Introduction

To a certain vintage of racing fan, Lester Piggott will be the Frankie Dettori of their day. A true legend of the sport, Piggott claimed some incredible awards over his career, and took part on a variety of steeds and horses. With close to 4,500 career wins, including an unbelievable 9 Epsom Derby wins, Piggott set the tone for the idea of superstar jockeys and larger-than-life personalities who modernized the sport and made it far more popular.

 

Career Summary

 

Known for being a jockey of style and class, he helped to make flat racing jockeys become personalities as much as professionals. Known for creating a style that to this day people still try to replicate, Piggott was a trend-setter as well as a talented jockey. Charismatic and stylish, he won trophies with regularity and done so with a flair that his rivals simply could not get anywhere near.

Across his career, he stayed 30 pounds under his natural weight, in-keeping with a personality which was known all about being a hard-nosed and competitive winner who never gave up.

 

Achievements & Highlights

With so many to list, it would be hard to break down a career that won trophies in 9 different nations. From his later wins in Slovakia and the United States to his dominance of the British racing scene, Piggott set a precedent that will be hard for many, if any, to match.

Major Wins – 2,000 Guineas (1957, 1968, 1970, 1985, 1992), 1,000 Guineas (1970, 1981), Epsom Derby (1954, 1957, 1960, 1968, 1970 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983), Epsom Oaks (1957, 1959, 1966, 1973, 1975, 1976), St. Leger Stakes (1960, 1961, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1984).

Associations – Never Say Die, Crepello, Petite Etoile, St. Paddy, Sir Ivor, Nijinsky, Roberto, Empery, The Minstrel, Alleged, Teenoso, Shadeed, Royal Academy, Rodrigo de Triano.

A useful odds chart for those fed up with seeing either fractional or decimal odds and not being able to make the direction translation!

In the Weatherbys Hamilton Handicap (3.55) at Ripon on Tuesday, Off Art remains 6lb higher in the weights than when winning at Ayr as a three-year-old, but drops into 0-95 company for the first time since and may be ready for a return to the winners’ enclosure. Tim Easterby’s lightly-raced five-year-old has run creditably in defeat on both starts this season, most recently when seventh of eighteen, beaten 7½ lengths, behind Alfred Hutchinson at York last month.

The winner again ran well when runner-up, off a 4lb higher mark, in another well-contested handicap, over 7 furlongs, on the Knavesmire on Saturday, so the form has a solid look to it. Strictly speaking, a line through Sound Advice suggests that Off Art has his work cut out to beat Dubai Dynamo at these weights but, while Ruth Carr’s charge is a grand old campaigner, he is ten years old now and consistency has never really been his strong suit.

Off Art finished fifth in the Lincoln on his reappearance last season, before running a lifeless race in the Thirsk Hunt Cup, in which he stumbled early on. He’s clearly had his problems, but seems to retain plenty of ability and should represent some value on good to firm going, on which he’s recorded two of his three career wins.

Selection: Ripon 3.55 Off Art to win

In the Redcentric Apprentice Handicap (5.10) at Ascot on Wednesday, Stuart Kittow’s lightly-raced 4-year-old Duelling Dragon looks one to follow until beaten. Unraced as a juvenile, the son of 2,000 Guineas winner Henrythenavigator made steady progress last season and started where he left off at Leicester earlier this month, winning convincingly from Wilde Inspiration over 7 furlongs. The runner-up did that form no harm at all when winning a 0-105 contest, over a mile, at Haydock last Saturday, so an 8lb rise in the weights may not stop Duelling Dragon from following up.

Both his wins so far have come over 7 furlongs, but he wasn’t stopping on the straight course at Leicester, which rises gradually for over two furlongs from halfway, and he shouldn’t be inconvenienced by faster underfoot conditions either. Trainer Stuart Kittow is 0-5 on the Flat at Ascot and jockey Kieran Shoemark is 0-1 for the yard but, there is, as they say, a first time for everything and negative statistics shouldn’t detract from Duelling Dragon, who otherwise appears to have an outstanding chance.

Karl Burke’s Holy Roman Emperor filly Skinny Love translated her progressive form on Polytrack back to turf at Redcar last time and may be the pick of the opposition, but she lacks the scope of Duelling Dragon, who may be able to take this on the way to better things.

Selection: Ascot 5.10 Duelling Dragon to win