Record-breaking jockey Lester Piggott dies aged 86
From his first victory aged 12 to his last nearly 50 years later, jockey Lester Piggott was a ruthless winner who became a racing icon.
The partially-deaf rider had a quiet charisma of his own, a fierce determination and a life story which took in prison and one of sport's most remarkable comebacks.Lester Piggott pictured in 1948, the year of his first winner In between, Pigott had rewritten the record books. From boy wonder to the so-called Housewives' Choice, when women who supposedly knew nothing about racing would have a flutter on Lester in big races.
He won a total of 116 races at the Royal Ascot meeting and triumphed a record 30 times in the British Classics, including an unprecedented nine wins in the Derby at Epsom. Among the equine greats he rode was Nijinsky, the last horse to win the British Triple Crown - comprising the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger - in 1970.
Asked about the advantages of employing Piggott, O'Brien replied: "It means he isn't riding against you."
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