Joseph Childs (1884–1958) was a French-born, British-based
flat racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
jockey. He won fifteen
British Classics in a 35-year career, the last ten years of which were spent as jockey to King
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
. He was known for riding a slow, waiting race, and also for having a short temper which regularly saw him at odds with his trainers and owners.
Early life
Childs was born in
Chantilly
Chantilly may refer to:
Places
France
*Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department
**US Chantilly, a football club
*Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly
United States
* Chantilly, Missou ...
into a racing family. His father had ridden successfully in France, and his grandfather had worked at the stables of Peter Price in
Newmarket. There were also four brothers – Albert, Arthur, Charles and Henry – who all became jockeys. Joe would go on to be the foremost of these, but Charles would win the 1916 St. Leger on Hurry On, two years before Joe himself won it. Albert became a trainer in
Marseilles, France.
[
Childs was married to Emily Lavis (1887–1914) like Childs she was from a racing family, born in ]Chantilly
Chantilly may refer to:
Places
France
*Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department
**US Chantilly, a football club
*Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly
United States
* Chantilly, Missou ...
and the daughter of racing trainer Alfred James Lavis, they had one child Joey who died in 1916.
Career
Apprenticeship (1900–1902)
Childs spent his apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
at Phantom House, Newmarket, the stables of trainer, Tom Jennings Jr.[ His first winner came for Jennings in 1900 at the now defunct Lincoln Racecourse on a horse called Lady Alicia. He was aged just 16. The following year he took a step up, winning the ]Royal Hunt Cup
The Royal Hunt Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled to ...
at Royal Ascot on Stealaway and the final November Handicap
The November Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 197 yards (2,393 metre ...
to be run at the New Barns course in Manchester before it was relocated. In 1902, he won the valuable Great Metropolitan Handicap at Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
and the Goodwood Cup. Yet, despite these wins, he was beginning to struggle to get rides. He no longer qualified for the apprentice weight allowance, which made him a less attractive proposition as a jockey. In response to this problem, Jennings arranged for him to spend some time in Europe.
In Europe (1903–1913)
The first French trainer for whom Childs rode was Maurice Caillault. However, the quick temper which would come to mark his career cost him his job with Caillaut, as it would do with the owner Duc de Gramont and during a short lived spell at an Italian stable.
He was back and forth across the Channel for a couple of years before he finally found success on a third spell in France. Deputising for the sidelined George Bellhouse, he won the 1908 Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...
for owner William K. Vanderbilt
William Kissam "Willie" Vanderbilt I (December 12, 1849 – July 22, 1920) was an American heir, businessman, philanthropist and horsebreeder. Born into the Vanderbilt family, he managed his family's railroad investments.
Early life
William Kiss ...
on Northeast. The following year he won the 1909 renewal on board Verdun for Prince Murat
Prince Murat is a Nobility of the First French Empire, French princely title that traces its origin back to 1804, when Emperor Napoleon granted the rank of Nobility of the First French Empire#Princes, ''prince français'' to his brother-in-law Joa ...
and he began to surge ahead with his career. In 1908, he had ridden 75 winners; in 1909, 90.
His next battle was with his weight. This problem was solved with a move to Germany to ride for the von Weinbergs, with a contract that was not dependent on his meeting a specific weight. The Weinberg brothers' trainer was Fred Darling
Frederick Darling (1884–1953) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who trained a record-equalling seven English Derby winners.
Darling's father, Sam Darling senior, was a trainer at Beckhampton, near Avebury in Wiltshire, who train ...
and Childs formed a partnership with that trainer which would provide him with some of his most memorable victories, although given Childs' temper the relationship was often stormy.
He was based back in France in 1912, when he won his first Classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
on Mirska for his old trainer, Tom Jennings. His successful spell in Europe, though, was cut short by the advent of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He escaped France on the last train before the Germans arrived and had to leave all his possessions behind.
War years and beyond (1914–1924)
During the war, Childs initially joined the Royal Flying Corps but not taking to the disciplined regime he transferred to the 4th Hussars
The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the First World War and the Second World War. It amalgamated with the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars, to f ...
. Generously, they allowed him a good deal of leave so he could meet riding commitments.
