Georges Stern

Georges Stern
Occupation	Jockey
Born	1882 France
Died	28 October 1928 France

Georges Stern (29 Sep 1883 – October 28, 1928), nicknamed "The King of the Derbies"and "King of the Jockeys", was a French jockey.[1] He rode in both England and France.[1][2]

Stern was born in Chantilly, France to British parents, George and Margaret Stearn who were naturalized in France.[1][3][4] Although later said to be Jewish, his father and mother came from Christian families,[5] his cousin Alfred Stearn was a Vicar of Swaffham Bulbeck.[6] His maternal grandparents were James Watkin, horse trainer and Anna Maria Flatman, niece of Nat Flatman.[7]

In 1904, he won the Grand Prix, the French Derby (riding Ajax), the French Oaks (Profane), the Austrian Derby (Con Amore), the German Derby (Con Amore), and the Baden Baden Prix (Caius).[8]

In 1908 he won the French Derby, the Austrian Derby, and the German Derby, and finished second in the Belgian Derby.[1][9]

In 1898, at 17 years of age, in Colombes Stern won his first race riding Finlas, a horse owned and trained by his father.[1] In 1900, he won the debut Grand Prix de Deauville, riding Amedee.[1] He won the Deauville again in 1901 (riding Jacobite), 1902 (Maximum), and 1909 (Biniou).[1]

He won the 1911 Epsom Derby (riding Sunstar).[1][10][11][12] He was a six-time winner of the Prix du Jockey Club’s French Derby—in 1901 (Saxon), 1904 (Ajax), 1908 (Quintette), 1913 (Dagor), 1914 (Sardanapale), and 1922 (Ramus).[1] He won the Grand Prix de Paris in 1904 (Ajax), 1913 (Bruleur), 1914 (Sardanapale), and 1922 (Ramus).[1][9]

He retired in 1926.[1] In his career, he had over 1,000 victories.[1] He died at the age of 48, in November 1928 in France.[1]

In 1993, he was elected a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

References

1. "Georges Stern". Jewishsports.net. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
2. "French Jockey Passes". Ottawa Citizen. 29 October 1928. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
3. Peter S. Horvitz (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SP Books. ISBN 978-1-56171-907-5. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
4. "English Jockey a Thing of the Past". The Morning Leader. 26 June 1913. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
5. "Imgur: The magic of the Internet". Archived from the original on 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
6. "Katherine Emily Elliott - Alfred John Steed Stearn". Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
7. "Sign up".
8. "CAP and JACKET". Observer. 1 April 1905. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
9. Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. ISBN 978-0-88125-969-8. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
10. "Lame Excuses Aren't Needed". The Glasgow Herald. 11 June 1980. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
11. "The Winner of the Epsom Derby". The Toronto World. 4 June 1911. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
12. "The Favorite Won". The Morning Leader. 2 June 1911. Retrieved 23 October 2011.