Brian Rouse

Brian Albert Rouse was born in Lillie Road, Fulham, London on April 5, 1940, and rode his first winner, Gay Bird, on 29 July 1957, at Alexandra Park for Ted Smyth, to whom he was apprenticed at Epsom. 

Amazingly, he left the sport to become a trainee electrician at Joe Lyons at Hammersmith, but was persuaded back into racing by trainer John Sutcliffe in 1972. His second winner came on New Tack at Chepstow on 29 May 1972, some fifteen years after his first.

He quickly made up for lost time, riding 60 winners in 1978, in which he won the Northumberland Plate (for the second time), the Goodwood Cup (Tug of War) and the Cambridgeshire (Baronet).

Brian rode his first classic winner two years later when winning the 1,000 Guineas on Quick As Lightning, which had been turned down by four other jockeys. This was also the year he won his second Cambridgeshire, once again aboard Baronet.

On July 9, 1982, he rode five winners from five rides for five different trainers.

In 1883, he rode a Royal Ascot double, winning the Prince of Wales's Stakes and the Hardwicke Stakes, both on Stanerra.

He also won the Japan Cup and the Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes on the same horse.

Brian rode Royal Ascot specialist Blue Refrain to victory there in 1978, 1979 and 1980.

His best season, numerically, was 1984, with 67 winners.

From 1978, Brian spent the next seven winters riding in Hong Kong.

Brian Rouse rode some 900 winners in Britain (including10 over hurdles), the last of which was on Shen Yang at Folkestone on May 31, 1995. He rode a further 100 abroad.

He announced his retirement, aged 56, in April 1996, the result of a stalls accident at Lingfield the previous year in which he badly injured his left hand. He had hoped to renew his licence but the two fingers damaged in the accident had failed to recover sufficiently for him to resume race-riding.

His services were immediately snapped up by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club to coach the colony’s apprentice jockeys.

Classic winner:

One Thousand Guineas: Quick As Lightning (1980)

Other big winners:

1975: Great Jubilee Handicap – Jump About 

1977: Northumberland Plate – Tug Of War 

1978: Lockinge Stakes – Don 

1978: Temple Stakes – Oscillight (dead-heat)

1978: Windsor Castle Stakes – Blue Refrain 

1978: Northumberland Plate – Tug Of War 

1978: Goodwood Cup – Tug Of War 

1978: Cambridgeshire Handicap – Baronet 

1979: Jersey Stakes – Blue Refrain 

1980: Great Jubilee Handicap – Blue Refrain 

1980: Temple Stakes – Sharpo 

1980: Queen Anne Stakes – Blue Refrain 

1980: Cambridgeshire Handicap – Baronet 

1982: Bessborough Stakes – Spon Of A Coin 

1982: Ebor Handicap – Another Sam 

1983: Great Jubilee Handicap – Elmar 

1983: Brigadier Gerard Stakes – Stanerra 

1983: Prince of Wales’s Stakes – Stanerra 

1983: Hardwicke Stakes – Stanerra 

1983: Cork and Orrery Stakes – Sylvan Barbarosa 

1983: Cesarewitch Handicap – Bajan Sunshine 

1984: Sandown Classic Trial – Alphabatim 

1984: Lingfield Derby Trial – Alphabatim 

1984: Jersey Stakes – Miss Silca Key 

1985: Lingfield Oaks Trial – Kilinisky 

1987: King George V Stakes – Singing Steven 

1988: Gimcrack Stakes – Sharp N’ Early 

1988: Princess Royal Stakes – Banket 

1990: King George V Handicap – Lift And Load 

1990: Gordon Stakes – Karinga Bay 

In Ireland:

1983: Joe McGrath Memorial Stakes – Stanerra 

In Italy:

1990: Gran Premio d’Italia – Dashing Blade 

In Japan:

1983: Japan Cup - Stanerra