This allowed him to partner the top class filly Fifinella
Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book ''The Gremlins''. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and ...
in her classic year of 1916. It has been suggested he threw away a winning chance on her when she was 11/10 favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated s ...
for the 1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
, hitting her as she played up in the stalls. As a result, she sulked during the race and failed to perform. Her finest moments, however, were yet to come. In the substitute Derby of that year, into which she had been entered because that year's crop of colts was so weak, she again acted obstreperously. This time however, she deigned to respond to Childs and in the final furlong he poked through a gap to win by a neck. She went on to be only the fourth, and to date, last, filly to do the Oaks-Derby double.
In 1918 even better was to come for Childs on the colt Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
. Trained by Alec Taylor Jr. in Manton, Wiltshire
Manton is a small village in Wiltshire, England, on the western outskirts of Marlborough just off the A4 Bath Road.
History
A settlement of twelve households and an estate held by Miles Crispin were recorded at ''Manetone'' in the 1087 Domesd ...
, Gainsborough won the 2,000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year a ...
, Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
and St. Leger with Childs as the jockey, becoming one of the few horses to have won the British Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Tri ...
. He would later repay the Hussars by donating his riding fees for 1918 to the regiment, including those for Gainsborough.[ Taylor would be one of the trainers for whom Childs would continue to ride after the war.
In 1919 he rode Bayuda to victory in the Oaks for Lady Douglas. He also rode Buchan, the odds-on favourite, for Lord Astor in the 1919 St. Leger, but got beaten. A dispute with Astor's racing manager over the matter meant he never rode for Astor again. In 1921, Childs became stable jockey to ]Cecil Boyd-Rochfort
Sir Cecil Charles Boyd-Rochfort KCVO (188718 March 1983) was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was British flat racing Champion Trainer five times.
Background
Cecil was the son of Rochfort Hamilton Boyd-Rochfort and the grandson of ...
.[ The next few years were quieter by comparison with the big race victories of the war years, but in 1921 he won the Oaks on Love in Idleness and the ]Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...
on Lemonora, both for Joseph Watson (later Baron Manton
Baron Manton, of Compton Verney in the County of Warwick, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 25 January 1922 in recognition of war services for the Leeds industrialist Joseph Watson. the title is held by his g ...
), who had purchased the Manton estate. He also won a St Leger on Polemarch (1921) and a July Cup on Golden Corn (1923).
Royal Jockey (1925–1935)
From 1925 until his retirement in 1935, Childs would be jockey to King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
whose horses were trained by William Rose Jarvis. Childs would refer to the King as 'My Guv'nor' and would toast him with champagne every time he won on one of his horses. In the King's colours he would have 'the proudest moment of his life' when he won the 1929 1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
on Scuttle. As a reward, the King presented Childs with a cane, which would become his most treasured possession. The 'best race he ever rode' was for the King too – the 1933 Hardwicke Stakes
The Hardwicke Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and ...
on Limelight.
Childs won the 1926 Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
on Coronach
A coronach (also written coranich, corrinoch, coranach, cronach, etc.) is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Goll, being the third part of a round of keening, the traditional improvised singing at a death, wake or funeral in the Highlands of S ...
for one of his long standing trainers, Fred Darling, one of the few trainers who could handle him. The horse's aristocratic owner was Lord Woolavington
James Buchanan, 1st Baron Woolavington, (16 August 1849 – 9 August 1935), known as Sir James Buchanan, Bt, from 1920 to 1922, was a British businessman, philanthropist, and racehorse owner and breeder.
Early life
Buchanan was born in Brockv ...
. Childs and Coronach won the race with an uncharacteristically fast, front-running performance, Childs being known as a 'hold up' jockey. This resulted in a famous post-race comment, "The bastard ran away with me".[ No jockey would win a Derby with the same front running tactic until ]Steve Cauthen
Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey.
In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...
on Slip Anchor
Slip Anchor (1982–2011) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1985 Epsom Derby by seven lengths. After showing some promise as a two-year-old, he showed substantial improvement in the spring of 1985, winning t ...
in 1985.
By the end of his career Childs was often found riding for Cecil Boyd-Rochfort
Sir Cecil Charles Boyd-Rochfort KCVO (188718 March 1983) was an Irish thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was British flat racing Champion Trainer five times.
Background
Cecil was the son of Rochfort Hamilton Boyd-Rochfort and the grandson of ...
and it was for him he rode his last classic winner – Brown Betty in the 1933 1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
. Childs had by this time mellowed considerably with age. His final winner was at Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
in November 1935 and in December of that year he was invited to Buckingham Palace at the request of the King. In all, Childs had achieved 15 British Classic wins, two Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...
and one French Derby
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...
