Gerald Oxley

Born on March 28, 1961, Gerald Oxley is the son of Newmarket trainer John Oxley who saddled Homeward Bound to win the 1964 Oaks. Gerald was a successful amateur rider, winning the Grand Military Gold Cup on four occasions on horses owned by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. 

In 1984 Gerald, a serving soldier, joined the Queen Mother’s trainer Fulke Walwyn from his regiment in Germany for a two-month stint with a view to riding in the Grand Military Gold Cup. However, by the time the entries were due to close it became obvious that Walwyn had nothing suitable for Gerald to ride in the race, so the trainer dispatched him back to Germany. 

The very next morning over breakfast, Walwyn’s wife Cath suggested asking the Queen Mother if she would allow her horse Special Cargo to run in the race. When the Queen Mother expressed her delight at the idea, Walwyn phoned Gerald’s Colonel and asked if he could return. He was back at Walwyn’s house that same evening and a week later won the Grand Military Gold Cup for the first time on Special Cargo, beating the previous year’s winner Burnt Oak by 12 lengths. 

The following month, Special Cargo came from an almost impossible position up the Sandown hill to land the Whitbread Gold Cup under Kevin Mooney in an epic four-way finish with Lettoch, Diamond Edge and Plundering. 

Gerald and Special Cargo won the Grand Military Gold Cup again in 1985, once more beating Burnt Oak, this time by eight lengths, then they completed the hat-trick in 1986. 

That third victory was not without drama because, after a stirrup leather had broken at the 19th fence, Gerald had little option but to kick the other foot free of the stirrup and ride the remainder of the race without irons, coming home 20 lengths clear of Eldred Wilson’s horse Prydell, ridden by John Sunnucks of the Blues and Royals. 

Gerald became Walwyn’s assistant trainer and rode the Queen Mother’s New Zealand-bred former three-day eventer The Argonaut to win the Dermot Daly Memorial Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on October 21, 1987. He won back-to-back renewals of the Past and Present Handicap Chase on Kilbrittain Castle at the 1988 and 1989 Grand Military meetings. 

He finished second in both those years’ Grand Military Gold Cups on Sun Rising before winning it for a fourth time in 1990 on The Argonaut. They followed that with victory in the Prince of Wales Cup, an amateur riders’ chase at Fakenham’s Whit Monday fixture. 

In 1991 Gerald won the Grand Military Hunters’ Chase, run as the Duke of Gloucester Memorial Trophy, on Prince Nepal, returning to Sandown later that month for the Royal Artillery meeting, at which he rode The Argonaut to win the Ubique Hunters’ Chase. They then repeated their victory of twelve months earlier in Fakenham’s Prince of Wales Cup.

Those were three of a career-best six winners Gerald rode from 30 mounts in the 1990/91 season. He rode in public only occasionally afterwards but could hold his head high, having won eight races in the Queen Mother’s colours, four of them in the Grand Military Gold Cup.