The Demon – The Life Of George Fordham, by Michael Tanner

Published by AuthorHouse, £15.95 paperback / £3.99 Kindle

“IN racing, as in all things, there are stars. Then there are real stars. And then there’s genius.”

So says historian Michael Tanner in his latest work, an impressive 403-page biography of the great Victorian jockey, George Fordham.

Those with a keen interest in racing’s history will welcome this long-overdue book, Fordham a legend who deserved far greater acclaim than has since been accorded him.

As Tanner explains, the romantic and tragic image of Fred Archer has come to overshadow Fordham, every inch Archer’s equal in the saddle and possibly even his superior, as many argued in the day and Tanner makes a suitable case for now.

“Working gossamer reins with enough finesse to crook a marionette’s finger,” is Tanner’s fitting description of Fordham, but he has also left no stone unturned in his quest to include contemporary quotes and absorbing details from newspapers of the day, so we do not have to rely on the author’s opinion alone to form a similar admiration for the remarkably honest and professional Fordham.

Many will be familiar with Tanner’s style and thorough research in an impressive CV of sporting biographies and The Demon will not disappoint.

As expected, we not only gain an in-depth and personal insight into Fordham himself, but an introduction and understanding of the times he lived in and the people he mixed with. Influential characters of the Turf are also detailed, as a backdrop and to set his story in context, which makes for interesting reading.

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We are also shown what racing once was, and could yet be again had we got the media on our side, as Tanner sets the scene and reminds us that the Victorian jockey was the equivalent of today’s Hollywood superstar.

“At the mid-point of the 19 century,” he writes, “horses were a common sight in country and town. The Victorian populace understood the equine more than subsequent generations and was quick to appreciate the merits of a good horse.”

Yet some things do not seem to change, as the brass plate on Fordham’s coffin declared: “It’s not the race we ride, ‘Tis the pace that kills”, words he expressly chose. Battling both the scales and the bottle took their toll, though neither jockey titles and set record totals in 1860 and 1862, riding 147 winners and 166 winners respectively, without the transport system and evening meetings of the modern day, it must be remembered.

He won 16 British classics, only the St Leger eluding him, and enjoyed successful visits to Ireland, winning four major races at the Curragh as well as the 1860 Flying Stakes run at Howth and Baldoyle.

The Demon is a must-have book for all racing afficionados. Not just a valuable addition to a collection and even more valuable reference work, but a thoroughly entertaining read and enjoyable ‘escape’ to the glory days of racing – when there were “real stars”.