Lester Piggott was a famous jockey from England known for his tall stature which earned him the nickname “The Long Fellow”. Although Piggott’s height made it challenging for him to keep his weight down, he was able to ride most of his career at 117 lbs. His family has their roots in horseracing as jockeys and trainers going back to the 18th century, and this early exposure to racing gave him a leg up when he began his racing career at just 10 years old, racing horses his father owned. He was 12 when he won his first official race in 1948.
Piggot amassed a total of 4,493 wins on the Flat in Britain alone and roughly 5,300 wins worldwide over 43 seasons, plus 20 more wins over hurdles. Because of this feat, he is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest flat racing jockeys of all time. Although jockeys Gordon Richards and Pat Eddery had more wins than Piggot overall, with 4,870 and 4,632 wins, respectively, they don’t even come close to Piggott’s record 30 wins in the five prestigious British Classic races. He holds the record for most wins in the Epsom Derby at nine wins, he won the 2,000 Guineas six times, and he was the youngest ever jockey to win the English Triple Crown (2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and St. Leger Stakes) in 1970 aboard the Canadian-bred, Irish-trained colt Nijinsky. No horse has won the English Triple Crown since his triumphant victory. Piggot also won the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes seven times, the Ascot Gold Cup 11 times, and the Royal Ascot 116 times. In addition to his win record, Piggot left his mark on racing history by introducing and popularizing a new short style of racing where the stirrups were pulled up high.
Piggot was showered in awards and accolades for his incredible accomplishments: he earned the British flat racing Champion Jockey award 11 times (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1981, 1982), received the Derby Awards, the Cartier Award of Merit, the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Award, Sportsman of the Year, and a BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. He was also awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1975, but it was withdrawn in 1988 when he was convicted of tax evasion.
Besides being an excellent jockey, Piggot was a well-known trainer and breeder after he retired from racing in 1985, and he was one of the first jockeys to be offered stallion nominations and lucrative offers to breed their horses. However, his retirement from riding was marred when he was imprisoned for tax evasion in 1987, although he was released after serving one year of a three-year sentence. After his release, he returned to horseracing in 1990. His last win was in October 1994, and he finally retired in 1995. He was inducted into the Racing Post’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
Demographic Profile
- Born: November 5, 1935
- Died: May 29, 2022 (age 86)
- Place of Birth: Wantage, Berkshire, England
- Residence: near Newmarket (entire duration of his career); Emigrated to Bursinel, Switzerland
- Nationality: British
- Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Weight: 117 lbs. (53 kg)
Racing Career
Mounts | N/A |
Earnings/ Net Worth | $15 Million |
Wins | 4,493 wins in Britain and more than 850 elsewhere |
Debuted | 1948 – age twelve |
Retired | 1985 – became a trainer; 1995 – second retirement |
First Mount | The Chase (unplaced) Salisbury, April 7, 1948 |
First Win | The Chase, Haydock, August 18, 1948 |
First Derby Win | 1954 on a horse named Never Say Die |
Summary of Multiple Victories and Major Races
- 3 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe wins: Rheingold (1973), Alleged (1977, 1978)
- 5 times 2,000 Guineas winner: Crepello (1957), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Shadeed (1985), Rodrigo de Triano (1992)
- 8 St. Leger victories: St Paddy (1960), Aurelius (1961), Ribocco (1967), Ribero (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Athens Wood (1971), Boucher (1972), Commanche Run (1984)
- 9 Derby wins: Never Say Die (1954), Crepello (1957), St Paddy (1960), Sir Ivor (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Roberto (1972), Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977), Teenoso (1983)
- 5 Irish Derby victories: Meadow Court (1965), Ribocco (1967), Ribero (1968), The Minstrel (1977), Shergar (1981)
- 7 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes victories: Meadow Court (1965), Aunt Edith (1966), Park Top (1969), Nijinsky (1970), Dahlia (1974), The Minstrel (1977), Teenoso (1984)
- July 10 Cup victories: Vigo (1957), Right Boy (1958 & 1959), Tin Whistle (1960), Thatch (1973), Saritamer (1974), Solinus (1978), Thatching (1979), Moorestyle (1980), Mr. Brooks (1992)
- 11 Ascot Gold Cup wins: Zarathustra (1957), Gladness (1958), Pandofell (1961), Twilight Alley (1963), Fighting Charlie (1965), Sagaro (1975, 1976, 1977), Le Moss (1979), Ardross (1981, 1982)
- 116 Royal Ascot victories: 1952-93, including 8 in 1965 and 1975
- Most wins in a British season: 191 in 1966
- Richest win: Breeders' Cup in Royal Academy (1990 Mile)
- The biggest winner over jumps: Prince Charlemagne (1954 Triumph Hurdle)
