Gerald Faulkner
Article by Chris Pitt
Article by Chris Pitt
To ride your first winner in a major race is something that very few jockeys achieve, but Gerald Faulkner did just that when winning the 1972 Midlands Grand National.
To ride your first winner in a major race is something that very few jockeys achieve, but Gerald Faulkner did just that when winning the 1972 Midlands Grand National.
Gerald Faulkner was born in Shropshire on September 13, 1947. He joined Arthur Stephenson’s Leasingthorne, Bishop Auckland stable and had only held a jockey’s licence for four months when riding his first winner on Proud Percy in the 4m 2f Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on April 29, 1972, despite losing an iron seven fences from home. Brushing off that minor inconvenience, Gerald was able to ease Proud Percy down on the run-in and still had four lengths to spare from runner-up Esban, with The Pantheon a further 20 lengths back in third.
Gerald Faulkner was born in Shropshire on September 13, 1947. He joined Arthur Stephenson’s Leasingthorne, Bishop Auckland stable and had only held a jockey’s licence for four months when riding his first winner on Proud Percy in the 4m 2f Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on April 29, 1972, despite losing an iron seven fences from home. Brushing off that minor inconvenience, Gerald was able to ease Proud Percy down on the run-in and still had four lengths to spare from runner-up Esban, with The Pantheon a further 20 lengths back in third.
He enjoyed his best season numerically in 1975/76 with 11 winners. They included a double on two of Arthur Stephenson’s horses at Kelso on March 6, 1976, namely Fly Bye in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers’ Cup Handicap Chase, and Simalliton in the Yetholm Novices’ Chase.
He enjoyed his best season numerically in 1975/76 with 11 winners. They included a double on two of Arthur Stephenson’s horses at Kelso on March 6, 1976, namely Fly Bye in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers’ Cup Handicap Chase, and Simalliton in the Yetholm Novices’ Chase.
He rode five winners the following season, all of them for Arthur Stephenson, including a Whit Monday double at Wetherby on handicap chaser Winter Chimes and novice hurdler Cask And Glass.
He rode five winners the following season, all of them for Arthur Stephenson, including a Whit Monday double at Wetherby on handicap chaser Winter Chimes and novice hurdler Cask And Glass.
His last winning season was in 1978/79 when he again rode five winners. Four of them were in the early part of the season, again on Stephenson-trained horses. His fifth, and final, victory came on Oakley Cross in the Foxton Novices’ Handicap Chase at Sedgefield on May 25, 1979.
His last winning season was in 1978/79 when he again rode five winners. Four of them were in the early part of the season, again on Stephenson-trained horses. His fifth, and final, victory came on Oakley Cross in the Foxton Novices’ Handicap Chase at Sedgefield on May 25, 1979.