Editing Lester Piggott (section)

==Career==
[[File:Haydock Park Racecourse, Statue to Lester Piggott - geograph.org.uk - 606640.jpg|thumb|left|Statue to Piggott at [[Haydock Park Racecourse]], Merseyside, installed for his 70th birthday]]

Piggott began [[horse racing|racing horses]] from his father's stable when he was ten years old and won his first race in 1948, aged twelve, on a horse called The Chase, at [[Haydock Park Racecourse|Haydock Park]].<ref>"Schoolboy rides the first winner", ''[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Daily Worker]]'', 19 August 1948</ref> Piggott was known for his quiet demeanour. He described his mother as wisely playing down his success, while his father rarely gave advice unless there had been a particular mistake. By his teens a sensation in the racing world, he rode his first winner of [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]] on [[Never Say Die (horse)|Never Say Die]] in 1954, aged eighteen, and went on to win eight more, on [[Crepello]] (1957), [[St. Paddy]] (1960), [[Sir Ivor]] (1968), [[Nijinsky II|Nijinsky]] (1970), [[Roberto (horse)|Roberto]] (1972), [[Empery]] (1976), [[The Minstrel]] (1977) and [[Teenoso]] (1983).<ref name=Men>{{cite news |last1=Damon Wilkinson |first1=Jason Heavey|title=Lester Piggott dead: Legendary jockey who won Derby nine times dies aged 86|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/lester-piggott-dead-legendary-jockey-24091293.amp |access-date=29 May 2022 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=29 May 2022}}</ref> He was stable jockey to [[Noel Murless]] and later to [[Vincent O'Brien]] and had a glittering career of unparalleled success.<ref name=Irish /> Known as the "housewives' favourite", Piggott had legions of followers and did much to expand the popularity of horse racing beyond its narrow, class-based origins.<ref name=Irish>{{cite news |last1=Heavey |first1=Jason |title=Lester Piggott: From teenage sensation to prison, the remarkable life of a racing genius|url=https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/horse-racing/lester-piggott-obituary-racing-prison-27094062 |access-date=29 May 2022 |work=Irish Mirror |date=29 May 2022}}</ref>

Famously tall for a [[Horse racing|flat]] jockey ({{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on|disp=x|/}}), hence his nickname of "The Long Fellow", Piggott struggled to keep his weight down and for most of his career rode at {{convert|8|st|5|lb|kg lb}}.<ref name=bbc1/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Lester Piggott Q&A: a brilliant interview with the record-breaking champion &#124; Racing Post|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/lester-piggott/lester-piggott-qa-a-brilliant-interview-with-the-record-breaking-champion/430087|access-date=2022-06-02|website=racingpost.com}}</ref> He pioneered a new style of race-riding that was subsequently widely adopted by colleagues at home and abroad and enabled him to become [[British flat racing Champion Jockey|Champion Jockey]] eleven times. He also rode over hurdles early in his career.<ref name=leading>{{cite news |last1=Muscat |first1=Julian |title=Riding legend Lester Piggott was a leading jump jockey |url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/riding-legend-lester-piggott-was-a-leading-jump-jockey/8164 |access-date=29 May 2022 |work=Racing Post |date=29 May 2022 |archive-date=29 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529141004/https://www.racingpost.com/news/riding-legend-lester-piggott-was-a-leading-jump-jockey/8164 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Apalachee (Lester Piggott).jpg|thumb|right|Piggott riding [[Apalachee (horse)|Apalachee]] in 1973 or 1974]]
In 1980, his relationship with the [[Robert Sangster|Sangster]]–O'Brien combination came to an end and he was appointed stable jockey to Noel Murless's son-in-law [[Henry Cecil]],<ref name=Irish /> the [[British flat racing Champion Trainer]], at Murless's old stables, Warren Place. He was again champion jockey in 1981 and 1982.<ref name=Irish />

In late 1983, a dispute arose as to whether Piggott had reneged on an agreement to ride [[Daniel Wildenstein]]'s [[All Along]] in the [[Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe]] for Patrick Louis Biancone when Piggott stated he had agreed to ride the previous year's Arc third [[Awaasif]] and could only ride All Along if that horse did not run. All Along was ridden instead by [[Walter Swinburn]], with Wildenstein refusing to allow Piggott to ride any more of his horses. It was costly for Piggott, as All Along won the Arc and a string of other international races in an autumn campaign that ended with her being named [[Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year|U.S. Horse of the Year]]. As Wildenstein was one of Cecil's principal owners, this placed a strain on the relationship and, in 1984, Cecil and Piggott split, with [[Steve Cauthen]] taking over at Warren Place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/16/sports/cauthen-s-success-amazes-britain.html |title=Cauthen's Success Amazes Britain |work=[[The New York Times]] |at=Section 5, page 6 |date=16 June 1985 |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref>

In 1985, Piggott rode freelance, with big wins including the [[Prix de Diane]] for [[André Fabre]] aboard Lypharita, the [[2000 Guineas Stakes]] for [[Michael Stoute]] on [[Shadeed]] and the [[International Stakes|Benson and Hedges Gold Cup]] and [[Irish Champion Stakes]] for [[Luca Cumani]] on [[Commanche Run]].<ref name="prodigy">{{cite web|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/lester-piggott-child-prodigy-who-blossomed-into-a-riding-legend-and-statesman/559163|title=Lester Piggott: child prodigy who blossomed into a riding legend and statesman |work=[[Racing Post]]|date=29 May 2022|accessdate=29 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.racingpost.com/news/luca-cumanis-greatest-horses-in-an-outstanding-training-career/350520|title=Star names who have lit up Luca Cumani's glittering career|work=[[Racing Post]] |date=21 November 2018 |accessdate=29 May 2022}}</ref>

With 4,493 career wins on the Flat in Britain and approximately 5,300 worldwide,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The remarkable facts and figures behind Lester Piggott's glittering career &#124; Racing Post|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/lester-piggott/the-remarkable-facts-and-figures-behind-lester-piggotts-glittering-career/559151|access-date=2022-05-31|website=racingpost.com}}</ref> including a record nine Epsom Derby victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest [[flat racing]] jockeys of all time.<ref>{{cite web |title=70th Anniversary of Lester Piggott's First Ever Victory |url=https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock/media/news/2018/08/smarkets-ladies-day-rose-of-lancaster-stakes-on-saturday-11-august-marks-the-70th-anniversary-of-flat-racings-greatest-jockey-lester-piggotts-first-ever-victory/ |website=The Jockey Club |access-date=4 September 2019 |date=6 August 2018}}</ref> Piggott's 30 Classic wins in Britain came from 25 individual horses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Timeform ratings analysis &#124; Lester Piggott classic winners|url=https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/timeform-ratings-analysis-or-lester-piggott-classic-winners/201114|access-date=2022-06-04|website=Sporting Life|location=UK|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Of his great winners, Piggott regarded Sir Ivor as the easiest to ride.<ref>[http://www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/about/11751596123228.html About the Home of Racing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409134651/http://www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/about/11751596123228.html |date=9 April 2008 }} Jockey Club</ref><ref>[http://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/press/news25.html Lester Piggott to open New Wiltshire Stand at Salisbury] Salisbury Racecourse {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724090616/http://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/press/news25.html |date=24 July 2008 }}</ref>