George Stevens (12 June 1833,
Cheltenham – 2 June 1871,
Cleeve Hill) was an English jockey,
famous for having the most wins in the
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap st ...
.
Stevens began his riding career at the age of 16 or 17. He rode Hardwick to victory in the Grand Annual steeple chase at Wolverhampton in 1851. From the beginning of 1848 to the end of 1870 he won 76 races.
He rode 5 Grand National winners: Freetrader,
1856
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California.
* January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...
; Emblem
1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
; Emblematic,
1864; The Colonel,
1869
Events
January–March
* January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan.
* January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded.
* January 20 & ...
,
1870
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the ...
.
[Haywood, Linda. (4 April 2008]
A Big Long History of the Grand National
Popular Nostalgia. He died on 2 June 1871 after suffering a skull fracture the previous day; his horse stumbled and threw him after bolting as Stevens was quietly riding home to his cottage on Cleeve Hill.
References
1833 births
1871 deaths
English jockeys
{{England-horseracing-bio-stub