Gordon Mook

1926 - 1995

Gordon Mook was born on November 1, 1926, and, aged 20, lived at 187, Camp Road, Leeds.

He served 16 months as a Bevin Boy before joining the Army.

Bevin Boys (named after the then Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevin) were young British men conscripted (forced) to work in the UK coal mines. They were seen by many to be 'shirkers', young men trying to avoid fighting: this was not the case. The vast majority hated the pits.

Gordon was apprenticed to Percy Vasey and was first seen on a racecourse on October 9, 1943, riding Ortilla (unplaced) at Stockton. 

He rode his first winner on Student Prince at Stockton on August 26, 1944.

He rode several winners as an apprentice, including one of the best he ever rode, Vasey's popular handicapper, Trimbush, in an apprentices' race at Stockton on April 20, 1946. George rode Trimbush four times altogether and was never out of the frame, finishing second and third at Stockton and third at Catterick. Trimbush won numerous races during his career, culminating in the 1947 Ebor Handicap and Doncaster Cup before being retired to stud.

Gordon became a fully-fledged jockey in 1949 but endured three winnerless years before achieving his best score of ten in 1952. All bar one of those ten were trained by Tommy Dent, whose stables were at Drinkhouses in Yorkshire and, interestingly, all except one of them were achieved at Scottish courses, It was a similar story in 1953, all bar one of Gordon's seven winners being for Dent and all bar one in Scotland.

Having ridden one winner apiece in 1955 and '56 and none at all in '57, Gordon moved south and joined Frank Cundell, who trained at Aston Tirrold. His final three winners were for Cundell in 1958, the last of them being Perry Hay in the Groby Stakes at Leicester on June 14, 1958.

He had his final ride at Stockton when, on Saturday, October 15, 1960, he partnered Zamrode in the South Durham Stakes for two-year-olds over seven furlongs. He was due to ride Blue & White in a Ripon nursery four days later but the horse did not run.

Gordon Mook died at Scarborough in December 1995.

Gordon Mook’s winners from 1952 onwards are as follows:

Likabula, Lanark, May 3, 1952

Likabula, Hamilton Park, May 26, 1952

Society’s Way, Redcar, June 3, 1952

Solhaven, Bogside, June 7, 1952

Likabula, Bogside, June 7, 1952

Rubens III, Ayr, June 16, 1952

Knavesmire, Edinburgh, July 10, 1952

Clara Peggotty, Hamilton Park, July 12, 1952

Chirala, Hamilton Park, July 18, 1952

Knavesmire, Hamilton Park, July 19, 1952

Miss Shields, Bogside, April 18, 1953

Likabula, Bogside April 17, 1953

Kathleen Joyce, Hamilton Park, May 23, 1953

Jacmil, Hamilton Park, May 24, 1953

Hoya Bella, Redcar, May 26, 1953

Globemonger, Bogside, June 6, 1953

Doctor Bother, Hamilton Park, September 26, 1953

Lady Fulmar, Liverpool, March 26, 1954

Bellona, York, May 20, 1954

Tia, Carlisle, July 1, 1954

Ride of Devon, Hamilton Park, July 17, 1954

Gay Lane, Edinburgh, October 2, 1954

Anton, Lanark, September 2, 1955

Perfect Dream, Ripon, July 18, 1956

Nero’s Saga, Worcester, May 10, 1958

Silver Sail, Birmingham, May 12, 1958

Perry Hay, Leicester, June 14, 1958