Fred Archer
The legendary Fred Archer (1857-1886) began his horse-racing career at the age of 11 when he joined the Matthew Dawson’s yard as a stable hand, going on to work for him as a jockey until his tragic death at the age of 29. During his short life he achieved 2748 wins, which included 21 Classics, and was Champion Jockey for 13 years in a row.
At the age of 13 Archer rode his first winner, going on to win his first race under official Jockey Club rules later that year. His first major win occurred in 1872, and two years later he achieved his first Classic win when Atlantic was first past the post in the 2,000 Guineas.
At 5ft 10in, Archer was taller than his peers and therefore had to diet rigorously in order to keep his weight within acceptable limits for the sport. This is believed to have had a profound impact upon his mental health, which was further compounded by the death of his wife Helen, who was the niece of his trainer Matthew Dawson. He fell into a deep depression and took his own life two years later.
Lester Piggott
Often celebrated as the greatest jockey of all time to have competed on the flat, Lester Piggott managed to rack up an astonishing 4,493 wins in his racing career. His racing career began at the age of 10, with his first win occurring at the age of 12 when he rode The Chase to victory at Haydock Park in 1948. With that many wins betting easily becomes boring and punters often need some tips and bonuses to spice up their betting, read more on that here.
By the age of 18, Piggott was riding his first winner at the Epsom Derby, going on to achieve eight further Epsom Derby wins during the course of his career. He was Champion Jockey a total of 11 times during his career, which ended with his retirement in 1995.
A conviction for tax evasion did little to tarnish the popularity of Lester Piggott, who is still held in high regard throughout the world of horse racing.
Tony McCoy
Only recently retired as a jockey, Tony McCoy, also known as AP McCoy, is commonly cited as being the greatest National Hunt jockey of all time. He rode his first winner when he was 17 years old in 1992, and achieved his 4,000th win 21 years later in 2013.
By the time he retired, McCoy had won the Champion Jockey title a record 19 times, having achieved this status every single year from the time that he turned professional. During the course of his National Hunt racing career, McCoy has managed to win every major race, including the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase, the Tingle Creek Chase, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and finally, in 2010, the Aintree Grand National.
Also in 2010, McCoy won the award for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, making him the first every jockey to do so. Three years later he won the award for RTE Sports Person of the Year. He has ridden 253 winners in a single season, making him a record holder, and is the only National Hunt jockey to win over 2.500 races.
