There will never be another Lester Piggott he was a one off and no one will beat his Royal Ascot total. I don't no why you have this debate. Ask all the jockeys and they will tell Lester
Lester & Frankie were both bigger than racing and were part of popular culture. Frankie in his heyday was also a good looking boy. Mums wanted to mother him and their daughters wanted to, let's say marry him, possibly on a short-term basis.
Piggott, Eddery, Cauthen, Dettori, Kinane. Lots of great jockeys, Different qualities, I think Eddery way underrated. He was certainly imo the strongest in a finish, best hands rarely horses pull. Example 83 arlington million, 86 japan cup, 88 haydock sprint cup. In those 3 races no other jockey would have won on them. McCarron, Starkey and Swinburn were 2nd all should have won
Just like the milers, I will offer my top 10. 1) Isaac Murphy - Probably the most influential jockey of all time. Win rate of 34% will never be replicated in a top racing nation. May have been 40 to 44%, but his career took a turn for the worse due to his "flipping" or bulimia to keep his weight down and he died of heart failure at a young age. He was the original "horse whisperer". When trainers asked him to complete a workout within a set time, he could do it within fractions of a second without needing the assistance of a clock. But his biggest contribution was that other jockeys adopted the "short stirrup style" as a way to beat him. Willie Simms is thought to have invented it, but Tod Sloan and Jimmy Winkfield took it global by the late 1890s. They had to lighten the workload of horses to have a chance of beating him. Even Eddie Arcaro ranks him number one. 2) Lester Piggott - "At point did you think you had the race won?" "About two weeks ago." Yep, he will be missed. His ride on Royal Academy in the Breeders Cup Mile is simply amazing. Could not have timed it better, but had plenty of amazing rides. 3) Gordon Richards - 26 racing championships, may be the most consistent jockey in history. He rode upright, similar to Isaac Murphy, which was outdated by the time he was racing, but didn't stop him from winning 4870 races. 4) Frankie Dettori - His longevity and ability to win big races all over the world, on every surface, and varying conditions warrants a high ranking on this list. Definitely considered putting him higher, but this is tough company. He does rank number one in dismounts though. 5) Yves Saint-Martin - He has won the most Arc de Triomphe and Prix du Jockey Club races. He has major wins in all major European countries, won two Breeders Cup races in his older age, and also went to America and beat two of America's greatest horses, Carry Back and Kelso, in the same race. He was France's leading rider 15 times, and famously denying Lester Piggott the Arc de Triomphe while brilliantly riding Sassafrass in the 1970 Arc de Triomphe. Yep, he's up there. 6) Ryan Moore - He's not done, and could end up higher on the list. He's won all the major races in Europe. In addition, he's won in Dubai, Japan Cup, Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate, Breeders Cup races. Very deserving. 7) Willie Shoemaker - He had a knack for racing, and overcame two big accidents to go on become racing's all-time winner (since broken). His ride in the 1986 Kentucky Derby, guiding Ferdinand to victory is probably the best ride for an older rider, with the possible exception of Lester's ride on Royal Academy. 8) Steve Cauthen - He wins the Triple Crown on Affirmed in America, and then goes to Europe and wins the Triple Crown with Oh So Sharp. Also won brilliantly with Old Vic doing the French and Irish version of the Derby Double. 9) Laffit Pincay, Jr. - Ended up surpassing Shoemaker in all-time wins, but would end up passed by Russell Baze. Won every major race except for the Preakness, though it should be said that Sham would have won if not for a horse named Secretariat running the race in record time. 10) Darren Beadman - Though an injury cut his career short in Hong Kong, he set the Sydney record for most wins in a season. Brilliant rider in a long line of great jockeys from down under.
Michael Kinane, Pat Eddery, Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Yves St. Martin/Sir Gordon Richard (old school) Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, Kevin Stotts, Haley Turner, Holly Doyle (new school)
Lester won 9 derbys,your lucky if you win 1 or 2 derbys your over the moon.And he came back at 54yrs to win the Washington International in America.His record speaks for himself.
@@WilliamHillRacing Yeah of course but you only have to look at the Ballydoyle/Coolmore jockeys to see that it generally does not matter who rides them if the horses are good enough. While Christy Roach, Mick Kinane, Kieren Fallon, Jamie Spencer, Johnny Murtagh and Ryan Moore are or were all top class jockeys, Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien both also won numerous top class races during their relatively brief riding careers. And while not casting any aspersions on their riding ability, even back up jockeys like Padraig Beggy, Seamie Heffernan, Killian Hennessy, Michael Hussey, Wayne Lordan, Emmet McNamara, Colm O'Donoghue and Ronan Whelan have all won multiple group races up to group 1 level, including classics and various Derby races too.
