Steve Donoghue
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Steve Donoghue (1884 - 1945) was a leading English flat-race jockey in the 1910s and 1920s. He was champion jockey 10 times between 1914 and 1923 and was one of the most celebrated horse racing sportsmen after Fred Archer, arguably only Sir Gordon Richards eclipsing him.
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Background
Born in Warrington, Cheshire, England, Steve was apprenticed to John Porter at Chester when he was 14 years old. In 1904 he won his first winner in France, before returning to England to dominate the sport for the next two decades.
Career
His greatest triumphs came in the Epsom Derby which he won six times. Three consecutive wins in the early 1920s - on Humorist (1921), Captain Cuttle (1922) and Papyrus (1923) - was the high point. He was also associated with the horses Brown Jack - who he rode to six consecutive wins in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot and The Tetrarch, a 2 year old that raced in 1913 and was said to be the fastest horse ever ridden in England.
In 1915 and 1917, he rode the horses Pommern and Gay Crusader to the Triple Crown respectively, two of only 15 horses to have achieved the feat in over 200 years.
Always popular with the public and his fellow professionals, Steve was never called up by the stewards. He retired in 1937, and died in 1945 of a heart attack.
Classic Race Victories
- Epsom Derby winners - 1915: Pommern, 1917: Gay Crusader, 1921: Humorist, 1922: Captain Cuttle, 1923: Papyrus, 1925: Manna
- 1000 Guineas winners - 1937: Exhibitionist
- 2000 Guineas Stakes winners - 1915: Pommern, 1917: Gay Crusader, 1925: Manna
- Epsom Oaks winners - 1918: My Dear, 1937: Exhibitionist
- St. Leger Stakes winners - 1915: Pommern, 1917: Gay Crusader