Lester Piggott

Lester Keith Piggott (5 November 1935 – 29 May 2022) was an English professional jockey and trainer. With 4,493 career flat racing wins in Britain, including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest flat racing jockeys of all time and the originator of a much-imitated style. Popularly called "The Long Fellow", he was known for his competitive personality, restricting his weight and, on occasion, not sparing the whip, such as in the 1972 Derby. Piggott was convicted of tax fraud in 1987 and sentenced to three years in prison. He served just over one year.[3]

Lester Piggott
Piggott in 1955
Occupation
Born(1935-11-05)5 November 1935
Wantage, Berkshire, England
Died29 May 2022(2022-05-29) (aged 86)
Geneva, Switzerland
Spouse
Susan Armstrong
​
​
(m. 1960, separated)​
Children3, including Tracy
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight8 st 5 lb (117 lb; 53 kg)[1]
Major racing wins
British Classic Race wins as jockey (30):
Racing awards
Honours
OBE (withdrawn)
Significant horses

Early life

Piggott was born in Wantage, Berkshire, to a family that could trace its roots as jockeys and trainers back to the 18th century.[4] The Piggotts were a Cheshire farming family who from the 1870s ran the Crown Inn in Nantwich for over 30 years. Piggott's grandfather, Ernest Piggott (1878–1967), rode three Grand National winners, in 1912, 1918 and 1919,[5] and was married to a sister of the jockeys Mornington Cannon and Kempton Cannon, who both rode winners of the Derby, in 1899 and 1904 respectively. He was also three-times British jump racing Champion Jockey (in 1910, 1913 and 1915), and owned a racehorse stable at the Old Manor in Letcombe Regis (now in Oxfordshire).[6]

Lester Piggott's father, (Ernest) Keith Piggott (1904–1993), was a successful National Hunt jockey and trainer, winning the Champion Hurdle as a jockey in 1939[5] and the Grand National as a trainer in 1963 with Ayala, becoming the British jump racing Champion Trainer of the 1962–63 season.[7] He owned a training stable at South Bank in Lambourn, where Lester Piggott lived until 1954.[4] Lester Piggott was a cousin, through his mother Lilian Iris Rickaby, of two other jockeys, Bill and Fred Rickaby. Fred Rickaby was British flat racing Champion Apprentice in 1931 and 1932.[8]

Career
Statue to Piggott at Haydock Park Racecourse, Merseyside, installed for his 70th birthday

Piggott began racing horses from his father's stable when he was ten years old and won his first race in 1948, aged twelve, on a horse called The Chase, at Haydock Park.[9] Piggott was known for his quiet demeanour. He described his mother as wisely playing down his success, while his father rarely gave advice unless there had been a particular mistake. By his teens a sensation in the racing world, he rode his first winner of The Derby on Never Say Die in 1954, aged eighteen, and went on to win eight more, on Crepello (1957), St. Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983).[10] He was stable jockey to Noel Murless and later to Vincent O'Brien and had a glittering career of unparalleled success.[7] Known as the "housewives' favourite", Piggott had legions of followers and did much to expand the popularity of horse racing beyond its narrow, class-based origins.[7]

Famously tall for a flat jockey (5 ft 8 in/1.73 m), hence his nickname of "The Long Fellow", Piggott struggled to keep his weight down and for most of his career rode at 8 stone 5 pounds (53 kg; 117 lb).[1][11] He pioneered a new style of race-riding that was subsequently widely adopted by colleagues at home and abroad and enabled him to become Champion Jockey eleven times. He also rode over hurdles early in his career.[12]

Piggott riding Apalachee in 1973 or 1974

In 1980, his relationship with the Sangster–O'Brien combination came to an end and he was appointed stable jockey to Noel Murless's son-in-law Henry Cecil,[7] the British flat racing Champion Trainer, at Murless's old stables, Warren Place. He was again champion jockey in 1981 and 1982.[7]

In late 1983, a dispute arose as to whether Piggott had reneged on an agreement to ride Daniel Wildenstein's All Along in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for Patrick Louis Biancone when Piggott stated he had agreed to ride the previous year's Arc third Awaasif and could only ride All Along if that horse did not run. All Along was ridden instead by Walter Swinburn, with Wildenstein refusing to allow Piggott to ride any more of his horses. It was costly for Piggott, as All Along won the Arc and a string of other international races in an autumn campaign that ended with her being named U.S. Horse of the Year. As Wildenstein was one of Cecil's principal owners, this placed a strain on the relationship and, in 1984, Cecil and Piggott split, with Steve Cauthen taking over at Warren Place.[13]

In 1985, Piggott rode freelance, with big wins including the Prix de Diane for André Fabre aboard Lypharita, the 2000 Guineas Stakes for Michael Stoute on Shadeed and the Benson and Hedges Gold Cup and Irish Champion Stakes for Luca Cumani on Commanche Run.[14][15]

