George Baker

George Baker is a retired British Classic-winning jockey. Baker is the son of a farrier from Lambourn. After leaving school, in July 1999, he joined trainer Mark Usher and had his first winner at Wolverhampton on 4 December on Beauchamp Magic. He finished the year with 2 wins from 38 runs. In 2006, he was second in the Oaks on Rising Cross, but his first significant victory came in the Listed Winter Derby Trial in 2007. Later that season he added his first Group race when winning the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood. At six feet tall, he was one of the tallest flat jockeys in Britain, which considerably restricted his racing opportunities. Over the next few years, Baker built a very successful partnership with top miler Premio Loco, trained by Chris Wall. On that horse, he won two British Listed races, and two European Group 2s in 2009. In 2010, he added the Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes; in 2011, another Group 2 at Doncaster; then, in 2012, the Winter Derby, a Swedish Group 3, and the Celebration Mile. Other big victories for Baker during this period included Group races on Bated Breath and Mull of Killough. He reached a century of victories in 2008 and 2010, and was runner-up in the 2010/11 all-weather championship season with 47 victories, six behind the champion Luke Morris. In a bizarre turn of events at Leicester on 23 August 2011, George Baker (jockey), rode (and won) on George Baker (a horse), trained by George Baker (trainer).