Sir Gordon Richards was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

, and is often considered the world's greatest ever jockey. He remains the only jockey to have been knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

ed.

Gordon Richards was raised in the Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

 village of Donnington Wood

Donnington Wood

Donnington Wood is part of the new town of Telford in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England.Famous former jockey, Sir Gordon Richards was born here. A local pub in nearby Donnington, was named after him, "The Champion Jockey". This was replaced firstly by...

 (now part of Telford). His father reared several pit ponies at their home, and it was in this environment that Sir Gordon fostered his love of the equestrian. He rode the ponies bareback from an early age, then from the age of seven, drove the pony and trap passenger service his family ran between Wrockwardine Wood

Wrockwardine Wood

Wrockwardine Wood was originally a detached piece of woodland, then a township, formerly belonging to the manor and parish of Wrockwardine. Wrockwardine is located approximately 17 miles from Wrockwardine Wood....

 and Oakengates station

Oakengates railway station

Oakengates railway station serves the town of Oakengates, part of the new town of Telford, England. It lies on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton Line and has two platforms...

.