Jack Cox

1909 - 2005

National Hunt jockey John Stanley Cox, always known as Jack, was born on 5 August 1909 and rode a total of 27 winners either side of World War Two.  

He made an inauspicious start to his race-riding career when falling on Renegade in the Twyford Selling Handicap Chase at Hawthorn Hill on 24 November 1925. Seven years then elapsed before his first success, which finally arrived on 9 November 1932 when 8-1 chance Home Ruler, trained by Harry Whiteman, came home a three-length winner of the Roxwell Selling Handicap Chase at Chelmsford. 

He rode three winners in the 1933/34 campaign but managed only three more for the whole of the next three seasons. He recorded four wins in 1937/38, two of which were gained on Sacred Song, trained by Geoffrey Champneys, in three-mile handicap chases at Wye in April and Folkestone in May. 

Jack rode one winner in each of the next three seasons before the war put a stop to National Hunt racing. He returned with two wins in 1944/45 and then enjoyed his most successful season in 1945/46 with a score of five. They included a winner on both days of Windsor’s two-day meeting on 7 & 8 December, comprising the Bray Novices’ Hurdle on Sun Cheer and the Agars Plough Chase on the useful Southborough, who was probably the best horse he rode throughout his career. He won again on Sun Cheer at Worcester the following week. 

Jack rode his last winner on 13-8 favourite Bronze Boy in a thrilling finish to division one of the Farnham Novices’ Hurdle at Wincanton on 2 March 1950, the first five being separated by barely a length, the distances being a head, a head, a neck and half a length. 

He rode for the final time when finishing eighth of ten runners on a horse named Lodz in the Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on 17 April 1950. 

Jack Cox lived to a ripe old age, dying on his 96th birthday, 5 August 2005.