Jockey
Born: August 7, 1961;
Died: December 12, 2016
WALTER Swinburn, who has died aged 55, was one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation and rider of the brilliant Shergar, the horse that was kidnapped from his stables in 1983 and never seen again.
Nicknamed the Choirboy, Swinburn partnered Shergar to glory in the 1981 Derby at the age of 19, one of three winners for him in the Epsom Classic alongside Shahrastani in 1986 and Lammtarra in 1995. Many other big-race successes around the world adorned his CV before his retirement.
Born Walter Robert John Swinburn, he was the son of champion jockey Wally Swinburn and began his career in racing straight after school, riding his first winner in 1978.
He peaked during what looked like a golden time for flat racing - his contemporaries includes Lester Piggott and Willie Carson - and as well as three Derbies won a further five English classics; he also won the Irish Derby twice.
Newmarket-based James Fanshawe was assistant to Shergar’s trainer Sir Michael Stoute when Swinburn was the stable’s number one rider, and described him as a brilliant jockey.
“Obviously he won the Derby in 1981 at the age of 19 and won the Derby two more times, but he had the most sympathetic pair of hands as a rider," said Fanshawe. "He was a real horseman and was good on the most difficult of horses.”
The top-class miler Zilzal was another major Swinburn winner, and Fanshawe said the fact that Swinburn could handle him was evidence of his greatness. “Not many people could have ridden Zilzal," he said. "He was a brilliant horse, but had a fiery nature. Walter was brilliant on those sort of horses. His big-race record would stand comparison to anyone.”
Swinburn himself particularly loved riding Shergar. "When you were galloping," he said, "he was the sort of horse you didn't realise exactly how fast you were going because he had this really short, daisy-cutting action."
Swinburn struggled with his weight throughout his career and former National Hunt great John Francome said he was sometimes a troubled soul. "He had weight problems which probably affected him a lot more than other people, but that said that seemed to be a long time ago and he seemed to all intents and purposes fine, but obviously he wasn’t.
“He could ride a race, he had a really good feel for what was going on underneath him. What the horse was doing – he must have been a fantastic jockey to have riding for you.
“He’d give great feedback and come back in and tell you everything you needed to know. He probably knew everything he needed to know by the time he got down to the start.”
Swinburn suffered a terrible fall at Sha Tin in February 1996 when his mount Liffey River crashed through the rails and was in intensive care for a week with severe head and chest injuries. He returned to win on his first ride back on Talathath at Windsor just six months later.
After retiring, he took over the training licence from his father-in-law, Peter Harris, sending out more than 260 winners from his Hertfordshire base before handing in his licence at the end of October 2011, citing financial reasons.
After his riding days were over, Swinburn enjoyed a successful period as part of the Channel 4 Racing team, working with John Francome among others.
Swinburne was divorced and is survived by his two daughters and two step-children.
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