Noel Harris, also known as "Harry" or "NGH", is a former jockey in

Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand The racing of Thoroughbred horses (or gallopers, as they are also known) is a popular gaming and spectator sport and industry in New Zealand. History Thoroughbred horse racing commenced soon after European settlement. The first totalisator machi ...

. He is notable for having ridden 2,167 raceday winners in New Zealand which is the fourth highest total behind Chris Johnson, David Walsh and

Lance O'Sullivan Lance Anthony O'Sullivan (born 28 August 1963 in New Zealand) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and former champion jockey in New Zealand. Lance is the son of premiership winning horse trainer Dave O’Sullivan and the brother of Paul O'Sulliv ...

and he has won the jockeys' premiership in both New Zealand and Singapore. In 2018 Harris was inducted into the

New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame The New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame recognises and honours those whose achievements have enriched the New Zealand thoroughbred horse racing industry. History The Hall of Fame's first group of honorees were inducted in 2006, and inductions are he ...

Riding career

Noel Harris was apprenticed at Woodville to his father, John William (Jock) Harris who was a leading jockey both on the flat and over jumps before becoming a horse trainer. Noel rode his first winner at Foxton on 16 May 1970 and took out the 1971–72 apprentice jockeys' premiership at 18-years-old before sharing the national jockeys' premiership with David Peake the following year. Harris achieved 34 Group One wins, including almost all of the major races, in New Zealand. Amongst his total is: * three

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 ...

s on Castletown * four

New Zealand Cup The New Zealand Cup is a thoroughbred horse race run at the Riccarton Park Racecourse in Christchurch. New Zealand Cup week The New Zealand Cup is raced on the final Saturday of Christchurch "Cup week" held each year in the second week of Novem ...

s * three New Zealand Cups As an 18 year old Noel rode the Jock Harris-trained Glengowan to a close second behind Gala Supreme in the 1973

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and over, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club on the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria as part of the Melbou ...

. 34 years later he rode

Princess Coup Princess Coup (foaled 2003 in Australia) is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse. She is most noted for twice winning the Kelt Capital Stakes, New Zealand's premier race, in 2007 and 2008. She also won the 2007 New Zealand Oaks and 2008 Stoney ...

in the 2007 Cup. His biography ''Harry, The Ride Of My Life'' by Wally O'Hearn was released in August 2012. Noel retired in 2015 and became a National Riding mentor for apprentice jockeys.

Family

Noel's two oldest siblings, John and Des, were leading apprentice jockeys. Noel's three other siblings Peter, Karen and Jenny, were also jockeys. John, Des and Peter would go on to be horse trainers. Noel's son Troy Harris is a successful jockey.

Notable victories

The following are some of the major races Noel has won.

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) New Zealand jockeys New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductees {{NewZealand-horseracing-bio-stub

Riding career

Family

Notable victories

See also

References