JOHN Gorton was an international jockey of great acclaim. He was the South African champion apprentice in 1965-66-67 and won the South African July Handicap (the South African equivalent of the Melbourne Cup) on a horse called Sea Cottage.
John spent six years in England riding for the stable of the Queen's uncle, Lord Rosebery, during which time he rode winners in all the major races on England's racing calendar.
He has also trained at Eagle Farm.
He moved to Mongolia several years ago to start up thoroughbred horse racing and now eagerly awaits a vote by the government on the issue.
John was born in South Africa and comes from a famous racing family containing in his words, "jockeys, breeders, trainers and a bookmaker''.
He was one of the early recruits of the South African Jockey Academy in Durban.
John was leading apprentice for three years in a row, from 1964 to 1966 and South African champion jockey in 1967 before accepting an offer to ride in the UK for the late Lord Rosebery.
He was the first South African ever to ride an English Classic winner The Oaks on Sleeping Partner for Lord Rosebery at Epsom in 1969.
He rode many other winners including the Jersey Stakes, Ribblesdale Stakes, Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Cheveley Park Stakes (twice), Sun Chariot Stakes, Cherry Hinton Stakes, Falmouth Stakes, Pretty Polly Stakes at Newmarket, the Extel Stakes, PTS Laurel Stakes, Gordon Stakes, Goodwood Cup, King George V Stakes and Lowther Stakes at Goodwood, the Hermitage Stakes at Newbury, the Duke of York Stakes at York, the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock Park.
He also won the Player Wills Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland, as well as the Austrian Derby in Vienna, the German St Ledger in Dortmund, the Norwegian St Ledger in Oslo, and the Jockey Club Stakes in Athens, Greece.
Upon the death of Lord Rosebery in 1974, John returned to South Africa to become private trainer to the late Harry Oppenheimer of De Beers and Anglo American Corp.
He trained successfully for five years winning the South African Oaks twice, the Stewards Cup, Transvaal Handicap, UTA Handicap, Gordon's Gin Handicap and more.
He spent six months in the USA at Paul Mellon's Rokeby Stables with McKenzie Miller and started in Aiken, South Carolina before moving to Belmont Park, New York and onto Saratoga.
Working with and watching the best of American racing, dealing and handling the best of Paul Mellon's racehorses provided John with valuable knowledge.
John and his wife, Noelene, migrated to Australia in 1981 and spent six years in Perth, winning the Queen's Plate and Breeders' Champion Stakes.
They then moved to Brisbane where John trained the winner of the 2400m Prime Ministers Cup.
Among his owners in Australia was Lord Cadogan for whom John rode very successfully when he was a jockey in the UK.
He still maintains a very close friendship with his lordship and family today.
When an opportunity came to train in Beijing in 2003 he decided to take up the opportunity, enabling him to impart his knowledge and experience in China.
He won the first RMB 2,000,000 race in China, the Blue Diamond Stakes at the Beijing Jockey Club.
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