.
Riding style
Childs was a tall jockey, described as "lithe and beetle-browed" These 'beetles' – his dark, bushy eyebrows – were said to give "broody, bellicose expression to a hair-trigger temper." In turn, the temper was one of the defining characteristics of his racecourse performances. He would regularly argue with officials, once reportedly accusing a steward of lying: "You were not at the gate and could not have seen the incident as you stated you did."
The other characteristic of his racing was the way he tended to win a race with "a well-timed rush".[ He is described as "The most fanatical exponent of waiting". or, put less favourably, "A waiting race was the only one he could ride" This "lack of versatility" is cited as the one thing that prevented Childs being a really great jockey.
Despite this, he was renowned in some quarters for his horsemanship and judgement in a race.][ He is said to have ridden some of his best races at Newmarket][
]
Retirement
On retirement he managed Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium and dabbled in horse ownership with trainer George Digby. He also kept a small stud at Nazeing in Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
. He published an autobiography, ''My Racing Reminiscences'' in 1952 and died in Portsmouth in 1958.[ In 1999, more than 40 years after his death, he was ranked 11th in the Racing Post list of Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century.][ John Crouch was appointed as king's jockey when Childs retired.
]
Major wins
Classic races
Great Britain
* 1,000 Guineas
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...
– (2) – ''Scuttle (1928), Brown Betty (1933)''
* 2,000 Guineas
The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year a ...
– (2) – ''Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
(1918), Cameronian (1931)''
* Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards ...
– (4) – ''Mirska (1912), Fifinella
Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book ''The Gremlins''. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and ...
(1916), Bayuda (1919), Love in Idleness (1921)''
* Epsom Derby – (3) – ''Fifinella
Fifinella was a female gremlin designed by Walt Disney for a proposed film from Roald Dahl's book ''The Gremlins''. During World War II, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) asked permission to use the image as their official mascot, and ...
(1916), Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
(1918), Coronach
A coronach (also written coranich, corrinoch, coranach, cronach, etc.) is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Goll, being the third part of a round of keening, the traditional improvised singing at a death, wake or funeral in the Highlands of S ...
(1926)''
* St. Leger – (4) – ''Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
(1918), Polemarch (1921), Solario
Solario (1922–1945) was a successful British Thoroughbred racehorse and influential sire.
Background
Bred in Ireland by the 4th Earl of Dunraven, he was by the 1918 English Triple Crown champion, Gainsborough. His dam Sun Worship, was a ...
(1925), Coronach
A coronach (also written coranich, corrinoch, coranach, cronach, etc.) is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Goll, being the third part of a round of keening, the traditional improvised singing at a death, wake or funeral in the Highlands of S ...
(1926)''
France
* Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...
– ''Sourbier (1920)''
Selected other races (incomplete)
Great Britain
* Ascot Gold Cup – ''Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to:
Places
* Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England
** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich
* Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England
** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
* Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
(1918), Solario
Solario (1922–1945) was a successful British Thoroughbred racehorse and influential sire.
Background
Bred in Ireland by the 4th Earl of Dunraven, he was by the 1918 English Triple Crown champion, Gainsborough. His dam Sun Worship, was a ...
(1926), Trimdon (1931, 1932)''
* Champagne Stakes – ''Golden Corn (1921)''
* Cheveley Park Stakes
The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...
– ''Brown Betty (1932)''
* Coronation Cup
The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2 ...
– ''Solario
Solario (1922–1945) was a successful British Thoroughbred racehorse and influential sire.
Background
Bred in Ireland by the 4th Earl of Dunraven, he was by the 1918 English Triple Crown champion, Gainsborough. His dam Sun Worship, was a ...
(1926)''
* Eclipse Stakes – ''Buchan (1919), Coronach
A coronach (also written coranich, corrinoch, coranach, cronach, etc.) is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of the Goll, being the third part of a round of keening, the traditional improvised singing at a death, wake or funeral in the Highlands of S ...
(1926)''
* July Cup – ''Golden Corn (1923)''
* Ribblesdale Stakes
The Ribblesdale Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 211 yards (2,406 metres), and it i ...
– ''Sir Cosmo (1929)''
France
* Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...
– ''Northeast (1908), Verdun (1909)''
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
Pathe News footage of Childs winning the 1926 Derby on Coronach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childs, Joe
1884 births
1958 deaths
British jockeys
French jockeys
People in greyhound racing
French emigrants to the United Kingdom