Pat Eddery, who has died aged 63 after a long period of ill health, was the second most successful jockey in the history of British horseracing in terms of the number of winners ridden. Between 1969 and 2003 he rode 4,632 winners in Britain – a total exceeded only by Gordon Richards, with 4,870 ridden between 1921 and 1954. Third in the all-time list in Britain is Lester Piggott, with 4,493 winners. While he could not match Piggott for taciturnity, like his great rival Eddery was a shy, withdrawn sportsman who disliked the limelight.
His 14 classic victories in Britain include the Derby three times; he was champion flat jockey in Britain 11 times – the same total as Piggott – and champion on the flat in Ireland in 1982. The first of Eddery’s many winners came on Alvaro at Epsom in April 1969, and less than two months later Eddery won his first major prize, on Sky Rocket in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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