Josef Kurowski

By Chris Pitt

Little is remembered of Josef Kurowski – even his nationality is uncertain – who rode under National Hunt rules in Britain for five years between 1948 and 1953, notching 17 winners during that time, including a couple on Nickel Coin, the last mare to win the Grand National.

He had evidently been successful abroad because he arrived without a claiming jockey’s allowance. His first British winner was on Rhetorius for Lewes trainer Bob Maxwell at Fontwell on Whit Monday, June 6, 1949.

The following season he rode nine winners, beginning with two more Fontwell victories on Rhetorius. He came in for a winning ride on Jack O’Donoghue’s Nickel Coin in the Abergavenny Challenge Cup Chase at Plumpton on Easter Monday 1950 – the second leg of a double that day – and then won another bank holiday feature race for O’Donoghue on Fortune Founded in the Lavington Challenge Cup Chase at Fontwell on Whit Monday.

Josef won again on Nickel Coin at Plumpton on November 13, 1950 and notched a double there on January 24, 1951 on Harry Hannon’s hurdler Sir D’Orient and novice chaser M’as-tu-vu, who would go on to win races for his new owner, the Queen Mother, when trained by Peter Cazalet. He won two more races that season on Sir D’Orient, both at Plumpton.

He rode just one winner in the 1951/52 season, that being on Jack O’Donoghue’s Western Slipper at Plumpton on November 12; and there was only one the following season – his last in Britain – a novice chaser named Manrita at Fontwell Park on February 17, 1953.

Interestingly, all bar two of Josef’s 17 winners were gained at either Fontwell Park or Plumpton, the exceptions being Tory II, who dead-heated at Hurst Park, and Twister, who won at Stratford-on-Avon.

Josef rode Nickel Coin for the last time when finishing a well-beaten fifth in Lingfield’s Troytown Chase on January 13, 1951. Given his successful association with the mare, he was perhaps entitled to be disappointed to be overlooked for the ride in that year’s Grand National, in which she avoided all the early grief to come home in front in the hands of Johnny Bullock. Had Josef been in the saddle that day it’s for sure that we’d now know a lot more about him.

Josef Kurowski’s winners were, in chronological order:

1. Rhetorius, Fontwell Park, June 6, 1949

2. Rhetorius, Fontwell Park, October 10, 1949

3. Rhetorius, Fontwell Park, November 2, 1949

4. Tory II, Hurst Park, March 11, 1950 (dead-heat)

5. Tory II, Plumpton, March 15, 1950

6. Rouge et Noir, Fontwell Park, April 5, 1950

7. Procea, Plumpton, April 10, 1950

8. Nickel Coin, Plumpton, April 10, 1950

9. Twister, Stratford-on-Avon, April 13, 1950

10. Fortune Founded, Fontwell Park, May 20, 1950

11. Nickel Coin, Plumpton, November 13, 1950

12. Sir D’Orient, Plumpton, January 24, 1951

13. M’as-tu-vu, Plumpton, January 24, 1951

14. Sir D’Orient, Plumpton, February 21, 1951

15. Sir D’Orient, Plumpton, March 24, 1951

16. Western Slipper, Plumpton, November 12, 1951

17. Manrita, Fontwell Park, February 17, 1953