George Bezant
1904-1978
Born in 1904, George Henry Bezant was the son of former jockey George Bezant (1879-1952). Apprenticed to Fred Pratt at Lambourn, he rode a total of just five winners before coming out of his time in 1925. Although his prospects of emulating Pratt’s most successful apprentice Freddie Fox were negligible, George remained associated with the stable throughout his career.
He enjoyed by far his greatest moment on the Pratt-trained Patriot King who dead-heated with Cecil Ray’s mount Primero for the 1934 Irish Derby. Patriot King was owned by James (Jimmy) de Rothschild. In keeping with the independent spirit of his racing operations, Jimmy was content to entrust the ride on Patriot King to a member of Pratt’s stable, even though George Bezant was a little-known jockey who rarely even got an outside ride. Jimmy de Rothschild’s loyalty to the yard was duly rewarded.
George had ridden Patriot King in all his three previous starts that year, winning the Wood Ditton Stakes first time out, then finishing second in Newmarket’s Hastings Stakes, followed by an eighth-place finish behind Windsor Lad in the Epsom Derby, with Cecil Ray on Primero two places further back in tenth.
At the Curragh, Primero and Patriot King fought a tremendous battle in the straight. Entering the final furlong, it appeared that Patriot King had got the better of Primero, but the latter fought back to gain a narrow lead, only to face a final desperate rally from Patriot King in the last few strides. The judge declared it a dead-heat, the fairest outcome of an epic struggle in which both horses gave their all.
In addition to his successes on the Flat, George did have one win over jumps. This came on none other than Patriot King, who landed the Middlesex Handicap Hurdle at Kempton Park on January 27, 1937 by six lengths. Patriot King was thought good enough to run in that year’s Champion Hurdle, when, ridden by Sean Magee, he finished sixth of the seven runners. From then on, George confined himself to riding on the Flat.
Patriot King Irish Derby was the only notable success of George’s career. He last held a licence in 1941, being forced to retire the following year due to an arm injury.
In retirement George Bezant became the proprietor of an hotel in Hungerford. He died in Basingstoke in 1978.
