Jack Purtell

John Michael "Jack" Purtell (1921 – 8 March 2017) was an Australian jockey who rode three Melbourne Cup winners.

Career

Purtell, known as 'Gentleman Jack’, rode his first race in 1936 at the age of 15.[1][2] He was an apprentice jockey to Ted Temby at his Mordialloc, Victoria stables. He won his first race on Bonus at Mentone, Victoria in April 1937.[3] Purtell rode more than 1700 winners including three Melbourne Cups. He was suspended only once.[4] The best horse he rode was Comic Court to 19 wins even though he opted not to ride it in the 1950 Melbourne Cup.[5][6][2] He won seven Melbourne Jockey Premierships – 1946/47, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1950/51, 1954/55, 1960/61 and 1961/62.[7] In January 1953, he suffered severe head injuries in a race fall at Caulfield Racecourse.[8][9]

Purtell rode Fighting Force when it triple dead-heated with both Pandie Sun and Ark Royal in the 1956 Hotham Handicap, a rare event in racing.[6][10]

He retired in 1966 at the age of 45 and he became a Stipendiary Steward at the Victorian Racing Club until March 1981.[11][2][6][4]

Purtell married in 1949 to Norma Giles and seven thousand people turned up to the church in Clifton Hill, Victoria.[12] He died on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland on 8 March 2017, aged 96.[5] Purtell and his wife had two children, Garry and Mark.[13]

He was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2004.[1] A sculpture of Purtell by John Frith is held by the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.[8]

Major wins

References
  1. "Jack Purtell". Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. Stewart, Matt (9 March 2017). "RIP, Jack Purtell: late jockey 'Gentleman Jack' crossed racing's great divide". Herald Sun. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  3. "Jack Purtell: Melbourne Cup Winning Jockey". Kingston Historical website. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  4. Presnell, Max (8 December 2013). "Gentleman Jack was a master of the old school". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. "Three time Melbourne Cup winning jockey dies". Just Horse Racing website. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  6. Eddy, Andrew. "Riding legend Jack Purtell passes away". Racing.com.
  7. "Melbourne Jockey Premiership Past Winners". Racerate website. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  8. "Jack Purtell". National Portrait Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  9. "Jack Purtell gravely hurt". The Argus. 3 January 1953. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  10. "Triple dead-heat in the 1956 Hotham Handicap". The Age. 4 November 2006. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  11. "Jack Purtell saysgoodbye". Canberra Times. 9 March 1981. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  12. "7,000 RUSH CHURCH TO SEE PURTELL MARRIED". The Argus. 25 April 1949. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  13. "PURTELL, John Michael "Jack" of Minyama Death Notice". Sunshine Coast Daily. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
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