- Triple Crown winner: Nijinsky (1970)
List of Major Races
Canada
- Canadian International Stakes (1974)
France
- Grand Critérium (Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère) (1967, 1969, 1970)
- Grand Prix de Paris (1970, 1974)
- Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (1984)
- Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (1964, 1982)
- Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp (1969, 1970, 1980, 1992)
- Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (1973, 1977, 1978)
- Prix de Diane (1980, 1981, 1985)
- Prix de la Forêt (1980, 1981)
- Prix Ganay (1978)
- Prix Jacques Le Marois (1974)
- Prix Jean Prat (1975, 1978, 1980)
- Prix du Jockey Club (1972)
- Prix Lupin (1972, 1982)
- Prix Marcel Boussac (1969, 1981, 1985)
- Prix Maurice de Gheest (1968, 1972, 1981, 1993)
- Prix Morny (1970, 1973)
- Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (1969, 1970, 1973)
- Prix Rothschild (1979)
- Prix Royal-Oak (1981)
- Prix Saint-Alary (1975)
- Prix de la Salamandre (1970, 1973)
- Prix Vermeille (1965)
Germany
- Deutsches Derby (1957, 1963, 1967)
- Preis der Diana (1967)
- Preis von Europa (1983)
Ireland
- Irish 1,000 Guineas (1971, 1979)
- Irish 2,000 Guineas (1970, 1978, 1992)
- Irish Champion Stakes (1976, 1978, 1985)
- Irish Derby (1965, 1967, 1968, 1977, 1981)
- Irish Oaks (1970, 1975, 1979)
- Irish St. Leger (1967, 1975, 1976)
- Matron Stakes (1978)
- Moyglare Stud Stakes (1993)
- National Stakes (1973, 1975, 1991, 1992)
- Phoenix Stakes (1958)
- Pretty Polly Stakes (1971, 1979, 1980)
- Tattersalls Gold Cup (1973, 1985)
Italy
- Derby Italiano (1969, 1973, 1984)
- Gran Criterium (1991)
- Gran Premio del Jockey Club (1958, 1966), 1983, 1992)
- Premio Presidente della Repubblica (1973)
- Premio Roma (1972, 1979, 1985)
Singapore
- Singapore Derby (1979)
- Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1972)
Slovakia
- Derby (1993)
United Kingdom
- 1,000 Guineas (1970, 1981)
- 2,000 Guineas (1957, 1968, 1970, 1985, 1992)
- Ascot Gold Cup (1957, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982)
- Champion Stakes (1959, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1992)
- Cheveley Park Stakes (1966, 1967, 1976, 1980)
- Cork and Orrery Stakes (Golden Jubilee Stakes) (1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1979, 1993)
- Coronation Cup (1953, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1976, 1980, 1983)
- Coronation Stakes (1961, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1982)
- Derby (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983)
- Dewhurst Stakes (1956, 1962, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982)
- Eclipse Stakes (1955, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1969, 1977)
- Falmouth Stakes (1957, 1960, 1966, 1969, 1982, 1993, 1994)
- Fillies’ Mile (1973, 1976, 1977, 1984)
- Haydock Sprint Cup (1971, 1972, 1980)
- International Stakes (1974, 1975, 1978, 1985, 1992)
- July Cup (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1992)
- King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1984)
- King’s Stand Stakes (1957, 1963, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1985)
- Lockinge Stakes (1960, 1964, 1973, 1981, 1991, 1993)
- Middle Park Stakes (1967, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982)
- Nassau Stakes (1965, 1966, 1973, 1975, 1976)
- Nunthorpe Stakes (1958, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1978)
- Oaks (1957, 1959, 1966, 1975, 1981, 1984)
- Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1973, 1976, 1979)
- Queen Anne Stakes (1972, 1979, 1981,1982, 1984)
- Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (1963, 1964, 1966, 1981)
- Racing Post Trophy (1966, 1972, 1973, 1982, 1984)
- St. James’s Palace Stakes (1964, 1968, 1973, 1978,1985)
- St. Leger (1960, 1961), 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1984)
- Sun Chariot Stakes (1970, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
- Triumph Hurdle (1954)
- Sussex Stakes (1959, 1964, 1968, 1973, 1977, 1978)
- Yorkshire Oaks (1959, 1966, 1980, 1982)
United States
- Breeders’ Cup Mile (1990)
- Washington, D.C. International (1968, 1969, 1980)
Historical Achievements, Honors Received, Recognitions
1960
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1964
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1965
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1966
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1967
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1968
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
- Sportsman of the Year (Daily Express award)
1969
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1970
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
- Derby Award
- BBC Sports Personality awards (part of Team of the Year 1970 for Nijinsky)
1971
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
1975
- OBE (Order of the British Empire) (rescinded in 1988)
1980
- Derby Award
1981
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
- Derby Award
1982
- British flat racing Champion Jockey
- Derby Award
1984
- BBC Sports Personality awards (Special Achievement)
1990
- The annual jockey awards, The Lesters, inaugurated in 1990, are named in his honor.