With 4,493 career wins on the Flat in Britain and approximately 5,300 worldwide,[16] including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest flat racing jockeys of all time.[17] Piggott's 30 Classic wins in Britain came from 25 individual horses.[18]

Of his great winners, Piggott regarded Sir Ivor as the easiest to ride.[19][20]

Later life

Piggott retired as a jockey at the end of the 1985 flat season and became a trainer. His Eve Lodge stables in Newmarket in Suffolk, housed 97 horses and sent out 34 winners. His burgeoning new career as a trainer was ended when he was convicted of tax fraud and jailed. He was stripped of his appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), which had been awarded in 1975.[21] He served 366 days in prison.[1] According to Piggott, a commonly held belief that he was prosecuted after using an undeclared bank account, to make a final settlement of his tax liabilities, is a myth.

Piggott resumed his career as a jockey in 1990, at the age of 55, and won the Breeders' Cup Mile on Royal Academy within ten days of his return. He rode another Classic winner, Rodrigo de Triano, in the 1992 2000 Guineas. His last win in Britain was in October 1994 and he officially retired in 1995; his last British ride was in the November Handicap on 5 November 1994, but he rode abroad through the winter of 1994–95, winning the Black Opal Stakes on Zadok in Canberra on 5 March 1995[22] before deciding not to return for the 1995 British Flat turf season.[14]

Piggott lived near Newmarket for the entire duration of his career. He later emigrated to Bursinel, Switzerland, where he continued to reside with his partner and family friend Lady Barbara FitzGerald, then the 55-year-old wife of Lord John FitzGerald, though legally he was still married to his wife Susan.[23] In 2004, he published the book Lester's Derbys.[24]

On 15 May 2007, Piggott was admitted to intensive care in a hospital in Geneva, following a recurrence of a previous heart problem. His wife stated that this illness was not life-threatening and that he was recovering in intensive care as a precaution.[25] He attended Royal Ascot in June 2007[26] and the Epsom Derby in June 2008 where he tipped the winner, New Approach, during a BBC television interview. He was also present for the 2009 Cheltenham Gold Cup where he presented a trophy to jockey Tony McCoy.[27]

In 2014 the Eve Lodge Stables training yard and complex, which included four semi-detached, two-bedroom bungalows and which could house up to 100 horses, was put on the market for £1.25 million.[28]

Personal life

Piggott was married to Susan Armstrong. They married at St. Mark's church, North Audley Street, London, in 1960. Her father, Sam Armstrong, and her brother, Robert Armstrong, were both racehorse trainers. They had two daughters, Maureen, an ex-eventer (married to Derby-winning trainer William Haggas) and Tracy (a sports presenter on Irish television station RTÉ). He also had a son, Jamie, also a jockey, from a relationship with Anna Ludlow.[5][29][30]

Piggott was partially deaf and had a minor speech impediment. He was also known for his dry wit, despite a reputation for being taciturn. For example, when asked by a reporter, after Karabas had won the 1969 Washington International, when he thought he would win, Piggott replied "about two weeks ago". Allegedly when asked by a stable employee for a £1 gratuity, Piggott motioned to the employee to speak into his "good ear", at which point the employee increased the request to £2. Piggott responded with "try the other ear again". On being asked by a young girl serving him with ice cream if he was soul singer Wilson Pickett, he said "yes".[29][31]

Death

Piggott died in hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, on 29 May 2022, at the age of 86.[32][33]

Recognition

The annual jockey awards The Lesters, inaugurated in 1990, are named in his honour.[34] In 1999, the Racing Post ranked Piggott as second in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century, behind Gordon Richards.[35] In 2021, Piggott was, along with Frankel, one of the first two entries in the British Champions Series Hall of Fame.[36]

Major wins

Below is a list of major victories by Piggott, as determined by the RacingBase website, categorised by the country of the race.[37]

Canada

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Singapore

Slovakia

  • Derby – (1) – Zimzalabim (1993)

United Kingdom

United States

The British music band James recorded a song named "Sometimes (Lester Piggott)" on their 1993 album Laid. The outro on the original 12" of Sit Down (1989) also featured a falsetto voice singing the jockey's name.[38] The 1990 Van Morrison song "In the Days Before Rock 'n Roll" also mentions Piggott by name: "When we let, then we bet / On Lester Piggott when we met [ten to one] / And we let the goldfish go".[39][40][41]

Piggott was frequently caricatured on ITV's Spitting Image, in which he was portrayed as having mumbling diction, voiced by Enn Reitel.[42] In 1991, during a period in which Queen Elizabeth II faced public pressure to pay taxes, the satirical magazine Private Eye showed a cover picture of her talking on a telephone, asking for Lester Piggott.[43]

Bibliography
  • Piggott, Lester (1996). Lester: The Autobiography of Lester Piggott. Transworld Publishers. ISBN 978-0-552-14153-6. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  • Piggott, Lester; Magee, Sean (2004). Lester's Derbys. London: Methuen. ISBN 978-0-413-77411-8. ASIN 0413774112. Retrieved 29 May 2022.

