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Article by Chris Pitt
Gerald Foster was born at 2, St George's Place, Callington, Cornwall on 28 June, 1937.
He was the third of four jump jockey brothers, the others being John (born 1934), David (1935) and Eric (1939).
A keen angler and a motor racing enthusiast, he followed his brothers John & David into the stables of Major Bay Powell where he served his apprenticeship between 1951 & 1956.
He then joined permit holder Tommy Parker, who ran a garage and trained a few horses at Callington. There he struck up a good rapport with a grey steeplechaser called Midstream, winning seven times on him,
including the St John's Day Cup at Taunton on 28 December, 1959. (right)
He also rode Mainstream over the Aintree fences, finishing sixth in the 1960 Molyneaux Chase. Gerry nominated him as the best he rode.
There has been some confusion regarding whether Gerry Foster
rode a winner at the Cheltenham Festival, as some reports list him as a winner of the Gloucester Hurdle. This is incorrect as the race in question was the Gloucester Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham (left) on November 16, 1957, which Gerry won on Perle Fine Vll, trained by Tommy Palmer.
While David Foster was based in Cheshire, the other Foster brothers were all located in the south-west. Although they never quite managed a brotherly one-two-three in the same race, they came close to doing so in a steeplechase at Buckfastleigh on Whit Monday, 1958.
Eric won on Nugget, John finished second on Sea Captain and Gerry was fourth on the favourite, Tatler lll.
The highest total of winners Gerry rode in one season was six, four of them on Mainstream, achieved in the 1959-60 season.
He rode a total of 16 winners, the last of them being on Second Attempt, owned and trained by Gerald Cottrell, at Taunton on November 9, 1963.
Following his retirement, Gerry ran a pub, The Bull's Head, in (left)Callington for many years. He died there on 10 January, 2013, aged 75, and on Friday 25 January, was buried at Callington Cemetery.His wife Vera had predeceased him. He left two daughters, Sarah & Kay.
In 2013, UKIP leader Nigel Farage chose The Black Bull from which to launch his party's county council election campaign.
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