Lester Piggott, whose record of nine wins in the Derby at Epsom seems unlikely to be approached, never mind equalled, has been unveiled as one of the first two inductees into Flat racing’s new Hall of Fame, alongside Frankel, the unbeaten winner of 14 races, including 10 Group Ones, between 2010 and 2012.
It is a measure of the immensity of Piggott’s achievements in the sport’s most prestigious Flat race that no jockey currently riding has more than two Derby wins to their name. Piggott equalled the previous record of six Derby winners – set by Jem Robinson in 1836 – when Roberto beat Rheingold by a short-head in 1972, and added further victories aboard Empery (1976), The Minstrel (1977) and Teenoso (1983).
In all, Piggott won 30 British Classics between 1954 (Never Say Die in the Derby) and 1992 (Rodrigo De Triano, 2,000 Guineas), and his record of 116 winners at Royal Ascot – in an era when the meeting lasted four days rather than five and with just six races per day – is also still a record. Frankie Dettori, the most successful current jockey at the meeting, equalled Pat Eddery’s 73 Royal Ascot winners last year.
Piggott initially retired from the saddle at the end of the 1985 season to become a trainer but was convicted of tax fraud two years later and served one year of a three-year sentence in prison. He was also stripped of his OBE, awarded in 1975.
The “Long Fellow” then announced a surprise return to the saddle in October 1990, and produced one of the best rides of his career to land the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Royal Academy a few weeks later.
Frankel, who was trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil, another of the sport’s greatest names, produced arguably the most memorable performance in the history of the 2,000 Guineas a decade ago, when he powered clear of his field from the start and maintained a clear lead all the way to the line.
It was the first of several astonishing performances in his three- and four-year-old seasons, including a win in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2012 which earned Frankel a Timeform rating of 147 – the highest in the organisation’s 73-year history and 2lb above Sea-Bird’s rating after winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 1965.
Frankel went on to take the Juddmonte International Stakes at York over an extra two furlongs, and completed his unbeaten career in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October 2012.
The Hall of Fame, which launched online on Monday morning, intends to “immortalise the modern greats of the sport, both human and equine, from 1970 onwards”. It was launched to mark a decade of sponsorship of the British Champions Series by QIPCO, an investment fund owned by six members of Qatar’s ruling royal family.
Monday’s best bets
It is a low-key start to a big racing week which will include the Punchestown Festival, the return of Stradivarius in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot on Wednesday and the Guineas meeting at Newmarket, but there are a handful of interesting bets to be had and Bielsa (2.10) could well get his first win on the board since October 2019 on the card at Ayr.
The 2020 season was a bit of a write-off for Kevin Ryan’s gelding, who started 5-1 favourite for the Wokingham at Royal Ascot in June but finished 19th of 22 runners and then struggled to make an impact in four subsequent starts.
There were still flashes of the talent that took Bielsa to four wins in his first five starts, however, not least in a competitive race at York in October when he was poorly drawn but still finished fifth. Monday’s drop to Class Three company, with little obvious competition for the lead, could be just what he needs to recapture winning form.
Ayr 1.00 Vintage Clarets 1.35 Deevious Beau (nb) 2.10 Bielsa (nap) 2.40 Al Qaasim 3.15 Water Iris 3.45 Howzer Black 4.20 Pearl Warrior Lingfield 2.00 Devizes 2.30 Lanika 3.05 Atacamena 3.35 Dollar Bid 4.05 Avorisk Et Perils 4.40 Soyounique 5.15 Alcazan
Southwell 1.50 Villanelle 2.20 Devious Angel 2.50 Harswell Princess 3.25 Carausius 3.55 Legal Reform 4.30 Arctic Emperor 5.05 Sociologist Thirsk 5.00 Kings Creek 5.30 Lost My Sock 6.00 Portelet Bay 6.30 Gunmetal 7.00 Soller Bay 7.30 Malhoob 8.00 Etikaal
Windsor 4.50 Spring Bloom 5.20 Spring Is Sprung 5.50 Gauntlet 6.20 Maiden Castle 6.50 Ancient Times 7.20 Lochanthem 7.50 Ranco
Deevious Beau (1.35) looks fairly priced at around 3-1 at the same meeting, while Avorisk Et Perils (4.05) makes most appeal on the all-weather at Lingfield.
Windsor’s first evening meeting of the new season, meanwhile, will have regulars dreaming of summer evenings by the Thames when crowds are allowed to return. Maiden Castle (6.20) and Ancient Times (6.50) could be the ones to back there.
