Piggott the Hurdles Jockey

Lester schooling a horse at Lambourn in 1954

Lester Piggott, being tall for a jockey, battled with the scales throughout his career, the problem was so serious that at one point in his career Lester turned his hand to hurdling and it looked very much like his future lay in National Hunt racing.  He recorded some twenty or so wins over hurdles in a brief but successful flirtation with being a National Hunt Jockey. His first winner over hurdles arrived on Boxing Day 1953 at Wincanton when Lester successfully won on Eldoret, this was quickly followed by his second winner on January the 2^nd 1954 at Newbury when he won the Hants Maiden Hurdle on Stranger trained by Bill Payne.

Lester as always was guided by his father Keith who himself had been a successful National Hunt Jockey, Keith’s knowledge of Cheltenham racecourse proved invaluable in helping Lester to win when riding at the Cheltenham festival meeting in March 1954.

On March the 1^st 1954 Lester rode the last winner of the day Carola Pride for his father Keith when winning 3.15 Astwood Hurdle over two miles at Worcester. With darkness soon to fall Lester was keen to get home to Lambourn after a very long day but his father had different ideas, Keith insisted they detour to Cheltenham on the way home and walk the course so with a grumpy Lester in tow they headed from Worcester to Cheltenham. When they got there they trekked round the course as the last rays of sun were setting over the Cotswolds. This all seemed pretty standard stuff to Lester until they got to the home stretch and Cheltenham's notorious stamina sapping final hill, at this point Keith emphasised and emphasised again and again the importance of saving that little bit for the final push up the hill… Lester was now all set and prepared to tackle the Cheltenham course for the first time.

It was Champion Hurdle day and Lester was riding in the first race on Mull Sack for Peter Cazalet in the "Birdlip Selling Hurdle"… Yes quite unbelievable and unheard of these days, a selling race at the illustrious Cheltenham festival meeting! Lester followed his father’s advice to the letter holding enough in reserve to bring Mull Sack up that final hill and win the race by a length. Lester many years later recalled the day and the visit the evening before "I rode the winner of the last race at Worcester over hurdles and I was anxious to get home to Lambourn, but he insisted we walk the track together that night, even though it was getting dark. I was surprised at just how steep the hill is in the home straight, he told me to wait and wait, and not to go for my horse until jumping the last, which is what I did."

Four days later Piggott achieved the biggest success of his brief jump racing career, when riding a horse that had finished second in the 1953 Blue Riband Derby Trial and had subsequently contested but ran unplaced in the Epsom Derby itself. The horse Prince Charlemagne was sent off at 11/4 favourite for this his debut over hurdles with Lester being booked to ride by trainer Tommy Carey.
 

The race was the Triumph Hurdle which was run at Hurst Park in those days and was transferred to Cheltenham following the closure of Hurst Park. Lester and Prince Charlemagne made all the running and strolled to a comfortable six length win.