Joe Mercer, the oldest jockey to win the British Champion Jockey title, died on Monday aged 86.
He was best known for piloting Brigadier Gerard in all his eighteen starts for seventeen wins.
Racingpost.com reports that born in 1934, Mercer rode his first winner in 1950 and went on to win 2810 races in Britain between 1950 and 1985.
His stint with Brigadier Gerard, who won 13 group races, was a highlight among his fifteen classic wins. One of the great wins aboard Brigadier Gerard came in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1972, only two days after Mercer survived a plane crash.
Watch the race here:
Other great horses he rode included The Queen’s Highclere (Queen’s Hussar-Highlight, by Boreal) in 1974’s 1,000 Guineas, Bustino (Busted-Ship Yard, by Doutelle), and Kris (Sharpen Up-Doubly Sure, by Reliance).
Crowned Champion Apprentice in 1953 and Champion Jockey in 1979, Mercer was also awarded an OBE for services to horse racing in 1980.
From 1987-2006, he was the racing manager for Gainsborough Stud.
“He is not only the most stylish Flat-race jockey I have ever seen, but also one of the most consistent, effective and above all reliable,” wrote journalist John Oaksey about Mercer during his riding days.
