Pat Eddery

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Pat Eddery
Jockey Pat Eddery at Mahalaxmi(2000's).jpg
Eddery at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in 2000
Occupation Jockey
Born (1952-03-18)18 March 1952
Newbridge, Ireland
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Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Major racing wins
British Classic Race wins as jockey:
2000 Guineas (3)
1000 Guineas (1)
Epsom Derby (3)
Epsom Oaks (3)
St Leger Stakes (4)[1]
Racing awards
British flat racing Champion Jockey 11 times (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996)
Honours
OBE
Significant horses
Polygamy, Grundy, Scintillate, Detroit, Storm Bird, Kings Lake, Golden Fleece, Assert, Lomond, El Gran Senor, Rainbow Quest, Dancing Brave, Moon Madness, Warning, Zafonic, Quest for Fame, Toulon, Moonax, Bosra Sham, Lady Carla, Silver Patriarch

Patrick James John "Pat" Eddery (18 March 1952 – 10 November 2015) was an Irish flat racing jockey and horse trainer. He rode three winners of the Epsom Derby, and was Champion Jockey on eleven occasions. He is co-holder of the record for most wins in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He rode the winners of 4,632 British flat races, a figure exceeded only by Sir Gordon Richards.[2]

Background

Eddery's class at Oatlands Primary School in Stillorgan

Eddery was born in Newbridge, County Kildare,[3] although his birth was registered in Dublin.[4] He was the fifth child of Jimmy Eddery, a jockey who rode Panaslipper to win the Irish Derby in 1955,[5] and Josephine (the daughter of jockey Jack Moylan).[3] His brother, Paul, also went on to become a jockey. He attended Oatlands Primary School in Stillorgan.

Riding career

Eddery began his career as an apprentice jockey in Ireland with the stable of Seamus McGrath. In 1967 he moved to England where he was apprenticed to Frenchie Nicholson and recorded his first success on Alvaro at Epsom Downs Racecourse on 24 April 1969. While still riding as an apprentice he won the Wokingham Handicap and the Timeform Gold Cup in 1969, the Northumberland Plate in 1970 and the Goodwood Stakes in 1971, a year in which he won the title of Champion Apprentice Jockey.[5] Eddery's riding style was not elegant by normal standards, owing to his habit of bouncing up and down in the saddle as he urged his mounts on, but was undeniably effective. Frenchie Nicholson said that he regretted the fact that his protegee abandoned the "quiet, refined" style he had been taught but admitted that the young jockey stood out as being "in total harmony" with the horses he rode.[6]

Eddery rode for the Newmarket trainer Geoffrey Barling in 1972 before taking over as the stable jockey for Peter Walwyn later that year. For Walwyn he won his first two classic races on Polygamy and Grundy and was Champion Jockey in four consecutive seasons from 1974 to 1977.[5] In 1975 he rode Grundy to defeat Bustino for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot Racecourse[7] in what became known as Britain's "Race of the Century".[8] Well known for riding champion horses like Sadler's Wells, Danehill (the grandsire and grand dame of Frankel), etc., Eddery was also famed for riding for big owners as well as champion trainers. Apart from the later illustrious associations with Robert Sangster and Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, he rode to winners in the then Colony of Hong Kong on the first race horse of tycoon Li Ka Shing, called The Champ and trained by English trainer John Brown to whom Eddery rode for several seasons in winter in Hong Kong.[9]

In the following decade, Eddery became associated with the Ballydoyle stable of Vincent O'Brien and gained further classic success on Kings Lake, Lomond, Golden Fleece, Assert and El Gran Senor. In 1986 he took over from Greville Starkey as the rider of Dancing Brave. He partnered Dancing Brave to victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe[10] and subsequently became the retained jockey of the colt's owner, Khalid Abdullah. Major winners in the Abdullah colours included Zafonic, Quest for Fame Warning and Toulon. He was Champion Jockey a further seven times in eleven years between 1986 and 1996.

Eddery also rode several major winners outside Europe including Jupiter Island in the 1986 Japan Cup and Pebbles in the 1985 Breeders' Cup Turf[11] In North America he also won the Arlington Million on Tolomeo, the Canadian International Stakes on French Glory and the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Sheikh Albadou.

In 1990 he was the winner of the inaugural Lester Award for Flat Jockey of the Year, which he again won in 1991 and 1996, sharing on the latter occasion with Frankie Dettori. He also received two Flat Jockey Special Recognition awards in 2002 and 2003. He retired from the saddle at the end of the 2003 flat season and stated that he had no intention of becoming a trainer.[6]

Eddery summed up his attitude to the sport by saying, "That's all part of the game, going to the Folkestones and the smaller tracks, because it's not Royal Ascot every day. You've got to be out there every day working those muscles, riding in every race if you want to be at your best. There may be more money for a Derby than a seller but that doesn't make you try any harder. A winner is a winner."[12]

Publications and Biography

  • Pat on the Back, written by Claude Duval, published in 1976
  • To be a Champion, autobiography by Pat Eddery and Alan Lee, published in 1992

Training career

Despite his earlier statements, in July 2005, Eddery was granted a training licence and set up a stable of 40 horses at Musk Hill Stud in Nether Winchendon, near Aylesbury.[3] His brother, Paul Eddery, was Assistant Trainer and his Racing Manager was Simon Double who also co-founded Pat Eddery Racing, the racehorse syndication company which provided the opportunity for people to own shares in racehorses.

Eddery's first runner as a trainer was Perez, who finished second in an all-weather maiden race at Wolverhampton in December 2005. His first training success was with the horse Visionist in a handicap race at Kempton Park in April 2006. His first winner on turf was the two-year-old filly Cavort in a maiden 6 furlong race at Goodwood. His trainer career culminated with Hearts Of Fire winning Italy's Group 1 Gran Criterium in 2009.[13] He sent out his final runner in the week before his death.[14]

In 2005 he was awarded an honorary OBE, which he described as "a great honour".[15]

Family

Eddery's ex-wife, Carolyn, was the daughter of flat jockey Manny Mercer, niece of jockey Joe Mercer, and granddaughter of jockey Harry Wragg.[16] They had two daughters, Nichola and Natasha, and a son Harry. Eddery has another son, Toby Atkinson, who also became a jockey.[17]

Death

Eddery died on 10 November 2015, aged 63 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital due to a heart attack after a long battle with alcoholism.[18][19][20]

Major wins as a jockey

United Kingdom Great Britain

Canada Canada

France France

Germany Germany

Former Crown Colony of Hong Kong

  • Jockeys' Invitation Race - Destiny (1974)
  • Hong Kong Derby - (2) - Breathing Exercise (1975), Grand Duke (1977)
  • Queen's Silver Jubilee Challenge Cup - Caerdeon Line (1977)[21]
  • St. Andrew's Plate - Seven Stars (1979)
  • Hong Kong Gold Cup - Observatory (1979)[22]

Republic of Ireland Ireland

Italy Italy

Japan Japan

Slovakia Slovakia

  • Slovenské Derby – (1) – Lonango (1997) [23]

United States United States

Major wins as a trainer

Italy Italy

References

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  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ http://www.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=10012378
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ http://racingmemories.hk/hottopics/the-queens-silver-jubilee-cup/
  22. ↑ http://racing.scmp.com/freeservice/news/news20151111a.asp
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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