Lester Piggott: a rare talent who left his mark on an audience of millions | Greg Wood

A man of few words, Piggott became the first great jockey of the television age and a darling among punters due to his ruthless dedication to winning

“Never” is a word to be used with care in a sport founded on uncertainty and chance. But it is safe to say that there will never be another jockey who connects as thoroughly and deeply with the racing and betting public as Lester Piggott during the three decades when he was the dominant force in British Flat racing.

The reason is Piggott’s timing. Not just the split-second judgment that so often put him on the right side of a head-bobbing photo-finish, or allowed him to deliver Royal Academy on the line in the 1990 Breeders’ Cup Mile, at the age of 55 and less than a fortnight after coming out of retirement. He also emerged as the most talented jockey of his, and arguably any, generation at the ideal moment to leave a permanent mark on an audience of millions.