Episode 163: Gordon Spinks (Part 1)

In part 1 Gordon talks of the heart attack he suffered while driving from Longreach to Brisbane. He didn’t realise he’d had a cardiac issue. The 72 year old reveals that his heart problems aren’t over yet. The former outstanding jockey looks back on childhood days in Sydney, and the neighbour’s pony he couldn’t wait to ride. Gordon reflects on the newspaper advertisement which lured him to Theo Green’s Rosehill stables. He recalls the track gallops with Theo by his side, and the start of his mateship with fellow apprentice Ron Quinton. Spinks explains why he preferred to use his middle name, rather than his given one. Gordon remembers his first winning ride at Mudgee and his first metropolitan winner. He recalls the beginning of a successful association with T.J.Smith. He was stunned when the champion trainer began giving him Group 1 rides when he was still an apprentice. Gordon has never forgotten a last to first win on NZ mare Unpainted in the 1968 Doncaster.