Racing legend Lester Piggott, who was born in Wantage died at the age of 86.
Piggott’s family announced on Sunday the 11-times champion had died peacefully in Switzerland.
According to the Vale & Downland Museum in Wantage the Mr Piggott was born on November 5, 1935, and he was the first baby to be born at the new maternity unit at Wantage Hospital.
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Born into a horseracing family, Mr Piggott grew up in Lambourne, where his father Keith Piggott (1904-1993) owned a racehorse stable, Keith was also a National Hunt Jockey and a Grand National winning trainer.
Lester’s grandfather Ernest Piggott (1878-1967) was a Grand National winner and a Champion Jump Jockey. He also owned a racehorse stable in Letcombe Regis.
Lester Piggott had his first Derby ride at the age of 15 years, and he went on to have an amazing career that spanned almost 50 years.
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He had an incredible 4,493 wins and eleven British Flat Jockey Championships. He notched 30 British Classic wins and completely dominated the golden age of jockeyship through the Sixties and Seventies.
He posted 116 Royal Ascot winners and gained the top jockey accolade there more times than any other jockey.
On August 18, 2019, Mr Piggott visited the Vale & Downland Museum to unveil a life-sized bronze statue of himself, which is proudly displayed on the museum’s terrace garden.
Read more from this author
This story was written by Rebecca Whittaker, she joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.
Rebecca covers education and news in Abingdon and Wantage.
Get in touch with her by emailing: Rebecca.Whittaker@newquest.co.uk or calling 07824524333
Follow her on Twitter @RebecWhitt
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