“I will always try to remember him for the good things and I offer my sincere condolences to his family and his many friends.
“He was a legend. We always tried to aspire to be like him and none of us can do it.”
Rod Street, chief executive of Great British Racing said: “Lester was a true titan of sport, a one off who transcended horse racing. To this very day, the top answer to ‘name a famous jockey’ remains Lester Piggott.
“Enigmatic and reserved, it was on the track that he did his talking, with nine Derby wins among his 30 British Classics together with 11 champion jockey titles. He matched a fiercely competitive spirit with genius horsemanship and was revered by millions.
“It was only fitting that he became the first person to be inducted into Flat racing’s Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame last year. We will be forever grateful for the indelible contribution he made to British horse racing.”
Key moments in his career:
Lester Piggott (right)
PA
1948: Piggott, aged 12, has his first ride in public on The Chase at Salisbury on April 7. The horse provides him with his first success at Haydock on August 18.
1950: He rides 52 winners as he finishes the season champion apprentice.
1954: Piggott, now 18, partners Never Say Die (33-1) to the first of his nine Derby victories.
1960: Successes in the Derby and St Leger help to win a first jockeys’ championship with 170 successes. Marries Susan Armstrong on February 22.
1965: Rides eight winners at Royal Ascot, a score bettered only by Sir Gordon Richards with nine.
1966: Piggott wins fourth championship with his highest ever total 191, 94 clear of his nearest rival.
1970: Wins 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger on Nijinsky, the first horse to win the Triple Crown for 35 years. The pair also finish second in the Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
1973: Rides Rheingold to record his first success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe after 16 previous failures.
1975: Awarded OBE.
1976: Rides record seventh Derby winner on Empery.
1977: As contract rider to pools magnate Robert Sangster, Piggott wins the Derby, Irish Derby and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes on The Minstrel.
1981: Having split with Sangster the previous year, Piggott – now attached to Henry Cecil – wins 1000 Guineas on Fairy Footsteps a week after nearly losing an ear in a starting stalls accident.
1982: Wins the last of his 11 jockeys’ championships.
1983: Teenoso carries him to his ninth win in the Derby.
1984: Piggott breaks record set by Frank Buckle 157 years previously when winning 28th classic on Commanche Run in the St Leger. Loses job with Cecil, who signs up Steve Cauthen.
1985: Retirement is announced at end of season. Rides 29th classic winner, Shadeed in the 2000 Guineas, but records only 34 victories, the last of which is on Full Choke at Nottingham, bringing career total to 4,349. Finishes second on final ride.
1986: Piggott sets up as trainer in Newmarket, saddling 30 winners including one at Royal Ascot.
1987: Wins first Classic as trainer with Lady Bentley in the Italian Oaks. Jailed for three years for tax evasion in October.
1988: Stripped of OBE. Released from prison after serving a year of sentence.
1989: Returns to saddle with three rides in Peru.
1990: Return to race riding announced and Piggott finishes close second on first ride back. Rides first winner of comeback on Nicholas, trained by wife Susan, at Chepstow. Gains memorable triumph in $1million Breeders’ Cup Mile in New York on Royal Academy.
1992: Wins 30th British classic on Rodrigo De Triano, owned by Sangster, in 2000 Guineas. The pair also collect the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Juddmonte International and Champion Stakes to earn tilt at Breeders’ Cup Classic. Fractures collar-bone and breaks two ribs in horror fall from Mr Brooks in opening race of Breeders’ Cup meeting in Miami, Florida.
1994: Rides last winner, Palacegate Jack, at Haydock on October 6.
