An 81-year-old jockey just missed out in his attempt to make history – but he will not stop until he wins one of the world’s oldest races.
Colin Moore raced in the Newmarket Town Plate on 26 August as he wanted to become the oldest jockey to win a race, a record held by Harry Beasely who was 71 when he won in Ireland in 1923.
He came third, on Daranova, but has no plans to stop yet; he is aiming for next year’s running of the race to get his second ever career win.
“I wasn’t going to go in the race again but then the entry forms came around and I thought I’ll have a go and it has all gone on from there,” he told Racing TV.
Colin Moore has had one victory on the track; he won on 50-1 shot Son of Tam at Worcester in 1961. He came fourth on his first ride in the Newmarket Town Plate in 2019, sixth in 2021 and fifth last year.
“Everybody says to me ‘You always say it will be your last time’,” he said. “It is hard work, but if you want to do it you will manage to do it. This year was my best effort in the fitness test as I’ve never done well on the Wattbike that you get tested on, but this year I did a lot better.
“The first time I rode in the race they did the bleep test and I did ok on that, but I’m very one-paced.
“Someone asked me the other day, how long I was going to keep going in it and I replied, ‘Until I win it’.”
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