George Brown 

George Brown 

Article by Alan Trout

National Hunt jockey George Daniel Brown rode one winner in each of six seasons in the decade after the Second World War. He opened his account at Fontwell Park on Whit Monday, June 10, 1946, with a half-length victory on Stranger II, trained locally at Pyecombe by Frank Pullen, in the Ashington Novices’ Hurdle (Division 1). Runner-up on Sea Scout was Captain Bobby Petre, who, just s few weeks earlier, had won the Grand National on Lovely Cottage. 

George’s second winner was again at Fontwell Park, this time on the Saturday of the 1948 Whitsun meeting, rather than the bank holiday Monday. He won the Boxgrove Novices’ Chase (Division 2) by two lengths on Willow Run, who was winning his first race of the season on his 22nd outing. Like Stranger II, Willow Run was trained by Frank Pullen, who had by then moved his stable to Fleet, in Hampshire. 

A year went by before, back at Fontwell on Whit Monday, George scored again when Second Son, owned and trained by Walter Hobbs at Selsey, took the Sompting Handicap Chase by a head from Peter’s Gift, the mount of Paddy Fitzgerald. 

Three years elapsed before George won another race, but this time it was at the rarified heights of Cheltenham, landing the Spring Handicap Hurdle by a neck on 10-1 chance Spam for Farlington, Portsmouth permit holder Bob Ware. 

Any hopes that the Cheltenham success would boost George’s career were soon dashed. He had to wait until September 15, 1953 for his next victory, back at Fontwell Park, where Darwin, trained by Les Hall, was an eight-length winner of the Selling Handicap Hurdle. 

Again, there was a long wait for his sixth, and final, win, which came at Wincanton on December 27, 1954, when Scimitar won the Downton Selling Handicap Hurdle by three lengths for Alton-based permit holder Cliff Mortimer.

George Brown held a licence until the 1958/59 season but rode no more winners. His six wins were, in chronological order:

1. Stranger II, Fontwell Park, June 10, 1946

2. Willow Run, Fontwell Park, May 15, 1948 

3. Second Son, Fontwell Park, June 6, 1949

4. Spam, Cheltenham, April 17, 1952

5. Darwin, Fontwell Park, September 15, 1953

6. Scimitar, Wincanton, December 27, 1954