Historical information

This plaque is a memento of the famous Victorian jumps jockey, Tom Corrigan. He was Australia’s best-known and best-loved jockey of the 19th century. Born in County Meath, Ireland, son of Thomas Corrigan and his wife Bridget, née Carney, he came at the age of ten with his parents to Woodford, near Warrnambool. He was apprenticed to racehorse owner, Francis Tozer of Wangoom and quickly built up a fine reputation as an accomplished horseman, especially in jumps racing. From 1866 until his death from a racing fall in 1894, he won 239 races with 135 seconds and 95 thirds from a total of 788 mounts. This included seven Grand National race wins and four Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase wins. Corrigan, very small in stature with a huge handlebar moustache, was a popular, genial person.

Significance

This plaque is an interesting memento of the Woodford-raised jockey, Tom Corrigan. His name is now on the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

Physical description

This is a silver-coloured metal image (bust) of the jockey, Tom Corrigan. The chest section of the image is attached to the two ends of a horseshoe- shaped frame. The bottom of the horseshoe frame has representations of the reins and two feet of a horse with a jockey cap in the middle. The name of the jockey is embedded into the metal at the top of the plaque. One section of the horseshoe on the edge has been broken. The plaque is slightly stained.

Inscriptions & markings

‘Tom Corrigan’