Lester: The Official Biography Read online

  I don't pretend to know Lester absolutely: he's a complex human being and there are impenetrable parts of the forest. I write of him as I know him at first hand. I write of the level-headed man who has emerged from the transcripts of dozens of hours of recordings. I listen to the truths in his recorded voice. I've written what he has said, and what I've seen.

  Back in 1950, as a fourteen-year-old child competing on adult terms, aware of his skill but still groping for social sureness, his rounded face mirrored his anxieties. To see Lester as he is now, look at the dust jacket of this book: a mature, secure, calm man of good sense, with humour and humanity in his eyes.

  That's the true Lester; the product of the journey.

  He told me in January 1984 that he thought he would ride for only two more seasons.

  He had been saying "two or three more" for about ten years, but this sounded more positive.

  I asked why he should stop when he was riding as well as ever.

  After a while he said, "I think I win now chiefly from experience. From knowing where to be, and what to do. I may think I'm as strong as I was ten years ago ... I may feel that I am ... but I'm probably not. I'll have to stop sometime. I think I'll stop when I'm fifty."

  He didn't sound sad, but I felt it.

  How long, I asked him, would he have gone on being a jockey if it hadn't been for growing older, if he could have stopped time and stayed young.

  A wry smile. No hesitation. "A thousand years," he said.

  -

  26 Lester Piggott-British Wins

  Whilst we have striven to present these statistics as accurately as possible, one or two errors are bound to have been overlooked during the production of such a mammoth list, and for these we apologise.

