Racing Legends set to be celebrated this month

It will be a special race meeting at Allan Scott Glenburnie Racecourse on Wednesday, April 24, when the Mount Gambier Racing Club inducts four legends.

Mick Medhurst, Essy Thompson, Frank Dean and George Kay will be honoured for their contribution to local thoroughbred racing.

Jockey Mick Medhurst was born in 1899 at Wepar, and began race riding in 1921. He retired 32 years later in 1953.

He won the South Australian Jockey Premiership 15 times. including his last year of riding.

Mick rode more than 1500 winners – half in SA Metropolitan area, and the others in country SA and Victoria, with Metro winners in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

He won most of the best SA races including three Adelaide Cups, six SA Derbies, four Goodwood Handicaps, two St Legers, Guineas, and Christmas Handicaps.

Essy Thompson started his racing career as an apprentice jockey for Harry Shephard as a 14 year old and 26 winners during his three year apprenticeship.

He officially commenced training in 1961 at 21 years of age. His training career covered 40 years until retirement in 2001. During this time, he was very successful training more than 2000 winners in South Australia and Victoria, both at Metropolitan and many country areas.

Notable achievements included SA Leading Jumps trainer in 1979/80 and he won many S.E.D.R.A. Leading Trainer Awards as well.

Frank Dean was born at Streaky Bay, and moved to Naracoorte where he was apprenticed to Doug Hall in 1945, riding his first city winner when he was 16.

During his riding career of 10 years, he rode more than 550 winners which included 78 over jumps.

He began jumps riding in 1951, and regularly rode winners on the same day on flat and over jumps.

Frank died from a race fall on October 20, 1956, in a hurdle race on Meltingham.

He was described by all who knew him as ‘a gentleman jockey, courteous to all, fearless over fences, and polished in the extreme as a flat rider’.

George Kay was the ‘Voice of Racing’ in the Limestone Coast for 45 years from 1952 until 1997. He missed only one race meeting during this time, with laryngitis.

He was race day commentator, and featured in The Border Watch with race previews, results and other commentaries. He promoted sport with programs on Radio 5SE and Win Television.

It was a lifetime ambition to become a race broadcaster, which was fired by his parents in early days, attending night trots in Adelaide. He auditioned successfully at his first call at a Mount Gambier Hunt Club Race Meeting in August 1952.

He also called the trots for many years and in those earlier years he would call Saturday afternoon gallops, and night time trots. In later years, he became the greyhound broadcaster as well.

Race broadcasting conditions have improved significantly from those early years, from within an open grandstand among the general public, and often a long way from the finish line, to closed booths and television monitors in high towers.

George was honoured with Life Membership of S.E.D.R.A. and S.A.C.R.A.

Race calling is an art, and George Kay was a natural at the caper with his ability to bring racing into our homes, thanks to his vivid calls, and his expertise to pick the winner in a tight finish.