HEARTFELT TRIBUTES FOR LEGENDARY LESTER PIGGOTT AT CELEBRATORY SERVICE

William Haggas paid a heartfelt tribute to his father-in-law Lester Piggott at a service to celebrate the life of the legendary jockey on Thursday.

Piggott died aged 86 in Switzerland on May 29 and with a private family funeral held the following month, the service at St Luke’s Church in Chelsea gave figures from both the racing and wider world a chance to remember the titan of the saddle.

Haggas, who is married to Piggott’s daughter Maureen, spoke not only of his prowess in the saddle that saw him count nine Derby winners among his Classic haul and 11 champion jockey titles, but also reflected on a “kind and generous man, devoted to his family and to the horse.”

Haggas said: “This has been the hardest thing to do in my life. How on earth can I, in 15 minutes, sum up the life of a genius? And he (Piggott) was one.

“A kind and generous man, devoted to his family and to the horse. A man whose affinity to the horse was unparalleled, whose skill as a jockey unrivalled and a man still revered in all parts of the world. And he is one of the very few who are invariably better known by just their christian name.

“Lester was 45 when I met him and was not enamoured by the fact his darling eldest daughter was living with someone he had never heard of! It became clear to him, though, that Maureen was not going to give me up that easily and I soon became part of the fabric of life in the Piggott family.

“One of Lester’s great strengths was his discipline. He was heavy by a jockey’s standards, but he trained himself to control his weight and whilst he did eat, he didn’t eat much.

“Above all he loved the horses and always tried to get into their minds. He understood horses and rarely criticised them. If he had a bad ride from one, he would just class it as a silly horse.

“He was an introvert really who was tough, fiercely determined and remarkably brave. Lester’s exploits in the saddle were globally recognised. He won races in 33 different countries outside Great Britain. When you think how difficult travel was in the early days, that is quite a remarkable feat.

“Everyone has a story about him, most of the unrepeatable here, but few knew him really well. For me he was generous to a fault, but would always let someone pay if they offered!”

Haggas also paid tribute to Piggott’s empathy for others, as well as his famed mischievous streak.

“He always found time for those in distress, especially injured jockeys. Maybe a visit or even just a phone call, but he always cared,” he added.

“Of course, at his peak he was ruthless and thought nothing of ‘jocking’ even one of his best friends off, but he earned the respect of everyone and no jockey since his retirement has anything but good things to say about him,

“Obviously he was deaf and was quoted some years ago saying ‘doubtless I have missed a great deal over the years, but most of it wouldn’t have been worth hearing anyway’!

“I’ve always felt that once he got to the level to which he aspired, he treated life as a bit of a game. He was funny, mischievous and loved to take the mickey. He did what he wanted when he wanted and got away with most of it.”