  Lester Piggott – British Wins

  Race

  Value

  Dist

  Date

  Course

  Horse

  Race

  £

  Fur

  Owner

  Trainer

  S/P

  1948

  18 Aug

  Haydock

  The Chase

  Wigan Lane S Hcp 8F Selli

  294

  8

  Mrs B J R Lavington

  K Piggott

  10/1

  1948: 1 win; 2 2nds; 24 rides

  1949

  20 Aug

  Newbury

  Forest Glade

  207

  7

  Mrs B J R Lavington

  K Piggott

  6/1

  1 Sept

  Bath

  Secret Code

  188

  12

  Mrs B J R Lavington

  K Piggott

  7/2F

  26 Sept

  Birmingham

  Gold Sandal

  207

  8

  Mrs T Lilley

  F Templeman

  5/2F

  21 Oct

  Newbury

  Variety Girl

  Didcot Nursery Hcp

  552

  7

  E Thornton-Smith

  F Templeman

  100/6

  28 Oct

  Thirsk

  Flurry

  267

  5

  E Strong

  F Hartigan

  100/8

  9 Nov

  Liverpool

  Little Bonnet

  414

  6

  J Olding

  H Persse

  15/2

  1949: 6 wins; 8 2nds; 10 3rds; 120 rides

  1950

  10 Apl

  Kempton

  Extra-Dry

  347

  12

  W Harvey

  K Piggott

  6/1

  1 May

  Bath

  Cool Shamrock

  276

  8

  J Hallinan

  K Cundell

  100/8

  12 May

  Kempton

  Tancred

  Queen Elizabeth

  855

  5

  S L Sheldrick

  K Cundell

  5/1

  31 May

  Chepstow

  Green Tipperary

  188

  10

  Mrs B J R Lavington

  K Piggott

  6/1

  5 June

  Lewes

  Humanity

  207

  5

  E Thornton-Smith

  F Templeman

  2/1F

  21 June

  Newbury

  Humanity

  Empire Hcp

  690

  5

  E Thornton-Smith

  F Templeman

  100/7

  23 June

  Sandown

  Lanarth *dead heat

  305

  13½

  R T Fox-Carlyon

  W Pratt

  9/4F

  3 July

  Nottingham

  Brickworth Belle

  207

  5

  T Venn

  H Whiteman

  10/1

  6 July

  Salisbury

  Alizarene

  207

  8

  R O Girling

  K Cundell

  9/2

  14 July

  Sandown

  Wild Chancellor

  545

  8

  W Van De Stadt

  K Cundell

  8/1

  22 July

  Hurst Park

  Alizarene

  276

  8

  R O Girling

  K Cundell

  10/3

  25 July

  Goodwood

  Vidi Via

  Craven Stks

  650

  10

  P G Thompson

  T R Rimell

  6/1

  29July

  Worcester

  Star of Clubs

  410

  6

  J G Dimond

  K Cundell

  5/1

  1 Aug

  Birmingham

  Fair Betty

  277

  10

  W J Rimell

  T R Rimell

  10/1

  2 Aug

  Bath

  Tai-Yat

  438

  17

  S G Banks

  G Todd

  10/3

  7 Aug

  Chepstow

  Trigennie

  207

  10

  G A Lister

  K Cundell

  20/1

  8 Aug

  Chepstow

  Gold Sandal

  207

  8

  E Thornton-Smith

  F Templeman

  7/1

  10 Aug

  Brighton

  Star of Clubs

  287

  6

  J G Dimond

  K Cundell

  11/2

  11 Aug

  Lewes

  Moorish Spangle

  138

  12

  Mrs W R Tarrant

  G Bennett

  10/1F

  14 Aug

  Folkestone

  Blue Sapphire

  313

  12

  Maharajah of Baroda

  G Duller

  3/1

  14 Aug

  Folkestone

  No Light

  207

  10

  Lord Abergavenny

  W Payne

  5/1

  17 Aug

  Windsor

  Trigennie

  220

  12

  G A Lister

  K Cundell

  5/4

  23 Aug

  Salisbury

  Barman

  292<
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  5

  W A Jackson

  J G Waugh

  3/1

  24 Aug

  Salisbury

  New Pioneer

  207

  12

  J Ismay

  M Blackmore

  8/1

  25 Aug

  Lingfield

  Lancashire Lassie Hever Stks

  527

  7

  G R Beard

  R Smyth

  6/1

  26 Aug

  Lingfield

  Blue Sapphire

  227

  12

  Maharajah of Baroda

  G Duller

  EvF

  30 Aug

  Brighton

  Humanity

  310

  6

  E Thornton-Smith

  F Templeman

  11/2

  31 Aug

  Brighton

  Sun Flame

  717

  12

  Lt Col D T Wallis

  K Cundell

  5/1

  1 Sept

  Folkestone

  Don's Fancy

  138

  15

  C Braham

  W Payne

  2/1F

  1 Sept

  Folkestone

  Queen's Prize

  138

  12

  Mrs E J Lewis

  J C Waugh

  5/1

  2 Sept

  Folkestone

  White Ant

