Former jockey Joe Gilmore, 93, recalls riding in 1943 Caulfield Cup
IT was 73 yeas ago when Joe Gilmore recalls the army had taken over Caulfield racecourse as a base while World War 2 still raged.
The track was under army occupation with dozens of tents for the third consecutive year and Gilmore, who is just two months short of his 95th year, recalls riding in the 1943 Caulfield Cup which was unique for a couple of reasons.
Not only was the Caulfield Cup run at Flemington, but the high number of acceptances forced racing officials to have two divisions of the race.
Gilmore, who lives in a nursing home just around the corner from Flemington, rode in both divisions of the race.
His mount Clayton finished well back in the division won by Saint Warden, while Temple Chief finished midfield in the race won by Skipton.
Gilmore, who later trained at Flemington, was a top jockey in his day and also rode with great success in Mauritius and India. He rode in Melbourne Cups, Cox Plates, the big Sydney races, including the Sydney Cup, and all the other top races where he had the reputation as a money jockey.
“I liked a pound in my day,” he said with a gleam in his eye.
“I was a seasoned jockey — a good jockey.
“I had come from a hard school back then but I did all right financially. I rode in a lot of Melbourne Cups and those races.”
Gilmore, who was a natural lightweight, recalls the big crowds for the big races and says to him the Caulfield Cup was just another race.
“It was a handicap,” he said.
Gilmore, who rode from 1938 to 1964, admits he hasn’t been to the races for years but still watches the occasional one on television.
In impeccable hand writing, he listed his ride and in a ledger next to them is the pounds he made.