Death of racing legend Lord Oaksey

Lord John Oaksey, the former amateur jump jockey, journalist, author, broadcaster and founder of the Injured Jockeys Fund passed away at his family home in Wiltshire yesterday following a lengthy period of ill health. He was 83

Oaksey’s greatest legacy is the Injured Jockeys Fund, which he helped to create following injuries incurred by Paddy Farrell in the 1964 Grand National.

As a rider himself, Oaksey — then known as John Lawrence — enjoyed many notable successes, particularly in 1958, during which he won the Imperial Cup on Flaming East, the Whitbread Gold Cup on Taxidermist and the inaugural Hennessy Gold Cup, then run at Cheltenham, on the same horse.