Background
Breasley was born in 1914 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales and was christened Arthur Edward, but while still very young was given the nickname "Scobie", after the famous Australian trainer James Scobie.
Breasley was born in 1914 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales and was christened Arthur Edward, but while still very young was given the nickname "Scobie", after the famous Australian trainer James Scobie.
During his career, Breasley rode 3,251 winners including over 1,000 in Australia and 2,161 in Britain. He rode over 100 winners in England every year from 1955 to 1964, and was Champion Jockey in 1957 and continuously from 1961-1963. He developed a great rivalry with Sir Gordon Richards, and later with the younger jockey Lester Piggott.
He was renowned for his exquisite balance in the saddle, for refusing to race wide, and for his sparing use of the whip, preferring to use hands and heels.
He retired from training horses after winning the most prestigious race in Barbados - the Gold Cup - on four occasions in the early 1990s and returned to live in Melbourne. The racing authorities in the state of Victoria struck a medal in his honour, awarded annually since 1996 to the best jockey in the state.
On its formation, Scobie Breasley was the first person inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Scobie Breasley died on 21 December 2006 after suffering a stroke a few days earlier.