A perfectionist whose legacy is of 'immeasurable significance'

Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges yesterday hailed the George Moore legacy, warmly remembering the greatest trainer of Hong Kong racing's professional era for a contribution that was of 'immeasurable significance'.

Engelbrecht-Bresges said Moore, who died on Tuesday night in Sydney aged 84, had been a man that he knew of long before they actually met as Moore's reputation as an outstanding horseman, a champion of his craft and a driven perfectionist preceded him.

'Even as a European, I knew about the greatness of George Moore as a jockey in Australia and I admired him greatly for having the courage to come to Europe in the late 1960s to prove himself there,' Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

'He was the king in Australia and could have earned any amount of money as the champion jockey of Sydney but he was driven by more than money. He had a passion for excellence, he wanted to prove himself on a world stage, and indeed he did.

'I would call George Moore the first world ambassador of racing.'

The chief executive said the Jockey Club had been 'extremely fortunate' in the first year of professional racing (1972) to attract such a big international name as George Moore to move to Hong Kong to start his training career, having retired from riding after winning the Victoria Derby on Classic Mission in late 1971.