See also

References
  1. "Record-breaking jockey Piggott dies aged 86". BBC Sport.
  2. Morris, Tony; Randall, John (1990). Horse Racing: Records, Facts, Champions (Third ed.). Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-902-1.
  3. "1987: Lester Piggott jailed for three years". BBC News. 23 October 1987. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  4. p45, David Boyd, A Bibliographical Dictionary of Racehorse Trainers in Berkshire 1850–1939 (1998)
  5. O'Riordan, Alison (11 March 2014). "Jamie Piggott: apprentice legend". Irish Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  6. Carter, J. (2016). Warriors on Horseback: The Inside Story of the Professional Jockey. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-4729-2453-7. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  7. Heavey, Jason (29 May 2022). "Lester Piggott: From teenage sensation to prison, the remarkable life of a racing genius". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  8. "Fred Rickaby, champion apprentice and trainer, dies at 93". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  9. "Schoolboy rides the first winner", Daily Worker, 19 August 1948
  10. Damon Wilkinson, Jason Heavey (29 May 2022). "Lester Piggott dead: Legendary jockey who won Derby nine times dies aged 86". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  11. "Lester Piggott Q&A: a brilliant interview with the record-breaking champion | Racing Post". racingpost.com. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  12. Muscat, Julian (29 May 2022). "Riding legend Lester Piggott was a leading jump jockey". Racing Post. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  13. "Cauthen's Success Amazes Britain". The New York Times. 16 June 1985. Section 5, page 6. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  14. "Lester Piggott: child prodigy who blossomed into a riding legend and statesman". Racing Post. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  15. "Star names who have lit up Luca Cumani's glittering career". Racing Post. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. "The remarkable facts and figures behind Lester Piggott's glittering career | Racing Post". racingpost.com. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  17. "70th Anniversary of Lester Piggott's First Ever Victory". The Jockey Club. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  18. "Timeform ratings analysis | Lester Piggott classic winners". Sporting Life. UK. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  19. About the Home of Racing Archived 9 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Jockey Club
  20. Lester Piggott to open New Wiltshire Stand at Salisbury Salisbury Racecourse Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Honours stripped: Who else has lost out?". BBC. 31 January 2012.
  22. "Lester down under", Daily Express page 51, 6 March 1995
  23. Davison, Phil (10 August 2015). "Obituary: Lord John FitzGerald, racehorse trainer". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 May 2022. Lord John was the subject of unwanted headlines three years ago after his wife, Lady Barbara, then 55, eloped to her native Switzerland with arguably the greatest flat-racing jockey of all time, Lester Piggott, then 77, who is also still married. Both Lord John and Piggott's wife of more than 50 years, Susan, said at the time: 'We're OK with it. We're all still friends.'
  24. Piggott, Lester; Magee, Sean (2004). Lester's Derbys. London: Methuen. ISBN 978-0-413-77411-8. ASIN 0413774112. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  25. "Jockey icon Lester Piggott dead aged 86 after battling heart problems". Yahoo!. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  26. Lee, Alan (23 June 2007). "Piggott shows star quality in photofinish". The Timzes. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  27. "Michael Dickinson: They call him the mad genius | Racing Post". racingpost.com.
  28. Hipwell, Deirdre. "Lester Piggott closes the stable door at his Newmarket centre". The Times.
  29. Rock, Graham (6 May 2001). "Chief Whip". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  30. McRae, Donald (13 October 2015). "Lester Piggott: 'A lot of people know I'm going to turn 80 – but I wish they didn't'". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  31. Harris, Kenneth (7 June 1970). "A living legend". The Observer Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  32. "Lester Piggott: Former champion jockey and nine-time Derby winner dies aged 86". Sky Sports. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  33. "Jockey-Legende Lester Piggott ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 29 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  34. "The Lesters". The PJA. Professional Jockeys Association. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  35. "A century of racing – 50 greatest flat jockeys". Racing Post. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  36. "Lester Piggott and Frankel the first racing greats inducted into Hall of Fame | Racing Post". racingpost.com.
  37. "Racing People: Lester Piggott". racingbase.com. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  38. "James Laid Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic.
  39. "Spiky, sticky, silly: interviewing Van Morrison". The Spectator Australia. 29 August 2020.
  40. Morrison, Van (30 September 2014). Lit Up Inside: Selected Lyrics. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-31621-2 – via Google Books.
  41. Hickey, Thom (21 July 2015). "Van Morrison – in The Days Before Rock 'n' Roll!". The Immortal Jukebox.
  42. Bromley, Tom (13 August 2010). "The voice of Lester Piggott as Del-Boy, and other 80s telly secrets". The Guardian.
  43. "covers library, issue 771". Private Eye. 5 July 1991. Retrieved 25 September 2017.

Further reading
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