George Baker was born on September 1, 1982, the son of a Lambourn farrier. After leaving school in July 1999 he joined trainer Mark Usher and rode his first winner on Beauchamp Magic at Wolverhampton on December 4, 1999. He finished that year with two wins from 38 mounts.
In 2006, he was second in the Oaks on Rising Cross, but his first significant victory came in the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood on Chris Wall’s Wake Up Maggie in 2007.
Over the next few years, George built a successful partnership with that good miler Premio Loco, also trained by Chris Wall. On that horse, in 2009 he won Listed races at Kempton and Goodwood, and two German Group 2s, the Grosse Europe Meile at Cologne and the Oettingen-Rennen at Baden-Baden. In 2010 he added the Group 2 Summer Mile at Ascot; in 2011 the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster; then, in 2012, the Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield, the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood, and the Group 3 Pramms Memorial at Jagersro in Sweden.
Other big victories during this period included Group races on Bated Breath and Mull Of Killough. He reached a century of victories in 2008 and 2010 and was runner-up in the 2010/11 all-weather championship season with 47 victories, six behind Luke Morris.
At Leicester on August 23, 2011, George Baker (jockey), rode (and won) on George Baker (a horse), trained by George Baker (trainer).
On Champions Day 2013, George scored his first Group 1 victory aboard Seal Of Approval in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes for James Fanshawe. That victory helped him break the £1 million prize money barrier for the first time.
He won two big handicaps in 2014, Ascot’s Victoria Cup on Gabriel’s Lad, and the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot on Contributor. He also won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh on Thistle Bird for Roger Charlton. Numerically this was his best season with 162 winners.
His most successful season in prize money terms was 2016, when he won his one and only Classic, the St Leger on Harbour Law, plus the Group 1 Prix du Cadran on Quest For More. In total in 2016 he won over £1.7 million in prize money.
His career was ended in February 2017 by a serious fall at St Moritz’s White Turf meeting, when racing on the snow-covered lake. He suffered bleeding on the brain and spent an extended period in a trauma unit, having to learn to walk again, before being allowed to return home in late April. The incident came at a time when his reputation had never been higher.
He announced his retirement on Friday, November 3, 2017 after being told another fall would have dire consequences. He spoke of his intention to stay in racing, possibly as a jockey coach. George rode a career total of 1,364 winners, including more than 100 in a year on six occasions, from 10,188 rides, for a total of £11,834,440 in prize money.
He has a wife Nicola and daughter Isabella. He now appears regularly as part of the Racing UK team where his opinions are very much worth hearing.
Classic winner:
St Leger: Harbour Law (2016)
Other big winners:
2007: Oak Tree Stakes – Wake Up Maggie
2008: London Mile Handicap Series Final – Premio Loco
2010: Criterion Stakes – Premio Loco
2010: Summer Mile – Premio Loco
2011: Park Stakes – Premio Loco
2012: Winter Derby – Premio Loco
2012: Celebration Mile – Premio Loco
2012: Temple Stakes – Bated Breath
2013: Earl of Sefton Stakes – Mull Of Killough
2013: British Champions Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes – Seal Of Approval
2014: Victoria Cup – Gabriel’s Lad
2014: Wolferton Handicap – Contributor
2015: Wokingham Stakes – Interception
In Ireland
2015: Pretty Polly Stakes – Thistle Bird
In France
2016: Prix du Cadran – Quest For More
In Germany
2009: Grosser Europe Meile – Premio Loco
2009: Oettingen-Rennen – Premio Loco
In Sweden
2012: Pramms Memorial – Premio Loco
George is airlifted to hospital after his fall at St Moritz
