John Peter Riordan (1936 – 10 August 2021) was a New Zealand

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

horse 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 p ...

Biography

Born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, Riordan was the son of Dennis and Agnes Riordan. He began his five-year jockey apprenticeship with Te Awamutu trainer Jack MacDonald when he was 11 years old, and rode his first winner at the age of 14. Riordan won the 1963 W. S. Cox Plate aboard Summer Regent. He rode the same horse as favourite in the 1963 Melbourne Cup, but finished third last. Other major races won by Riordan included the

Auckland Cup The Auckland Cup is an annual race held by the Auckland Racing Club (ARC). It is an Open Handicap for thoroughbred racehorses competed on the flat turf over 3200 metres (two miles) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. The race was ...

in 1972, and the

Wellington Cup The Wellington Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand held annually in late January at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham by the Wellington Racing Club. History Inaugurated in 1874, the Wellington Cup has been raced over various ...

. Riordan lived in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia, for the last 20 years of his life, and died there on 10 August 2021. He was survived by his wife, Pam.

References

1936 births 2021 deaths New Zealand jockeys Sportspeople from New Plymouth {{NewZealand-equestrian-bio-stub