  207

  6

  O/trainer

  G N Bennett

  4/5F

  11 Sept

  Wolver'ton

  Curly Cut

  207

  8

  P B Raymond

  M Collins

  10/3

  14 Sept

  Bath

  Finalis

  188

  12

  O/trainer

  F Templeman

  7/1

  16 Sept

  Kempton

  Sun Flame

  365

  12

  Lt Col D T Wallis

  K Cundell

  6/4F

  20 Sept

  Brighton

  Zina

  Brighton Autumn Cup

  992

  12

  Lady I Guinness

  F Cundell

  11/2

  21 Sept

  Ascot

  Tancred

  Buckingham Palace Stks

  1090

  5

  S L Sheldrick

  K Cundell

  5/IF

  22 Sept

  Ascot

  Moorish Spangle

  Wild Boar Stks

  653

  12

  Mrs W R Tarrant

  G Bennett

  4/1

  23 Sept

  Ascot

  Abraham's Star

  Swinley Forest Hcp

  483

  7

  P G Thompson

  T R Rimell

  6/1

  26 Sept

  Newmarket

  Horatia

  Abington Mile Nursery St

  700

  5

  F C Bailey

  K Cundell

  10/1

  28 Sept

  Newmarket

  Holm Bush

  Jockey Club Stks

  5,372

  10

  Sir D Bailey

  A Budgett

  5/1

  30 Sept

  Newbury

  Finalis

  485

  12

  O/trainer

  F Templeman

  100/8

  30 Sept

  Newbury

  Extra-Dry

  483

  16

  W Harvey

  K Piggott

  100/6

  4 Oct

  Lingfield

  Eldoret

  207

  16

  T G Johnson

  W Payne

  9/2

  7 Oct

  Ascot

  Damremont

  483

  7

  P G Thompson

  T R Rimell

  5/1

  11 Oct

  Newmarket

  Golden Quip

  362

  7

  Maj D J Vaughan

  F Cundell

  7/1F

  13 Oct

  Warwick

  Taor

  196

  16

  R O Girling

  K Cundell

  11/2

  13 Oct

  Warwick

  Fancy Inn

  138

  5

  Lady Baron

  W Payne

  7/4F

  13 Oct

  Warwick

  No Light

  198

  8

  Lord Abergavenny

  W Payne

  4/1

  16 Oct

  Wolver'ton

  Moorish Spangle

  276

  12

  Mrs W R Tarrant

  G Bennett

  7/1F

  I8 Oct

  Hurst Park

  Pre-War

  414

  14

  Mrs M H McAlpine

  V Smyth

  11/8F

  21 Oct

  Newbury

  Zina

  420

  10

  Lady I Guinness

  F Cundell

  EvF

  21 Oct

  Newbury

  Horatia

  552

  8

  P C Bailey

  K Cundell

  9/2

  1950: 52 wins; 45 2nds; 39 3rds; 404 rides

  1951

  27 Mar

  Kempton

  Breath of Spring

  356

  5

  M Wilson

  J Powell

  25/1

  27 Mar

  Kempton

  Tancred

  418

  5

  S L Sheldrick

  K Cundell

  15/2

  29 Mar

  Lincoln

  Nuts and Wine

  196

  5

  Maj G M Harbord

  J Powell

  5/4F

  30 Mar

  Lincoln

  Roydon

  198

  12

  Mrs E G Williams

  J Powell

  8/1

  17 Apl

  Birmingham

  Grey Magic

  207

  5

  Mrs P Reynolds

  W Payne

  6/1

  23 Apl

  Wolver'ton

  Poo'lfix

  207

  5

  O/trainer

  F Hartigan

  5/2

  24 Apl

  Epsom

  Barnacle

  Great Metropolitan

  1,204

  18

  A Aman

  A Budgett

  10/1

  26 Apl

  Epsom

  Zucchero

  Blue Riband Trial Stks

  2,439

  8

  G Rolls

  K Cundell

  7/1

  28 Apl

  Worcester

  Game Boy

  207

  10

  O/trainer

  R Sturdy

  4/1

  30 Apl

  Worcester

  Palm Grove

  383

  5

  O/trainer

  F Hartigan

  20/1

  15 May

  Birmingham

  Dashwood

  277

  6

  HWragg

  C Pratt

  15
/2

  16 May

  Salisbury

  Wild Boy

  312

  5

  Lady Baron

  W Payne

  6/1

  16 May

  Salisbury

  Sun Flame

  310

  12

  Lt Col D T Wallis

  K Cundell

  100/8

  16 May

  Salisbury

  Fancy Inn

  207

  6

  T Organ

  W Payne

  9/2

  21 May

  Warwick

  Manhattan

  198

  5

  Mrs S Jacobson

  K Cundell

  8/11F

  26 May

  Hurst Park

  No Light

  276

  10

  Lord Abergavenny

  W Payne

  2/1F

  28 May

  Wolver'ton

  Prince Marika

  276

  5

  M V Everett

  T Farmer

  9/4F

  29 May

  Epsom

  Barnacle

  Rosebery Memorial Hcp

  690

  18

  Mrs J Bailward

  A Budgett

  7/1

  29 May

  Epsom

  Deerslayer

  420

  7

  Sir W Waldron

  T Farmer

  8/1