1992
- Cartier Award of Merit
1994
- BBC Sports Personality awards (Special Achievement)
1995
- Outstanding Achievement
1999
- The Racing Post ranked Piggott second in their list of the Top 50 jockeys of the 20th century, behind Gordon Richards.
2000
- Sir Peter O’Sullevan Award
2004
- In 2004 he published the book Lester’s Derbys.
2021
- British Champions Series Hall of Fame
Characteristics
Lester Piggott’s nickname “The Long Fellow” came from his peculiar height as a jockey at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m). He struggled with maintaining a diet that kept his weight at a little more than 8 stone (112 lb/51 kg). He pioneered a new style of riding where the stirrups were pulled up high that was widely adopted by colleagues at home and abroad. Despite his height, he had a good, balanced riding style that enabled him to maneuver horses easily. His balance, strength, and courage culminated in a unique way of controlling a horse. He rode with his backside hoisted high and his hands were still and nerveless as he gripped the reins.
Piggott was also known as “Old Stoneface” because he had a tendency to not smile, and he looked stoic when pursuing victory on the track. He was aggressive in riding and did not spare the whip since his early years racing. He even once nudged a fellow jockey off his mount and over the trackside rail. Many people thought of Piggot as shy or taciturn; he was partially deaf and had a slight speech impediment since childhood, and he was known to be reserved and quiet among his fans, but he also possessed a dry wit and sometimes deployed quips when speaking with reporters and fans.
Statues
Nine life-size Lester Piggott statues are located at courses around England. These were sculpted by William Newton to celebrate champion jockey Lester Piggott’s astonishing nine Derby wins, 65 years after his first on Never Say Die in 1954.
Personal Life
Lester was born to a family that could trace its roots as jockeys and trainers back to the 18th century. 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, rode three Grand National winners (1912, 1918, and 1919) and was married to a sister of the jockeys Mornington Cannon and Kempton Cannon, who both rode winners of the Derby (1899 and 1904, respectively). Ernest Piggott was also a three-time 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).
Lester Piggott’s father, Keith Piggott, was also a successful National Hunt jockey and trainer, winning the Champion Hurdle as a jockey in 1939 and the Grand National as a trainer in 1963 with Ayala, becoming the British jump racing Champion Trainer of the 1962–63 season. He owned a training stable at South Bank in Lambourn, where Lester Piggott lived until 1954.
Piggott married Susan Armstrong 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 (married to Derby-winning trainer William Haggas) and Tracy (a sports presenter on Irish television station RTÉ). He also had a son, Jamie, from a relationship with Anna Ludlow, who would go on to become a jockey as well.
Personal Tragedy – Tax Evasion
Piggott was convicted of tax fraud in 1987 and sentenced to three years of prison, of which he served 366 days before he was released. He was stripped of his appointment as OBE (awarded to him in 1975) the following year because of his conviction. There were 10 charges alleging that Piggott had failed to declare income of more than £3m on which he had evaded taxes amounting to approximately £1.7m. Piggott’s wife, Susan, managed the racing stable while he was incarcerated.
Notable Horses Mounted
Never Say Die, Crepello, Petite Etoile, St. Paddy, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Roberto, Empery, The Minstrel, Alleged, Teenoso, Shadeed, Royal Academy, and Rodrigo de Triano.