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Only 55 years young……
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
It only seems like yesterday that Shergar strode away with the Derby and catapulted WR Swinburn into the limelight. Such a tragedy that such a thoroughly decent and likeable man has passed away so young; I’m genuinely shocked.
Condolences to his family.
That is awful, awful news.
When he was riding he regular flew into an airport that I was based at in the 1990’s and I met him on several occasions.
He was always very unassuming – such a nice man.
RIP Walter
I am in utter shock!!
Such a gent and what I would call a kind jockey.
I will obviously never forget Shergar in the Derby but my fondest memory of Walter will always be Lammtarra flying home in the Derby and poor Walter never rode him again!!
The biggest compliment I can pay to him is he was a major part of my life whilst riding countless horses with a calmness and style whenh everyone around him seemed to be exploding with excitement.
R.I.P Walter
I can only echo the sentiments already expressed.
Really sad news, my thoughts go out to his family.
A class jockey, and a class person.
Always thought that he would also become a top notch trainer. Sadly it was not to be. RIP.I prefer to remember his ride on Pilsudski in the Breeders Cup. Amazing way to bounce back from the horrific fall he’d had earlier that year. Far too young. R.I.P.
Walter was one of those Jockeys you either loved or hated…I loved Steve Cauthen.I remember Madame Head running a big powerful Chestnut filly in the Prix Marcel Boussac of 1991,Pat Eddery managed to get her beat,he was a master at that.Throughout the Winter I was doing her at ‘Miesque’ like proportions for the 1000gns at Newmarket,snaffling all the 16/1 hoping Eddery wouldn’t ride her in the spring,he was contracted to ride for Mr Abdulla at the time but he didn’t have a Guineas filly so I was always worried he’d get the ride..Thankfully Walter took over on her seasonal debut at Maison laffite and he too got her beat,I couldn’t believe she lost but I always knew Madame Head could tune a filly to peak for the big day and on 1000gns day she duly did,Walter rode a great race but hindsight shows we were lucky to hold off the flying filly ‘Marling’ in a photo finish.That was the one and only time I ever collected thanks to Walter but to this day I’ll remember it fondly.RIP Walter you were a Jockey of the highest order.
There are many good performances to choose from, but the one I remember best is Walter riding the other jockeys to sleep on 1989 1,000 Guineas winner Musical Bliss.
I can’t see a cause of death anywhere. I guess it’s irrelevant really but I hope Swinburn didn’t go down the same route as Pat Eddery.
Very sad news and with so many jockeys suffering from depression you should never wonder.
Rest in Peace Walter and although I couldn’t get right with you, I really enjoyed watching your winning Derby ride on Lammtara numerous times!
A real high quality jockey who rarely misused the whip.
All the best to his family!I can’t see a cause of death anywhere. I guess it’s irrelevant really but I hope Swinburn didn’t go down the same route as Pat Eddery.
Saw somewhere that he died peacefully at home and had been suffering from epilepsy (not something I’d associate with fatal consequences but who knows? Maybe an underlying illness). All very sad whatever
Very, very sad news. He was the first jockey near my age group to become a star and I followed his career closely. All those great Stoute horses of the 80s he rode. A fantastic jockey.
Condolences to his friends and family.
Very sad.
Very sad news, made worse perhaps by his choirboy features always making him seem younger than he was
I think part of the problems for jockeys is finding ways to fill the time, it’s not so bad if you’re a racecourse trainer because then you can pretty much train until you die, but what does a retired jockey do with his days? And maybe that’s why the temptation of the drink becomes overwhelming for some
Very sad indeed. I was a big fan of his when he was riding, never expected to see this news so soon. RIP.
I can’t see a cause of death anywhere. I guess it’s irrelevant really but I hope Swinburn didn’t go down the same route as Pat Eddery.
Saw somewhere that he died peacefully at home and had been suffering from epilepsy (not something I’d associate with fatal consequences but who knows? Maybe an underlying illness). All very sad whatever
I imagine that the skull fractures he suffered in 1996 may have had something to do with his epilepsy. Such a shock though.
His memorable win on Shergar in the Derby blew my socks off when I was a kid. Shergar was the first Flat horse that stirred my imagination. However, his Derby win on Shahrastani five years later, kinda blew my head off for all the wrong reasons.
I’m sure he’s now taking Shergar for a spin in heaven.
Such sad news. He was a great jockey, he just instinctively knew where to be in a race and he had
such great hands. I know, like a lot of jockeys, he struggled with his weight and that must have
made life difficult for him. He may have had the looks of a choir boy, but he was as tough as they
come. I thought when he was seriously injured in Hong Kong that it might have seen the end of his
career, he was out for months but it was great to see him back to his best and I remember him winning
the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Pilsudski the following year. Thanks for all the great memories Walter. RIP.
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