George Thomas Donald MooreOBE (5 July 1923 – 8 January 2008) was an Australian jockey and Thoroughbredhorse trainer. He began his career in racing in 1939 in Brisbane where he quickly became one of the top apprentice jockeys and where in 1943 he won the Senior Jockeys' Premiership. He then relocated to Sydney and in 1949 went to work for trainerTommy J. Smith (also known as T.J. Smith) with whom he would have considerable success.
In Australia, George Moore won numerous of the country's top races and was the jockey aboard Tulloch for nineteen of the Hall of Fame horse's thirty-six wins. He retired from riding in 1971 having won 312 metropolitan stakes and a record 119 Group One races. He then turned his talents to training, first in France, then in Australia and for thirteen seasons in Hong Kong where, between 1973 and 1985, he won the training premiership eleven times.
After the 1985 racing season George Moore retired to the Gold Coast. He died in Sydney on 8 January 2008.[2]
George Moore's sister married jockey Garnet Bougoure. George's eldest son, John, worked as his assistant before going out on his own. John Moore carved out a successful career, winning five training titles in Hong Kong and in 2005 broke Brian Kan's record for most career wins by a trainer in Hong Kong racing. Recently he received international attention as the trainer of the world-ranked Viva Pataca.
George Moore's youngest child, Michele Ann Moore, married French champion jockey Philippe Paquet. She subsequently married Australian jockey Peter Leyshan, who was a Sydney-based apprentice to TJ Smith. George took Peter with him to Hong Kong, where he was very successful, always finishing in the top 3. He won the Gold Coast Racing Club's riding title in 1992 and 1993. After his riding career was over, he too turned to training. In 1996 Peter Leyshan took out a trainer's licence with the Macau Jockey Club, and has won the Hong Kong Macau Trophy, Macau Derby, Gold Cup & most of the Big races in Macau, as a Macau champion trainer.
Michele was George's assistant trainer, and when her father retired, became Peter's assistant. Michele and Peter have 4 children. Philippe, Christina, Sarah & Amanda. Christina is married to Jason Lee and they have 3 children.