with 162, a feat achieved in the 2006/07 season and it’s probably a record that will never be broken. He then went to Hong Kong and continued his excellence over there, helping John Moore win his first trainers title in over 20 years. It’s amazing to think he is mainly remembered for his ride on Lonhro in the 2004 Australian Cup, not one of his best rides, but clearly his most memorable.