Mr. G. S. Thompson 



stone, Master George Thompson must have been the lightest 

 jockey that ever rode in public. 



His riding career, which was confined entirely to races on 

 the flat, commenced in earnest in the year 1851, and seeing 

 that at that period he could go to scale under 7 St., his riding 

 weight all through the time never exceeding 7 st. 7 lbs., it can 

 hardly be wondered at that his services were much in request, 

 especially in the north, where he decidedly had the call of 

 the gentlemen riders. 



That, in addition to this advantage, his ability in the 

 saddle must have been considered exceptional by those 

 who entrusted him with the handling of their horses, is, 

 we think, amply proved by the fact that on a great many 

 of these occasions he has carried as much as 5 stone dead 

 weight, and once, when riding Fairyland (13 st. 10 lbs.) as 

 much as 6 st. 6 lbs., the mare winning in spite of her heavy 

 burden. 



Between 1851 and 1883, in which year he relinquished 

 riding, Mr. George Thompson rode in a vast number of races 

 of all sorts, but though often solicited by personal friends to 

 ride in the Derby, the only classic event he ever took part 

 in was the St. Leger one year, when he had the leg up on 

 Carbonado, belonging to Sir George Strickland, whose horses 

 his father had the management of. 



One of his best races was when on Miss Briggs, at Croxton 

 Park, he beat Mr. Scobell on Ethelwulf, after a dead heat, 

 which so pleased the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess 

 Mary (afterwards Duchess of Teck), who v/ere present, that, 

 according to " Argus," they applauded him as cordially as they 

 would a favourite singer. 



A race which he would have given anything to have won, 

 and the loss of which caused him much disappointment, was 



i33 



