Sam Wragg (1909 - 1983) was an English

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, who won all of the British Classic Races except the

St Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

in a successful career that straddled World War II.

Early life

Wragg was the younger brother of

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

and older brother of Arthur, both also professional jockeys, with Harry being the most successful.

Career

Like his older brother, he served his apprenticeship with Robert Colling in Newmarket. An early victory was at

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

in a race Arthur would win the following year, but he had his first major victory on Herbert Braime's Hot Bun in the Liverpool Autumn Cup of 1930. The following year, he won the Stewards' Cup on Poor Lad and in 1933, he won his first Classic, the Oaks on Chatelaine. He became the retained jockey of Lady Ludlow who used the trainer Captain Bell in

Lambourn Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...

. He won the Stewards Cup again and the Ayr Gold Cup on her horse, Greenore in 1935. In 1937, he moved from Newmarket to Lambourn permanently. That year he won the

Nunthorpe Stakes The Nunthorpe Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged two years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is sched ...

on Ipsden, owned by Lady Ludlow and the

Cesarewitch The Cesarewitch Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newmarket over a distance of 2 miles and 2 furlongs (3,621 metres ...

on Punch. In 1938, he won a second classic - 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 ...

on Rockfel. He won his

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 ...

during the war years, when it was run at Newmarket. His winner was Pont l'Eveque, trained and owned by

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 ...

. After the war, he was still one of the top jockeys, riding 43 winners from 302 races in 1946. His best horse in this period was Star King, trained by John Waugh, on whom he won the

Gimcrack Stakes The Gimcrack Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

and

Richmond Stakes The Richmond Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old colts and geldings. It is run at Goodwood over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is sch ...

. He retired in 1953.

Personal life

Wragg married Millicent Smith at Caxton Hall in 1935.

Major wins

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

2000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

– ''Kingsway'' (1943) *

1000 Guineas Stakes 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 ...

– ''Rockfel'' (1938) *

Oaks Stakes 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 ( ...

– ''Chatelaine'' (1933) *

Derby Stakes The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey ...

– ''Pont l'Eveque'' (1940) * July Cup – ''Falls of Clyde'' (1947) *

– ''Ipsden'' (1937)

References

External links

Sam Wragg takes a bride in Westminster, British Pathe

Bibliography

* * English jockeys 1909 births 1983 deaths {{England-horseracing-bio-stub