Legendary horse racing jockey Lester Piggott has died

He rode his first ever race at Salisbury Racecourse aged 12 in 1948 and there's a bar named after him at the venue now.

Author: Iona Stewart-RichardsonPublished 29th May 2022
Last updated 29th May 2022

Legendary horse racing jockey Lester Piggott has died at the age of 86.

He was known throughout the world after a hugely successful career that lasted the best part of 50 years with him riding almost 4-and-a-half thousand winners.

Piggott won The Derby a record nine times and was crowned champion jockey on 11 occasions between 1960 and 1982.

He rode his first ever race at Salisbury Racecourse aged 12 in 1948 and there's a bar named after him at the venue now.

He rode nearly 70 winners at Salisbury in his long career and opened the Wiltshire Stand at the track in 2005.

Jeremy Martin, Clerk of Salisbury Racecourse and Executive Director said:

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Lester Piggott. His incredible career started at Salisbury and we subsequently named our roof terrace bar on top of the Wiltshire Stand after him. He returned to Salisbury in June 2005 to open the building. It was a glorious sunny day, which he seemed to greatly enjoy. We are proud of our association with him”.

Photo provided by Salisbury Racecourse courtesy of The Salisbury Journal

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.